Kollmann ‘Studies Abroad’ in Native Germany
Lars Kollmann, a current second year student in the Program in Real Estate, is spending his fall semester 2008 studying in his native Germany at the European Business School (EBS), which is the first-such European semester abroad in the Program’s history.
The semester at EBS provides Kollmann, who likely will return to Germany following graduation, the opportunity to gain knowledge of relevant German and European real estate law and taxation rules as well as strengthen contacts among German Real Estate Professionals. “My motivation certainly wasn’t to learn a foreign culture or to study a new language,” joked Kollmann, noting that EBS is Germany’s most highly regarded private university, is close to Frankfurt, and its integrated Real Estate Management institute (REMI) offers the ideal connection to cultivate his Cornell education with this native German’s future.
The European Business School in Germany enrolls only 1,200 students and is a young institution having been founded in 1971. Education in Germany is offered at public schools on a comparably high level and almost free of charge, said Kollmann, adding that EBS, one of the very few private universities in Germany, provides an intimate setting.
One of the most distinctive qualities of the EBS is the very international nature of the school- the lectures and all other events are held in English in order to prepare the German students for experiences abroad and to allow as many foreign students as possible to study at EBS. In addition, all German EBS students are required to study at least one semester abroad. For this reason, EBS has more than 160 partner universities on five continents offering truly a world of options for international study.
“The semester at EBS presented a unique opportunity for Lars,” said David Funk, Director of the Cornell Program in Real Estate, adding “and we anticipate seeing some EBS students spend a semester or year at Cornell in the near future.” The EBS real estate program seeks strong ties to the business world, and offers numerous events with industry participation. For example, a career fair with more than 45 well known German and international companies was held by the school, which provided students with strong career-building opportunities. “A symposium included Jean-Claude Trichet, the President of the European Central Bank,” said Kollmann, adding that the scale of the career fair speaks of European employers’ appreciation for EBS graduates.
The EBS similarities to Cornell extend even to both being situated in important wine-growing regionss. The Rheingau region – named after the river Rhein, on whose riverside the EBS is located – is world-famous for its Riesling. In fact there are even grape-vines growing about the campus.
(Lars Kollmann will return to Cornell for the spring 2009, and may even bring a few bottles of German Riesling as evidence of the benefits of ‘study abroad’)