FuckUp Nights Bonn - Student Edition
Too much social pressure? Chosen the wrong degree program? Overwhelmed or even expelled from the University? Having doubts about one’s studies has become a widespread phenomenon. This is demonstrated once a year at the FuckUp Nights Bonn – Student Edition (FUN), where courageous speakers talk about their failure to succeed at university, their shattered career plans and what they did next.
Dealing openly with setbacks is an important aspect of the FuckUp Nights: failure is part and parcel of this and can even be a necessary experience in order to reorientate yourself and forge your own path successfully. At the event, the speakers will talk candidly and extremely personally about their own doubts, fears and challenges during their studies. How did they manage to make a new start after supposedly messing up their studies? What did they learn from it? How did their friends, parents and fellow students react?
Timing and registration
Date and time
December 12, 2023 | 7 - 9 pm
Where
Wolfgang-Paul-Hörsaal, Kreuzbergweg 28, 53115 Bonn
and livestream (link follows)
The FuckUp Night will also be interpreted into sign language.
Registration
Participation is free.
You do not need to register in advance.
The event will be held in German
Our speakers 2023
Isabel
Just "throw away" three years of studying psychology? "You can still get through the rest," Isabel was often told. In order to get a highly competitive university place, she put a lot of time and effort into achieving the best possible A-level grades, even as a schoolgirl. Over the course of three years of sitting and memorizing, she became increasingly unhappy and her doubts grew. The constant pressure and monotonous studying led her to drop out of university. She will be happy to tell you about her search and finding her current path on 12.12.23.
Johannes
"Hotel manager, of course!" was Johannes' answer to the question of what he would do after school. "Study hotel management and then join a big hotel chain and move to a new hotel every few years, all over the world!". Plan B, if that doesn't work out, he'll do the same as his father. But what does a hotel manager or Johannes' father actually do all day? Is there perhaps a plan C, D or E? Does it have to be a degree at any price? What does Johannes himself actually enjoy?
At FuckUp Night, Johannes tells you his story about not asking enough questions, thinking too much about other people's expectations and about a 31-year-old who ultimately found his passion.
Mia
"Oh, you're still doing that?", although such comments irritate Mia, she can understand people who aren't quite sure whether the 22-year-old has stuck to her choice this time. After all, she started a few things after leaving school – and dropped out again. Nevertheless, she knows that all the times she has failed and had to start over again have brought her to where she is now: satisfied with her studies and happy about all the experiences. At FuckUp Night, Mia talks about her experiences of giving up and what she learned from letting go of her plans.
Sabrina
A vocational training was out of the question for Sabrina after school. Everyone around her started studying, including her – after all, she had an A-level average (Abi-Schnitt) of 1,...! She initially studied mathematics for four years, then dropped out and worked full-time. After returning to a different course of study, she is now doing a vocational training and is very happy with this decision. Sabrina's story revolves around admissions, failure and reasons to take a new path – a path that is not "just" a vocational training.
Looking back: FUN 2019, 2020 and 2021
At the previous FuckUp Nights Bonn – Student Edition #1, #2 and #3, brave speakers told their own personal stories with authenticity, emotion and honesty. When did the doubts begin to creep in? What path did they find for themselves? Did they have any support? And where are they now?
FuckUp Nights Bonn – Student Edition #4
FuckUp Nights Bonn - Student Edition #3
FuckUp Nights Bonn - Student Edition #2
FuckUp Nights Bonn - Student Edition #1
Contact information and organization
Theresa Fabian
Lea Jenkner
See also
Doubts about your studies
Here you can find information and support if you’re having doubts about your studies.
Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service
The Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service can help you with any questions relating to your studies. Please feel free to arrange a consultation.
First-hand reports
Here you can find many more personal stories told by (former) students who had doubts of their own.