The BuddySystem at the University of St. Gallen has been organising events and helping foreign students integrate since its foundation. Starting from the beginning of February this semester, exchange students from all over the world have been arriving in St. Gallen and benefiting from all the assistance and activities provided by the BuddySystem.
From the very beginning, volunteers from the University of St. Gallen have been running the BuddySystem. This year’s team, led by Martin Weber, consists of Lukas Glaus, Anand Srampical, Johanna Schruff, Stephanie Megret, Gloria Karsunky and Marie Pocha, who all put in a great deal of work and effort to make the new exchange students feel at home in St. Gallen. In coordination with the University, they organised an introduction week consisting of different events, including a campus-tour, an IT introduction, aid in finding lodging and much more. Apart from organising events on campus, the BuddySystem also offers a framework of events and parties in the city in order to promote friendship and assistance among the exchange students. According to Martin Weber, the BuddySystem is also able to provide a good platform for exchange students to feel at home and find friends who have to cope with the same difficulties in adjusting to a new and foreign country as they do.
During the current semester, over 180 local students have been assigned as Buddies to the approximately 500 incoming exchange students in St. Gallen – not all of whom have signed up to the BuddySystem though. Being a Buddy in St. Gallen enables you to experience the vibe of an exchange without actually going abroad. All the Buddies are able to participate in every event organised by the BuddySystem and spend time with people from all over the world. Activities usually begin around one to two weeks before the start of the semester, as most exchange students arrive around that time. One of the highlights of this semester was the pubcrawl, where over 100 local and exchange students roamed the different bars and pubs in the city. Although the BuddySystem and its social events are great fun, they do offer a nice array of cultural events around Switzerland as well. The daytrip to Lucerne, which has been taking place every semester, is one of the most interesting things organised by the BuddySystem. Local students have even been starting to take action outside the BuddySystem, organising trips to Schaffhausen or Liechtenstein together with exchange students they meet during the different events.
Being a Buddy – or a BuddyBaby as the exchange students are called – gives one the opportunity to get to know another culture and country in a very profound and interesting way. Besides giving the exchange students a deep insight into their country, the Buddies are able to benefit from the lifelong friendships and networks created with their BuddyBabies and other exchange students, and perhaps even visit them abroad in the future.
Are you interested in being a Buddy next semester? Write a short e-mail to buddysystem@myunisg.ch and let them know – they’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Alessia Vettese, Queen’s University, Canada
«I moved to St. Gallen two weeks later than many of my peers and was concerned about being excluded from fun travel plans. However, the BuddySystem hosted a social event the week I moved in, and I had the opportunity to meet all the other exchange students.»Cecilia Fabbro, Università di Torino, Italy
«The BuddySystem was great to integrate from the very beginning with other exchange students and local students, and most of all the Buddies were very helpful for any doubts and questions I had on the university at my arrival.»Besnik Bytyqi, HEC Montreal, Canada
«The BuddySystem is a great organisation which made me feel like there was always somebody there to help me or answer my questions. It also allowed me to meet tons of new people and make a lot of new friends.»