<p>Hi! I am going to study in Germany next year and I was wondering if you had any advice on ways to prepare for college life in Germany. Also, for my program I get to rank my top uni choices, and I'm looking particularly at tübingen, heidelberg, würzburg, and gießen, so anything you know about those would be great. i plan to take history and german literature classes in particular, but also hopefully art history and music history. any other things you can say about being a student there would be helpful, especially maybe some compare/contrast with american colleges.
Danke!</p>
<p>Try get hold of b@r!um, a German currently studying at Bryan Mawr.</p>
<p>The only thing I know about those universities is, that they have a pretty good reputation in Germany. </p>
<p>And since I'm still in High School I don't know that much about Student life at University, but I believe it to be different from the US. Starting with that Germans overall are different than Americans. And German Universities do often not have equipment of the same quality than American ones do, because tuition used to be free for German citizens for a long time and just recently they started to insist on tuition fees in most states.</p>
<p>are you planning on getting your degree here or just spending a semester or two?</p>
<p>Here I am :)</p>
<p>I too cannot tell you anything about those universities in particular. (I took a few math classes in Wuerzburg but I have no idea about the situation in their humanities departments). Overall the four universities are quite similar in terms of size, location and the quality of their student body.</p>
<p>Are you familiar with the Zeit university rankings? They are not comprehensive rankings like US News but allow you to create a custom ranking. One of the options is "Reputation in Studium und Lehre" which is based on recommendations from professors which universities are the best to study a given subject at. In both history and "Germanistik" the recommendations are as follows, from best to worst: Tuebingen, Heidelberg, Wuerzburg, Siegen.
Hochschulranking</a> - ZEIT online</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, have you checked whether you can take classes in 4 different subject areas? Regular students can only take classes in their major, but there might be different rules for visiting students.</p>
<p>More generally about life as a college student:</p>
<p>German universities suffer from a big lack of funds which is responsible for most of the differences from American universities. In particular, expect large lectures with no written homework assignments and one single exam or essay at the end of the semester. The smallest classes are seminars (usually 20-30 students) but most of them are restricted to upper-level and graduate students. Do not expect to ask questions in class or during "office hours" (most professors don't have any). A few classes have TA sessions where you can ask questions; otherwise you are expected to get your answers from fellow students or out of books.</p>
<p>There are no meal plans and dining halls are not all-you-can-eat like most American dining halls; you have to pay for every single item you eat in cash or with money in your student account. On weekends the dining halls are usually closed and you have to prepare your own meals. Most universities own a few dorms, but they are often so popular that you have to apply several semesters in advance. As a visiting or international student you might get priority though, or your program might find a private accommodation for you. Universities also do not have health centers; you would have to see a regular doctor.</p>
<p>If you have any particular questions, I would be happy to answer them as good as I can.</p>
<p>^ no offence but that certainly doesnt sound like a very good deal</p>
<p>in fact its horrible ewww....wth is the biggest economy in europe spending on given the severely underfunded nature of these Unis?</p>
<p>I agree, but the German economy has more severe problems right now than the funding of our universities...</p>
<p>Which might be partly because the German educational system has been almost neglected for so long...</p>
<p>I doubt that. I know several people who are well-educated (college degrees) or well-trained (Berufsausbildung) and now work for $8 an hour for a temporary employment agency. More and more businesses fire most of their employees and rehire them through temporary employment agencies for half of their original wages. As a news reporter phrased it: "Schroeder's Agenda 2010 was successful but not quite the way in which he expected it. For the first time in history does Germany experience an economic boom with falling wages."</p>
<p>plus...don't you need your arbitur or sth....i mean it's pretty hard to get in without an arbitur rite....either that or you need high grades....</p>
<p>my mama studied in germany, she would surely not be happy to see this</p>
<p>b@r!um!!!!!!!</p>
<p>what about Jacobs University???
It is very popular in my country.</p>
<p>I don't really know anything about Jacobs university. The first time I ever heard of it was when I was actively looking for American colleges. On the other hand I grew up in the South and Jacobs is about as far up North as you can get, so this is no surprise.</p>
<p>Perhaps b@r!um can comment, but my impression is that there is not as much of a social component to German college life, compared to the average US college experience. I.e., a visiting US college student might be surprised at the lower level of "fun" activities at a German university.</p>
<p>@ b@r!um- please do u v any info on university of siegem? M currently applying for a master prog der! What’s thier acceptance rate? And the city, what’s it like? Please help, any body with usefull info.</p>
<p>Tübingen, Heidelberg and Würzburg are beautiful midsize college towns with big and old universities. College life is very different from what you are used to in the USA. There are no tuition fees except for a very small administration fee of about 60 Euro per semester. Lack of funds is obvious everywhere and the universities are crying for more money from the taxpayer. With about 60 per cent of all young people going to college that means you do not get a lot of attention from your professors. Most professors have one office hour per week for which you have to register in advance.
That does not mean that you get a bad education. You are just pretty much on your own and work independently or in small groups…German students are usually older than American college students and used to this. In a German lecture class you will sometimes find more than 100 students (called “listeners”). In these lectures there are no discussions and no questions. You take notes and compare them to books, which are assigned at the beginning of every semester.
You should not worry to much. Foreign students get used to the system fast and will benefit in spite of these conditions.
Free time activities do exist at university, but there are many other things to do. Join a sports club or find friends in your dormitory. All of these three towns are packed with thousands of young people. You will not be lonely if you are an outgoing person. Everybody speaks English and most people are eager to practise.
Acceptance rates are not usually published, since they do not play a big role.
Jacobs University is different. It is much more like an American college. But, you should be careful. It has run into financial problems . Its status in Germany is not very high as Germans tend to be very sceptical about private universities. You will still get a good education there, but pay a lot more and probably have less contact with regular Germans.</p>
<p>^ I agree with everything above; German and U.S. universities are indeed very different. Generally, the final exam is the only basis for your grade. The exam is also a learning tool; it is not uncommon to fail the first time, and there’s no shame in it, especially in the more difficult majors; you get multiple tries at it. Although the state universities are “free” you’re generally (always?) expected to provide your own living expenses; there are some dorms, and you do pay for them (my niece has a super dorm studio apartment in Marburg–pharmacy school).</p>