What programs have you selected?
Do include the more “hands-on training” “HochSchule” programs as well as the more theoretical “Uni” programs
Most Intro Physik programs will include relatively similar coursework - Calc, Mechanics, Electricity, Optics, etc - , and a varying amount of practical hours and/or training options. There will be very little, if any, leeway in choosing courses but do check the practical/lab/workshop hours, the training options, and of course since you’ll come afar, the housing situation (sometimes in very short supply).
I would also recommend looking into the universities closer to the Western parts of Germany (From Bayern to NiederSachsen/ Schleswig Holstein and West of that) rather than those located in Länder from the former DDR.
Thanks! That’s what I’m furthering my research on currently. I do want a more “HochSchule” type program more than a theoretical one, as it would allow me to be even broader in terms of the content I learn and practices I perform. I only want to specialize after I’m done with my bachelor’s, since there are so many fields of physics that are all interesting in their onw way and I have to discover the one that’s for me during my bachelor’s.
About location, I really don’t mind any part of Germany considering a lot of factors. How I go about this is I choose the countries that house my selected universities, and rank them accordingly. That allows me to be more efficient with research and be more objective. I have heard the pros and cons of a few cities in Germany, but I have yet to know more in order to make a proper comparison among my list. I basically have to redo everything I did for Canada over again here, and it is not exactly a quick process.
Germany is large, populous, with many old, beautiful cities and very diverse landscapes.
I should have specified that I meant that there are areas of Germany that might not be as comfortable for a brown-skinned boy as others are. The former DDR is more impoverished and the AfD (a racist/anti-democratic party) is stronger there.
The country is generally environmentally-conscious, with strong work ethics and high educational achievement.
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BTW, unrelated and assuming you are protected by a vpn: have you read Arab of the Future by Riad Sattouff? It’s a fantastic series of graphic novels, though the parts taking place in Syria aren’t very happy for the narrator.
Hmmm… I don’t think I’ll have trouble with racism to be honest. I don’t exactly look Syrian, and since my English is superb, I could use it to my advantage. Really, the only things I have to worry about are the financial and pragmatic aspects of the city.
I’m not really that invested in literature; I am very interested, but the course of my life led me to be more interested in fast-paced and exciting/stimulating things, which I think is common in this generation. I am planning to break out of this mindset though, because it’s terrible to be honest. I will definitely give it a shot to read Arab of the Future, since I generally like recommendations by others. Thanks!
You can probably see marked differences between a Syrian boy, an Emirati boy, a Tunisian boy, and a Palestinian, but I wouldn’t bet on racist Germans making a difference with “random brown-skinned boy”. Obviously most Germans wouldn’t think one way or another, regardless of the way you look, sound, or behave. But there are major differences between Hamburg or Bremen on the one hand, and Thuringia on the other, or between Bavaria and Mecklenburg. I understand your main criteria of financial value and pragmatic matters, but economic dynamism and general hospitality may be a set of valuable secondary criteria.
Hope you can find Arab of the Future and enjoy it.
Exactly. Or even just “foreigner”. No matter how pale skinned the foreigner thinks he is. Unfortunately these are things that should be taken into consideration, and I hope OP doesn’t just dismiss your very valid suggestions.
I won’t dismiss them, I just don’t see the point of worrying about it. It’s hard to make decisions with such an intangible concept that I’ve never properly seen or dealt with in the real world before (assuming what I’m about to say next doesn’t apply to this criteria). I’m really good at owning things; I’ve temporarily transferred to a different school in 6th grade for one year, and god I got bullied so much at the first half of the year but still everyone liked me nevertheless, I just made it work out some how. I am somewhat of a bully myself but I just really didn’t fit in that school at all so I was the target there.
I will take it as a secondary factor for sure, but I’m sure I’ll be able to deal with it anyways. Getting out of a discriminatory system with 6th graders is much more difficult than doing the same with adults I heard, so I should be good
