Buddy program
What is the buddy program?
The Buddy Program is part of the "Frankfurt Loves You" program and designed to guide you through your first weeks in Germany with the help of current and former Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences students. Most of all, the program is built upon the voluntary effort of Frankfurt UAS students to offer their time and knowledge to make the transition between your home country and Germany as smooth as possible.
Most of the Buddies will be German, but it is not unheard of that international students studying at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences for more than one semester sign up to be a Buddy. The program should facilitate the process of settling in, dealing with unexpected cross-cultural problems, and, of course, develop friendships outside of your language comfort zone.
A Buddy is usually an experienced Frankfurt UAS student, who will be paired up with you before your arrival. Thus, it is important that we receive your arrival time as early as possible. Not knowing when you arrive will make it very difficult for us to pair you up with a Buddy. The same goes for students that arrive later than the September 1/March 1, since many Buddies take time off from their work and internships to be available during the first days.
Our buddies are volunteers, which means that they are not paid for their commitment. For this reason, they might not be able to accompany you to every event that we will offer, but they are certainly encouraged to do so. Also, there is no obligation to spend time with each other. It is up to you and your Buddy how much time you want to spend together.
Although we’ll try to match you up with a Buddy from your field of study, we can’t guarantee that this will be the case. Sometimes timing issues (i.e. that your Buddy can pick you up from the airport/train station) will have priority.
If possible, the Buddy will pick you up at the airport/ train station. He/she will assist you with signing your rental agreement, navigating the public transport or booking a hostel for the first night. They will also help you with organizational matters and formalities inside and outside the university, such as registering at the town hall or explaining the difference between ‘Vorlesung’ (lecture) and ‘Übung’ (exercise).
After you have successfully applied for an exchange semester through our platform Mobility-Online, we will send you registration details along with your acceptance letter. Your participation in the program is free of charge.