Buddy Program
Have you ever found yourself in this situation? Being in a foreign country, surrounded by fellow international students who are just as new as you, while the local community seems distant and difficult to connect with? It's a common challenge faced by many Erasmus students here in Mannheim. But fear not, as we have a solution to bridge this gap and create meaningful connections! Are you ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure, packed with new experiences and lifelong friendships?
That's why we proudly present the ultimate opportunity of a lifetime - our ESN VISUM Buddy Program!
ESN VISUM puts every exchange student in contact with a local student of Mannheim. Let us bridging the gap between international and local students. The possibilities are endless when it comes to bonding with your Buddy. With your Buddy, the choice is yours! Grab a coffee, practice German, play volleyball, cook together or explore Mannheim's party scene - it's all up to you!
Application
Please follow the link below to sign up for the Buddy Program:
Matching
There will be a matching happening during the vacation for all the exchange students who take part at the winter or summer academy (one month ahead of semester start). A second matching will be performed shortly before the semester begins (winter: end of August, summer: end of February).
Choice of language
When signing up for the Buddy Program, it is possible to request two languages. This means you can choose which language your Buddy should speak in order to help him properly with the first steps here in Mannheim. Unfortunately, we cannot quarantee to fulfill the request, but we’ll try our best. Please understand that there will be more requests for popular languages such as English or Spanish than there are exchange students with these mother tongues.
The most important criterion is the moment you are avaible (sommer -/winter academy or semester start). The second criterion is your choice of language. As mentioned before, we’ll try our best to fulfill your language request, but if not, we’ll assign you with someone with a different language.
Conclusion
VISUM arranges mentoring between exchange students and German students. Even when your Buddy does not speak your requested language, you can have an amazing time together during the semetser.
If you are looking for a tandem conversation partner, have a look at the wall of the International Office (http://aaa.uni-mannheim.de/tandem/?d=login&a=start&lang=en&tid=) and register. Moreover, you can join us at VISUM events to get to know other people from all over the world!
Data Protection
If you take part at our buddy programm you agree that we use your given personal data for the buddy matching process. That means your e-mail adress, your name, your age, your gender, your phone number and your nationality will be forwarded to your future buddy. After the matching process we will delete your data from our servers. If you have any question regarding data protection within the buddy program feel free to contact us (buddymatching@visum-mannheim.de).
See you soon.