Opening week: Tore E. Engelke – A Student from the very Beginning

Tore E. Engelke had imagined his first week at university differently: ‘I thought there would be a city rally, maybe a casual freshers' party or an introductory round in the degree programme.’ But when the then 19-year-old entered the central building of Leuphana University Lüneburg at the start of the semester, it quickly became clear that things were different here. ‘I immediately felt like a student, not a beginner. The opening ceremony alone was a big event with the president, the mayor and student representatives. We were taken seriously – right from the start,’ recalls the now 20-year-old.

At Leuphana, all first-year students begin their studies together during the introductory week. The opening week is part of the interdisciplinary Leuphana semester and brings everyone together, regardless of their chosen field of study. In intensive project seminars, students work together on a current topic.

Among other things, Tore E. Engelke dealt with sustainable urban development and water cycles. ‘It was exciting to spend an entire semester working on a topic that went beyond my own field of study. Leuphana really appeals to me with its values,’ he says. The approach: scientific, socially relevant and practical.

‘We want to encourage you from the outset to engage with some of the big questions of our time. We trust that you will grow and make a difference,’ said Christian Brei, Executive Vice President, welcoming the first-year students to the Libeskind Auditorium. His question to the students: ‘Why are you here and not somewhere else?’

Tore E. Engelke knew his answer immediately: ‘I am at Leuphana because it is not like other universities. Here I can work in an interdisciplinary way, for example through complementary studies. And people are more open here.’

The path to Leuphana led through a newspaper article: his father had read about the new law programme. After completing a Master of Law, it also enables students to take the first state law examination – unique in Germany. For Tore Engelke, this was the perfect solution: ‘I am thrilled with my studies. They are very well organised and the lectures are fantastic. Everything is just as I had hoped.’

He also works in a law firm, which means his big hobby – American football – has to take a back seat at the moment. ‘But I keep fit with university sports and often hang out with fellow students on campus,’ he says with a smile. Because one of his predictions at the start of the semester turned out to be true after all: he already got to know many of his fellow students during the orientation week.