Study and research in Germany

Planning your studies

A good start

Your scouts and their friend MarkusWelcome indeed! You've decided to study in Germany. For some of you, this will be your first experience of higher education. You've come direct from school and want to gain the best possible qualifications by studying in a foreign country. Each step that you take from now will be new. Prepare as much as you can for your studies and your stay in Germany. Start doing so at the latest one year before you plan to start your studies. Because then you'll achieve your goal.

Many of you have already gained experience studying in your home country or in another country. Now, you want to continue your studies in Germany or round off your academic qualifications by taking a postgraduate course or doctoral programme. Much of what you find here will be familiar to you. But you will still come across many differences. You can make your start in Germany easier by collecting as much information as possible in advance.

Our three scouts Mai, Tomás and Nina will guide you through your studies. Their tips will make the first few days all the more easier. And our academic glossary will help you understand university life and your studies all the better. We wish you every success with your studies!

Tomás, Mai and Nina - Your scouts to guide you through the academic jungle

Dear Readers,

We are your personal scouts and are really looking forward to guiding you through your studies in Germany. The three of us know that it can be quite difficult to cope at first. But we have also learnt that the right information makes life so much easier. That's why we want to pass on our know-how and experience to you.
Let us briefly introduce ourselves, so that you know who we are.

• Tomás, first-year student from the Czech Republic
• Mai, Master's student, from Vietnam
• Nina, Master's student from Germany

Tomás, first-year student from the Czech Republic

My name's Tomás and I'm Czech. I've been studying International Business Administration in Germany for one semester. That means I've taken an important step on the way to my dream career: Later, I'd like to work as a manager for a German global player in Eastern Europe.
Tomás: Already learnt German in Prague
Check out the admissions requirements as early as possible: I already started collecting information about study opportunities in Germany during my last year at school. Using the Internet and the DAAD office in Prague I came across a Bachelor of International Business Administration programme with a major in Eastern Europe. That was just what I was looking for. If it had been at all possible, I would have started studying immediately after finishing school. But it wasn't. I had to pass a German as a foreign language test called TestDaF for admission to higher education.

Learn enough German: Although I'd already learnt some German at school, my skills definitely weren't good enough for studying. So, I took a CAMPUS intensive course at the Goethe Institute in Prague to prepare for the TestDaF.

Three months later I successfully passed my language test. To make sure that I didn't lose any time, I simultaneously studied business administration at uni in Prague.

Get your academic achievements credited: Studies and the intensive German course proved to be quite a challenge. But it was worth it: once I finally had my TestDaF certificate, I could send all my application papers to uni-assist (a university admissions service for international applicants). uni-assist then checked my papers and qualifications on behalf of my chosen German university, with a positive result. Because, after just a month I received my letter of admission from my chosen university. And what was particularly good was that some of my academic achievements in Prague were even credited to my programme when I started studying in Germany. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) made that possible.

Mai, Master's student, from Vietnam

Mai plans a research career in VietnamHi, my name is Mai. I come from Vietnam and studied chemistry at the Vietnam National University. I'd known since high school that I wanted to work as a research scientist one day. My dream would be to switch between international research projects in Vietnam and in other countries.
Use cooperation between universities as a source of information: Exchange projects between my uni and German institutions gave me an insight into chemical research in Germany. Chats with German researchers made it clear to me that if I wanted to do top-flight research, then I needed to gain further qualifications in Germany.

Modular programmes deliver top-rate qualifications: Initially, I searched the Internet for strongly research-focused Master's programmes. Since I didn't speak any German, I really wanted to take an English-instructed programme. My search through the DAAD Database www.daad.de/idp took me to a modular programme. This allowed me, after one year of Master's studies, to move directly into a doctoral programme. I decided to take it, because it offered me two attractive qualification paths. I'm meanwhile in my second semester and am simultaneously taking an intensive German course. I need German language skills for my PhD programme, since some of the seminar courses are held in German.

Nina, Master's student from Germany

Nina has friends from around the worldMy name's Nina and I'm friends with Mai. We met in the Master of Chemistry programme. Mai and I got talking on the very first day. She was standing alone outside the course room. So I just asked her where she comes from.
Gain intercultural experience: I'm always really inquisitive, when I meet people from other countries. I want to learn more about their way of life and their culture. I learnt a lot of interesting things from Mai about Vietnamese habits and customs. So, I now know that the Vietnamese find it impolite to ask really personal questions as soon as they meet somebody. Well, since I didn't know that, I immediately asked her all about her family and friends. Luckily, Mai didn't take that amiss. I think she was happy to have found a friend so quickly.

Help foreign students feel at home in Germany: From my work as a tutor I know that international students feel a bit lonely at first. To make sure that Mai didn't have to experience that, I initially took her along to every party and introduced her to all my friends. We then met Tomás at one of these parties. One of my friends had brought him along. Both Mai and I immediately thought he was quite nice. Tomás then told us of the problems he was having with his flatmates. That was a stroke of luck: a room had just become free in my four-room shared flat. Tomás now lives in our flat and when Mai visits me for dinner, Tomás often eats with us as well. Sometimes, we also go out with Tomás and his friend Markus. Markus knows a couple of really good music clubs.

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