Dr. Zimmermann has been working as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology at FernUniversität in Hagen since 2015. She studied psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Burgundy in Dijon from 2002 to 2008 and received her doctorate from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena in 2012. Her research focuses on the psychological conditions and consequences of (international) educational mobility, the academic success of international students and intercultural and cross-cultural psychology.
I studied psychology at the University of Mainz and spent some five months in Dijon (France), during the winter semester of 2004/05.
I was very eager to experience living and studying in another country. The study programme seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. I had heard that the way psychology was taught very differently in France compared to Germany, and I was keen to meet many students from other European countries. My French skills were limited at the time, so I also wanted to improve them. After the semester, I completed a six-week internship in the human resources department of the city administration.
Initially, the main issue was the language. Then the subject matter was quite different, so it took me some time to get used to it. However, I also found that very interesting. My search for accommodation was unnecessarily complicated because I wasn't aware that I could stay in a student residence. However, as I couldn't arrive in time for the start of the semester due to exams in Germany, I decided to search for accommodation myself instead of asking for help. In doing so, I discovered that almost everything is organised very differently from how it is in Germany.
My studies were actually very clinically oriented, and the internship complemented my studies in Germany well, as they focused on occupational psychology. The internship also helped me to improve my language skills, as, I only heard and spoke French, unlike in my studies. Although it was an orientation internship in terms of subject matter, this practical insight was extremely useful. Six weeks with a weekly change of department was also an appropriate length of time.
My time abroad made me more outgoing, especially when communicating with strangers in unfamiliar surroundings and in a foreign language. From a scientific perspective, I would also claim that my time abroad increased my self-confidence and openness.
While I was still in France, I started looking into doing a semester-long internship in South Africa funded by a DAAD scholarship. In hindsight, I definitely wouldn't have had the confidence to do this without my Erasmus experience. Funding was available for travel, and I found two internships myself: the first was at the University of Cape Town, and the second at an NGO involved in development aid. There was far less support than with Erasmus. I wanted to go further afield to an English-speaking country and try something completely different. Looking back, I now realise that my experiences in France and South Africa were very different. My time in France was very straightforward; it was the same student life I was used to, with a few unique aspects. In South Africa, however, there was a greater cultural distance, and the community was completely different, particularly in the NGO work. Overall, my perception of what it meant to be a foreigner was completely different, and I faced a whole new cultural challenge.
If possible, I would certainly avoid arriving late (unfortunately, there was no other way to organise it at the time). As a result, I missed all the introductory events. I drove my things there by car beforehand, and then travelled to the start of the programme by train, going straight to an Erasmus party in the evening. So I managed to integrate socially anyway. When it comes to my studies, going abroad right after I finished my basic studies (i.e. quite early in my degree programme) was a really good idea. Certificates and credits could not be collected back then. I was told in advance: »We will not recognise anything, no matter what you achieve«. My academic advisor thought the stay was completely pointless. However, a lot has changed in higher education institutions since then. With today's knowledge and conditions, I would spend two semesters abroad and try to gain as many credits as possible.
The FernUniversität in Hagen is my third employer since graduating. My time spent abroad was never mentioned in any job interviews, but at my first interview, my CV was described as »interesting«. I get the impression that studying abroad still doesn't count for much when it comes to getting a job or advancing your career in many psychological professions. Nevertheless, I have noticed the indirect effects of my time abroad. Based on my own Erasmus experiences, I made professional decisions regarding the focus and topic of my dissertation. My suggestion of the specific topic, »Personality development in the context of international mobility experiences«, was probably decisive in securing my position. I would describe my current research focus as »international educational mobility«, and my Erasmus experiences were instrumental in shaping it.
As part of the »Campus International« projects and beyond, we have conducted longitudinal studies comparing groups of students who studied abroad with control groups who remained in their home country. These studies provide consistent evidence of the positive effects of study-related experiences abroad on various psychological characteristics. Our research shows that, compared to the control group, students who complete a study-related stay abroad demonstrate greater increases in basic personality traits such as openness to new ideas, cooperativeness, empathy, sociability, social dominance, conscientiousness and reliability. Similar positive effects have been observed in terms of characteristics associated with successfully navigating intercultural situations as well as proactive behaviours linked to professional success. There is also a more pronounced decline in characteristics associated with anxiety and insecurity. Overall, the immediate positive effects of study-related experiences abroad are clear.
The interview was conducted by Marina Steinmann, expert for Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation at the NA DAAD.
Dr. Zimmermann has been working as a research assistant at the Faculty of Psychology at FernUniversität in Hagen since 2015. She studied psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Burgundy in Dijon from 2002 to 2008 and received her doctorate from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena in 2012. Her research focuses on the psychological conditions and consequences of (international) educational mobility, the academic success of international students and intercultural and cross-cultural psychology.
![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/0/csm_TUBerlin-Praesidium2022-PhilippArnoldtPhotography-163_quadrat_Start_7adc796b3f.jpg)
![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/4/csm_Frauke-Muth_MG_0268_35ed947ca3.jpg)
![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/b/csm_501_patrcik-carmer-mpfg-offizielle_christoph-mukherjee_nurlayout_original-anfordern_29910638b7.jpg)