Checklist for First Semester Students

Before lectures start

Orientation Event

The Orientation Event takes place every semester before lectures begin. Its purpose is to make starting university easier for new students. Students in MA programs and students in BA majors take also part in a Mentoring program. You should definitely attend these events! Note the dates in your schedule as early as possible. You can find more information and the programme here.

First Semester Guide of Goethe University

The University of Frankfurt has prepared a comprehensive first-semester guide for new students. You should definitely read through it. You can find the first-semester guide here.

Access data for your University Computing Centre Account and GoetheCard

The access data for your University Computing Centre account and the GoetheCard are essential for studying at Goethe University Frankfurt. Both will be sent to you by mail by the Student Service Centre after you have been admitted to the university. The GoetheCard serves as a student ID card, a semester travel pass (the semester ticket), a library card, a wallet for the cafeterias and for printing and copying, a key for the lockers, an admission ticket for the Palmengarten botanical gardens and some museums. It is important that you validate your GoetheCard at one of the validators on campus when you start university. You can do this, for example, together with your mentor on the campus tour during the Orientation Event. You need your University Computing Centre account to log onto all important platforms.

Student email account

As soon as you have received the access data for your University Computing Centre account and the GoetheCard, you should set up and use your student email account without delay. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. It is very important that you check your student email address regularly, as all important information will be sent exclusively to this email address. Use only your student email address to communicate with all university offices and teaching staff. You can change your email address from the default combination of letters and digits to your real name. Instructions on how to do this can be found here.

Module overview and sample study plan

The module overview and the sample study plan help you to decide which modules or courses you attend in the respective semester. You should read through these for your respective subject. If there are several module overviews and sample study plans from different years for a subject, please take the most recent documents. You can find the module overviews and sample study plans in the downloadcenter under your field of study. . Further information is provided during the Orientation Event.

QIS / LSF / course catalogue

QIS/LSF is the campus management system at Goethe University Frankfurt. It fulfils a variety of functions, including access to the course catalogue, registering for and deregistering from courses, registering for and deregistering from examinations, obtaining current enrolment certificates, accessing transcripts, and much more besides. You will have a lot to do with it throughout your studies, so it is essential that you familiarise yourself with it.

Registering for courses

To start studying, you must first register for courses. Please familiarise yourself here with the registration procedure and the registration deadlines for courses. Further information is also provided during the Orientation Event.

Campus tour

To be able to attend courses during the lecture period, you must, of course, familiarise yourself with the campus. Most courses take place on Westend Campus, occasionally also on Bockenheim Campus. During the Orientation Event, you will be given a tour of Westend Campus. You can read all about it in detail here. If you are unsure, you can find a map here. The Goethe University Frankfurt app is also practical for this purpose, which you can download from the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. The app is also handy for checking the cafeteria menus. You can find more information about the Goethe University Frankfurt app here.

At the latest in the first lecture week 

BA students: Registration for the preparatory course (Propädeutikum)

All (and only) BA students should register for the subject-specific preparatory course (Propädeutikum). This is the introductory course that all BA students should attend in the first semester.

OLAT learning platform

You will start working with the OLAT learning platform straight away at the beginning of your studies and should familiarise yourself with it early on.

WLAN at the university – eduroam, Freiflug and Flughafen

With your University Computing Centre account, you can log into the “eduroam" WLAN system, the "Freiflug" system and the "Flughafen" system. You can use eduroam at many universities worldwide. The eduroam login is made up of the University Computing Centre account and the Goethe University Frankfurt domain “@uni-frankfurt.de".  You can find more information here


​During the first semester

Registration for module examinations

You must complete the form "Registration for module examinations in the 1st semester" in the course of the first semester and submit it to the Examination Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences by email to pra.fb03@soz.uni-frankfurt.de. If you fail to do so, you cannot be awarded credits for your achievements.

You can find the registration form  in the downloadcenter under your field of study. 

Online examination registration

Registering online for examinations at the end of the course is also necessary so that credits can be awarded. You can find further information here.

Library

Regular visits to the library are part of studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences. You can find all you need to know about the libraries at Goethe University Frankfurt under the following link. The Social Sciences and Psychology Library will be particularly important for you. You can find all information here. There are also video guides to the Social Sciences and Psychology Library. Advice on literature research can be found here.

Newsletter of the Faculty of Social Sciences

The newsletter for students of the Faculty of Social Sciences keeps you regularly updated about events, internships, job offers and summer schools, as well as providing important information in relation to your studies. You can subscribe and unsubscribe at any time. Registration is only possible with your student email address (@stud.uni-frankfurt.de) or with an email address of another domain of Goethe University Frankfurt. Here is the link for registering for the student newsletter.

​Anytime

Student Counselling Service

If you have a question, please always take a look at the website first to see if you can find the relevant topic and answers to your question there. If you do not find any answers there, contact the relevant advisory services by email. You can find here an overview of the advisory services available.

Image credit: Jürgen Lecher, Goethe-University Frankfurt

Contact

Dipl.-Soz. Alexander Simon

Student counselling for B.A. programs in Political Science and Sociology / Student counselling for M.A. programs / M.A. admission / B.A./M.A. internship counselling 

Telephone: +49 069/798-36596

E-Mail:
studienfachberatung.fb03@soz.uni-frankfurt.de

PEG Room 2.G 133

Open consultation hours:

Tuesday 11a.m - 1p.m.

Thursday 11a.m. - 1 p.m.

In lecture free time only on Tuesdays

Open telephone consultation hours:

Wednesday 11a.m - 1p.m.

or by individual arrangement

Goethe-University
Department 03
PEG-Building
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 6
60323 Frankfurt am Main