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Will this really happen? | Fate of Diesel cars in Germany

In one of our recent article , we had told that Germany has been taking the environmental issues pretty seriously and following the same path, today(27-Feb-2018), a German court has given permission to cities for banning diesel driving cars, so as to fight air pollution. According the thelocal online magazine, this decision is come as a shocker to the car industry.  The Federal Administrative courst of Leipzig has told that local authorities can hereafter ban older, dirty diesel automobiles from their city centres. This would mean that, a huge amount of drivers cannot visit the city in their vehicles.  The decision is now at the hands of the local city and municipal authorities to impose bans and the court doesn't impose such bans directly. This means that, it will be a huge change for cities like Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, which are considered to be highly polluted.  With Germany preparing itself to give a tough fight againt Environmental changes...

Indian passports of this type are not valid for GERMAN VISA | VFS Global(Germany)

An important information stated on VFS Global(Germany) website tells that the Indian passports that have Passport number "perforated" on all pages of the passport will NOT be accepted for German VISA application processing. It also states that, effective from 19-February-2018 Indian passports with perforated/punched-through on all the pages(first to last page) will not be accepted for German visa processing at the German VISA application centre in Bangalore, Cochin, and Trivandrum.  Which passport will be accepted? The website also shows us this image(illustration) of a passport, which would be accepted at this time.  What should you do if you have a perforated passport? The same link tells us that, for further clarification please do contact the local Government of India Passport office.  Source: VFS GLOBAL

Germany planning to offer FREE public transport

We all know that Germany has some of the biggest car and automobile manufacturers in the world, and yet it is also planning to take necessary steps to control pollution. In the second week of February, Germany's popular English News website - thelocal.de published an article stating that Germany is considering to offer FREE public transport in order to banish air pollution.  This article states, that the environment minister is considering the option of providing FREE public transport to reduce the number of private cars and also fighting the pollution is one of Germany's priority. Similarly, last year there was another news stating that Germany is also planning to ban Gas and Diesel cars in the near future.  If this happens, then which places do you plan to visit with the ticket-less travel plans? Source: thelocal.de

German VISA experience | Mumbai consulate | Guest post | Summer 2018

Name: Seles Abraham VI Date: 4th January 2018 Consulate: Mumbai Visa approval mail received on: 29th January 2018 University: SRH Heidelberg Course: Master’s in Applied Computer Science (SAP Module) EXPERIENCE Initial Step is to book an appointment through VFS (by call or by mail). No online booking provision is available for Mumbai Consulate. I got the visa interview date for 4th of January 2018 at 9 AM. I reached the Mumbai German consulate at 8:00 AM (Nariman Point). At around 8:15 AM the security guard asked all the applicants to stand in a line and proceed one by one from the main gate for security check. Once you enter the main gate, they ask you to carry only your files and documents and ask you to switch off your mobile. Then they ask you to keep your bag in a locker and a token is given (to be precise locker token). The guard then gave me a checklist page and asked me to arrange DD and two DD form with a photograph separately. And the two s...

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Popular posts from this blog

How to write a Statement of Purpose / Motivation Letter for German Universities | Sample SOP

How to write a SOP for German Universities Writing an excellent SOP is an art. Statement of Purpose or Motivation letter is one of the most important documents in your application to the Universities. It can ''make" or "break" your application. This is the document where you explain the admission committee about your motivation towards the course and the reason why you want to study this particular course in this particular university.  Related: How to get an ADMIT in German Universities? Let us go through a scenario from the Admission committee's point of view. When you application documents arrive at their table, they will open your application with all the supporting documents and start going through your application. First and foremost, any normal person will verify whether your profile matches all the admission requirements listed in the course website. After that, they will check your grades, experiences, etc., So till now, they know ...

Study abroad - Whatsapp group | Studying in Germany

There have been many requests from students to start a Whatsapp group for our community and thus we have created a Official Whatsapp group, in order to help students with their doubts and queries.  We will try our level best to clarify the doubts, also we request others also to have a 'healthy' conversation with others. Some guidelines and infos about our Group: This is an International group and thus, the common language to be used is ENGLISH After you join the group, if someone contacts you via Personal message regarding any offers or consultancy, then please report to the admin This group is only for those who wish to STUDY and we do not offer any 'special' ways to get into Germany If you send any irrelevant message(SPAM) in the group, then you would be immediately removed from the group without any questions.  Abusive language will not be tolerated  Advertisements of any sort, is prohibited Whatsapp group -> Click HERE ...

How to spend less, when you are studying abroad?

When you are studying abroad, one of the toughest things is to NOT SPEND more; because till now you would have got your pocket money from your parents and there is a high chance that you wouldn't have managed the expenses till now. But, when you live abroad you are burdened with all the groceries, clothes, etc., that you have buy on your own and you gotta manage it well.  Trust me, it is going to be difficult. I have seen many people, who have the new-found liberty to spend as they wish and at the end of the semester, they will be asking for money again from their parents. I wish that, you will not be in this position. The main reason for this is, you are in a new financial system, with new currency and different pricing methods.  You may think that, studying abroad and living alone will train you to be an successful adult. In reality, the money management process comes as the first step that you will be taking towards becoming an adult. So, here are some tips that...

EDUCATIONAL DIFFERENCES...!!!

It has been a year now, since i landed in Germany for my Masters. In the past one year, there have been numerous times, many of my friends, relatives, kith and kin have asked me one same question, "HOW DO THEY TEACH THERE??" or "HOW'S THE TEACHING DIFFERENT FROM THE COLLEGES IN INDIA.?".  First and foremost, i would like to introduce myself as an International student of Indian origin, doing my Masters in Germany. I was intrigued by these questions so much, because whenever i do Skype or speak to someone from my home country, i tend to answer these type of questions. I am not saying that, it's bad, but everyone are eager to know the differences in the teaching methods, which led me to write this post on the Educational Differences.  To answer those questions, i would like to first share my experience of college, during my Bachelor's degree; so that you will get to know more about the differences in teaching. During my 4 year course in India, th...

FREE EDUCATION IN GERMANY!!

Yes!! You heard it right, doing Masters in Germany is mostly free of cost. It is not fully free of cost, but comparatively it is very less than doing Bachelors in most of the countries. As a student, you many have to pay around 300 euros per semester.   In the recent years, Germany has made its education, free of cost. You may ask, how does Germany manage to provide free education, it is very simple. In Germany the people agree to pay high taxes, which they get back as very good services from the government. And moreover, Germany has a lower percentage of students opting for college, contrary to countries like America or India. In fact, from long back, there had been no tuition fees in Germany, but there are still some universities collecting a small amount of fees as a process to speed up the process of completing the degree.  WHY GERMANY? To your surprise, there are other countries like Denmark, Finland, Sweden and some Northern European countries, who provide ...

Week 5 | Queries from applicants to German Universities | Studying in Germany

We have started the series of articles, in order to answer the queries from applicants to German universities and we have successfully marched into week 5 and here goes our answers to various questions from our readers. Before you read further, please note that although some questions may seem "silly" to you, but there are many others who do not know the answers. So, we have answered even the silliest questions in this post and if you already know answers for some of the questions, please skip and move onto the next. Q: Can we get Scholarships for our studies in Germany? A: Yes, there are lot of scholarships granted by DAAD and you can visit DAAD website or see the later half of this video: Scholarships Q: When is the appropriate time to apply for VISA? A: Some websites tell you not to apply 3 months before your departure. In my opinion, you need to apply for your VISA as soon as possible. Sometimes, due to huge amount of applications the VISA process may g...

Why you should goto Consultancies! (Pun intended)

Everyone are applying for higher studies and going abroad! Many apply on their own, some ask their friends for help, but most of them apply via Consultancies. I am here to explain you, what really happens when you go to consultancies. ~This post is only relatable, if you are applying for Europe or Germany. ~ ~I know this is a long post, please read till the end~ Image source: Google #1 University selections: The consultancies will tell you that, your grades are comparatively low. You can apply for 5 universities and they will take care of the rest and get you an admission. Reality:   The consultancies will not guide you in anyway. They do not know anything about the University or the course. They will not understand your area of specialization or your career interest. Their main aim is to get you one admit and send you off. What you need?: You do not need any consultancy to help you, you need only some advice and guidance from the people who are already in German...

Everything you need to know about working part-time in Germany

Students from the EU countries are treated as equivalent to the German students. But, the international students who intend to work on part-time to support their living and studies are allowed only for 120 full days or 240 half days per calendar year. There is an exception that, you can get an exemption to work more than 120 days, but that needs approval from the Federal employment agency and the foreigner's office. It is an un-told fact that, it will be very tough to get such an exemption to work more than 120 days per year. The good thing about the 120 days is that, if you are working as an research assistant then it is not included in those 120 days. In addition, the international students are not allowed to work as self-employed or as a freelancer. How to find a part-time job? There are plenty of ways to find the right part-time job (link) , which matches your needs and also goes well with your study period. There are more opportunities available during summer, chris...

Worst case scenario | Your first travel to Germany | What will you do?

My last article was about the Best case scenario of what could happen, when you land in Germany. If you had missed it then, here is a link ( Best case scenario ).Let me simulate the worst case scenario of what could happen and it is just a word of caution to prepare yourself for the worst. Disclaimer: Nothing of this sort will happen to you, but the below scenario is an excerpt from my observations and experiences Worst case scenario: Assumptions: Your semester intake: Winter | Your destination city in Germany : Dresden | Your landing airport: Frankfurt | You have got Rail&Fly offer along with your flight ticket | Your student buddy has agreed to pick you up from the railway station. You started to apply for the winter intake only in the month of March, hence most of the top courses are already way past their deadline. So you settle for some mediocre course and start with all the process of blocked account, VISA, etc., The D-day has come for you to leave to Germ...

Most important things to-do before you leave for higher studies

Its that time of the year where, nearly a substantial amount of students will be leaving their home country to start chasing their dreams by beginning their higher studies. Most of them will be enthusiastic with their 'admit' and rest of them will be burdened with emotional feelings of leaving their home and parents for the first time and going abroad. But, these are some of the important times for those students, because they need to take care of everything and be organized with their packing and other important things. I would like to give some important tips which will come in handy for all of them and will be very useful, because I have been through that phase and I know the mistakes most of them will make. Image source: google Documents: These are the most important things, when you leave your home country. Arrange your documents properly and have atleast 3-4 photocopies at different places of your luggage. Put all these into a file and always have a pen in eve...