Father of two children and student in his late 30s - yes, that's possible. It even works well. Jens Terbrack has had this experience. This is his story.
Jens Terbrack has been a scholarship holder of the Catholic Cusanuswerk since 2018. He was initially supported by his scholarship provider during his BA in Social Work at Münster University of Applied Sciences. Jens has now been studying for an MA in Social Sustainability and Demographic Change at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts since the 2020/21 winter semester.
More than 800 euros per month
His scholarship amounts to 800 euros a month plus child supplement. "That gives me time to concentrate on my studies," says Jens. "That helps me enormously."
Jens TerbrackIt pays off!
Putting together the application documents was time-consuming at the time: a CV of 1,200 words, two lecturer reports, a priest's report and an interview. "But students shouldn't shy away from it," recommends the social worker. "It pays off!"
For Jens, several criteria led to admission to the scholarship program. The first entry route is membership of the Catholic Church. The son of a worker and trained hotel specialist without a high school diploma, Jens performed well in his first BA semesters in Münster - and this is also important to the scholarship provider - and was socially committed.
Jens was automatically accepted back into the funding program for his current Master's degree at Fachhochschule Dortmund due to a short waiting period between study programs. As a family man, he particularly appreciates this financial security and predictability - especially during the pandemic.
His first wish - a part-time Master's degree in Münster - was unfortunately not eligible for funding. The full-time Master's in Dortmund was therefore a sensible alternative for Jens. The current switch to online study mode even makes it easier for Jens to combine his full-time studies in Dortmund with his family in Münster.
Study choice out of conviction
With his Master's, Jens is aiming to expand his professional and methodological repertoire. He argues that demographic change in particular is presenting society with new challenges and will continue to play an important role in social work in the future.
Jens TerbrackThe recording gave me a great boost!
But the benefits are not just financial support. Jens' conclusion: "During my time at school, I was always one of the poorer students. Being accepted into the scholarship program has really strengthened me personally and shown me that I was on the right track for my future studies. So it's not just financial relief, but also a great feeling to be able to say: I am a Cusan!"
