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Card Collection

The beauty of Leipzig’s advertisements is its card stands. High on cultural and weekend activities, it houses different card-sized adverts, fliers and booklets for my viewing pleasure and collection growth.

I’m going to start displaying my collection every few days – it’s very educational to see what sort of graphic design Germany is up to these days, what’s trendy and what catches the eye better.

At some point, I really want to start replicating the cards. This sort of exercise is very good for getting a feel of how the designer was working, what goes on in creating such a layout and how much time would you need for it.

 

 

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Autumn Beauty

Autumn has been slowly settling in over the past month. I had the opportunity to capture its fleeting beauty in a Sunday shoot.

 

The weather was beautiful that day – and keeps surprising me till now. It’s been a very dry Autumn so far, I hope it keeps up this way.
 

Would you just look at all the colours! This is one of my first Autumns after a very long time. Certainly the first one I was aware of from the beginning of it till its current state. It’s a wonder and refreshing to see after all the evergreen palm trees.

 

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Beginning Student Expenses – Settling in Ger...

Money is an integral part of education worldwide, whether you’re studying at home or flying abroad. Apart from the daily living expenses, there’s also a hefty “set up” that students should keep in mind, especially if they are planning on moving away to study.
The majority of Germany’s universities is free or contains a limit of 500Eur per semester, but this isn’t the only thing you should be considering. Various fees go unheard of until it is right up to the payment time. The minimum, as I’ve heard, is to take along double of the average monthly living costs, but it doesn’t really end there. I’m going to look at some of the typical fees you should be prepared to pay – and preferably in cash! Credit cards are not the preferred mode of payment, a lot of stores accept cash or debit cards (the EC-Karte) only. Consider the withdrawal fees and think about bringing more cash along for your visit.
Mentioning this early on, but all below applies to Leipzig.

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Foggy Days

This is what I woke up to several days ago. Foggy mornings were a sign of days getting colder or days getting warmer, whichever way you want to look. Our days give me a 20-23 Celsius, it’s good, warm weather.

The dew falls on each cobweb, outlining it against the bushes. You wont believe how much wild life is in those bushes!

Another view.

It’s an eerie sight. Reminds me of the movie, The Mist.

On a normal day, the trees are all green and orange and red and brown.

I had a quick sketching session outside my house.

And the sunsets here are amazing!

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Medical Insurance and Studienkolleg

Well, this is certainly interesting – studying in a Studienkolleg gives you roughly the same status as a person doing a language course. You’re a student, but your position is slightly changed. The major difference has been the medical insurance, which is a requirement for all students in Germany. “Standard” students can pick any insurance there is in Germany, while Studienkolleg and language course students have to stick to a private insurance.

This usually comes out to be cheaper, but your coverage is limited to accidents/pain/aches/broken limbs. You can’t go and get a fancy tooth implant. Then once you’re done with your year of studies, you can take up a normal insurance like everybody else.

The Leipzig Studienkolleg provides support for its students in this respect, I was able to fill out a form and give it up to the same person and had the inner nuts and bolts explained to me. I couldn’t recommend it enough, if only for the support (among many other things!)

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After Admission

Continuing my series on preparatory college education in Germany with a post on admission and the entry process.

This is all just a guideline to keep in mind, a bit of personal experience to help you on your way to a German preparatory college, known in Germany as Studienkolleg. The procedure and manner of doing things will probably differ from state to state, but it’s good to keep track of things you need to be doing. There was plenty a time I felt lost about the mere progression of things – you couldn’t find solid, practical information! When do you open a bank account? Do you need insurance? Which documents should you have on you before you arrive to Germany?

Give my post about studying in Germany a read, it’s a good start.

Invitation

I received a letter in the mail about the decision of the university to enroll me on their course conditionally – condition being that I complete the two semesters of Studienkolleg. I was given a small pamphlet with examples of both exams, German and Math, with additional information on their website. It’s now about two-three months before the exam date, enough to apply for a visa and study for the upcoming exams.

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