Nordhausen (FHPN) Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences welcomes the new international students who will be studying at the university through the EU's ERASMUS programme. They arrived on Monday, 26.09.2005 and immediately completed an extensive introductory programme.

For many years now, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has maintained strong partnerships with more than 30 universities in Europe and overseas. As part of these partnerships and supported by EU funding, many students from Nordhausen have been able to spend study and work placements abroad. This year, over 40 students will once again spend part of their studies abroad. In the winter semester that has just begun, eight Nordhausen students are studying in France, Slovenia, Turkey and the USA, while a further 12 students are completing an internship abroad, including in Poland, Ireland and the UK. In return, the University of Applied Sciences welcomes eight students from Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Turkey. In detail, these are

Cagla Akgül|Hacettepe University | Ankara|Turkey

Barbara Berdnik|University of Ljubljana|Ljubljana|Slovenia

Adam Kraczkowski|Akadmia Podlaska|Siedlce|Poland

Renata Stepaciovaite|Vilniaus Gedemino Technikos Universitetas|Vilnius|Lithuania

Evrim Ummak|Hacettepe University|Ankara|Turkey

Simona Veromejute|Vilniaus Gedemino Technikos Universitetas|Vilnius|Lithuania

Izabela Wawryniuk|Akademia Podlaska|Siedlce|Poland

Jure Zupan|University of Ljubljana|Ljubljana|Slovenia

The ERASMUS students will take courses in the Business Administration and Computer Engineering programmes.

The participation of Turkish universities in the ERASMUS programme is a novelty. Turkey has only been participating in the EU education programmes since this academic year. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has always been a pioneer in cooperating with new countries. Immediately after it was founded, agreements were concluded with Polish, Lithuanian, Hungarian and Slovenian universities, with which lively exchanges were quickly established. "As Nordhausen students were very interested in studying in Ankara, we took this step as soon as possible," says Thomas Hoffmann, International Affairs Officer at the University of Applied Sciences. However, there still seems to be a lot of ignorance about Turkey among the population. After just one day, Cagla Akgül from Ankara had to report that she was constantly being asked why she wasn't wearing a headscarf. Her answer is clear: "Turkey is a modern country, and especially in the cities, women are dressed no differently than anywhere else in Europe.