In the new interview series "At home with...", students, research assistants and other faculty members explain what the online semester in the home office without campus feeling looks like and what we might learn from the Corona period. Jan Schmidt, Master student in the Computational Engineering program, today gives a first insight into his new university life.

How would you describe your home office in three words?
"zoomed over, back of an 80-year-old man, construction site"

What do you miss most about the RUB?
"What I miss most is wandering around the campus, drinking coffee with my friends and bumping into any acquaintances. And the pastabar, of course."

What's the first thing you do when you get back to the university campus?
"Drinking coffee at Café Olé with Phillips and Dille"

What is your current favorite online tool and why?
"My favorite online tool is my nice-noise-cancelling headphones. Right on time with the start of the online semester and the "curfew", the renovation of the apartment under our shared flat has begun. So from 08:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. a dreamlike background noise. By the way, the construction workers' favourite tool is the percussion drill, with which they drill through the ceiling into the floor of our flat share.

How do you keep yourself in shape at the home office?
"I try to get up at least once every hour and walk a few meters for a short time. Bought a used balance board from "Ebay Kleinanzeigen". I also do sports every day in the parking space behind the house or go running. My mental fitness is of course ensured by the outstanding online teaching at the RUB."

What is the biggest challenge for you in everyday Corona life?
"Dealing with all the time you have now. Find a good compromise between sitting at your desk and other activities. Not being upset that I had to cut short my Erasmus term."

What did you maybe learn for yourself personally in the Corona time?
"To be grateful for the freedom one had before Corona. Things that seem quite normal, like going out in the evening, meeting friends or just roaming around are not self-evident. From one moment to the next you are condemned to sit at your desk most of the day. I thought something like that wouldn't happen until you finished college. Besides, I skyped again with friends I haven't seen in 5 years. I'd like to keep it that way."

Thanks for the great interview!