Study in Germany: Student account of application and admission process

By Manoj Satyanarayana

1. Tell us something about your education and work background

I completed my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from PESIT, Bangalore and later worked in an MNC for 3 years in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as Design Analyst. I am currently pursuing Masters in Computational Engineering at the University of Erlangen – Nuremberg, Germany.

 2. Why did you decide to go for such a course abroad?

There are many reasons for my decision to study abroad. German Technology always interested me. Germany is also known for Mechanical Engineering and it was the “in” thing for all "Mechies" to do Masters in Germany. I read about Germany anticipating the shortage of skilled labour in Science and Engineering in the years to come. So they were easing the visa-process and post-study work permit. German Government lets you extend a student visa for 18 months after completion of studies to look for a job. Also, the tuition fee is minimal (42 Euro per semester for me) or sometimes nil in Germany.  Exploring Europe has also been my dream.

3. What colleges were your initial choices? And why?

I wanted to study something relevant to my work. When I looked up universities which offered courses in the same field, I came to know that there are two types of universities in Germany. Those are "Fachhochschule (FH) or University of Applied Sciences" and "Technical University (TU)".  The difference is that FH does not offer Doctoral Degree and is more inclined toward industrial applications and TUs are research-oriented universities, that is what I wanted to join. I applied to the ones which offered courses in English.

a. German Research School for Simulation Sciences, RWTH Aachen.

b. Computational Mechanics - University of Duisberg- Essen

c. COMMAS - University of Stuttgart

d. Computational Engineering - University of Erlangen - Nuremberg

e. Computational Mechanics - TU Munich

4. How did you start with the college application process?

When I started researching about the application process, I came to know that IELTS or TOEFL scores were a requirement in almost all universities. Few universities also had basic German language skills as a criteria. I was learning German from Goethe-Institute Max Mueller Bhavan as a hobby when I started working. This helped me in applying for universities. Having made a list of documents required, I discovered that universities had different application procedures. Some universities had online applications while some preferred receiving hard copies.

5. Which was the most difficult part of the admissions process?

Getting the documents together and sending the applications was the easy part. But after that, awaiting replies from the universities was the most difficult period as my dreams and future were at stake.

6. How did you research the information?

I researched most of the information from www.daad.de. This website has almost all information that aspiring students need and is updated regularly. Also, firsthand information can be taken from websites of the universities. I also got information from friends and online forums for students planning higher studies in Germany.

7. Did you have a mentor to guide you through the process?

No. Though I initially felt I needed someone to guide me, I found the information on the university websites very precise and clear.

8. How easy or difficult was the visa application process?

Getting an education loan was one of the difficult stages. Almost all banks in India have their processes streamlined according to US Visa requirements. But German Visa application process is different. First, we need to send the money to a bank in Germany opening what is known as "Blocked Account" and the balance statement from that Bank has to be shown as one of the documents for Visa. But banks are so accustomed to US Visa that sometimes it is difficult to convince them that the procedure for Germany is different.  Banks think "First visa, then money" but for Germany, it is "First money, then visa".  For studies, one has to apply for a "German National Visa". I got my visa within 2 weeks of applying for it.

9. How did you prepare for the interviews?

The universities I applied to did not conduct any interviews. The selection was based only on the application, SOP and academic records.

The visa interview did not require any preparation as such. I was just asked a few questions about my educational background and choice of university. Sometimes students who produce certificate of language proficiency may be asked some basic question in German.

10. How did your college life experience live up to your expectations?

 Knowing German language made my college and daily life easy and I didn’t feel too out of place when I first came here. It makes it easy to interact and make friends. The standard of education is very high and I feel I made the right choice in coming here.