“My journey into computer science began with knowing how to connect my grandmother's printer,” says HPI master's student Sylwester Boldt. It was this early encounter with technology that sparked Sylwester's curiosity – and motivated him to want to take on responsibility in business and society. The latter led him to leave rural Bavaria for the big city, where he began his bachelor's degree in computer science at the Technical University of Berlin in 2016.
He quickly became fascinated by the question: How can computers understand the world? Not in a binary way, but in a nuanced way, like we humans do? Sylwester immersed himself in word processing. After a semester abroad in Madrid and his bachelor's degree from the TU Berlin, he worked in research, industry, and the vibrant center of the tech world, the Silicon Valley.
University Scholarship Potsdam: Apply now!
In recent years, the University of Potsdam has awarded more than 600 university scholarships to dedicated students as part of the Germany Scholarship Program, including students from the joint Digital Engineering Faculty of HPI and the University of Potsdam.
Half of the scholarship is financed by foundations, companies, and private individuals, and the other half by the federal government. Scholarship recipients receive a monthly stipend of €300 for a period of at least one year, as well as valuable networking opportunities with sponsors and other scholarship recipients.
The application period for the 2025/26 winter semester and the 2026 summer semester begins on July 1 and ends on July 22, 2025.
University Scholarship Potsdam: More than just financial support
Back in Germany, Sylwester began his master's degree in IT Systems Engineering* at the joint Digital Engineering Faculty of the Hasso Plattner Institute and the University of Potsdam in 2022. He is supported by the UP's university scholarship funded by VW AG. “The university scholarship means much more to me than just financial support. It is an opportunity to pursue my interests, make valuable contacts, and develop both personally and professionally. I am grateful for the support and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead,” says Sylwester, who is also a basketball coach for the university's sports program alongside his studies.
Studying with an HPI scholarship
Did you know? The HPI also regularly awards scholarships to committed students:
- Women-in-Tech EmpowerPack for female HPI bachelor's students
- Travel scholarship for female IT and tech students from all over Germany
- Scholarship for the master's program in computer science for students from abroad (EU and non-EU)
Understanding human learning behavior: Sylwester researches neural networks at HPI
Sylwester is currently about to graduate from HPI. In his master's thesis in the field of “Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems” under Prof. Gerard de Melo, he is researching how neural networks can better mimic human learning behavior. “I am fascinated by how children – even though they haven't read every book in the city library – manage to get along so well in the world thanks to their learning process. These insights are all the more relevant as I am soon to become a father and will soon be experiencing my child's learning behavior at first hand. It's very exciting,” says Sylwester.
*The master's program in IT Systems Engineering has been discontinued. For more information about our master's programs in Computer Science and Digital Health, please click here.
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Last change: 11/06/2026, Patrick Lenz