Student Portrait: Marius Hemminger - No “Either Or"

2020-03-09 Marius Hemminger was searching for a university that would both give him a good professional background and the freedom to set his own accents. Born in Pforzheim in Southern Germany, he moved to Northern Germany because of the unique Leuphana study model.

Bachelor's student and Leuphana ambassador Marius Hemminger. ©Anna Stojan / Leuphana
Bachelor's student and Leuphana ambassador Marius Hemminger.

Already in the Oberstufe (upper secondary education) Marius Hemminger was a chairman of the board. His Gymnasium offered the opportunity to found a student company. His business produced oil lamps from defective light bulbs. He and his classmates managed production, marketing and sales, and they were awarded for their successful work by the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Economics was one of his two advanced courses in the Oberstufe. "I was just as interested in my second course, English," says the 22-year-old. He did not want to choose between the two subjects during his studies. "I therefore searched for a university where I could combine both." He came across Leuphana on the Internet. "The study model immediately sounded exciting to me," he recalls. Students first choose a major, their main subject. Marius Hemminger chose "International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship". The course is taught entirely in English. Then there is the Minor. "In the Oberstufe, I chose Psychology as an elective. I am very interested in human behaviour and like to solve problems." That is why he opted for business psychology, an interface between the fields of economics and psychology. His decision to come to Lüneburg was determined by this combination of disciplines.

Right after graduating from Gymnasium, Marius Hemminger completed an internship at the personnel department of a large midsize company. He experienced how personnel decisions are made, was present at job interviews and managed administrative matters. "I can very well imagine a professional career in this area," says Marius Hemminger. He is already working at the Leuphana student counselling service and as a Leuphana ambassador for the bachelor's programmes. In this capacity, he is not only able to pass on the advantages of the study model to prospective students at university fairs, but also to report on-site about his own experiences as a student.

During his studies he also discovered his interest in the field of marketing. He uses the minor as well as the complementary studies to set further, more in-depth accents in both this and the psychology direction: "Presently I am completing the Advertising Psychology module”.

To gain even more practical experience, he will move to Munich in April for six months to complete an internship in the area of "Digital Transformation & Enablement". "If everything turns out well, I could also imagine writing a company-related bachelor's thesis there," he adds. After that, he would like to pursue a master's degree.