C3: Unleash Your Dragon Spirit

 

 

If one were to compare the housing at Jacobs to that of Hogwarts, College 3 aka C3 would be House Slytherin.  To some extent C3 is a bit like Slytherin – our college colour is green and we are a competitive bunch when it comes to sports or simply competing with other colleges. On the contrary, no one speaks Parseltongue *sigh* and neither do we have a secret chamber, harbouring snakes andwhat not, at least not to my knowledge. But like any of the other colleges, C3 does have a community spirit and one can feel at home in our college.

So a bit of facts and figures about C3: well C3 was founded in 2003. It is located right next to the soccer fields, sports halls and tennis courts which makes it very convenient for sports enthusiasts. It hosts numerous events including but not limited to the C3 Quiz Night, Fashion Show, Eid celebrations and International Movie Nights.  College 3 has two kinds of student accommodation: single rooms and double rooms. Freshmen share a double apartment with someone of the same sex but different nationality. Single apartments are available for 2nd and 3rd year students. All apartments have a bathroom, which is shared with a roommate in double apartments. In total, C3 has 2 triple apartments, 107 double apartments, 26 single apartments and 1 guest room.

The C3 mascot is a dragon and just as strong and fierce yet loyal and brave C3ers are always at the heart of the action. The enthusiasm is pretty much infectious and there is always something going on to prove it. C3ers are proud to be a part of an extraordinary, international family and know just how important it is to respect and support one another. C3 is more than just a home away from home!

The Colleges: Mercator

At Jacobs University, we have a sort of Hogwarts-like housing system: four individual ‘colleges’ that each encompasses its own personality. Currently, the four colleges are Krupp, Mercator, C3 and Nordmetall, and admitted students are given the opportunity to fill out a housing survey to indicate which college they’d like to stay in at Jacobs. And even though Jacobs is a very integrated community, as in there are no serious divisions between colleges, there is still quite a sort of ‘college pride’ that resides with you and your fellow college mates. It’s not only a very distinct concept, but it also bonds people in particularly unique ways.

I currently live in Mercator College, and I had actually (very prematurely) chosen Mercator before I had even been admitted to Jacobs University. I was a huge nerd, naturally, about research and looked up the variating colleges and their specialities and images beforehand, and what I had gathered from the individual websites was that Mercator was artsy, Krupp was more studious, C3 was athletic and Nordmetall had wireless Internet. (Though all colleges have wireless internet now.) Additionally, Mercator had been described as ‘the most comfortable college,’ which as someone moving 5,771 miles away from home, sounded just, plain beautiful. Through my research and many, many questions to older students, I could genuinely feel that I would do well in Mercator, and the fact that its mascot is the house cat was just a tiny bonus.

I have been living in Mercator for almost a year now, and I can confirm that I had been wise in my choice. Mercator is a very tremendous college – casually ignoring my blatant bias, it holds some of the coolest and most puzzling people at Jacobs. A lot of my fondest memories here at Jacobs have occurred in Mercator, at Mercator activities or with people that also reside in Mercator. Colored hammocks, lazy floor decorations, a faulty foosball table and a relaxed basement pre-party; from being knighted into Mercator to winning the Arts Olympix, Mercator has been the right choice for me, and as well, for many others. Mercator College has become an instrumental part of my life here at Jacobs, and this is just me, taking a brief note to express my general appreciation for this wondrously strange and diverse group of people united under blueness and radness.

So in conclusion to all admitted or prospective students: make sure you investigate the colleges and talk to current students or graduated students or student assistants or the campus ducks or the admissions office (or basically anybody that you can find) about the individual colleges to find the one best suited for you. It will make your time at Jacobs significantly more pleasant.

Best of luck!

Country Information Days (CIDs)

By Nikola Gyurchev (Bulgaria); Class of 2015 – Biotechnology

Each of our four residential colleges on campus have unique events that they host throughout the year. Mercator College, named in honour of Stiftung Mercator GmbH, has played host to CIDs since May, 2003. CIDs help to promote a cultural and international understanding among the students. This academic year, CIDs have been showcased by the Chinese and Bulgarian communities on campus. The students presented their cultures through dance, food and language lessons to mention but a few.

Bulgaria, an eastern European country and home to 20 of our undergrads, borders with the Black Sea, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. It has a population between 7 and 8 million people and its capital is Sofia. China on the other hand composes a 7^th of the world’s population and is represented by 46 undergrads on campus.

The atmosphere on both occasions was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. As Bulgaria prides itself in being the land of roses the Mercator common room was decorated with roses for this special event. The most exciting part for both CIDs was being served traditional Bulgarian and Chinese food.

On the day of the Bulgarian CID we had a Bulgarian dish for lunch: мусака (moussaka) made from potatoes, minced meat and eggs and after the main CID event баница (banitsa) a typical Bulgarian dish was served to the audience. The banitsa is a pastry dish with white cheese and eggs. On New Year’s Eve the banitsa, just like the famous Chinese fortune cookies, contains fortunes written on a piece of paper and the banitsa is taken right after midnight. For the Chinese CID the Chinese students served a special Chinese cake, shrimp crackers and siomai; a pork dumpling that is steamed and served with sauce.

Something interesting I learnt about Bulgaria is that the Bulgarians shake their heads when agreeing with something and nod their heads when disagreeing. Bulgarians also celebrate name days throughout the year. For the Chinese CID there was a special presentation on Chinese culture, language and politics. There is a Mandarin Society on campus which teaches students Mandarin Chinese to interested students.

I find it really interesting, learning about the different cultures and student backgrounds. It is one of the unique aspects and privileges of studying in a multi-cultural environment. I sure have learnt a great deal about different countries that I would not have learnt from media or text books.