, the medical faculty and deans offices can not operate in isolation but must establish links with existing services run by the university , the city or the country , churches and so on . for example , kids ( children at university ) , an initiative by the university of heidelberg , the german national association for student affairs ( studentenwerk ) and the equality office collated all key institutions , advisory services , initiatives , childcare and financial support offers on the university s website in cooperation with local authorities and the state in a helpful and comprehensive way ( http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/imstudium/kids/ ) . the deaneries are responsible for giving advice to students , their individual term plans and planning the academic progress of students . thus it gives food for thought if 56% of students state a need for advice regarding curriculum planning that 93% of respondents at the same time said that they are not in regular contact with their academic advisor about their study organisation , with 62% of respondents even claiming they do not know that the academic dean s office offers academic advisory services . everyday experience can not explain the survey results for the dean s office ; particularly in the light of conscious pregnancy planning and raising children while studying advice is vital , sometimes even before pregnancy . from the outset , the academic advisors present themselves as a first point of contact for study - related problems and pregnant students and students with children are always made to feel welcome when dropping in and sensitive advice is given when giving advice regarding the extra difficulties of their situation . perhaps the dean s office is seen by some students primarily as a body dealing with course regulations and examinations rather than as a neutral advisory office offering to take up problems without negative consequences for the students studies . the offers and advisory services the academic dean offers the dean s office will develop strategies for engaging the target groups more effectively and encouraging them to regularly visit the academic advisor in the dean s office . increasing the flexibility of degree courses is a legitimate request from student parents ; considering their group placement and exchange requests or the possibility of taking a break from the course and a flexible return to it should go without saying . similar requests have also been made by many other students who are in comparably difficult situations , for example , ill or disabled students , students caring for relatives , students who must self - finance their studies and foreign students , some of whom require support because of language problems , different learning cultures or problems with immigration issues . students who began their studies at a later stage of life , often following a first qualification , who resume studying after a break or as extreme long - time students who have exceeded the regular length of study require advice . many students approach the academic advisory services with special requirements regarding study planning that are not limitations through personal or social hardships but through their additional commitments or special engagements while studying . for example students who study two degrees in parallel , students on scholarships or students on other forms of sponsorship , students with unusual commitments in competitive sports , art , music , politics or social or scientific projects , as well as students who are active on the student council or hired as tutors by the faculty or aspiring to study abroad . from this angle , students with children are one of many student groups with legitimate needs and prioritisation of special groups is not possible . in addition , study regulations and principles of equal treatment and achievement of learning targets must apply to all students , even groups of students with special needs or problems . in general , timetables can not be adjusted according to the wishes and needs of students as many fixed aspects must be taken into account in the organisation of teaching . the number of teaching hours , examinations and group sizes are often specified by law , there are accommodation and staffing factors and , not least of all , didactic aspects of the curriculum . grouping together certain types of students into their own groups seems difficult due to the heterogeneity of needs and is also questionable from a didactic point of view . structured part - time medical studies are also not really an option as extending the period of study , which under normal circumstances is already six years and three months , could not be justified . on the other hand , an individual study extension for students can be easily arranged as the state examinations must not be taken at fixed dates and credits gained do not expire . individual solutions for part - time study in the practical year are available upon request for student parents . the feedback from the prenatal clinic that medical students are under extreme pressure to perform , discouraging pregnant students and sometimes leading to abortions is disconcerting . a survey carried out in heidelberg on motivation in medical studies ( heimi 2010 ) confirmed that performance pressure and fear of failure concerns many students : 11% of surveyed students are frequently or constantly afraid of not being able the meet the demands of the course , only 31% of students have never been worried about possibly having to quit the course . the idea of studying at an elite university can lead students to believe that only unburdened students who are able to fully perform permanently are welcome . not only is the quality of teaching important for the motivation of the students but also supportive environments and the certainty that students are not perceived as a nuisance . the university must recognise it as a special achievement when students manage to combine studying with raising children and that their studies are completed with and for the children . better advertising of the advisory services offered by dean s office , e.g. by promoting them on the homepage.improved information through networking the dean s office with the advisory services offered by the university for student parentsresponsiveness and flexibility in the organisation of studies for pregnant women and student parentsreducing presence requirements in some blocks and modules of some clinical courses or reducing attendance control . this is done in those teaching forms and course sections which permit independent study of the contents by the students at home , where possible supported by electronic media.forum on the learning platform for networking and exchange of experiences among the students with childrenensuring prenatal advisory centres inform students that they should also approach academic advisors at the dean s office in case of problems.requesting management to provide changing and nursing facilities in the dean s office better advertising of the advisory services offered by dean s office , e.g. by promoting them on the homepage . improved information through networking the dean s office with the advisory services offered by the university for student parents responsiveness and flexibility in the organisation of studies for pregnant women and student parents reducing presence requirements in some blocks and modules of some clinical courses or reducing attendance control . this is done in those teaching forms and course sections which permit independent study of the contents by the students at home , where possible supported by electronic media . forum on the learning platform for networking and exchange of experiences among the students with children ensuring prenatal advisory centres inform students that they should also approach academic advisors at the dean s office in case of problems . requesting management to provide changing and nursing facilities in the dean s office