₦airaland Forum

Good day gurus in the house, please which city is better for students life generally and students job between
Erlangen and Weimar

I got admission from FAU - Msc Computational Engineering

And Bauhaus University Weimar- Msc Natural Hazard and Risk in Structural Engineering

Hadampson:

kudos to you for these posts you keep digging up and reposting here. more grease to your elbow. as you have helped many here, including myself, may God grant your wishes asap!!!

Hallo Brüdders und Schwesters in Germany,

I have been hearing about the language barrier which makes it difficult for someone to easily integrate into the society in Germany; well I saw a device online which can help you to communicate in other languages.

Is there a nairalander who has tried anything relating to this?



PS: I am not an agent nor am I advertising for the company.

[img][/img]

lexi28:
Hadampson:

kudos to you for these posts you keep digging up and reposting here. more grease to your elbow. as you have helped many here, including myself, may God grant your wishes asap!!!

Amen

Thanks bro

BelieverDE:
Hallo Brüder und Schwestern in Germany,

I have been hearing about the language barrier which makes it difficult for someone to easily integrate into the society in Germany; well I saw a device online which can help you to communicate in other languages.

Is there a nairalander who has tried anything relating to this?



PS: I am not an agent nor am I advertising for the company.

Language isn't really a barrier. Other nationalities don't see a barrier but an added advantage.

Using the application won't help you because you will depend on it wherever you are going.

extrema:
Please does anyone have any idea about the city of Ilmenau in terms of student jobs?

Quite a sleepy town

Few and very limited jobs especially if you don't speak German

Are you going for media and communication science?

I'll be heading there by October

engrola00001:
Good day gurus in the house, please which city is better for students life generally and students job between
Erlangen and Weimar

I got admission from FAU - Msc Computational Engineering

And Bauhaus University Weimar- Msc Natural Hazard and Risk in Structural Engineering

If you are going to FAU. Please let’s link up
I may be going to that school

folarin1990:
Hello House I am an intending Applicant for Msc in a German university. 2020 Winter Hopeful. I have been making a couple of researches on German study for international students and I believe this will be helpful to someone.

A students packing list for Germany

Primary List

1. Valid passport with your student visa
2. Air ticket
3. Admission letter from the university
4. All financial documentation you will require to submit to the university or immigration
authorities.
5. All original certificates and other important documents
6. Traveler’s cheques and sufficient cash
7. Photos – 20 Copies in different sizes
8. Detailed directions to your university or accommodations
9. Details of contacts (Family friends, Seniors, Personal Friends)

My opinion

Make sure your date of travel is later than your visa goes into effect. I have a friend who got stuck at
immigration of a foreign country because she travelled before her day her visa went into effect. Check and cross
check your visa.
You might already know that students get extra baggage allowance the first time they travel. If you do not know this yet, contact the airline and ask how you can enable this offer. The baggage allowance might vary from 40- 56 Kg depending on the airline you are travelling with. Remember the baggage gets misplaced and lost quite a lot. Make sure you have your address and contact details on your
baggage. Also buying a lightweight suitcase will help you carry a few kilos extra. So buy some good bags. You can check out Amazon for affordable suitcases.
If you are renting an apartment outside the university, ask the house master if he can pick you up from the railway station. Most of them would oblige and drive you to the apartment. If you are living in studentenwohnheim (Student hostel) contact someone already there and ask if they can help you get to the hostel. If that does not work out, contact the international office of your
university and ask them if they can help. Universities have some kind off buddy program under which recurrent students help new
students settle down..

Utensils
1. Pressure cooker
2. Spare gaskets & safety valves
3. Utensils
4. Grinder (Not a must)
5. Frying pan
6. Good knife


Toiletries and Medicines

1. First aid box
2. Prescribed Medicines
3. General Medicines
4. Toothpaste
5. Toothbrush
6. Bathing soap
7. Shampoo
8. Cold cream
9. Nail clipper
10. Shaving kit

Clothes and Accessories
1. Few pairs of jeans
2. A very good jacket for winter
3. Thermal wear – men – women

My opinion

How many clothes you wish to carry is upon you. However, if you are arriving in winter term pack a good number
of warm clothes. German winters are harsh. The temperature is mostly in single digit or sub-zero. Thermal wear
will help you beat the cold more effectively.

Electronics
1. A laptop without a bit-torrent client
2. Universal plug adapter
3. Scientific Calculator
4. Headphone

Cash

The most important of all, EUROS. Carry good amount of cash. A few things to take into consideration. You will
need cash to pay a deposit for your apartment and pay semester fee at the university. Blocked account
sometimes take about a month or so to get unblocked. So carry enough cash to survive a couple of months.
Important: Do not transfer any deposit money for the apartment before arriving here. Many people have been
ripped by frauds. Also, read the contract terms of apartment renting very carefully, or any contract that you sign
for that matter. Ask for English translations if you do not know German.

Phone Contract

If you are going for a post-paid phone contract in Germany, you should know that you are signing a contract for
two years (in most cases), the customer representative will tell you all about it. What (s)he might skip is that the
contract is auto-renewed if you do not cancel the contract three months prior to its expiry. You will be most
likely to be moved to a high expense plan and the contract extends for further two years. There is no way to get
out of contract. A prepaid contract is a safer bet but you get less for more money.

More to come

Regards

We haven't even included foodstuffs...

Bamstar007:
If you are going to FAU. Please let’s link up
I may be going to that school

I'm not sure I will be going to FAU

please what is the cost of living,job in osnabruck

Any useful info about tübingen? Just got AL. Heard it's near Stuttgart but the semester ticket doesn't cover the area. Pls any useful info will be appreciated.
Got admitted to biomedical technologies program for msc

heybaby12:
I sold the boxes I took back to Nigeria when I went for the holidays. While coming back I bought 2 strong Ghana must go for 2k each.( the boxes I sold weighed 5.3 kg each).
That's how I entered Leipzig Airport with my bags oh like one market woman. Seemed like Zoll was scared to search my bag they just asked me to go.

That's how I dragged my load oh. Everyone was just looking at me.

If I tell you the things I came with. Box sef for cry.

I have a handheld luggage scale, so I am always on point

Sis, can you share the picture of the GMG with me, please ??

Hadampson:
Odimbannamdi

Tübingen, Baden Württemberg

Education: Studies here has been really nice and very tough. I'm currently studying MSc in Management and Economics. There are only one University in Tübingen which is the famous/prestigious University of Tübingen. The University spread across the length and breath of the entire city. There is no where you will go in Tübingen that you will not feel the presence of the University. Our professors here are very brilliant and smart. Educational system in Germany is highly intensive. If you are going for any Economics or Finance related courses you have to be very good in calculations. In fact very good is just an understatement you have to be extremely good in Maths. Be prepared to see some Mathematical symbols you have never came across in your entire life. And also try as much as possible to learn/improve on your computer skills. Be also prepared for presentations. I have 3 individual presentations to carry out this semester. I did two last semester they were fantastic. I never knew that I will be able to get it right because I was not used in making public speech. Exams are really tough here and grading system here is different from what we have in Nigeria. Professors don't award marks easily you have to work very hard to earn your grades. The marking scheme here is absolutely strict. To score a 1.0 here you need 95% and above. In general anything from 2.5 and below is considered good especially if an institute is doing high quality research like lmuhopeful rightly said.

Housing/Accommodation: Living in student dormitory is cheap you can get an accommodation shared/flat for 208, 217 Euros etc in old buildings. There are a lot of ancient buildings here dated back to the time of Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Martin Luther the reformer. If you want to live in the same building Goethe lived when he was writing his poetry it is possible grin grin grin and also from 245Euros for accommodation in skyscrapers. Private accommodation are a little bit expensive but not as in big cities.

Transportation: Tübingen semester ticket is not encouraging at all. Stuttgart is just 30km which is less than one hour drive by bus or train yet our semester ticket does not even cover Esslingen let alone Stuttgart. In fact Barden Wuttemberg semester tickets are like that. You can only enjoy semester ticket in this state if you are studying in a big city like Stuttgart and semi-big cities like Mannhiem, Kalshure, Freiburg etc. If you want to get a VVS semester ticket that covers Stuttgart you will be spending close to 400Euros which is not worth it.

Student Jobs: If you are coming to Tübingen with the hope of getting a student job you better have a rethink. There are no companies here. Tübingen can be best described as a rural area. Getting a job in few restaurants around is extremely difficult. Tübingen is a university village where 2 out of every 3 people you see on the streets are students. Tübingen is such a boring town. Loneliness want kill me here ooo!. You can hardly find Nigerians here except for few Nigerian refugees. There are very few Nigerians here. There are also not too many blacks in this school. From time to time you can only come across 1 or 2 Nigerians studying here. But if you are coming to Tübingen with the sole aim of studying, I can assure you that you will get the very best of education here because Tübingen is a world-class university. Some of the best professors in Europe are here. An ex-president of Germany (Horst Köhler) is also here as one of my professors.

People: What I have seen here is not encouraging. Tübingen is not a friendly town. People here are not friendly I don't know if it's because Tübingen is relatively a small town. I have been to Stuttgart and Frankfurt people are more friendly there than in Tübingen. Sometimes they will be looking at you as if you are an Alien from another planet. A friend of mine who is in Engineering faculty often complained of racism in his faculty. No one wants to sit with him in the class. No one wants him in their assignment group. I was lucky to have few German friends in my department that are liberal minded. They are more than nice to me. I happened to be the only black in my faculty but was lucky to have those great German guys as friends.

Food: Since I came here I have never bought cooked food outside. I have always prepared my own food at home by myself. It helps you to minimize cost if you can be able to be cooking/preparing your own meal. Their own foods self no dey hungry me. This people wey dey chop bread like say tomorrow no dey. They have different verities of Bread. More than 50 or more different kind of breads. There are African shops here where you can get food items like Yams, Plantain, Beans, Fish, Meat, Egwusi, Ogbono, Okra, palm oil etc, but they are not cheap oooo!

Babes: Hmmmmn! Like I said before this is not a friendly town. This people discriminate a lot. They even discriminate against other whites let alone blacks. But it may be a different experience in bigger/International German cities. So if na babe you want come here come find be ready to work extra hard for it. And also be prepared to face so many rejections you maybe lucky at last sha! As some people were lucky to find one in the long-run. If you are a lady, I don't really know because I haven't seen whites guys going out with the few black girls that are here.

African People: There are few Africans here are they are really nice. Some people will tell you not to get close to Nigerian refugees that are here. Well experience differs, Almost all the Nigerian refugees I met here are very nice people they see me as their brother and have always been willing to help they don't even discriminate on basis of tribe. They have been really helpful even more than the 2-3 Nigerians studying here. I know of a Nigerian student that did not drop his tribalism behind in Nigeria. He brought his tribalism here with him. Aduro is the popular name given to those refugees. But this Aduro people are very very nice to me I don't know about other Nigerian students experience ooo!.

German language: The language is as important as the degree you are coming here to acquire. You need the language to be able to interact effectively with people here even if it's broken/basic German. I will also advise anyone coming to Germany to get at least a B1 language proficiency before boarding that plan. Life can be extremely difficult here without the language

@chimax1

Hadampson:
@chimax1

na wa oo. This is not encouraging at alll

chimax1:
na wa oo. This is not encouraging at alll

Your experience would be different bro. Just be open minded and socialize with the natives and other nationalities.

chimax1:
Any useful info about tübingen? Just got AL. Heard it's near Stuttgart but the semester ticket doesn't cover the area. Pls any useful info will be appreciated.
Got admitted to biomedical technologies program for msc

Congrats. Pls aw many months was ur admission processing before ur admission letter came out.

I applied April 2 got admitted last week.Did you apply too?

nuggybabe:
Congrats. Pls aw many months was ur admission processing before ur admission letter came out.

chimax1:
I applied April 2 got admitted last week.Did you apply too?

Yes, I applied for scholarship in PhD since March n am yet to hear anything from them.

Was URS scholarship or what

nuggybabe:
Yes, I applied for scholarship in PhD since March n am yet to hear anything from them.

Was URS scholarship or what

Msc biomedical technologies, although I was exempted from tuition fees. Hopefully you will get yours.

chimax1:
Msc biomedical technologies, although I was exempted from tuition fees. Hopefully you will get yours.

Thanks. Just been worried that it's getting long than expected.

Hello @IAmPhiL , I came across your earlier post on prepping for admission @ THD. Thanks for the insight. Might I ask, from what GPA is usually considered? My nephew has a 3.7/5 CGPA in Mech Eng and the Masters program ( Mech & CPS) appeals to him. It would help to know his likely chances after taking into consideration the GRE and Test of English you recommended.

Hope to hear from you soon. Bless!

IAmPhiL:
servus!

so i just want to chip this in.....my own chapter of lamentations chapter food verse hunger

omo mehn, no be small thing. i think it's fair to say burger grows on our head already

truth is na to just mellow, succumb to the chopables here...live to fight another day....or better still; kuku chop to chop another day

me wey dey try cook for naija, i reach here, omo no ingredients o, the closest big city wey i fit get ingredients na almost 100km. i just channel my inner chef, turn chemist for kitchen o, sometimes na freestyle....na sha just to chop

so sha, me sef begin sick their sickness o, i wan laff when Dr yarn me few weeks ago say i get flu, say na the weather change cause am, i just dey smile...no be say i sick o, na just to use the health insurance parole

well, so far, so good...safe to say that the key to survival is adaptation.

über alles
Danken zu Gott

Hadampson:
Sis, can you share the picture of the GMG with me, please ??

I posted it here before but I think it was deleted. Let me check if I still have it

This would help so you are not embarrassed at the airport and start removing things ,. It has helped me twice and it's almost accurate. But I leave 1kg gap.
You can see it in those online shops it's like 3k. Will still be useful when you come.
That's if you a traveller like I am

heybaby12:
I posted it here before but I think it was deleted. Let me check if I still have it

Thank you sis

Anticipating it oh

Hello all.

Special thanks to all who have posted their experiences and advices on this thread.....God bless you all.

I am looking a starting an M.Sc program for summer 2020.
From my research based on my first degree course.....I came down to either MSc in Medical Informatics at the Deggendof Institute of Technology, Pfarrkirchen or an Mac in Digital Health at the university of Potsdam.

Please what does living look like in the 2 cities in terms of getting a job while studying, settling down, social life etc.

Kindly advise.

hi Fam,

I have my eyes on a few universities that offer courses in my field, Electrical Engineering with a leaning towards renewable energy specifically.
in order of preference:

Master of Science in Power Engineering (MSPE) • Technische Universität München • München

Power Engineering • Bradenburg University of Technology, Senftenberg • Cottbus

Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (MSc) • Deggendorf Institute of Technology • Deggendorf

Renewable Energy Systems (RES) • Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt • Ingolstadt

Master of Science in Renewable Energy Management (REM) • TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences) • Köln MEng

Electrical Engineering (EE) • University of Rostock • Rostock


Renewable Energy Systems • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences • Hamburg

Electrical Power Engineering • RWTH Aachen University ( the course available at TU Berlin was referred back to Aachen too).

I need information regarding student jobs / possible places for internship in terms of big companies in the cities, how good the semester ticket is and general view of the cities. please all information is appreciated. I plan also to further go for Ph.D after completion of my Masters.

Danke.

Cc
Berliner
heybaby12
hadampson
justwise
honorableseyi.

I think you should focus on getting admitted in these universities first.

lexi28:
hi Fam,

I have my eyes on a few universities that offer courses in my field, Electrical Engineering with a leaning towards renewable energy specifically.
in order of preference:

Master of Science in Power Engineering (MSPE) • Technische Universität München • München

Power Engineering • Bradenburg University of Technology, Senftenberg • Cottbus

Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (MSc) • Deggendorf Institute of Technology • Deggendorf

Renewable Energy Systems (RES) • Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt • Ingolstadt

Master of Science in Renewable Energy Management (REM) • TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences) • Köln MEng

Electrical Engineering (EE) • University of Rostock • Rostock


Renewable Energy Systems • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences • Hamburg

Electrical Power Engineering • RWTH Aachen University ( the course available at TU Berlin was referred back to Aachen too).

I need information regarding student jobs / possible places for internship in terms of big companies in the cities, how good the semester ticket is and general view of the cities. please all information is appreciated. I plan also to further go for Ph.D after completion of my Masters.

Danke.

Cc
Berliner
heybaby12
hadampson
justwise
honorableseyi.

uptimum123:
I think you should focus on getting admitted in these universities first.

Thanks for the advice. I do recognise that.
but, brochures do not give details like scope or reach of semester tickets. you may be aware that this directly affects transport costs should the need arise to search for jobs or internship outside its coverage area.

I prefer to make informed choices which I believe the thread was set up for.

if you have any information of these cities of courses it will always be welcome. thanks again for the encouragement.

danke

I understand your concern,but the truth is there is always a chance that one might not get admitted to a most preferred school, I also believe ur not applying to just one school... if ur applying to all those schools you listed then there is high chance you will get admitted to two or more schools, that way you can now chose the one that best suits you.


Just my thoughts and No I have no info on the cities

lexi28:
Thanks for the advice. I do recognise that.
but, brochures do not give details like scope or reach of semester tickets. you may be aware that this directly affects transport costs should the need arise to search for jobs or internship outside its coverage area.

I prefer to make informed choices which I believe the thread was set up for.

if you have any information of these cities of courses it will always be welcome. thanks again for the encouragement.

danke

Thanks for this inspiring piece
I' m a female computer science graduate(second class upper) with no experience except a 6months internship.
I would love to go for MS in information systems or information engineering because I don't really like coding and maths.
Please my question goes thus.
1)which school/city can u recommend as I don't have money to renew the blocked account in the following year?
2)Also I would love a city where I can get internship during my studies so as to gain some work experience
3) Is it only programmers that are in demand in Germany?what are the chances for other fields in IT?
4)I would appreciate if u think there are other courses that are good as well. Thanks and God bless.

pompido:
I am greatly pleased to be on this thread and actually read from the very first page

Quite educative and brings back a flood of memories. We thank God for grace.

All questions asked and answers given (sliding tackles and all ) are great learning curves for all.

My summary....

Landed October 3rd 2015.....Digital Communications in CAU Kiel. Took the first lecture and knew it wasn't for me. Told the profs so and opted out of the program (was still registered of course and was attending the german class provided by the school and intensive language class with VHS at the same time (register with VHS in your city within your first year to get a good rebate (up to 50% off) you can select a start date months away).

Switched to Information Engineering in FH Kiel the following summer (March 2016), did multiple jobs while studying (Printing presses, Cruise ships, Umzug, Chinese Restaurant. etc. Man hustle oooo....days of 12hrs straight jobs 4 times a week and top it with a 13hrs shift on Sundays
I was actually doing good in school but learning the language suffered as I couldn't fit it in the calamitous schedule I was running (I did attend intensive classes later though).

Then I got a rude awakening , I visited my naija university mate in Berlin working for Bombardier at the time and immediately knew I was wasting my time with the lager jobs I thought was giving me money. I needed to look at the bigger picture. Got back from Berlin and applied to Allianz Technology in Munich for internship, I got in and all of a sudden was making more working 9-5pm (own office with perks, fantastic international team and exposure into the professional world in Germany) than i was doing working 12hrs (4times a week) plus 13hrs on sundays. All, while doing professional work and improving my professional profile.

I was at Allianz Technology for 1yr & 3months (finished my master project and thesis) and got 2 full time offers before I was done with my master study in October of 2018.


My advice, do what you have to do to survive out here (legally of course). Make sure you pick the right course and if you find yourself in a jam with your choice course, be open to changing. Do not worry about hustling, it is not going to be at the top of your priorities when you actually settle and draw those priorities. Especially if you are looking at the bigger picture. Work will always be available, whether in your city or outside but believe me when I say you will be alright and find a way as everyone before you have done.

Learn the language

Before you leave Nigeria or wherever you are based, set your goals (minimum and maximum), have unbelievably high expectations but also psych yourself up for the very worst case scenario so that wherever you find yourself, you would be mentally grounded to face the music and sing out loud because darkness lasts just the night, light comes with the break of dawn.

God bless our dreams and make our strives abundantly fruitful...