Education
Lures of German Universities - 2
Continued. See beginning of article: LURES OF GERMAN UNIVERSITIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
Where to Get Money for Studies<\/strong><\/p>
The biggest stumbling block for the average Ukrainian student who wants to go study in Germany is the financial question. After all, to obtain a visa, he will need to confirm that he can support himself abroad. He must have an average of 8,040 euros in his bank account for the year, calculated at 670 euros per month. But there is no need to despair prematurely, because you can get a scholarship to study in Germany, and scholarship holders do not have to provide evidence of money in their account.<\/p>
SCHOLARSHIPS. German scholarship programs in Ukraine are administered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Every year, about 200 Ukrainians leave for study in Germany from this organization. The full list of scholarship programs can be seen on their website www.daad.org.ua. There are short-term scholarships: for summer language courses at German universities, for one semester for German studies students, the 3-month program 'International Journalists.' Among long-term ones: the Viadrina University program (for senior students of law, economics, and cultural studies), ERP scholarships for master's in economics, and others.<\/p>
It should be noted right away that long-term scholarships for study can only be obtained by students who already have a bachelor's (or master's) degree and want to get a master's or PhD in Germany. No scholarships are given for bachelor's studies. The most universal scholarship among all offered on the site is the scholarship for master's studies for university graduates of all specializations. The competition for it is held annually from September 1 and ends on November 20; the competition is 12-15 people. You need to apply for the scholarship a year before entering a German university. That is, if a student wants to start studying in September 2012, then the documents for the scholarship will need to be submitted already in autumn 2011.<\/p>
But, of course, first each scholarship holder must choose where he actually wants to study. Suitable sites for this, where you can choose a program by federal state, by university, and by specialization, are www.daad.de/deutschland/index.en.html and www.hochschulkompass.de. In February, the selection committee will interview those who passed the document review, and in April there will be results. The DAAD scholarship covers university studies – that is 500 euros, and the student also receives an additional 750 euros of monthly assistance for his expenses.<\/p>
Roof Over One's Head<\/strong><\/p>
But let's imagine that the student has already entered the university and will study there either at his own expense or he has won a scholarship. In any case, it's time to think about a roof over one's head. It is worth noting that, unlike Ukraine, there are practically no classic student towns in Germany. Therefore, each student must take care of his housing on his own.<\/p>
DORMITORY. You will have to fight for a place in a dormitory – there are too many applicants. Newcomers are advised to resolve all their housing issues in Germany through the Student Services Organization, Studentenwerk (website – www.studentenwerkе.de). It has about 58 branches, and currently, in the organization's database, there are about 1,000 dormitories throughout Germany. On this site you can fill out an application and get on the waiting list for a room in a dormitory. It is advisable to do this about six months before enrollment; otherwise, you can wait more than a year for your turn. On average, a room in a dormitory will cost 130-260 euros per month.<\/p>
You can live either in a separate room (a small apartment with a bathroom and mini-kitchen), or in an apartment arranged as a 'housing community' (in German 'Wohngemeinschaft', or WG: one apartment for several people (3-4 rooms)), or live separately but share a kitchen and toilet with 20-30 people. By the way, before moving in, the student will be asked to pay a deposit as well – as a rule, it is equal to double or triple the monthly rent.<\/p>
STUDENT COMMUNAL APARTMENT. One of the most common types of shared living for students is the 'housing community' (WG). Its essence: students live in a large apartment with several rooms, each paying for his own room. The cost of a room is slightly higher than in a dormitory – about 300 euros. Advertisements can be found either on bulletin boards at the university or on the website – www.studenten-wg.de.<\/p>
HOUSING WITH PENSIONERS. You can also participate in the 'Housing for Help' program (offers on the website – www.studentenwerkе.de). Students live free of charge in a pensioner's apartment (they only pay for utilities), and as payment for the living space, they help the elderly with housework. In this case, a square meter of housing 'costs' 1 hour of work per month.<\/p>
PRIVATE SECTOR. You can rent a separate apartment for 400-600 euros per month. It should be noted right away that most apartments in Germany are rented unfurnished, so the student will have to buy everything necessary himself. But very often former tenants leave their furniture as an inheritance to the next tenants for a moderate fee. A mandatory condition for moving into an apartment is often the requirement to pay a deposit equal to three months' rent.<\/p>
By the way, when choosing housing in the private sector, the student needs to be very careful. There are two types of rent – 'kaltmiete' (literally 'cold rent'), which does not include utilities, and 'warmmiete' ('warm rent'), which already includes utilities. Therefore, if a student sees an attractive price offer but it says 'kaltmiete', it is better to immediately ask the landlords how much they will have to pay for utilities. You can find housing at www.studenten-wohnung.de or www.wg-gesucht.de.<\/p>
Personal Experience<\/strong><\/p>
Pavlo Podkaminnyi, DAAD scholarship holder (program – scholarship for master's studies for all specializations), studying in the master's program at the University of Bayreuth, specialization 'Intercultural German Studies':<\/p>
“In 2007, I went to an education fair where I learned about DAAD scholarship programs. Since then, I’ve been fired up with the idea of entering a German university! My first three attempts were unsuccessful: I submitted documents, got to the interview stage, and then – I ‘bombed out.’ But the experience of my failures is also invaluable. I understood what exactly the jury members want to hear from a student. They want to see that he knows everything about his academic program from ‘a’ to ‘z.’ Then – to hear a motivated answer why he preferred this particular program. And, finally, how this person will then apply the acquired knowledge in Ukraine.
I also realized that I need to sell myself to the jury, to show my interest in the subject. For example, as a German studies scholarship holder, I told them about my participation in a German theater, about working for the German-language newspaper ‘Most’ at Taras Shevchenko University. Also, to all future scholarship applicants, before submitting documents for the scholarship, I advise sending documents to the chosen university and obtaining preliminary consent for the student’s admission to study there. Previously, all scholarship holders had to submit such a letter, but now that requirement no longer exists. Nevertheless, having a letter from the university will work to the advantage of the scholarship candidate.
So, on the 4th try, I finally won a scholarship of 750 euros to study in Germany. Education at my university costs 500 euros, and the semester fee is 72. And the biggest problem I faced before the trip was housing. I started looking for housing three months before the start of studies, but even that time turned out to be insufficient. At the Studentenwerk, they told me that I wouldn’t see a room any time soon. So I had to look for housing in the private sector. Fortunately, I was lucky here. I found an offer to rent a small apartment whose tenant was going to Australia for a semester. Now I pay 405 euros for my housing including utilities.”
Based on materials from the newspaper ‘Segodnya’.
