Between lecture hall and exhibition hall: dual studies at NürnbergMesse

How university and the working world come together in my dual study program

It's Sunday. Another one of those Sundays. My suitcase stands half open at the edge of my room, overflowing with clothes, university stuff, headphones, and to-do lists.

My DHBW Ravensburg student ID card lies between my laptop charger and my toothbrush. I scroll through my girls' WhatsApp chat one last time: “Coffee in town tomorrow, at Pano?” – and feel a tingle of anticipation. New semester, new courses, new weeks full of joy, learning, and sometimes a mental roller coaster ride.

But now it's time to head back from Nuremberg to Ravensburg. From blazers and meeting rooms to lecture halls and student dorms. The everyday life of a dual student is not only a change of location, but also a constant balancing act between two worlds.

What often looks like a tightly scheduled resume to outsiders, studying and working, three months here, three months there, often feels more like a life of constant commuting for us dual students.

My degree program is called “Business Administration – Media and Communication Management with a focus on Communication Management” and takes place at the DHBW in Ravensburg, a university that is fully committed to the dual concept.

Theory and practice alternate every three months: this means not only variety, but also constant adjustment. And it means taking on responsibility right from the start. 

In Ravensburg, my life is that of a completely normal student

I attend lectures, give group presentations, and write papers. There is just one small but crucial difference: I know exactly why I am learning all this. Three months later, I will be back at my internship partner, NürnbergMesse, where I will often notice what I have learned and be able to put it into practice right away.

I have already had the opportunity to work in various departments there, from marketing to corporate communications.

I have contributed to social media concepts, helped plan the summer party, assisted in the press center, and learned what crisis communication looks like behind the scenes. I quickly realize that the things we learn at university are really useful in our everyday working lives later on.

At the same time, it's also a tight schedule, because three months of university means three months of concentrated learning, with compulsory attendance and hardly any time to catch my breath. While others are on semester break and traveling for several weeks, I'm sitting in the lecture hall. But I know that I'm investing in my future.

Now I'm sitting in the car on my way to Ravensburg. My suitcases and boxes are stowed away to the top. Ravensburg is getting closer and in less than 2:30 hours I'll be back in my favorite one-room apartment.

I think about the coming weeks, new subjects, the cafés in the old town, seeing my friends again for the first time.

For me, dual studying doesn't just mean “theory and practice,” which is what many people think of first when they hear the word. It also means constantly reorganizing yourself, taking responsibility, and still enjoying life, because that's the most important thing!

Anyone considering dual studying should know that it's not a walk in the park, but it's a path that pays off. I have learned to deal with stress (most of the time), to organize myself and still remain human. And I have found people, both at university and at NürnbergMesse, who have grown very dear to my heart.

You grow with every challenge, not overnight, but step by step. And that's exactly what makes dual studies so special for me.