Open Day Studium Individuale Charlie Weißer – A Clear Plan

Journalism or Individual Studies? After graduating from high school, Charlie Weißer received two offers for exciting university places. In the end, the choice was easy for him: "When I heard about Individual Studies, I was immediately excited because I thought: In this program, I can combine all my interests."

The Individual Studies program encourages students to design a significant portion of their curriculum freely and independently. They choose a question that they want to answer with the help of their seminars and lectures. Charlie Weißer is particularly interested in gender studies and educational sciences. After graduating from high school, he completed a federal volunteer service at Aidshilfe in Hamburg, where he worked in education and social media: "Today, HIV is medically treatable. The problem is often no longer the medication, but prejudice and a lack of knowledge. Educational work can have a big impact here."

The topics of identity, social issues, educational work, and the desire to draw attention to social issues through his work are recurring themes throughout his studies. The 23-year-old is now nearing the end of his degree. Charlie Weißer wants to bring these topics together in his bachelor's thesis: he plans to conduct qualitative interviews with transgender people from Lüneburg about their experiences with HIV education.

At the same time, he volunteered for four semesters at SCHLAU Lüneburg, an initiative that offers workshops on anti-discrimination and LGBTQIA+ issues in schools. "We went into classrooms and offered workshops. I enjoyed it immensely—and it showed me that I definitely want to work with people." 

In the Individual Studies program, students learn to develop a clear plan for their studies and receive intensive guidance through reflection exercises, weekend retreats, and individual discussions. In addition, there are core modules each semester. Based on their initial question, students individually select their lectures and seminars from the entire range of bachelor's programs offered by the university. Responsibility is rewarded: "I chose every lecture and every seminar myself, so I only attended courses that really interested me," says Charlie Weißer. Courses on inclusion, queer-feminist perspectives, and digital queer culture were particularly formative for him. 

A special part of his studies took Charlie Weißer to Michigan for two semesters at Kalamazoo College, a partner university of Leuphana. There, he not only studied, but also worked as a teaching assistant for German—five hours a week, including room and board.

In addition to many courses in gender studies, he also took advantage of the freedom to try new things: French, psychology, acting. At the same time, he sharpened his profile: among other things, he explored performance as a political tool in the AIDS activism movement of the 1980s and 90s. In one course, he presented a monologue from a play about AIDS, grief, and memory.

He can imagine different paths for himself after completing his bachelor's degree: educational and advisory work or working in queer media. To find out what suits him best, he plans to complete various internships first. A master's degree is also an option for him. 

For Charlie Weißer, the Individuale program was one thing above all else: a space to ask questions, stay curious, and systematically pursue answers: "I feel like I really built my own degree program—from everything that's important to me."