A A-levels can help, but other qualities often count: Anyone aiming for a scholarship should take a close look at the profiles of the various funding organizations.

In this series we present scholarship holders from various foundations.

Studying where other people go on vacation, surrounded by mountains and a sparkling lake, barely half an hour from the Italian border: Selina Beckmann's summer semester took her to Lugano in Switzerland.

The twenty-six-year-old has been one of around 3,500 scholarship holders from the CDU-affiliated Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS) since 2019.

Because of the pandemic, she had to postpone her stay abroad for a year.

She was able to study in Switzerland with the Swiss-European Mobility Programme, which can be compared to Erasmus.

Back in Germany, she is now in the final stages of her master's thesis in communication and media research at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.

Unpack, arrive, find your way around – what Beckmann is currently facing in Germany looked no different in Lugano in mid-February.

The choice fell on Switzerland, among other things, because she wanted to be able to reach home by train as easily as possible.

Beckmann comes from a small town in the Rhine-Main area.

The relationship with her grandparents, who she visits every week when she is not abroad, is particularly close.

Talking to her grandfather about current political events sparked her interest, even at the age of twelve, says Beckmann.

“No training ground for the CDU”

It is important to her to emphasize that the KAS is not a cadre school for CDU party soldiers, but rather reflects a wide range of opinions and political directions.

"You don't have to be a party member, and you don't get the CDU registration form attached to the scholarship confirmation." Uncertainty about not being part of the party made her hesitate to apply for a long time.

For no reason, emphasizes the student.

Anyone who can identify with the values ​​of the foundation is certainly in good hands there: democracy and the rule of law, integrity of creation, social market economy and European unification.

The C for Christian in the abbreviation CDU can be found in the Christian image of man, which is based on these values, says Beckmann.

Where religious affiliation, similar to the party, is not a selection criterion.

Social and political commitment is definitely considered a criterion.

Beckmann, for example, was an acolyte for nine years, then continued to be involved in the leadership group and did federal voluntary service after school.

"There was always someone there"

The correct arrival at the Swiss place of study took a few weeks.

At first it was difficult for her to settle into the dormitory, but then the place of residence helped her the most to make friends.

"There was always someone there, regardless of whether we were studying for courses or going to the lake." It was a great experience how quickly they were able to make friends.

However, she threw overboard the originally planned trips through nearby Italy.

Ticino was ultimately far too beautiful.

Beckmann explains that the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation's regional group for northern Italy gave her a certain sense of security, especially when it came to the language.

Together with her, she once ended up in Rome, where she visited the city on the trail of Jewish life.

These groups are common in all thirteen organizations for the promotion of gifted students.

Students from one region are brought together in them, they meet and network with each other.

Basically a starting point, no matter where you are.

The regional group counted almost twenty scholarship holders this semester, three of them from Lugano.

At home in Mainz, Beckmann worked for two and a half years as spokeswoman for one of the three groups there and thus acted as the interface between scholarship holders and the foundation.

Important experiences in Switzerland

In the canton of Ticino, where the city is located, Italian is one of the four official languages ​​of Switzerland.

Before the semester abroad, Beckmann took language courses at the university for two years.

After four and a half months she was more confident about her Italian skills.

She passed the exam in Lugano for the B1 level and is now highly motivated to continue learning, reports Beckmann.

In the end, she was able to deal with 95 percent of everyday things in Italian.

Looking back, she raves about her time in Switzerland: "I really have to say that this is an experience in my life that I definitely wouldn't want to miss."

The contact with people from all over the world, from different cultures, gave her a lot, but above all the realization: “Basically, we all have the same values, just different ways of life.” A statement that, according to Beckmann, also applies to the KAS let.

Despite all the differences, the culture of discussion at joint seminars is special.

"The matter is argued and discussed, and when it's time for lunch, we still get along well." An experience that doesn't always happen in a university context.

For Beckmann, the third seminar of the KAS in presence is scheduled for September, it is about Jewish life in Germany.

She attended one basic and two compact seminars online and helped organize one.

Beckmann also wants to have submitted her master's thesis by October.

Further information on the website of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation

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