© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
Studying in the Forum at Domshof Building
Three law students report on their experiences after the move
Law students Emilia De Rosa, Vincent Wagener, and Nils Kaufholz are three of around 1,700 university members who have been studying and working at the university’s new location in downtown Bremen since the winter semester. In this interview, they tell us how the move went and how they like their new university building at Domshof.
How was the move to the new building?
Emilia De Rosa: I was very happy to finally have everything in one place. We used to have to walk quite a distance to the dining hall and library, and now everything is right next to each other. There is a very different feeling in this new, beautiful building from what we knew from GW1. The time until the law library was relocated was a bit stressful, as many of the resources needed were either unavailable or not available quickly, and that was especially inconvenient during the exam period. I am glad that this part of the move is now complete and that we have everything in the building.
© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
Nils Kaufholz: I had anticipated more chaos, to be honest, but things went quite smoothly overall. There were some issues at first, for example, with the building’s automated door locks, where rooms were open or closed when they should not have been. But that’s all been sorted out now. Unfortunately, the lecture hall solution remains suboptimal. The Glocke concert hall is not a very suitable learning environment and commuting to the main campus is very time-consuming. I hope there will be a better solution in the city soon.
© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
What changed for you personally with the move?
Vincent Wagener: It is nice that we are now located close to the Justice Examination Office and the District Court, with better access to the library there. The glass walls create openness in the offices, which is also positive, since that encourages conversations and collaboration. Everywhere you go in the building, you meet fellow students and colleagues. However, being farther away from the main campus means that I don’t make it to the university sports facilities as often, which is a shame. Other campus amenities, such as the cinema or the Psychological Counselling Center are also more difficult to access. Student life is not compatible with frequent commutes to the campus in Horn, so it would be great if these services were available in the city as well.
© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
Nils Kaufholz: Overall, you can say the building is really beautiful and the location is great. Here you will find wonderful conditions for studying.
What else would you want for the new location?
Vincent Wagener: What we still lack right now is access to the ticket system for easily scheduling repairs. Booking unscheduled classrooms does not work here either – many of us miss this very much.
Nils Kaufholz: What I would like to see is improved communication with us students. For example, we do not know whether we are also allowed to book and use the lobby, or what the status is of the café that is planned for the ground floor. I hope there will be more information on this soon.
Emilia De Rosa: I am excited about the development of the city center. We are a large group of students, and up to now, the city’s plans were not set up for this. I am curious to see whether services will develop here that are catered to us. Even the building itself does not feel very much like part of a university – if only because there are no bulletin boards with announcements and not many places to lounge. However, I have already noticed that you meet your fellow students and colleagues more often now that we are all located in the same large building, and there has been more personal contact since the move.
