Studying in Germany: Lessons I have learnt along the way

My colleague asked me today if I would talk and share my own experiences with his roommate's niece, who just graduated from high school in India and, like me back in my youthful days, wants to study in Germany. I was like: Of course - I love feeling like old-and-wise-type person - ask me anything!

Back when I was 18 and looking to apply for under-grad programs in Germany, I felt pretty lost. There were a ton of agencies in India that advised and assisted in applying for higher education in English-speaking countries. Nobody knew any of the application or visa processes for German universities, primarily because most of the under-grad courses were offered in German and the market for that wasn't very big. When I moved to Germany, I found hardly any students from the Indian sub-continent at my university. Literally, there were only two of us. And of course, we just naturally gravitated towards each other within a week or so of being on campus and we even ended up living together for two years.

My point is that today I am super happy that I came to Germany to study and in this post I want to share some of the things I learned along the way.

#1: Studienkolleg is a 1-year prep or bridge course (with multiple specialization options) for foreigners wanting to study in Germany. It is possible to complete in one semester.
Back in 2007, German high-school had an extra 13th year, which has since been abolished. So while Studienkolleg was a compulsory prerequisite for me, this is no longer the case. You can check on anabin whether or not Studienkolleg is a requirement for you. To save time, I also requested to be transferred directly to the second semester, which allowed me to finish the course in 5 months.
You can pick a specialization (e.g. economics, medicine, math, etc.) depending on your field of interest. For me, the German classes were particularly useful, because I learnt the German terms for GDP, numerator and denominator, that you typically don't learn in language courses. It basically smoothens your transition into higher education in a new country. You need to have health insurance, but public insurance providers like AOK and TK don't cover you while you're in Studienkolleg. I was insured by Würzburger Versicherung and my experience with them was great - unlike with public insurance providers, there weren't any hidden costs for me - they actually covered everything. Also, if you decide to stay on in Germany and need to apply for permanent residency or citizenship, your Studienkolleg certificate also acts as proof of language proficiency.

#2: Getting a visa for Studienkolleg was a pain in the ass.
I really hope this has changed, but for me the whole process of getting a visa for Studienkolleg was harrowing. To apply for a visa, I needed a confirmed place in the next Studienkolleg course, followed by a 4-8 week long application period. However, to get a confirmed place in the next Studienkolleg course, I needed to pass an entrance exam ON PREMISE in Germany 2 weeks before the course started. Do you see the problem here? I literally sat for the entrance exam in Cologne, Germany, to secure a seat for the course starting a semester later. It was quite ridiculous, and I hope they have introduced ways to sit for entrance exams remotely by now.

#3: There are no tuition fees for under-grad programmes at top-ranked German public universities, except for small administrative fees.
Here is a link to rankings of German universities according to subject and other quality criteria. A lot of the top-ranked universities are public. I went to the University of Mannheim, which is very well-renowned for Business.

#4: While more and more courses are available in English, it's vital to learn and practice German.
I learnt German in language courses while I was in high school, so I had a lot of the grammar stuff down before I even got here. But it took me a good 3+ years before I was comfortable expressing myself and my personality in German. And this is really essential for you to really feel at home in a place. I read this beautiful article yesterday about how learning a second language is an act of friendship. I cannot agree more - once I started actively communicating in German, I got to know so many amazing, funny and kind people.

#5: Living in an environment which is outside of your comfort zone will help you grow.
I am not going to lie: my first few semesters at university were tough. An accelerated pace of learning was required in a foreign language. After my first exam I really questioned if I had made the right decision by coming here. Also there were hardly any people from my native country, who I could discuss and share my apprehensions with. Sure, I fell a few times, but by getting back up, by not giving up, I won.

I hope you enjoyed reading. Please feel free to give feedback or ask questions! And re-steem if you found it useful to share with more people.