Here is what some Indian students have to say about their stay in Germany.

"Pfeffer kaputt." - The young cashier at the check-out line is talking to me. I stare at her blankly until I notice the packet of pepper in her hand. "Pfeffer kaputt" she repeats, and I smile inwardly and tell her -in fluent German- that the loose pepper is probably from some other packet. Now it’s her turn to stare at me. Poor thing, she was taken in by my looks and was only trying to help and make absolutely sure that this "non-German speaking foreigner" understood the problem. How can you take offence? First day in Kassel, dealt with nerve-wracking formalities all day long, trying to finish my grocery shopping, and just at my wits end; and then I meet a sweet lady -girl, really- who takes the time and trouble to explain things to me. Welcome to Germany!

Same scene repeated a number of times, people talk to you really slowly and choose their words with great care, and its amazing to see the expressions change when you speak to them in German. So all of you aspiring applicants to German universities, please take the language seriously, coz everyone here takes YOU seriously when you speak the lingua franca. Plus, its really useful when you want to chat up that cute guy (or girl, as the case may be) in the univ "Mensa" (canteen). Impresses them no end.

The first few weeks go by in a blur. I have to decide what lectures I want to attend this semester, and what’s the best way to do that? Right! I attend ALL of them in the first week. Result: by Wednesday evening, I don’t know where one ends and the next starts. Stick to it, and I have my rough plan ready by Friday. Not bad. That’s when I start looking around for other things to do, can’t sit in the library all the time. And boy, am I impressed! It’s amazing how much the univ itself offers you as extracurricular activities. Music, theatre, art, photography, sports, new languages, you name it, its available and because you’re a student of the univ, its either free or at heavily subsidised rates. The High school sports membership in Kassel, for example, costs 5 Euros per semester. Once you’re registered with them, you can join up the various activities offered by them, from swimming to rowing, from Tai chi to jazzercise, there’s something for everyone. Most of the activities are free of cost, but even where you have to pay for a course, your membership card guarantees you reduced rates. If surfing the net is more your style, the Rechenzentrum or computer centre is available to you 6 days a week, again for the princely semester fee of 5 Euros. Great for people like me, coz I cant call home everyday. After religiously checking all the notice boards on campus, I find out that the film club regularly screens movies in the original languages (a tie-up with the language centre) so I can finally hear Tom Cruise speaking English.

But there’s got to be life beyond campus, right? Absolutely right! Movies, pubs, each with a different theme and unique atmosphere, discos that stay open till 6 in the morning (Bombay, take a leaf out of their book!), where you can dance alone without being hit on, lovely open-air cafes in the pedestrian zones of the "Altstadt", the old city, where I sit on the rare afternoons when the sun shines, museums, parks, old "Schlösser"- palaces- and the palace grounds, monuments, the list goes on and on.

For me personally, though, the atmosphere’s the most important aspect- no rush, no hectic. Even though I stay far away from the univ, I know I can make it to class in 20 minutes flat. It isn’t just the excellent infrastructure; the cities are much smaller and more compact too. For a Bombayite like me, that’s sheer bliss. No matter where you live in the city, travelling time is minimal. Plus, at any given time you’re just 5 minutes away from a garden or a park and half an hour away from the countryside, that is, if you don’t already live there. Communing with nature was never easier, and believe me, it makes a difference.

This is where I get back to the student benefits- by waving my student ID around, I managed to get into most of the museums at a concession. Not only that, most cafes and pubs have a student evening, where the drinks don’t cost as much, and the crowd is good, you’d see many of your classmates there too. That brings me to the best student benefit of them all. I mean, knowing about all these fun places to visit is no good unless you can go there, right? Presenting: the semester ticket!! This is included in the (very nominal) semester fees that you pay and allows you to use all the means of public transport as often as you like, for the entire duration of the semester. Almost all the universities I know of offer it and it means a hell of a saving for us students, considering the high cost of public transport in Germany (BEST, how I miss you!). But that’s not all, not by a long shot. Most semester tickets also allow their holders to travel to towns and villages within a certain radius (varies from uni to uni) free of cost too. Perfect for me, the weekends are spent seeing the lovely places around my city.

Oh yes, just in case you folks are like me and can’t imagine life without "ghar ka khana", let me put your minds at ease: all the cities I’ve been to so far, and that’s quite a list, have at least one Indian shop, where you find everything that reminds you of home, from Gits ready mixes to Lijjat papads in all varieties. And if that’s not enough, the owner also (almost always) has a large collection of video and DVDs of Bollywood blockbusters. Not just food for the body, food for the homesick soul too. And on that happy note, let me just wish you guys all the very best. Hope to see you here sometime soon.

Jyotika Dala,2003

Renewable Energy - I was privileged to get DAAD scholarship for the year 2003-2004 to pursue the MSc study in the University of Oldenburg, Germany. I arrived in Oldenburg on 1st August 2003 and went through six weeks’ German language course. Along with this course, we visited many cities, islands, museums, concerts etc. in different locations in Germany and were exposed to the rich cultural and historical background of the nation.

Our main academic programme started from first week of October. I gradually entered deep into the daily academic schedule. As a part of the curriculum, I did my external practical training from February to April 2004 in ISET e.V. in the city of Kassel. DAAD authorities made it possible for me by providing additional financial support for this outstation activity.

Our Department in Oldenburg conducted ‘Summer School’ in May where many Alumni of our course came and delivered speeches on their experiences in related fields. In this way we had the pleasure to learn directly from the people at work. This memorable event was sponsored by DAAD. In that gathering we, the current students, approached DAAD officials and requested for their opinion about publishing a book on role of renewable energy in the context of rural electrification. DAAD authorities not only welcomed the idea but also financially supported it. The book ‘Renewables and Rural Electrification’ is in the market now.

Thereafter came the annual gathering of DAAD scholarship holders’. It was held for us in the city of Bochum for three days.We had nice experiences meeting many students from all over the world and also had opportunity to know more about DAAD and its activities.

My goal was to study and learn about renewable energy. DAAD not only gave the opportunity but also provided perfect blend of rigorous academics, intercultural education and fun. Thank you DAAD.

Indradip Mitra,2003-2004

Life on campus - Hi guys.......... here I got an opportunity to share the wonderful experiences of an exciting life at German Universities.

I am sure for every student the Life on campus is about friends and about making memories as much as making yourself at home. It's being open to an environment where interests can be explored, healthy choices encouraged and growth supported.

Although the culture at the universities in Germany is different as compared to the universities in USA and Canada it’s certainly a mind blowing and freshening experience of my student life. I personally feel that studying at the old universities like Karlsruhe, Aachen, Darmstadt or Berlin gives you not only the great technical education but also makes you aware to the different shades of German culture.

I studied at the University of Karlsruhe, which lies in state called ‘Baden-Württemberg’ and also at the Technical University of Berlin. As both the universities are in the different parts of Germany, one can make out the difference in the campus life and sometime also academic pattern. It’s really unfair to grade the German universities since almost all are maintaining the same educational standard.

It’s really interesting to mention that life on campus in German universities doesn’t reflect entirely the German culture, which one may expect from their strong past history but getting now more multicultural. In almost all universities you will find many foreign students from various countries from Europe, Asia and Africa. There are student groups from continents and countries like Africa or China who help the new student in the first few days of settling in Germany. Unfortunately I never came across any official Indian group in any university. But you will always find many Indians in the university and can ask them for help in any matter. Both the universities where I had studied have a substantial international crowd. So I got a good chance to get myself acquainted to the different cultures by attending a ‘Latino Music party’ by South Americans or ‘African Night’ by African friends. It’s important to mention that if one wants to really integrate into the society or enjoy the campus life then it’s necessary to have knowledge of the German language. Although Germans do have a good knowledge of English they find themselves comfortable to communicate in German. So one has to be good at German to enjoy the real fun at the universities.

In summer the students chill out under the sun and discuss various hot topics with drinks.

Getting involved in some sort of program or sport in the free time is a great way to meet people. I keep myself updated with the happenings on campus through these programs, which you can find on any student information board or university magazines like ‘TU-Intern’ or ‘Campus’. The programs by different groups generally take place somewhere in the city but not on campus.

The university has a good recreation facility by offering the different programs such as dance courses, language courses and various sports program in the winter or summer semester. There are vacation batches and also you can attend the courses during the semester period. In summer when the weather is good, I attended a dance course and the Spanish language course to recharge myself. My experience during the ‘European dance course’ and ‘Spanish language course’ was wonderful.

Besides on campus I enjoy myself in the Berlin city centre, which is considered to be the most happening place in Germany. Berlin is very welcoming and a brilliant place to explore, its totally different from the mainland Germany. The nightlife in Berlin is very tempting and famous all over Germany. There must be more than 250 discos and pubs where I sometimes spend my weekend evenings and enjoy the food, drink and dance. The events like the Love Parades are the highlights of the celebration in Berlin where I got an opportunity to see most unusual things.

Almost all German cities have lots of history; I visit some of these historical places, museums or gardens in summer. As a student in Germany, I found myself very economical as I always get reductions for an entry into the public transport, museums, gardens and film theatre.

The celebration of the event is an inherent characteristic of Indian person. The students and the Indian families normally hold some get together on the occasion of Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi etc. Normally I make a point to visit the Indian dance parties for youth like Bhangra mix, Bollywood masala, which take place at various places in Germany such as Heidelberg, Berlin, Köln, Frankfurt, Munich. The notification of these events one gets from the Internet like from a group called ‘theinder’. The Bollywood movies are sometimes the best way to kill time, which most of the Indians prefer to do over a weekend in winter. It’s easy to get the cassettes or DVDs on rent from Asian shops.

During my study at the University of Karlsruhe, some of us from India celebrated Indian nights in the university. We tried our best to give a general overview of today’s India and it’s culture. The Indian food at the end like ‘Samosas’, curry and drinks like Lassi added more taste to the program.

I hope I haven’t put you off too much!! Actually there are many things to mention yet, but I don’t want to disclose everything here. I prefer the Indian students should explore and try this new path of studying in Germany and then will feel the high education standard at the German universities and the great fun on campus.

Prasad Bhalerao, Bhalerao.Prasad@TU-Berlin.DE, 2003

I am Nandan Joshi, presently studying Physics at Universität Göttingen, Germany. - In the following short article I'd like to tell about my experience of studying in Germany.

I always had an interest in studying physics, and I had almost planned how I'd study it in India after 12th Std. But due to good result in HSC, and also some forcing from my relatives I decided to do Computer Engineering in Bombay University. But still the way the curriculum was designed and organized in Bombay University and also the structure of examination, I was completely unsatisfied with studying in this university. With the support of my parents, I decided to look for another better option, i.e. to study abroad, since I didn't have any chance in India to pursue studies in fields like Astrophysics from the undergraduate level. My first choice was, of course, the UK, since I knew the standard of teaching in UK, and the consistency of quality education kept in all British universities. But to get admission in a British university, I had to appear for 'A' Level and I started preparing. But during that time, I decided to study German in Max Mueller Bhavan, which I had always wished. It was during this time , that I got to know Germany much better than we usually know.

Even though having admission in British universities I decided to go to Germany for studies. There are several reasons. First, Germany has a very long tradition in teaching. Being a Commonwealth country we are just aware of English history. Germany has been the centre of learning till the Second World War (reference to the biography of Dr. John Nash 'A Beautiful Mind'). During the Second World War and the Nazi period, many intellectual people had migrated to the US. And since that period we just know scientific and technological development in countries like US and UK. Germany has provided a great deal of development in modern philosophy and sciences than any other country. It is a pleasure to study in such a country. The second reason is the education system in Germany. It does not follow the British system of Bachelors and Masters, but rather a 5 years Diplom. The aim is not to complete studies in 3 years to make someone graduate, but rather Diplom is divided into 2 + 3, i.e. in 2 years fundamental part of studies (Grundstudium) is completed and in the next years one can go for specific fields (Hauptstudium), which shows remarkable consistency and continuity in studies. That means the whole education system is much more theory oriented than practice oriented. If someone is interested in practice-oriented studies, then he can study in a Fachhochschule, which is a completely different avatar of university system. My principle interest was in theory-oriented studies, and such study is the reason why German students are more prepared to deal with fundamental problems. And studying in a typical European university, and to study Physics in German language, in which most of the research in modern physics has been done, and along with those above-mentioned reasons, I decided to study there.

To choose my university, I did lot of research. Universität Göttingen is one of the oldest and the largest universities in Germany. It has the Germany's biggest library with over 4 million books. Göttingen is like the cities within university, with most of the population are either students or somehow related to the university. It is also a very beautiful city with many old buildings. Göttingen provides a perfect studying environment. About 42 Nobel laureates either studied or worked in Göttingen. It has long traditions in the fields of physics and mathematics, with presence of great mathematicians and physicists like Gauss, Hilbert, Max Plank, Heisenberg, to name a few. I think, this university is absolutely unique in the way the mathematics is taught in the beginning semesters preparing students in very scarcely touched fields in physics and mathematics. After spending one semester in this university, I realized that I made the best choice to study in such wonderful environment.

Student life in Germany is quite like in most of the Western countries. But I had luck to know Germany very well, since the moment I arrived in Germany. I used to know one German friend over the Internet, and since I hadn't had arranged my accommodation well, he offered me to stay with his family in the beginning. That was the biggest help for me, as I got to know Germans and their life-style very intensely. Germans are very nice, helpful people and tremendously curious about India. Many families have invited me and many have helped me whenever I needed help.

Germans are very abiding by the rules and regulations, follow a very organized life. Their punctuality, sincerity and the quality of their work are not to question. It was the first time that I was living alone on my own, and in a country where I don't have any relatives, but the people I got to know here made me feel home. I think I've got more access to the world and the culture than I could in India, since one can meet students from different countries here. I spent my first year in Hannover to attend special programme for foreign students. I had a pretty good time with students from different countries. Since I'm in Göttingen, I have mostly German friends, as my course is actually designed for German students.

Since I'm a physics student and our institute is located quite away from main university building, we get very little access to the main campus. I can say, students from natural sciences lead different life than those from social studies, but there's always something going on somewhere, after all every third person in the city is student, so when we get time, then we surely go there, one can get to know many other students. Amazing fact is that not a single student lives in a family, everyone lives in hostels or in WG (Wohngemeinschaft). I think this way one learns much better to live on its own. Cooking has always been adventure for me, but I like European food, so it's been no big problem for me. There are always offices for the student at university about whatever problem you may encounter, whether it's money matter or some social problem. People in these offices are very keen to help the students. German universities don't have the British system of colleges, but rather there's only one university campus and all departments are located there around, so the campus life is surely much different than individual college life. But I can say, here I learned what exactly means 'Student-Life'. The degree I will receive here is the German degree, i.e. my studies are completely designed for German students. But most of the Indian students coming to Germany normally pursue special international degree programmes provided by the university. They receive international degrees like Bachelors or Masters. Students getting German degrees normally get jobs in German firms easily. In my case, it is different, as I'm a physics student and I'm interested in going for research after studies. German universities are among the top academic institutions in the world, so I believe, German degrees are accepted everywhere. Personally I believe, Germany is one the best place to study. Here you get the freedom to do everything. From the start till now I had no problems. For my admission process to German universities, DAAD had provided me a great deal of information and support. There hasn't been any problem in getting a visa. I had received a tutor from the university, who helped me well to let me orient as a student in a completely new environment. I'm also thankful to all those Germans whom I got to know during my stay, who accepted me as a family member. All professors are always accessible and ready help whenever it is required. One important tip I can give you is to learn German well, irrespective whether your studies are completely in English or not, because if you know German, you can get close to the Germans and enjoy a perfect student-life and, of course, studies.

Nandan Joshi, 2003