The creative thinker

You have to be careful with really good ideas in Clausthal, because you might just end up have to put them into practice. That’s how it was with Florian Schmeing’s proposal to bring the ‘Long Night of the Sciences’ event format to Clausthal. “I went to the Vice President’s office hours completely unprepared and mentioned the idea just in passing,” the student freely admits, “but before I knew what was happening, I had the job on my plate.” So he saw to the organization of the first major project of this kind in Clausthal, and Science on the Rocks was a complete success. It certainly won’t be the last event this 23‑year-old puts together, considering how energetic he is by nature. Florian is also involved in university politics, but, as he enthuses, “First and foremost, I’m a chemist by vocation.”

To university with restricted entrance qualifications

After his training as a chemical technician, it was clear to Florian that he wanted to know more about this extraordinary discipline. He found a suitable place to study quickly enough: Its good ranking and the option of getting in with his Fach-Abitur, a restricted university entrance qualification, led him to choose Clausthal. Additional factors were the prospect of glorious natural surroundings and a distance of only 300 kilometers from his hometown of Borken. “It’s theoretically doable, but far enough away to stop me checking into Hotel Mom every weekend,” he jokes with a laugh. A perfect strategy. Florian is altogether keen on the Clausthal mentality of having everything within easy reach. You can achieve a lot here by being proactive.

Making connections, building networks

Decisions are reached quickly when you make direct contact with the person responsible. According to Florian, what you need in Clausthal is the ability to communicate. Being well connected is beneficial when it comes to getting hold of all the important information. That is helped, of course, by building social ties. It is moreover advantageous to be pragmatic and creative. “If you’re lacking something here, you just find a solution yourself,” Florian reports. For example, he became a patron of the swimming pool for four weeks – “first and foremost to use the showers,” he recalls with a grin, because his bathroom was being renovated. He has made a virtue of necessity, however, and can now regularly be found swimming lengths of the Clausthal pool.

Leisure time in the great outdoors

This student also finds the perfect counterpoint to his university routine in Clausthal’s stunning surroundings, which he uses for extensive motorbike rides and hikes. Cozy evenings in the bar are another a good way to relax and philosophize about life. One thing is clear: “I would definitely choose Clausthal to study in again.” But it remains to be seen whether his idea of a doctorate place here works out – or, as a chemist might put it, that is the substrate that dreams are made of...

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