Germany Unofficial

There are lot of things, that you need to do when you first arrive in Germany and most of these steps will be entirely new to you, thus I have tried to compile it in a way that is as easy as possible. Since I am from Chemnitz, I have given some IMPORTANT links for Chemnitz which can be easily found in all other University webpages as well.  If you have not yet arrived in Germany, check out this CHECKLIST to see whether you have purchased all necessary things for your first travel to Germany Accommodation: If you have already applied to a dormitory in your desired University location, then you can contact the person responsible(care taker) to collect your keys for your room. Some times, you can ask some of your friends also to collect the keys, so that you can directly goto your room.  Related: 25 websites to search accommodation in Germany If you are unlucky to find a place to stay, there are many Youth hostels in every cities and you can book a room ...

With the recent elections in Germany, the "Alternative für Deutschland" party has won a considerable amount of votes this time. This party is known for its right wing policies and the people are against foreigners, non-German people, etc., In the last election this party had just meagre 5% of the votes, but this time it has emerged as the major party from the Saxony(sachsen) region with Dresden as the main point.  Here is a video, by Deutsche Welle(DW) from the region called PIRNA, near Dresden.  Facebook group | Facebook page | SUBSCRIBE(top)

Here is a list of items that you might need for your travel to Germany. Please note that, we do not recommend any brand here, but the Amazon link is more of an suggestion. Also, there might be some other things that are specific and personal which are not mentioned in this list.  CHECKLIST FOR WOMEN - link Facebook group | Facebook page | SUBSCRIBE(top) CLOTHES: Gloves Amazon link Handkerchiefs Amazon link Belts Amazon link Woollen cap Amazon link Shirts (full formal) Amazon link Shirts (casual) Amazon link T-shirts Amazon link Jacket Amazon link Thermals Amazon link Towels Amazon link Trousers Amazon link Coat/blazers Amazon link Sport shoes Amazon link Slippers Amazon link Sandals Amazon link Socks-woollen Amazon link Formal shoes Amazon link Casual shoes Amazon link COOKING: Pans Amazon link Rice cooker Amazon link Rolling pin Amazon link knives , spoons, Amazon link Serving spoons Amazon link Tawa Amazon link PERSON...

The German student visa is granted only if you have 8500+ Euros in your blocked bank account. The German government believes that, this amount will be sufficient for a student to survive in Germany for a year. But, in reality how much does it cost for a student to live in Germany? Let's see the monthly & yearly expenditure of an average student living in Germany. RENT: Depending on the location of the university, this may vary from 220 - 400 euros per month. If you are going to live in a small city like Chemnitz, Magdeburg, etc., then the rent will be around 220 - 250 euros per month. But, if you are going to live in bigger cities like Berlin, Munich, etc., most of the times you will not get the rooms at Studentenwerk(University hostels); therefore you will be applying for some WG(shared appartment), which might cost you little more than 300 - 350 euros Average monthly expense: 300 EUROS Average annual expense: 3600 EUROS HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance is co...

Moving to a new country, which has different kind of weather, different orientation of traffic, different cultural background, which is far away from HOME is going to be really difficult. I have been there, done that and this article is a summary of my experience in Germany. UNIVERSITY/COURSE: It is going to difficult for you to adapt to the method of teaching in German universities, where the lectures takes place with the help of presentations(PPT) by the Professor, which will be later passed on to you as NOTES. You will not be spoon-fed with the topics and the professors will not care for your grades. Their job is just to teach you the concepts and evaluate your understanding of the same. In most of the classes, there won't be any "attendance" taken and literally no one cares whether you attend the lectures or not. Also, the question paper will vary every semester; for example exam-1 will have total of 80 marks and the duration will be 2 hours, whereas exam-2 wi...

Here is a list of items that you might need for your travel to Germany. Please note that, we do not recommend any brand here, but the Amazon link is more of an suggestion. Also, there might be some other things that are specific and personal which are not mentioned in this list.  Wollen cap(For winter) - Amazon link Wollen sweater              - Amazon link Thermals (HAP brand)  - Amazon link Thermals (Jockey)         - Amazon link Towels                           - Amazon link Sports shoes                  - Amazon link Sports shoes(adidas)     - Amazon link Slipper(branded)           - Amazon link Socks (Jockey)              - Amazon link Socks (adidas)               - Amazon link Forma...

When you arrive in Germany as a student, you would already have around 8500 euros in your account as per VISA regulations. But still with your VISA, you are allowed to work for 120 full days in a calendar year. Here comes the tough part, where you need to find a part-time job that suits your university schedule, the one that doesn't take a toll on your health and also provides you some extra money. I have seen and experienced many part-time jobs during my stay in Germany and here is a compilation, that might help you with your quest for searching the perfect Part-time job. When it comes to earning money on the side, I am categorizing the jobs into two divisions such as: Academics Non-academics Academics: After one or two semesters, when you have settled down with your studies and new place, you might want to start searching for some part-time job. The first place will be look at your university website, especially in your "Professorship" where you will find some o...

Germany has lot of "public" universities which offer zillion courses in most of the engineering/science disciplines. But still, there are some students who like to apply for the "private" universities which has better acceptance rate on a comparative basis. The application process for these private universities are much simpler and doesn't take much effort. There are some universities which offer good course modules and practical exposure. On an average, most of the private universities ask for tution fees of around 18-20k EUROS for two years, where your living expenses are not included. Thus for two years you would need to spend around 40k EUROS on a whole. Though the private universities charge tution fees, they would not guarantee an job or Campus placement after your studies. Facebook group  | SUBSCRIBE(top of the page)  There are possibilities that you may not complete your studies in 2 years and what happens if you extend your studies for one m...

In the recent past, I have got a lot of messages from aspirants who have got admission in Masters in Embedded Systems at TU Chemnitz. Most of them have the same doubts, "Is the course very tough?", "Can we complete the course in 2 years?", "We heard that many students dropped out of the course, due to the difficulty!".  I hope that I am eligible to write this article, as I am studying in this particular course and thus I have a better understanding of the subjects, difficulty, modules, etc., But still, I would like to mention this before-hand, that the content of this article is purely based on my personal experience and opinions. Difficulty of the course: When you are applying for a Masters course, you definitely cannot expect it to be a CAKE WALK. It is definitely going to be tough and definitely you will go through some harsh times, which will be a learning lesson to you. Keeping aside the Phylosophical thoughts, if someone asks me about th...

This article is mainly for those students who have got their ADMIT in German universities After getting the ADMIT, most of you would have applied for opening Blocked account, Edu loan, VISA, etc., But still there are many things that you need to know before you leave for your studies. Here is a list of some important things: Rail&Fly tickets Before you book your flight ticket to Germany, I suggest you to check out for RAIL&FLY offers with the airlines. This will save you minimum 30-50euros during your first travel.  Most of the International airlines have the Rail&Fly offer in Germany and this offer entails you to travel across Germany till your Destination city for FREE of cost.  Extra Baggage allowance Similar to the Rail&Fly offer, most of the International airlines offer extra baggage allowance to the students, who fly abroad for the first time for studies. You can avail this offer by simply showing your ADMIT LETTER during ...