Sorelle Murielle Toukam Tchoumegne,
BMS Phase II Student,
MSc Technische Universität Berlin,
MSc AIMS Ghana,
BSc Cairo University

After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Egypt, I was already interested in the idea of completing a PhD degree in Mathematics. I then applied to a Postgraduate program in Mathematics at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Ghana which is where I heard for the first time about the PhD program in Mathematics at the Berlin Mathematical School. The program was advertised by a BMS Student who came all the way from Berlin to provide a one hour seminar talk explaining in great detail what the BMS was all about. This seminar was a pivotal point in my decision for choosing the BMS as the next step in my academic career because not only the program contained a large range of areas including the one I was interested in, but also the opportunity of experiencing the beautiful and lively city of Berlin.

After being pre-selected to the BMS for an interview, I was amazed by the amount of additional information I received during the round table session moderated by current students of the BMS sharing their experiences and answering our various questions. I could feel how much of a game changer it could be to be part of this wonderful community. Fast forward, I was privileged to start at the BMS as a Phase I student in 2022. The starting of the program on my end was quite smooth and everything went according to plan, of course nothing prepares you for German Bureaucracy, but the BMS One-Stop Office is to be commended when it comes to providing assistance and support in dealing with administrative procedures. Whether it be finding an apartment, registering at the university and so on, the BMS One-Stop Office is just a gem. As a Phase I student, I was paired with an advisor with similar research interests. I should note that for each Phase I student, the BMS assigns an advisor based on the student research interests mentioned in the application and from there, the likely university affiliation is considered.

The structure and the flexibility of the BMS Program allowed me to attend courses and seminars from three main universities in Berlin, and I also had the opportunity to receive fundings for German language classes. There is also the social aspect of the BMS for which we get the opportunity to gather around to have some fun activities which are often organised by the BMS student representatives, for example, I attended the end of semester parties, Christmas market outing and so on. The social events are usually very chill and we have the occasion to get to know each other and share our experiences related to being part of the program as a whole but also do some little chit-chat about hobbies and other interests.

The advisor I was assigned to, as a Phase I student, ended up being my MSc thesis supervisor at TU Berlin. Having the chance to have an advisor was very instrumental since our discussions provided me with an important insight about German education since my academic background and experience was very different from what I encountered while taking classes at Berlin universities. In addition to my advisor, I subscribed to the BMS Buddy Program and I was paired with a very friendly buddy that also guided me through some university administrative procedures and also choosing courses for a semester. I am now a BMS Phase II student supervised by the same advisor I was assigned to, by the BMS, who was also my Master’s thesis supervisor. Henceforth, my experience with the BMS has been full of great turnarounds both academically and socially and the immense support and assistance guided my way through the program and I could only highly recommend anyone interested in doing a PhD program in Mathematics in Berlin to give a thought to the BMS as I did.

Published in February 2025