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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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Studying in Germany: The Perils Ahead

(The article was originally posted on my portfolio website, neschetna.com)

I cannot stress the importance of planning ahead! All in all, you should really start thinking about studying in Germany about a year prior to your intended studies. Seems long? Not when broken down into sections. There are a number of things you need to do before your candidacy is looked at.

Let’s assume you’ve just decided that Germany is the right place for you.

Choice of University

The basic, the cornerstone of it all. Where to apply? Which major? Which city? Hochschule or Uni? These are questions I’ll let you answer yourself, but take a moment to consider some facts. If you’re just finished with Grade 11, you will not be able to go to a German university straight away. There are exceptions, such as applying to an art academy that doesn’t really need your grades, it needs to see your artistic talent. German children study about two years more in an institution they call Abitur, sort of like the British A-levels. Now, as an international student, you wont be able to join an Abitur (although prove me if I’m wrong here, I don’t know the fact.), but the Germans have a different place for us. Call it a college, it’s called the Studienkolleg, a two-semester place with four to five subjects that will end with exams to test your language skills in addition to your lessons. As it’s a preparatory college, your German language skills can be lesser than if you applied to university. Following the two semesters, it will be raised until you’re ready to pass the language exam.

This Studienkolleg will take a year, after which you’ll be able to continue onwards with your destined major.

If you’ve already done two semesters at your local university, that is a different matter and usually these semesters can be counted as a substitute for the Abitur/Studienkolleg. Please consult the university.

The way it worked with me, I applied straight to the university  I wanted to attend. In my application I said that I would need the Studienkolleg. Similarly, when my invitation to the place arrived, it was actually a conditional acceptance to the university, on condition that I attended the Studienkolleg and passed their exams. See how it works?

This is done because the Studienkolleg system has different course-lines for different students who wish to study different things. A biology major wont need to learn accounting. An art student wouldn’t need maths. Some of these courses are the T-Kurs, the W-Kurs and the S-Kurs. There are a couple of others more. Each one differs slightly on the subjects it teaches and the entrance exams that you will need to take – some will have German, others will have that and Mathematics.

 

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