07/2024 Syed Ahtsham Ul Hassan
Age: 23 | Nationality: Pakistani
What are your favorite spots in Potsdam / Berlin / surroundings?
Park Sanssouci, Park Babelsberg, and Brandenburger Straße are my favorite places in Potsdam and in Berlin, I really love the Alexanderplatz and Brandenburg Gate. The lake view from Babelsberg park is beautiful and peaceful. Moreover, the farm-houses in the Potsdam Nord give a feeling of stepping back in time, where life moves at a slower pace. Overall, I loved every corner of Potsdam and Berlin.
What are the places and moments that make you feel home here? And what do you miss from back home?
Over half of my classmates in Data Science are from my own country; Pakistan and we often visit each other’s dorms, cook together, and travel to relaxing places. It’s comforting to have a community where we can speak our native language, share traditional meals, and enjoy familiar customs together. Besides this, the natural beauty and the friendly local people of Potsdam makes me feel home.
I dearly miss my family especially my five little nephews: Haad, Mahad, Zaki, Wasi, and Zohair.
The most surprising thing about Germany?
The efficient transport system and the thriving cycle culture still astound me. Not to mention, the German weather is highly unpredictable.
Tell us about your degree program. How did you get interested in your field of study? What are the classes you like most in your program?
I'm studying Masters in Data Science (where we transform data into insights and analytics). In Bachelors, our group developed a Legal cases search engine, a bottled water classifier, a Pakistani classic drama search engine and various other data science and machine learning projects. This got me interested in Data Science.
The classes and courses I liked best were Natural Language Processing, Data Science and Business Analytics, and Machine Learning. These courses had hands-on projects, which I loved because I enjoy coding and development.
What is different from the studies at your home university?
Studying for my Master's in Data Science at the University of Potsdam in Germany differs from my experience at Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan. Here, there's a stronger focus on hands-on learning and practical application, particularly in fields like data science. The academic environment offers broader perspectives and access to cutting-edge research, which I find valuable. Overall, the emphasis on practical skills and exposure to diverse perspectives sets it apart from my studies back home.
Your studies are in English – What about your German skills?
So far, I’ve experienced that without German language one misses a lot of good job opportunities, because most companies require German skills along with English. Therefore, I’m currently learning German A1 from Zessko, University of Potsdam. Our language teacher is very helpful and nice.
How do you keep a good work-life balance? Any advice for your fellow students?
As a student, keeping a good work-life balance can sometimes be a little challenging because of changing difficulty levels of courses, projects, and assignments. I priorities the tasks accordingly and accomplish my daily goals so it wouldn’t become a hill or a mountain later. I would suggest my fellow students to use reminders and plan your to-do stuff well before so that you can save time and enjoy your life.
What are your summer highlights in Potsdam / Berlin?
In the evenings, my friends and I play beach-volleyball here in Golm. Moreover, I like swimming (infact I know very little), we go swimming to the nearby lake in Potsdam.
Your future plans:
My future plans are to finish my masters in time, learn at least B1 level of German until that time, and pursue my career as a Data Scientist.