After a long week of thousands of steps and countless site visits, we had a day to ourselves. We started the morning off by heading to the University ourselves. This was the first time we had caught the train by ourselves to the University. This was a very easy experience; it only took 15 minutes. Compared to the last time we visited the campus, there were more students present on campus. I was actually surprised by how many people got off the same train as us. With the students present on campus, you could feel the campus atmosphere. I noticed that the campus has a lot of seating outside, but compared to Pittsburgh, most of its sections are shaded. It reminded me of Pittsburgh, during winter, our campus is very quiet, but as soon as the sun comes out, everyone is outside. Due to the presence of students on the campus, we decided to walk around the campus. We walked through most of the buildings, and we were able to see their gym along with their athletic facility. Their campus has a lot of walkable paths that are paved and also go through the woods. Getting across their campus is very simple; it’s not as big as Pittsburgh. They don’t have major streets going through their campus or regular pedestrians.
After arriving at the University and meeting the German students, we were presented with a presentation on Audi. Our Audi connection, who was supposed to originally speak at our visit later in the week, had something pop up on his schedule. So he took the time out of his week to come and talk to us. This was very personal due to the fact that we were the only people present and we had time to ask him questions that we wanted to. We were lectured on the current issues Audi is facing and ways in which they’re developing their company to adapt and stay ahead of the market. This was very insightful; it gave me a basis for Audi’s situation, which allowed me to go into the tour later on that week with information.
After the presentation me and my group decided to go to their version of the Eatery. Their system works a little different depending on the meal plan you have. Some students are only allowed a certain weight or unlimited. We had the unlimited option. When comparing the meals, I can never complain about the Eatery again. After grabbing lunch me and a few students decided to walk to the soccer stadium near the campus. This was originally a 40 minute walk, but we cut through a construction site. Upon arriving, we were able to see the entire stadium, this was the first soccer stadium I’ve ever seen. Just standing outside you could feel the energy of the soccer world.
We ended the day with our group meeting. We discussed where we were in the presentation, what information we found, and how we wanted to present our message.
