Checklist, tips and advices before you arrive to the Germany/your desired studying location

Now I look back, I see that I was uniformed about a lot of things when I first applied for a German university.

I think if I knew these before, I wouldn’t have that many hardships and feel safer.

So here is a detailed checklist I prepared for students who consider to study in Germany or in general, another country:

– You should start checking the application deadlines at least 8 months before your trip. Even though German applications begin on 31st May(and end on 15. July- but beware event though it is mostly like this, a few universities have different deadlines!), e.g. Swiss universities accept applications only till 30.April.

– Contact the International Office of the universities of your choice! It may be by mail or telephone, but even though a bit expensive, I advice you telephone. The given Information on E-Mail is usually too general.

What should you ask?

-Ask if your report card and university exam certificates/results are eligible for the university. If not, ask what kind of procedures are necessary. A lot of universities would ask you to pass a special exam which is prepared by university self. Ask for detailed info.

(Keep in mind that if you are required to enter such an exam, it usually takes place a few months ago before the enrolments. Make sure you are able to travel to that country, have a valid pass and visa if necessary at that time.)

-If you don’t have the knowledge of the language of the university programme you want to study, or don’t have a language-test certificate like TOEFL or SprachDiplom, you need to first apply to language courses of that university. It takes almost a year to complete these courses.

– NEVER EVER apply only to single university. Make sure you meet the necessary requirements and apply at least 5. I have applied to 10 universities and got accepted only by half of them.

-During application, read the modules of your desired Subject! Every University has different modules. For example if you are going to study something which includes math, but you are actually not that good at it, choosing a northern university would be wiser in Germany. Because southern part of Germany, especially Bavaria is known for having the hardest math-science curriculum for their overall education system.

-If your citizenship requires a visa, make sure to apply as soon as you get your acceptance. UK and USA student-visas are pretty easy to obtain, if you prove that your parents’ welfare is fine. But German student-visas may take up to  5 weeks, while Austria takes up to 3-4 months in extreme situations. If you are going to apply with a blocked account, ask for the application documents the day you decide for your university. Because the process usually takes a week  or more.

-Start looking for an accommodation, as soon as you are done with deciding. If you decided later than June, it means you probably will have a lot of hardships finding a dorm. So if you can’t find one, just start looking for a WG/Shared flat. Every country has a very popular website for that. Ask your student office about that. For Germany, my life-saver was www.wg-gesucht.de .

-Do not hesitate to call/e-mail the Student record office! They are there for you and they want to help you! I have e-mailed them numerous times, for many reasons, but each time they were very kind and helpful.

-When you are done with the major stuff, like enrollment, blocked-account and visa application, start looking for the programmes the university offers to their First-year Students, because some of them may have time limit/attending quota!

Well, these are the major points you should consider before application and absolutely not miss before the arrival!

Just do everything you can and then start thinking about your luggage. Trust me, thinking how you are going to take all your favourite pieces with you with such a baggage-limit takes a lot of time, and occupies your mind (:

Do you have any other tips I should have written? Or any questions?

Finding an Accommodation… but How?

Okay, so here I am, the girl who thought she could never ever find an accommodation and was literally homeless, while being a first year international student… But yesterday, everything changed.

But first things first. You know that I have been looking for a room for weeks, because even the replacement lists of the dorms were full and a house on my own would be way too boring& expensive! In a WG, namely a shared-flat, it is usually about 220-320 € (~280-400$) with additional costs like electricity, heating, internet included!

Doesn’t it sound like the perfect solution to you too (after a dorm, of course) ?  So I have found this german website, which is like the facebook of the real-estate (and I mean it, everyone is there) . I have set up a profile, put pictures and details and everything and began to apply for the rooms.

Well, but finding one wasn’t that easy. Usually there are around 40 applicants applying for each room, they make appointments to meet and then look around the house. So, I was thinking what are my chances through an online application?

I have applied to about 30 offers, only half of them replied. 5 of them were telling me that the room was already taken. The other 10… well 9 of them were taken aback by my Skype-Interview offer and rejected it immediately. But as an international student who was waiting for a visa I had no chances or whatsoever to drop by before. Sadly, since no German has to deal with visas, they don’t understand this.

Actually there was one who understood the situation, and said he could at least give a try. So we ‘interviewed’ last week, and even though I had to speak German, it was better than I expected! I was pretty nervous, but even though he didn’t talk much, he was pretty friendly. He sent me photos of “could-be-yours” room, and since he didn’t prepare any questions, I asked him a lot.

Only in the end, saying he wasn’t happy asking about this, he asked if i could afford the rent. And I explained him that since I have a blocked-account, I will receive a certain amount of money every month, so it is not a problem at all. I also told them that, since I will be able to come only after September, I can send the first rent to their bank account if we agree.

Sooo, yesterday I met the other flatmate and then they told me that they had good and bad news for me… and asked me which one I’d like to hear first.

I said almost automatically “bad ones”, and they paused for a moment…looking concerned he explained to me, that THEY GOT NO BEERS LEFT.

After a burst of laughter; “Good news”, he said, “we decided to let you in, without deeper consideration.” (which actually also meant that I was their first choice, but I don’t know how to translate it)

I was so happy and surprised. I mean after that 3 painful weeks, being rejected or being simply ignored by a lot of other people… this seemed really easy.

But then when they asked why I don’t come earlier, I understood that it was really impossible to explain the visa-status to germans, and sighed.

Anyway they still accepted me!

So I am looking forward to meet them… and decorate my new room! Because my new room will be empty as a bubble!

Why study abroad, and why the “Leiden” ?

Why am I studying abroad? Because, I have never imagined studying in my own country, not even a single day. The university entrance system here is a total rip-off and I have always dreamed of going to Europe.

It was Paris when I was 5 years old.

London when I was 10.

And finally when I started to get a grasp of the things, which is called “reality” but actually nothing more than financial circumstances, I have decided Germany would be the best choice. Because unlike UK or USA, German State University fees, if not free, cost maximum 1500 Euros(approximately 2000$) a year, even for international students.

So why am I whining this much?

Well, it is probably because everything is simply going wrong.

Actually it all started about a month ago.

When i received a few “Zulassungsbescheiden”, namely my notifications of admissions from the universities that i applied, I have decided I would take my time to decide. It took me almost a week, and if my aunt wouldn’t have pushed me to decide, because I had a lot to do like Visa, it would take more time.

So I finally decided for a university, but deciding was not enough, I also had to apply for a german health insurance and transfer the semester fee. When I finally gotten my insurance-document per E-Mail, it occurred to me that I should read the admission statement once again, carefully.

Terrified and shocked I have seen that, the day all of my documents and transaction were complete, was also the last day for the enrollment. It was 6:30 pm, my hands started to shake and I felt like the whole world was crashing down.

My mother helped me wash my face and told me to call the “Studentenkanzlei” which means student record office. Totally hopeless I called the office and miraculously they answered. Panicked, and not sure how I told them my situation. They were very understanding. They told me, since I am an “ausländische” they understand me well, and can give me a few extra days.

I have always thought Germans were strict so it surprised me.

After a week, I finally received my confirmation E-Mail. They told me they will post my Student-ID in the following days. I have yet to receive it.

I thought the biggest drama was over. But alas, of course it wasn’t.

I trusted that giving 650€(~840$) would be enough for someone to feel responsible about her job. It would be better if I threw that money out of the window, at least I would not feel cheated. I am talking about a counselor we hired here. She was supposed to read all the necessary files and instruct me how and when to do what. But she didn’t. She just nodded to things I have said which led to another 2 weeks of delay. She promised me to find a dorm, but she didn’t even move her finger, so when I E-Mailed to ask if there was any room left,  “Sorry, even the replacement-lists are full.” was the answer I got.

Thinking a permanent address was mandatory for a Visa-application, I started to look for a room online.  But then, when I read the necessary documents(which I trusted my counselor would do) I saw it wasn’t a must. So we finally applied for a blocked-account(a student must bank an amount of min. 7,800€ in a german bank, which will be divided into 12 and will paid back to her/him monthly for a year) for a Visa, and then on this friday, Visa itself. Sadly, even the Deutsche Bank forgot to send me the confirmation document which states my money arrived them successfully. I had to e-mail them to receive it. Now I will give it to Consulate on Monday.

But incredibly enough, the woman who interviewed me discovered thet we were born on the same day and that broke the ice immediately. She treated me too well, and even answered all of my questions(I usually hear they don’t do that). She even told me she hopes that I get the visa before Semesterbeginn. She also explained me that the minimum duration is 3,5 weeks as principle.

I don’t want to mention how long it takes to get a visa, because it depresses me way too much. My semester starts on 1st of October and I probably won’t make it.

What is more I still couldn’t find an accommodation… but it is a story for another day.

Hi and welcome: Studying abroad (Germany) !

Hi and welcome to my new blog, auslandischestudentin!

Starting from this October, I will be studying in Germany as an international student. I am called an “ausländische (=outlandish, foreign, alien) Studentin (=female form of student)” there.

But even before actually arriving to Germany, I have faced many hardships and experienced  colourful moments. I thought I’d like to share what I go through with other students like me, which leave their home countries behind for college/university.

So, if you have any tips, advices or opinions you can simply comment or e-mail me at a.studentin@gmail.com !