What is an OSA?
The online study choice assistants (OSA) are a free service offered by the University of Freiburg. They provide subject-specific sample exercises, videos, and a quiz for comparing your expectations with reality, giving you a glimpse into day-to-day teaching and learning in a particular subject. After completing the activities, you’ll be better able to judge whether a particular degree is a good fit for your expectations and aspirations.
You can complete the OSA anonymously. The results are intended for you alone and are not stored or used by the University of Freiburg.
Who are the OSAs for?
Anyone who is interested is welcome to use the OSAs. They’re particularly suitable for prospective students in the 11th grade or above who already have a rough idea of what they would like to study.
If you’re still unsure of what to study, we recommend taking a general interdisciplinary orientation test like the general OSA for university studies or making an advising appointment with the Advising and Counselling Team at the Service Center Studium.
Documentation of a student orientation procedure for your application
Since the winter semester 2011/12, Baden-Württemberg has required anyone applying for admission to an undergraduate degree programme (i.e. not a master’s programme) to have participated an orientation procedure. You must submit documentation that you have completed the procedure within the past two years upon enrolment at the latest.
Therefore, in order to apply for admission to the University of Freiburg, you must have completed either one of the University’s own online study choice assistants (OSA) or another orientation procedure that is recognised by the University of Freiburg.
Once you have completed the OSA, simply print out the confirmation of participation and submit it along with your application or upon enrolment.
There’s no OSA for the subject I’m interested in – What should I do?
All German-language OSAs for a wide range of subjects are compiled on www.osa-portal.de. Check there to see if there’s an OSA for the subject you’re interested in.
Additional online tools for choosing a degree programme
Are you still unsure of what to study or even whether university is right for you? Or perhaps you’d like to try a subject-specific OSA that isn’t (yet) available on our site? Below you will find a selection of additional online tools to help you decide what to study.
General orientation tests
www.hochschulkompass.de/studium-interessentest
- Test developed jointly by the Higher Education Compass and Die Zeit
- Results suggest degree programmes nationwide
- Lots of filter options
→ A great way to start the process of deciding what to study
- Orientation test of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts
- Results suggest degree programmes (in Baden-Württemberg) and professions (with links to Berufenet and Higher Education Compass)
- Various additional tests available for refining results
→ A great way to start the process of deciding what to study
Databases
- Nationwide service of the German Rectors’ Conference
- Includes all state-approved degree programmes in Germany!
- Lots of different filter options
→ Well suited for targeted searches
www.berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de
- Service of the German Employment Agency
- Information about many professions with relevant vocational training and/or degree programmes
→ Lots of filter and sorting options
Specific tests
- Required for enrolment in teacher education programmes in Baden-Württemberg
- Self-test for teacher education programmes
- Includes a wealth of additional information about the teaching profession
→ Great if you’re considering enrolling in a teacher education programme
- List of German-language online study-choice assistants (OSAs) covering Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
- Mostly subject and location specific
→ Great if you’re interested in a particular subject
Information on degree programmes
To explore a degree programme in depth, we recommend reading the relevant module handbook and examination regulations. You can usually find these by searching online with the keywords ‘module handbook [subject] [university]’.
What should I do with the results from the OSA?
The OSA is something you do just for yourself. It isn’t about getting the highest score! It’s about finding out whether your expectations for a subject are realistic and whether the exercises have piqued your interest in learning more about a topic. This lets you see for yourself whether a particular subject is a good fit.
Accessibility
The online study choice assistants (OSAs) are not yet fully accessible. If you have any questions about this or need support, please contact the Representative for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses.
For more information, please visit the website of the contact point for students with a disability or chronic illness.
Contact
Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding our OSA service? We would appreciate your feedback, either on the last page of the OSA or by email to our team.