Those who graduated from high school in 2020 had to take exams during the first wave of infections, cancel proms and postpone their plans for after school indefinitely.
Instead of going abroad or moving out, many stayed at home for the time being.
They often saw their lecture halls for the first time in the third semester.
Those who graduated from high school last year had to learn to function and persevere.
The Abi averages in 2021 were even better in many federal states than in previous years.
Some believe that this is due to the many special regulations.
Raising the average grade or more options in the exams, for example.
The others argue that the high school graduates could have studied more focused because of the restrictions.
Do the students now have knowledge gaps or are they more structured than their predecessors?
And how did the “Corona-Abi” affect starting your studies?
A lecturer, a psychotherapist and three students report on their experiences:
"We have learned to function"
Leona Heidenreich, 19 years old, is studying primary school teaching at the University of Bamberg, graduating from high school in 2021
“I did my Abitur in Bavaria last year. That means, in the 11th grade I went to school normally in the first half of the year, the last three half-years were then characterized by Corona. From then on, a lot of initiative was required. It was very difficult to motivate yourself every day at home alone. In retrospect, it worked well for me because I was extremely organized. But that was not the case with all of them. And even if I did a good high school diploma, this constant uncertainty and loneliness were also very stressful.
The experiences from the “Corona Abi” now help me with my studies.
At the beginning there were still a few events in attendance.
Now everything is online, which I find very sad, but since I learned to organize and motivate myself during school, I get along quite well with the subject matter.
The difficult thing is that I practically don't know anyone at university - unlike before at school.
So far, I've only met two or three fellow students during my studies.
There is a lack of fun and social life.
I do my chores every day and apart from that I don't do a lot.
I also stopped being upset about the situation or questioning it.
Many of us have learned to function through the “Corona Abi”.
For more recognition due to the special situation
I am studying primary school teaching with a major in German and a minor in maths. I notice that there have been some gaps in the last two school years because the material has been shortened and some topics and exams have been dropped.
So now I'm trying to make the best of it and repeat it all over again.