Going abroad for higher education is almost a logical and sometimes even an obvious next step for most students. While the U.S., U.K. and Australia are the most popular destinations, Germany is not far behind especially picking up brownie points for niche technical education courses. The proof of its increasing popularity is the fact that over a hundred students attended the Pre-Departure session organised by the DAAD Information Centre-Chennai at the Geothe-Institut.
The innovative briefing featured a Skype session with four Indian students from the University of Hannover speaking about the dos and don’ts, tips and generally about life in Germany.
Devesh Singh spoke about the preparations before packing off to Germany — documentation, student visa, accommodation and what to pack. He cautioned students that one can withdraw only 649 Euros a month; so one will have to arrive with at least 1200 Euros to pay for university fees, room rent, visa extention and other sundry expenses.
Said Pragyan Patnaik, “Pack only the basic winter clothing. The rest you can get there and they are of better quality and weather Germany’s winters better.” Pragyan also went on to give pointers about things to be done immediately on one’s arrival — city registration, university registration, bank account, health insurance, visa extension and phone connection.
Vinay Shekhar listed out the contacts that one should get in touch with prior to or on one’s arrival to make life abroad easier — course co-ordinator, representative from the university's international office and a “study buddy”, a programme that many universities offer to help the fresher orient himself/herself with the university and life in the campus. “In Germany, the student-professor interaction is a little different. You need to fix an appointment with him/her and KEEP IT! And be punctual!” he stressed.
Jaspreet Singh felt that picking up German was vital as it would make life easier and open up a lot of opportunities. Most Indian grocery are easily available in Indian stores or Asian stores in Germany.“But the best option is the university canteen, mensa as it is called . You can get your cheapest meal for as low as 2 Euros.”
The four students through their presentation covered most aspects of life in Germany and sought to quell many of the fears the students had. They complied the information they had gathered including websites for those looking for accommodation, that was to be e-mailed to the students by DAAD.
Dr. Stefan Weckbach,
Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany at Chennai
In Germany more universities are now offering courses in English. The laws of residence have been made more receptive recently and this makes it easy for students to find jobs easily. This is the result of shortage of highly qualified workforce.
Mr. Karl Pechatscheck,
Director, Geothe-Institut, Chennai
There are many events and activities to keep you busy besides just academics. Participate in these and make new friends. Once you land in Germany, don’t go looking for other Indian students, instead befriend students from other countries and enrich your campus experience.
Sai Gokul,
headed to the Technical
University of Munich to pursue
Masters in Informatics
I chose Germany because it is known for its technical innovation. I met representatives from German universities at an education fair and also researched on my own about study in Germany. I would suggest that you handle your admission directly rather than go via consultancies. I am now learning basic German and am already in touch with other students from the university. Facebook.
