Rollins in Muenster

Rollins College offers an exciting year or spring semester in Germany. The Rollins in Münster program provides an intensive, in-depth experience in German language, culture and society. It is designed for students at the intermediate or advanced level in German.

The Program

The Rollins program in Münster is hosted by the University of Münster and Kapito Sprachschule. The University of Münster was founded in 1780 and is one of the largest universities in Germany. At present, approximately 55,000 students are studying in Münster, a city of 280,000 inhabitants. Kapito was founded in 1980 by several German language teachers who saw the need for a total immersion program for individuals wanting to work or study in Germany.

Students spend the first eight weeks of their program at Kapito, in a total immersion program. The basis of formal instruction at Kapito is a communicative methodology of language learning that stresses the student's immediate active engagement in language acquisition. Classes at Kapito are small, usually no more than ten students, and instructors have extensive experience in the strategies of encouraging rapid and intensive language acquisition. Recognizing that successful training in another language cannot take place in a vacuum, Kapito provides a series of cultural activities that are designed to provide each student with a fuller sense of German language, life and culture.

Each group is taught by two tutors, and from the very first lesson, the teaching language is German. Kapito puts much importance on personal contact: the school management and the tutors always find time to talk with the participants, to give them information on practical matters or leisure activities and accompany them during the events of the cultural and leisure programs.

Students enroll in regularly scheduled courses at the University of Münster for the second part of the program. Students who study in Münster for the academic year generally will select at least two proseminars and one lecture course for the Fall Semester, and will generally select three proseminars and two lecture courses for the Spring Semester. Students who study in Münster for Spring Semester only will select two proseminars and one lecture course. For information about studying at the University of Muenster, visit http://www.uni-muenster.de/Auslandsamt/index_in_stud.html

Students who complete an academic year in Münster earn academic credit equal to ten courses, or forty semester hours. Students who complete Spring semester earn academic credit equal to five courses or twenty semester hours. General education requirements, major and minor requirements may be fulfilled with prior approval. The two-month course at Kapito earns eight semester hours of credit, for a total of 160 hours of instruction. The proseminars and lecture courses at the University of Münster all earn four semester hours of credit.

The city of Münster is located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the cultural center of Westphalia and a significant center for business and administration. Although the city was destroyed in World War II, the historical center of the city was fully restored. Numerous institutes of the university are housed in the small, medieval-like center of the city. The central administration of the university is located in a castle on the Hindenburgplatz. The colorful bustle of the market in front of Münster’s roman gothic cathedral, which lies in the middle of the oldest part of town, attracts crowds several times a week.

The most popular mode of transportation in Münster is the bicycle! A wide net of bicycle paths makes it possible for cyclists to make outings to the green surroundings of the city. In Münsterland, one can visit many castles, which were once inhabited by nobility.

The faculty and staff of the Rollins program are all long-time residents of Münster, and most of them teach on a full time basis at Kapito or the University of Münster.

Kapito will coordinate the orientation and housing, and the Office of International Programs at the University of Münster will be responsible for arranging for courses at the university.

There are excursions during the first two months of the program, as well as weekly cultural activities, such as visits to museums, castles, walks through historic neighborhoods and film screenings. These activities help students to come to a deeper understanding of the German culture and way of life through experiences outside the classroom.

Students generally elect to live with German students in a shared apartment during their stay at Kapito, and may live either in a university residence hall or with German students for the second part of the program. Students are provided with a food stipend, and either cook for themselves or eat in student cafeterias.

In most cases, students will be entering a culture that is unfamiliar to them, and they will need to interact with the people they meet with respect and a willingness to learn about a different way of life. Applicants to the Rollins in Münster program should have a demonstrated interest in Germany, a desire to become proficient in German, and a desire to learn about German culture and society. They should be aware of and sensitive to cultural differences; they should be willing to learn about these differences, and to adapt to them.

Candidates for the Rollins in Münster program should have at least sophomore status, and be in good social and academic standing at their home institution. Students must have completed intermediate college German or the equivalent. Preference will be given to students with a minimum GPA of 2.8 or better.

Spring 2004
Depart New York	February 8
Arrive Münster	February 9
Classes at Kapito begin	February 10
Classes at Kapito end	April 2
Term break	April 2-14
Classes at the university begin	April 15
Classes at the university end	July 19
Depart Münster	July 20

Students pay regular Rollins semester tuition, room and board to participate in the Münster program. This includes tuition, full room and board, books, roundtrip international airfare from New York or Orlando, local transportation, International Student Identity Card, and excursions.

Group Flight: The cost of the roundtrip flight from New York is included in the program fee. Students are responsible for their transportation to New York.

Semester Break Travel: Most students travel during the semester break. Your room and board with your host during that period is not covered in the program fee.

Payment Schedule: A $500 deposit is required within three weeks of acceptance. It is non-refundable, but does apply to the total program cost. Full payment for the program must be received by July 1 for the Academic Year program, and by November 22 for the Spring program.

Financial Aid: Rollins students are generally eligible to receive their Rollins, federal and state financial aid. Some restrictions do apply, so students should check with Student Financial Planning. Students from other colleges and universities should check with their home institutions about the application of their financial aid to the Rollins program.

Spending Money: The amount of money a student spends per week varies greatly according to lifestyle and spending habits. Students generally spend from $70 to $150 per week on personal items, entertainment and travel. One suggested formula for determining the amount of spending money you will need is to add 25% to the amount you usually spend per week here in the U.S.