Learning Without Borders: SOGOLAS Student Julius Shares His Thoughts
How Liberal Arts in Social Sciences student discovered a new passion and global perspective through unexpected academic turns and international friendships.
1. What has been your favorite interdisciplinary course, and how did it challenge your thinking?
I’d say International Relations (IR) has been my favorite. Before that, I wasn’t really focused on international politics, but the course opened up a whole new world for me — literally. Now I’m preparing for an internship in Cairo next semester, which is wild to think about compared to where I started.
2. How do you approach the flexibility of the Liberal Arts curriculum?
It’s funny — at first, you think it’s going to be super flexible in a kind of chaotic way, but it’s actually not too flexible. It gives you space to explore without feeling lost. I started out thinking psychology would be my main thing, but I slowly shifted toward a more politics-heavy direction once I realized that’s where my interest really lies.
3. In what ways has your personal growth been shaped by the international environment here?
You basically relearn how to make friends — but this time, with people from all over the world. It teaches you how to get along with completely different backgrounds and perspectives. It’s not always easy, but it’s probably one of the most important things I’ve picked up here. I additionally got the chance to take a semester abroad with Erasmus meeting even more friends and experiencing a completely different kind of the international community in Barcelona
4. Can you describe a time when your studies helped you see a global issue differently?
Yeah, definitely with the whole Israel-Palestine conflict. In Germany, the way this issue is talked about is often pretty one-sided, and I didn’t realize how narrow my view was until I had classmates from different regions sharing their perspectives. That made me rethink a lot of the narratives I took for granted.
5. How would you pitch this program to a high school student who’s not sure what to study yet?
Honestly? If you’re unsure what you want to study, this is the ideal place to figure it out. You don’t have to have everything sorted on day one — you get the time and space to try different things and then focus in once you find what clicks.