Orientation week - starting your studies
The orientation week for first-semester students typically takes place one week before the official start of the degree programme. During these days, you will get to know the university and its offers, important contacts for your degree programme and the city of Paderborn. You will also receive important information on timetabling, help for a successful start to your studies and tips and tricks from students in higher semesters.
In Physics, the Physics Student Council and the Physics Meeting Point team organise the orientation week.
The orientation week will take place in the winter semester 2023/24 from Wednesday 4 October to Friday 6 October.
Student teachers GyGe/BK can take part in the programme on Friday.
Detailed information on the programme and content can be found on the homepage of the Physics Student Council.
Mediawiki of the Physiktreff - All information about studying & self-study materials
Our students can find help on the following topics in the Physiktreff media wiki:
- Starting your studies
- Software installation and use
- Self-study materials for maths, experimental physics & theoretical physics
All materials have been developed on the basis of empirical didactic research and together with the students.
The wiki is constantly being updated. Our students are welcome to make requests for content.
For access to the Mediawiki, please contact the leader of the Physiktreff.
FAQs on studying physics
... read the examination regulations before my degree programme and make a note of which courses I have to take in the first semester.
... choose my courses at PAUL before starting my degree programme.
... check my emails every day during the lecture period.
If there is anything important about the courses, you will always hear about it via your e-mails, so it is important that you check them regularly. (The cancellation of an event is also often announced by email, so it's best to check it in the morning)
... attend the events regularly. (Not at all in this case means regularly but not at all...)
Most of the courses in your degree programme are not compulsory, but it still makes sense to attend the courses regularly. It is easier to work through the lecture content if you have already worked through everything. The exercise sheets in particular will help you to prepare well for the exam.
The preparatory course (or preliminary course for short) is a good way to brush up on your basic maths knowledge before you start your studies and get an insight into everyday life as a student. It is always offered before the winter semester. You can find more information under the following link: Physics preparation course
If you don't have time to take part in the preliminary course, you can complete a bridge course instead. You can complete this online and deepen your basic knowledge of maths and physics. If you realise during the course of your studies that you are missing a few basics, it is worth taking a look at the lists of topics.
You can access the maths bridge course via this link: Maths bridge course (OBM)
Or also: Online maths bridge course
You can find a bridge course to deepen your basic knowledge of physics via this link: Physics bridge course
The examination regulations help you to organise your studies. Here you will find information about the courses you have to take during your degree programme. It also shows what content is covered and how many points are awarded for each course.
You can find the examination regulations for Bachelor's students via this link: Regulations of the Department of Physics
Teaching degree students can find their examination regulations via this link: Examination regulations for teaching degree students (here you will also find the examination regulations for your second subject area, the educational sciences and the general regulations with the DaZ module)
You can find instructions on how to read and understand the examination regulations correctly in the Physiktreff media wiki:
Examination regulations easily explained
After you have read in the examination regulations which courses you can choose in the coming semester, you should register for the courses via PAUL.
You cannot register for the courses for the entire semester or the period before the start of the semester. You can find the dates for course registration under this link:
Course registration and deregistration
Especially in your first semester at Paderborn University, you often don't have the Uniaccount required for course registration during the first registration phase. However, this is not a problem as you can still register in the second registration phase (the revision phase).
After and even before you finalise your course choices, you should draw up a timetable. This will ensure that you do not have any course overlaps. Please note that the timetable looks quite empty at first. The times in which you work on the exercise sheets or prepare and follow up the lectures are not yet included.
The following link will take you to our Mediawiki page "Which study programme should I choose?", where you will find documents to help you make your decision:
Which study programme should I choose?
Lecturers can usually be contacted by email or telephone. If you prefer to clarify a matter in person, you can also drop by the office. You have two options for finding all contact details. You can either look in your course materials or search for the lecturer using a search engine of your choice. The best way to do this is to enter the lecturer's name in the search engine together with "upb". One of the first entries will usually be the contact you were looking for.
For many lecturers, the contact details will also include office hours during which the lecturer is available to answer questions. If this is not the case, it is worth sending a short email to make sure that the lecturer is available.
If you are looking for submission times and locations for reports or exercise sheets, it is worth taking a look at the documents of the first courses. If you can't find anything there, you should look in your email for emails from your lecturer to see if the information you are looking for has been in an email in the past.
Then get active and take a look at the Physics Student Council or integrate yourself into university groups such as Event Physics, Upbracing Team, ASTA, ... You'll quickly make friends there and get to know new people.
If you have such thoughts, or if you are unsure whether your study plans are right for you, then make an appointment with the head of the Physiktreff or the student advisor. Teacher training students can contact Prof Josef Riese .
Contact the current chair of the examination board.
The ZSB's psychosocial counselling service can help you with this.
If you are a specialised physicist, please contact Matthias Reichelt. If you are a student teacher and have problems with a didactic course (except Introduction to the Teaching Profession), please contact Yvonne Webersen. If you are a student teacher and have problems with Introduction to the Teaching Profession or one of the subject areas, Matthias Reichelt is also the contact person for you.
You will find all relevant information and regulations in your examination regulations.
If you have any questions about efficient exam preparation, please contact the Leader of the Physiktreff. If you are looking for alternatives to your current degree programme, contact your student advisor. If you are not feeling well emotionally, contact the psychosocial counselling service.
Go to Mrs Schäfer (Physics Examinations Office) with your printed overview of performance from Paul. She can sign the forms for you.
Write an email to Mrs Schäfer (Physics Examinations Office). She can register you in the other study option
Many of the standard works used in physics are available as e-resources in the library. You can also view a large number of the books in the Physiktreff and decide which one appeals to you the most.