Friday, 27 December 2013

Accommodation

Accommodation in Germany

Finding a place of residence in Germany could be quite an effort! It requires pre-planning and ample of online research before you assure yourself of a fine place to live in. Students can select between living in dorms, shared apartments or single apartments for accommodation. Dorms or student hostels are normally the cheapest accommodation option in town. There are various options available in hostels too, like single apartments, single rooms, shared rooms etc. The major advantage of living in a dorm, apart from low rent, is availability of all necessary electronic devices, internet, TV, furniture, culinary assets and a lot. It also brings with it the luxury of meeting people from different countries and varied cultures. Although it may include the downside of quite unknown room partners and not so clean common bathrooms and kitchens. Then, in this case one can opt for a single apartment. These may not necessarily be budget friendly but you have the liberty and freedom to choose your curtains and cushions! The downsides could be unfurnished rooms, cleaning job of the entire apartment of rooms attached. Other option could be sharing a private apartment with a friend. This could ease your daily household chores by sharing duties. This may have a downside in finding a room partner ;)
Here’s facts and figures on the above options:

Student dorms
Studentenwhonheim (in German)
Rent: 150 euros to 350 euros per month
                    http://www.hostelworld.com/

Shared apartments
Wohngemeinschaften (in German)
Rent: 200 euros to 700 euros


Single apartments
Rent: 200 euros to 500 euros

Friday, 13 December 2013

Upcoming application deadlines

Here is some information about the upcoming deadlines for application towards International study programs (English), Masters degree in specific Germany universities.

Environmental Engineering
Technische Universität München
Semester: Summer
Application deadline: 31.12.2014

Bionics\ Biometrics
University Rhein-Waal (University of Applied Sciences)
Semester: Summer
Application deadline: 15.01.2014

Electrical Communication Engineering
University of Kassel
Semester: Summer
Application deadline: 31.01.2014

Air Quality Control, Solid Waste and Waste Water Process Engineering (WASTE)
University of Stuttgart
Semester: Winter
Application deadline: 15.02.2014

Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures (COMMAS)
University of Stuttgart
Semester: Winter
Application deadline: 15.02.2014

Information Technology - INFOTECH
University of Stuttgart
Semester: Winter
Application deadline:15.02.2014

Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design researchTechnology - ITECH
University of Stuttgart
Semester: Winter
Application deadline:15.02.2014

International Automotive Engineering (MEng)
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (University of Applied of Sciences)
Semester: Summer
Application deadline:15.02.2014
Course website: http://www.thi.de/en.html

Keep checking the blog, as more information will flow about the application procedures and application deadlines.

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

Learning German

Learning German (Deutsch) would be an essential task even if the course of study is English. German language skills help not only to melt in the German Culture pot but also to improve job prospects here. Here is some information flow about the language and its skills acquirement:

About the language

The German dialect continuum is traditionally divided most broadly into High German and Low German. With 26 Standard English letters it consists of three vowels with umlauts (Ä/ä, Ö/ö, and Ü/ü) and the letter ß. German vocabulary could be actually countless, with the number of word combinations that can be formed. The longest German word that is published is "Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft", which is made up of 79 characters. Since legibility and convenience set certain boundaries, compounds consisting of more than three or four nouns are almost exclusively found in humorous contexts. Along with its core vocabulary it has few words from other languages such as Latin, Italian, French and English. Well, words have been adopted from the language too. For example, English has adopted words like angst, blitz, fest, etc. from German language. German texts are easily recognizable by its distinguishing features of umlauts and certain ortho-graphical features such as capitalizing the nouns. As far as literature is concerned Germany has a list of well-known poets and authors such as Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Hoffmann, Brecht, Heine and Schmidt.

Learning the language

There are University courses offered in order to learn this language while taking up an International study program. Apart from this there are several language training institutes offering the language courses, such as VFS, Goethe, Sprachzentrum, etc. Generally, every University will also have their own language learning academy. There are 6 levels while learning German: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. Apart from these there are other examinations such as TestDaF, GDS, etc. The minimum language requirement for job is considered to be B1. But, I believe if you can speak and understand German then you can manage a job irrespective of which levels have you reached.

Resources at help

Websites

Apps
Babbel
Duolingo
Memrise
Pukka German podcasts

Book
Learn German with a Story: Welcome to Switzerland, Stephan Wiesner
Learn German, Nicole Irving
Barron's learn German, Deutsch, the fast and fun way, Paul G. Graves
Learn German in a Hurry: Grasp the Basics of German Schnell! (Google eBook), Edward Swick

Video


Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Note on Visa

Getting a student Visa is easy if you have required documents and could be equally tedious when one misses something required. The following information is handy when applying for a Visa, for Indian students aspiring to study in Germany:


Visa appointment

The Visa appointments have to be scheduled with VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd., managing the German Application Centers. For further details regarding opening hours of the Visa Application Centers and service charges of VFS, please call up '022 - 67866013' for all national callers and '0091 - 22 - 67866013' if calling from outside India, or else you can visit the website: www.vfsgermany.co.in.

Personal appearance at the German Embassy is mandatory for all applicants. It is important to apply in time as the visa process might take between eight and twelve weeks. Simultaneous applications for a Schengen visa and a Student Visa cannot be entertained.

Document checklist

German Embassy website states the following information:
Upon application for a Student Visa at the German Embassy the following documents have to be submitted in the original version along with an attested translation into the English language and two identical and arranged sets of copies of each document (copies have to be provided in DIN-A4 size only)

  •  Two duly filled Visa Application Forms
  •  Signed Declaration on True and Complete Information
  •  Three passport size photos
  •  Visa fee to be paid through Demand Draft made out to the “Embassy of the Federal    Republic of Germany” in New Delhi    (in case you cannot click the given link, please refer  to our homepage)
  •  Valid passport with a validity of at least 12 months along with two copies of all printed pages
  •  Cover letter from applicant, explaining the exact purpose and duration of your stay in  Germany
  •  Letter of admission from the German University 
  •  Proof that study fees have been paid, if applicable.
  •  School Leaving Certificate of Secondary School
  •  University Certificates (Degree Certificates and Mark Sheets)
  •  Proof of Language Proficiency (TOEFL / IELTS, original and A4 sized copy)
  •  Proof of financial means to cover the costs for the time of your studies by one of the  following documents:
  •  Confirmation of Scholarship / Stipend 
  •  Formal sponsorship letter from a sponsor living in Germany (“Verpflichtungserklärung”  according to Article 68 German Residence Act)
  •  Blocked account (“Sperrkonto”) in Germany in the name of the applicant showing a  minimum balance of Euro 7.905,- and the remark that the account holder can dispose of a  monthly amount of EURO 659,-
  •  Confirmation of an annually renewable bank guarantee from a bank in Germany in the  amount of Euro 7.905,-
  •  Travel and Health Insurance
The required documents in points 1, 2 and 4 can be found at following link (bottom of the page):                                    http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/01__Embassy/Visa__Consular/Visa/Visa__Categories.html

Visa interview

The Visa interview does not take long enough if you are clear about your goal and finance for living in Germany. The questions asked are based on:

  •          Why do you want study in Germany, in ABC University
  •          Do you know German? Do you plan to learn in case it is not obligatory?
  •          Who are your idol researchers in Germany?
  •          How would you describe yourself?
  •          Why do wish to take the written course of study?
  •          What do you plan after you complete your study in Germany?
  •          And more.
The Visa interview is subjective and differs from applicant to applicant.

Normally application process for Student Visa must be initiated atleast 3 to 4 months before th desired date of arrival in Germany.

Saturday, 30 November 2013

Shopping in Germany

Shopping is an unavoidable and time demanding task. In Germany shopping can be conveniently and trustfully done online. There are also number of branded showrooms in almost any city you visit and few shopping malls in big cities. On the page: “Shopping” - Find out more information on the shopping side of Germany!

Friday, 29 November 2013

Getting a job as an International student

It is not impossible and surely not as difficult as it is hyped, for an international student to get a job. It s important to have the required skills and confidence to get an opportunity. German is an important asset if you plan to have a long term job, but you can always get a job or part time work as a student with English, in many firms with International clients. Checking up job portals, calling up for job inquiries, regularly find out jobs at universities help you to boost your chances of job as an international student. Check out the "Jobs in Germany" page on this blog to find out more and most importantly to get links for number of job portals.

Thursday, 28 November 2013

The German way of studying!

German education system is different than Indian education system mainly with respect to flexibility of course selection, duration to complete the studies and teaching methods. The German education structure focuses on understanding of subject areas in brief and fundamentals being inculcated not just during examination but probably for your lifetime. There are usually two semesters in a year. The subjects can be freely chosen from a list in different modules and grading schemes. Different institutes offer different subjects. One can attend lectures from any field area and of any subject. Information gathering is unbounded and wisdom will flow from industry changing professors to inventors around. Extroverts and innovators from respective fields take the pleasure of teaching varied group of students consisting of freshers, experienced individuals and industry tycoons. The lecture duration usually 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Tutorials follow after lectures for about 1 hour for subjects requiring obligatory practical implementation. After the official end of lecture period the exam period begins and hereafter one is often dragging self till the end of exams. This is not because of the level of exams but due to the time span of the examination period. Usually, one gets enough time to study, revise and practice before each exam. The exam dates depends completely on the subjects chosen. The exams could be oral or written, depending on the professor. Generally the grading scheme consists of 5.0 credit points where 1.0 is highest credit point and 5.0 would be unfortunately fail. 4.0 is the passing credit point, and credit points between 2.5 to 1.0 are considered to be good. Usually, there are 3 attempts allowed to pass an exam. When unfortunately one fails to pass in 3 attempts institute may give a last chance or may be not. As a consequence one can not study the chosen filed of study in Germany. In case one if ill before the exam then one can save one attempt by providing a medical proof of the same. The target credit points are usually 120 credit points. Generally, this target is accomplished through subjects, seminars, projects, internship, master thesis, mini thesis, etc.

A Glance

Germany provides high quality education with large number of unbeatable competent students in world. Never the less to mention Albert Einstein, Johannes Kepler, Robert Oppenheimer, Hermann Fischer, Carl Bosch, and the list go on. Germany has universities which hold ranks in top 100 universities of world. It also has some of the world's oldest and best regarded universities such as Heidelberg University, Leipzig University, Freiburg University, LMU Munich and Rostock University to name a few. Studying in Germany brings with it great international exposure, since one can get opportunities to work, take up thesis or university projects outside Germany, in other European countries (Schengen countries) too, like France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.