Another thing is student life: there might be less feeling of community or belonging to a university, because universities may spread around different parts of a city or town, and people may just disappear into their private lives after lectures. You need to be very active to look for activities or organise on your own. In general, there is less/non-existent "campus life" and more about your private circle of friends.
Totally agree, I'm coming from Asia country and the social life at university in Germany looks so bleak compared with my home country, hard to makes friends and get into their circle
There are things like university sport tho which are an easy and fun opportunity to get to know new people. Also going to study at smaller cities like Freiburg or Gießen helps a lot, as it is a lot more personal than Berlin for example.
There however are "Burschenschaften" (student fraternities), some with two centuries of tradition, but as most of them are leaning right-wing it may be difficult for foreigners to get access.
@@riverristDer Staat, das macht die DB aber nicht "öffentlich" Die DB operiert wie jede andere Gewinnorientierte Firma Genau das ist das Problem, die Bahn arbeitet gewinnorientiert und verschlechtert so ihren Service (vor allem weil sie keine Konkurrenz hat) um Kosten zu sparen. Das is natürlich kontraproduktiv und verfehlt das Ziel eines flächendeckenden, gut ausgebautem ÖPNV
Interesting that speaking German is the elephant in the room . Glad you brought it up . I could not agree more . Without German , even if they do English speaking degrees , which is where many foreigners gravitate to , the options for decent job opportunities will become limited . Reminds me why I’m currently learning German .
True! A study colleague was too lazy to lern german. She basically has no german friends and only connected to foreigners. If you move to any country you need to learn the language!
Yes, that is like not speaking English in GB or wondering why you should speak Spanish in Spain.. it's just logical that you should speak the language of the country you're planning to live in. At least at a quite good level.
if you are going to study in Germany be prepared to learn German, regardless if your studies will be in English or any other language. German is a must in Germany... (more jobs opportunities, build your network, meet local people and so on}
going to a foreign country and not willing to learn the local language voluntarily baffles me everytime. Here in germany, but especially when i did my erasmus semester in Italy, what do you expect?Youre missing out on a huge part of the culture and a big part of making friends with the local inhabitants, the ones being able to help you the most!
Do you think it’s realistic to do a technical interview for a foreigner in German? As good as all Germans would never be able to do a technical interview in a language different than English or German Most people speak their native language + English, so it’s stupid to expect other nationalities to speak all Germans. You germans are just lucky because most of the European job market is under German occupation. The problem is that the German speaking market excludes other nationalities and cultures without giving many chances to others The US are much more forward on this
@@Boozneos-h2x i attended university in italian, and i am currently leanring my fifth language, but tell me how are the US more advanced? do you offer technical interviews in mandarin or what?
@@Boozneos-h2x The US is much more "advanced" in that? If you say it's more "advanced" by having technical interviews in English, that is not really the same there, is it? Otherwise, they may accommodate Spanish in some positions, though I doubt it, or very, very big, rich, international companies like Google or Amazon allow for native language interviews because they want people who are technically the best. Although English is the language of Computer Science and even though I study in German in Germany, I know more technical terms in English than in German at this point.
@@kathrinlindern2697 English is the language of tech and international business Americans are much better because if you are let’s say Spanish and speak with a thick accent or you are a first generation immigrant nobody will look badly on you, and you have strong corporate DEI policies that protect you against any form of discrimination, that just doesn’t exist in Europe If you speak with a weird accent in Germany and make a few grammar mistakes people will think you are not good and trashcan you Furthermore you must be aligned with German culture as well, so if people make a joke about a pop-culture thing they will expect you to laugh even if you were not grown up in the country so you cannot know You will never feel essentially one of them Instead you can feel american if you work in an American team Furthermore you will also see it at university: at universities in Germany during group projects German students will tend to stay together and exclude international students from their team This is much different in the US where it is easy to integrate even with classic “cheeseburger Americans” (or “Gringos” as the Mexicans call them) This is reflected in the labor market If you are from a different country, a German company will generally not hire you if they can find a German cause the German knows better the language + culture So the question is that learning the language is ok to live everyday life but to work it’s much less useful than you think A company that values internationals will hire in English or accept a flexible language model where you can talk in German with some colleagues, talk a different language with others and do most of the work in English I doubt there are skilled workers in very high ranking positions that don’t speak English (although with a strong accent) since it’s a global language and it is used in the western world for different nationalities to interact with each other The way of thinking of continental Europeans is antique, toxic and it’s not only the reason why they are not growing economically, but also the reason of why they lost WW2 (they lost many of their best scientists because they could not speak German and went to the US, check Enrico Fermi)
@@dyslexictunes248 technical interviews shall be in English They may be in mandarin for the western world I am sure you would not be able to face a technical interview in Italian. It’s ok to talk with colleagues or do conversations but for explaining technical things without any moment of blocking it is impossible unless you have not learned the language since you were a kid
About academic diffculty: it varies from universities, but technical subjects like engineering or applied sciences can sometimes be "overly theoretical" and come at a shock for some students. I know friends from my masters in Munich who struggled or even dropped-out for failing a course twice. This is because students come from different academic backgrounds in different countries, some of which might be more hands-on or have different focus. The key is to "fail early" and look for a new program/university that suits you better, so that you don't waste time struggling. Not everyone needs those obscure theories in real world jobs or asipire to become a researcher/professor.
I think the the original complain about a high plank of Academics in Germany is just stupid, to begin with. It comes from a brainwashed, mental pervert. The Academics must have a high plank, and it is NOT for everybody. Period. Nobody needs fools, imbecils and/or lazy demagogues in a real university.
You don't get it. The system creates "Stehaufmännchen". You know the toy which always stand up again. They don't want guys who can't fight themselves. To fight the inner Schweinehund and win. The Boarhound! Do you know what a Boarhound is? Boarhound is not an insult! :-) It's more like badass! To fight the inner badass! :-)
Brings back very painful memories of my first 4 semesters of compsci. Pure maths, proofs and theory (complexity, Turing machines, P/NP completeness, the works). I understand some ppl get off on that shit and it has its applications in some fields, but I'd estimate less than 10% had any relevance for my later jobs. At the end of the day, that wasn't surprising: compsci was an outgrowth of the maths department, and our profs were all mathematicians, NOT computer scientists. Plus we got exactly the same lectures as the maths majors, just in a separate group.
Yeah, I confirm this as a master student at TUM. I really don’t know why they focus too much on the theories. I am studying for data science and what they teach is pure advanced mathematics which are not even used in the research field in the industry. Fuck this. I went too far to change to another uni and as I am heading towards the graduation but really useless. From my experiences, European universities except for British ones b are the terrible choice for those seeking to gain practical knowledge along with just the right amount of theories. I did not know how different the system would be from the us but here, the teaching methods and materials they teach still stay in the medieval era 😢. No wonder why the leading tech companies no more emerge from here. The German student or some of I international students say that they like it here because they have to fight inner selves but what I see is the inefficiency. Free education obviously does not seem to come free. I’d rather pay 50,000 pounds for the education and get my fucking degree rather than struggling with the useless stuffs. But too late😢
@@Bulgogi_Haxen The entire German mentality is still stuck in the middle ages! The UK does indeed have some excellent universities (I worked at one), but remember these are mostly private and therefore unaffordable for many students without scholarship, unlike the overwhelming majority of public German universities. This is made possible largely through Germany's absurdly high taxes and its outdated, one-size-fits-all socialist mindset that it's been stuck in since becoming a "democracy". At the end of the day, students get what they pay for: very mediocre higher education and zero interaction with their arrogant supervisors, who basically just consider them a nuisance.
@@erandishirelmirandabarajas5568 yeah you have to check the provider too. My chinese friend got herself some weird sim card and I often have to provide hotspot despite only being in D-2 network myself.
1. the universities differ a LOT. certain universities are well known for certain subjects and are very hard to get through. the biggest step is to succeed the first 2-3 semesters. as an example: the whole school maths and physics is covered in like 2-4 weeks in physics bachelors. there are some study programs at some universities that are seen as "easy" though. and read your exam regulations there is everything you need to know about deadlines etc. 2. it really depends on the route you drive. the track system is old and got neglected and now they have much work to do. but some people dont realize how gigantic the track system is compared to other countries. it is not easy to organize that 3. yes it is shit and expensive. all thanks to a past kanzler who got lobby bought into sticking to old techniques instead of modernizing it which till this date makes the internet shit (especially in rural areas (i had 50kb/s download until the age of 14 in my home village and to this date you dont have mobile funk in 60% of the area))
I left the US in 1965, came to Germany and after "learning German" at a beer-drinking course at the Goethe Institute in Bad Reichenhall I began my doctoral work at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen and at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cyberntics under Prof. Dr. Werner Ernst Reichardt. Work at the MPI was very demanding for an American with a BS in microbiology from Purdue Univ. and no German language experience, especially since I had to build up a complete electron-microscopy department while doing my thesis work. Study at the university was much like at Purdue and I got along with English for almost 2 years, while trying to learn German. German students enjoyed practicing English with me and asked me to correct them if appropriate. Finally, after 3 years I began giving lectures and writing papers in German. It took me 7 years to finish my PhD work, which at that time was not unheard of. It took that long because of the nature of my thesis work. When it was finished it was accepted in English so that it could be published in an international journal as soon as I passed my exams in cybernetics, biochemistry and microbiology. (In Tübingen doctoral theses could be submitted in German, English and Latin). I loved my time at the university and found it generally very pleasant and satisfying. The last 30 years of my career I spent as director of the dept. of electron microscopy at the virological institute of the Uni-Gießen. I enjoyed my interaction with colleagues and students and helped many students obtain their doctoral degrees. I have always been grateful to have had the opportunity to follow my academic career in Germany.
Bruce, you got the best advise to go to learn german at the Goethe Institut. I recommend that to everybody who really wants to learn the language relatively quick. It's the best there is! And of ccourse having chosen Tübingen and Max Planck! I can image in 65 you where the odd man out ;o))
What people don't understand about the german university system: it's a fight for survival and not by accident. You have to pursue your education on your own. You're an adult and you have to take responsibility for your education, life and decisions. The motto is : if you can make it there, you make it anywhere. It's you against the system.There are some students ( good ones in fact) who wouldn't want it any other way.If you succeed, you know your limits, capabilities and you have achieved a lot.😊
I think it is acutally a basic requirement for studying. You have to be independent, able to work on your own, be able to solve problems without anyone yapping it all out for you...I think that is the heart of studying, that is what it teaches! Having everything planned for you and just memorising what you are told is not studying.
@@endlessstudent3512 Memorisation shouldn't be underestimated. A lot of subjects ( including math) require it. It"s not everything, but definitely part of the deal.
@@charlottepeukert9095 of course it is. But specially the subject you mentioned, math, does not need much memorisation, but understanding. If you really understand the logic, you need not memorize and higher math usually is not even calculating anymore, its describing a theoretical solution. There are subjects that need a lot of memorisation, law and econimics for example. But university should teach critial thinking, problemsolving, self-organisation and the ability to apply the learned outside of the box. Tbh i think even highschool should teach that already, but the do not.
@@endlessstudent3512 Even math , at university level, requires memorisation. Not as much as other subjects, that's true.But even in math, you're not reinventing the wheel.
Most countries understand academic studying as a self-directed exercise. The vocational studies offer a more school like approach for the ones who prefer that
This was really interesting. I am from Switzerland and must admit that it's a big advantage to speak German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Thank you.
I have only listened to the first few minutes. Ugly side: ”high academic demands”; “understanding the subject”. Ugly side? I have seen the rest now. Ugly side: “speaking German in Germany”. Is that the ugly side? Is it the ugly side that you have to register for exams you want to sit? Sounds like normal responsibility. The only bad things are trains and the internet, which have noting to do with universities.
@@yesplatinum7956 I don't know, I think it's completely reasonable if someone preferred university courses where the final grade is determined by ongoing projects, along with a midterm and final. Preferring ongoing deliverables instead of a long lead up to a single make or break exam doesn't make a person lazy. For programming at least, I'd personally rather have a grade rely on a series of projects, but that's just personal preference. No reason to judge others for their preferences in how they'd like to learn, it's certainly good to know what to expect.
People coming from third world countries, don't bother worrying about these things. It's nothing, you're much more resilient and you CAN survive and thrive here.
I got a scholarship in Germany, finish my master's recently. Und alles gut gemacht. I am very thankful for this opportunity and Germany. All things are beautiful experience I had with Germany
Pls can you put me through on how you applied for the scholarships Your guidance will really go a long way. I’m Balikiss from Nigeria and hoping to get free tuition university in germany
Thank you for all of your information. Thinking about sending my son to college and you are providing 4:10 great info! I appreciate all the time and effort you have put into making these videos for people like us!
To further stress what he said at 2:10: Duly check how to register for modules AND the included seminars (which is often two separate steps, depending on the system used) and check the academic calendar (which is published waaay in advance) for the timeframe in which to sign up for your exams. Once the date is gone, it's gone. Period. This usually goes for cancelling your exam: Should you have signed up and then have the feeling that you are not that prepared, you can usually cancel your exam participation up to two weeks before the exam date. I'm a German who worked at the registrar's/exam office at two universities. The number of students (mostly Germans, in fact) who got all this wrong or didn't even bother reading all this information really baffled me.
It depends on the region😅 In my region o2 is pretty good but Vodafone is terrible (i have never tested Telekom, i think its still the best but also the most expensive choice)
O2 is not as bad as it was some years ago. Nowadays it's actually the only one functioning in some otherwise dead spot areas when it comes to mobile reception.
Internet in some eastern european countries is much better. But in comparison to mobile internet in the US, home of Apple, Microsoft and Tesla, believe me, Germany is like paradise.
I go to university in a small town in Saxony and we have over 40% international students. Most German students are used to having to communicate in English in bigger groups. Lectures are still mostly in German though and I just had a seminar today with about half of the students being international and while they mostly understood everything and participated in German because of their limited vocabulary the pace was so slow that the German students got quite bored. I think while participating in student life can work very well when you know only a little bit of German, you need to know much more to be able to follow lectures and participate in seminars.
So I study at RWTH Aachen which is said to be one of the most difficult universities in Germany. And yeah it's challenging but you definitely learn a lot and the exam periods are stressful but it's also important for life to know how to deal with stress.
As a student at TUM studying for data science, I feel like German universities are more or less like online universities except that you have to pass an exam and that they give eligible degrees. No support from the school, an absurd student professor ratio. My biggest regret in my life so far is that I did not go to English speaking countries for my master’s. Not because of the language but not only because of the invaluable connections you can get but also because of the full support you get. Here, I don’t know, the school systems are terrible for degree seeking students. No offense but the universities sometimes look like they act as an asylums.. I went too far to go to another country and now I am stuck at the Uni. I am not a proactive student and for students like me, German universities are terrible as they don’t provide you the right path nor assistance. Only the thing I like about German universities, no Germany is that it is easy to travel to neighboring countries. Other than that, I wish I had known more about Germany. I hope people make the right decisions later. I did my bachelors in the US and have stayed in several countries so far but Germany is the only country where I encountered the most rude people and the most unfriendly people. I really wish I had know these facts before I made a decision to come here. The Germans I met in other countries gave me so good impressions about the country that I did not know that there would this huge difference lol. Make wise decisions folks before you get stuck here like me.
Wow, thanks for this. I was under the impression that Germany would be good for me because their masters is a mix of coursework and research but I actually work best with good supervision and mentoring. I also have very limited knowledge of German and thought I could get away with it. I'm rethinking a lot now 😅😅
I can tell you what went wron with Deutsche Bahn. Privatisation. It all started when it was partially privatised. In the eighties the Deutsche Bahn was cheap and perfect.
For international students its a lot harder to study in germany. You have to proof that your income is high enough for your living costs and you have to proof that you doing good in uni otherwise you could loose your visum. I have a friend that is from vietnam. He studies here because its less expensive. Make sure that you have a good support system and try to make friends who could help you in hard situations.
About the registering for the exams, I guess that's also dependant on where and what you are studying, I experienced the opposite system where you are automatically in the exam and make up exam unless you are on sick leave by a doctor, so you automatically fail your exam twice if you registered for a course and then skip the exam while doing nothing, even when you do not attend the course a single time.
7:01 when you showed us the average internet speed around the world, I looked at Germany and I looked at my home country, and turns out my home country has a slower internet then Germany so I don't think internet speed will be a big problem for me as I am used to slow speed internet 😅😅
Just because Germans are known for punctuality, they make it such a big deal if the trains don't fullfill their demands. In other countries nobody would worry about a delayed train, they simply don't have such high expectations. At UCLA you have no public transport and need a car. In munich you have public transport, but it's only 90% perfect. The difference is the expectation.
It's also the never ending strikes like each 2-3 months. When you depend on trains you might have no way to get to work or maybe with a delay of half a workday.
@@Blast-Forward during the year it's reliable, even strike you know in advance and take a bicycle or ask friends to join in the car. Is brasil or indonesia better? It's only worse than our expectations. Are there less strikes in france or uk ?
@holger_p Trains in Germany are bad. To say that expectations are the problem is absurd: we have the financial and technical means to solve DB problems but politics, bureaucracy and negligence get in the way. So next time if you go to a hospital and you don't get the treatment you need, or you get it too late, I hope you won't simply set for: "well it's just my exaggerated expectations that I should've got a timely, decent medical treatment. Never mind, it would've been worse if I lived in Indonesia". I hope you are not a university student, because that would mean that German universities have serious problems too.
@@sug1733 Universities don't teach in a style of good or bad. There is always a way to do things better, but it's german mentality to transfer this idea into "everything sucks", or into always complaining, commonly spoken. (Is there any topic Germans wouldn't complain about ? Your comment proofs me right). Be aware of what you got, not so much on the things you haven't got. "Bad" has no meaning, if you don't say what you compare with. Worse than in Switzerland: Yes, worse than in UK: No. If you compare with the best, Germany is not among the 10 best maybe, but maybe it's on place 11 ;-) Running trains as a profitable company was an idea of the 90ies. They forgot, profit means saving on investments, or closing down nonprofitable lines. It was a mistake, but not really a matter of bureaucracy. Actually running the trains by bureaucrats, without intention to profit, would be the fullfillable vision you might talk about. I finished university already. You talk like economy or business management was not part of your studies. Cause the problems with trains is exactly in this ambivalance. Is it economy (infrastructure) or business (profit).
@@holger_p I hope that you're lying and are actually really young. Your "arguments" are banal and sound like from a 8-9 Klässler. Otherwise it is not like German Universities have serious problems, but Germany is doomed.
The Internet even differs in the same city or neighborhood. Sometimes in your house the internet sucks while your neighbor is 100% fine. Also what you described is not true for any university course. In my field of study you can’t just go on holiday during semester, you have to give talks, work together with other students, do internships etc. So there is not 1 phase with exams but the whole semester (including the time without lectures) there are exams from time to time. Sometimes very spontaneously so you can’t even plan beforehand.
video starts with positive things about Germany like 'high quality education', only to list as the #1 'ugly side' at 0:19 _high academic demands in Germany_ . one would have thought the 'high quality education' goes hand-in-hand with 'high academic demands'. it's a bit difficult to have the one without the other, isn't it?
That was all very good advice. I have lived in Germany for a long time and have seen two of my children go through university, and can confirm everything Max Yoko says about studying and living in Germany from the fast pace of the first couple of years at university to the terrible trains, the less than speedy Internet and the importance of learning German to make the most of your time in Germany.
Summary Studying in Germany has its challenges, including high academic demands, an unreliable train system, the need for German language skills, and slow internet speeds. However, there is support available and opportunities for growth with the right resources. Highlights 🎓 High academic demands: Studying in Germany requires a deep understanding of subjects rather than memorization. 🚆 Unreliable train system: Germany’s train system is often late and prone to strikes, causing frustration for commuters. 🗣 Need for German language skills: Speaking German is crucial for success in daily life and accessing more opportunities. 🌐 Slow internet speeds: Germany’s internet connection is known for being slow and unreliable, hindering productivity. 💼 Support available: Tutoring, study groups, and coaching programs offer assistance to students navigating the challenges. 📚 First two semesters are the hardest: Many students find the initial semesters to be the most difficult in terms of workload. 💡Germany’s Starter Kit: A free online course provides guidance on setting up life in Germany and overcoming common challenges. Key Insights ⚡ High academic demands: The German university system focuses on understanding subjects rather than rote memorization, requiring students to be independent learners. 🚂 Train system woes: Germany’s train system is notorious for its delays, strikes, and poor service, causing inconvenience and frustration for commuters. 📚 Importance of German language skills: While many Germans can speak English, fluency in German is necessary for everyday tasks and opens up more opportunities. 🌐 Internet struggles: Germany’s internet connection is slower and less reliable compared to other countries, posing challenges for online activities and productivity. 🤝 Support systems: Despite the challenges, there are resources available such as tutors, study groups, and coaching programs to help students succeed. 🎒 First semesters can be tough: The initial semesters of university in Germany can be particularly demanding, requiring students to adapt to the workload and academic expectations. 🆓 Germany’s Starter Kit: A free online course called Germany’s Starter Kit provides valuable information and guidance for navigating life in Germany, including setting up essential services and overcoming common challenges.
I feel this things apply for every country and are (except the trains being late) common to almost all countries. You always need to know the local language to be a local. There are always exams. Course organziation/ sign up for exams etc. is difficult for everyone and everywhere since its something you never did before.
what you describe isnt the same for all german universities. a lot do take attendance and a lot dont put all exams in a two week period after the semester. even homework is optional in some classes, but mandatory in others, completely depending on the lecturer and university.
Hugely interesting the point about trains! When I lived and studied in Germany some 40 years ago, you could set your watch to the arrival of trains in the station! And that was also the reputation the DB enjoyed. I am hearing from friends that the country’s infrastructure has been on the decline for a long time and trains appear to be no exception…
Yes... it worked like a Swiss clockwork.... but than they got the idea to follow the Anglo-Saxons business model! Find a wealthy idiot to do the investment! Uhm... not easy to find wealthy idiots... . Meanwhile it is rotten to the core! Terrible! It will take 20 years to repair the mess!
Ralph, the complaining about trains can only be made by people who commute much on a daily basis (or even more by those who never take a train and nag about it just by hearsay). I travel extensively throughout Germany and everywhere the trains are fine and almost always on time. And it takes me everywhere even to remote places. Or you have very good bus lines. We are complaining on a high level! Moreover the last 3-4 years the DB had extensive work to do with building new rails for the fast trains, which until then had to take the rails of the regional trains. And that nationwide! Can you imagine that effort with a net of rails which add up to 40.000km? And of course those works affected all lines throughout the country.
@@juttaweise Thanks for that, Jutta. After 35 years in London, I have totally lost contact with Germany so I cannot judge which views are accurate and which ones aren’t.
Yes... you are right... I am 64 and can remember.... but than they got the idea to follow the Anglo-Saxon business model ... is a must to do. Madness! The idea was: Stop investment, sell a heap scrap metall and let stupid investors do the investment. But the investors got the idea: Do the investment and I buy it for 1 €. :-))))
But unfortunately it is true that it is a mess now! I am 64 and I used it several times the last 4 months and it was always late, often dirty or just did not even getcstarted. Canceled train... because of sick traindrivers! My sister drove me to the next city for example or picked me up when I stranded at a previous city! 50 km distance. At night after a delay of hours. Does she live in a village? Well, a village with almost 80.000 inhabitants. :-)
I will be honest the first thing isn't bad for me. My high school-aka British high school system except for international students- was like that and I loved it! I like to fully understand everything, and this can slow me down, not to mention I'm already a slow learner. But exams usually accounted for everything and checked whether you did understand or not and not just your solving skills or how much you have memorized. This was perfect for me; if I don't have good teachers, quite rare though, and understanding took a lot of time to the point I couldn't practice enough, I could still pass with A*'s for all subjects except A levels always A's. Also, attendance contributed nothing to my grade. I don't know why but if I don't understand my teachers to a good degree, I fall asleep. No matter how much I try not. So, attendance counting to my grade is just a waste of time; I'll fall as sleep anyway 15 minutes through the lesson. Also, I don't have to feel burnout after each midterm cause they didn't account for my grade anyway. I studied for them, but they weren't as mentally tiring as the finals. My university, however, is different. There's midterm and final exam. Attendance count. Sometimes even homework counts and having to do Homeworks for a bad teacher that you cannot keep up with anyway is exhausting. The only good thing I learned is to study faster, because most of the time I cannot finish, and to not dwell too much on details (basically how to study efficiently without a teacher lol) anyway good teachers are irrelevant to any system. So, the only good thing the new system did to me was learning to work in groups. The rest are downfalls, stress, and waste of time.
Note that the exam period depends on the university. At RWTH Aachen you are lucky to have 1 month free at the end of the semester. I have had 2 weeks to 2 days between the last exam and first day of class. My course is particularly bad though
We were in Germany for a month and I found the trains and transit great compared to what I am used to. Same with the internet and phone connection. Everything is relative.
After living for 6 and a half years in Germany I am habituated to do assignment, project work , power point presentation and delivering speech because to be honest you will be assessed based on all of these part. I have learnt all these things through nursing Ausbildung.
Concerning exams: every subject has their own way of handling this. When you study humanities it can happen that you will not take a single exam in your whole stay at university and you will only write term papers. Also signing up for those can be handled quite differently from subject to subject. For example where I study you will not be registered for the term paper until you hand it in and the prof updates your grade. Also the deadline of these papers is often up for discussion with your prof. But I would recommend checking in with your seniors and ask how it is handled at your faculty. Sadly most of the "Fachspezifischen Bestimmungen" and "Prüfungsordnungen" are not translated.
Hi Max, just found your channel and you have lots of great content on living in Germany! As an American who's lived in there on two separate occasions, I can definitely relate to a lot of the points you described in this video. Germany is a country that is near and dear to my heart as it was my first trip outside of the U.S., but I never realized these challenges until I got older. I first traveled to Germany in 2008 while doing a high school summer exchange program with our sister school in Bavaria. It was very laid back and only a six-week program, so thankfully my classmates and I from the U.S. didn't require student visas, bank accounts, or anything else that required the dreaded German bureaucracy (other than our initial applications to participate in this exchange). Furthermore, we all lived with outstanding German host families who took care of us, and our studies at our host gymnasium came second to cultural experiences like tourism and sightseeing, that was really the name of the game (plus we didn't receive any grades in our classes since we were only short-term visiting exchange students). That was one of the best memories of my high school career and this first trip to Germany helped start my passion and career in foreign affairs. Then fast forward to 2022 when I applied to do a research project at a German university through an academic research grant, and I came to realize a lot of the challenges you mentioned in your video. Gone were the days of having German teachers and loving host families to take care of everything for me, gone was the hand-holding that I had during my summer exchange as a teenager. I had to figure out all the logistics of applying for my student visa, finding an apartment in my host city, registering with my host university, getting a German bank account, and getting a sim card for my phone pretty much all on my own. My academic research program gave us an orientation and offered some resources on navigating the hellscape that is the German bureaucratic system, but it really didn't offer much. Thankfully it was my colleagues and our mutual support for one another and trying to figure out these steps as we went along that helped me get through everything. While I love the German language and still enjoy speaking it, I also never had to use it for such serious matters until I returned to Germany for my research grant. Like you said, I needed it for daily tasks such as opening my bank account, attending appointments at my local Ausländerbüro, going to the dentist, asking for directions, and trying to reason with angry service workers in different places I'd go. Furthermore, you were on point about the trains. While I was satisfied with the trains when they ran smoothly and on time, I was astonished at how frequently there would be delays or how some trains would be cancelled, and even sometimes leave me stranded in some cities. Regardless of these experiences, I'll always love Germany and would love to continue visiting for vacations.
Signing up sim card was not that difficult if you follow the instructions also the customer service during Video call to confirm id spoke fluent English. It took sometime but i got my Deutsch handy nummer fine.😊
As a german, I can 100% agree with the difference of standards in university. When I studied in Spain, I was irritated because nobody was listening until the Prof said "this is relevant for passing the exam" and everyone took a pencil and wrote it down. After the first months, my Spanish Co students recognized, that I write "at the wrong moment". They were very cute in offering me their notes, because they feared I would not excel the exams. After three months, when I could talk better, the quality of questions I asked enlightened the professor. Because I was trying to understand the topic instead of passing the exams. 😂❤ And as a lecturer now, I can tell that we will grill you for barbecue if you just learned it by heart and repeat it like a robot without being able to understand and applying it. 😊
I get some of your points but not attending lectures that are meant to prepare you for your exams and then suffering under a huge workload during the finals is on you. German universities focus on self-organization and self-responsibility. I can only speak for human sciences but I actually found studying in the US to be a lot harder. The reading tasks are tougher in the US since they want you to have a broader view on the topic rather than understanding the texts in depths. Therefore you have to read a lot more in less time. This and the trimester system result in a very short and packed period of finals where everything is cramped in a week and there is almost no time left for writing papers. In the end it all comes down to which system fits you better, I guess.
Interesting. Maybe you hit the nail on the top. I don't know the US system but my Profs. where not interested in broader understanding. It was more to visit a dentist... :-).
In Germany, we tend to speak english with foreigners, such as tourists. And with friends from other countries. But our universities are only using german. Don't fool yourself, B1 or B2 won't be sufficient to understand your professor. B1 is enough for tourists, B2 for expatriates, but a university lectures are completelly different. If you want to study philosophy - read Kant. Psychology? - Freud. Physics? - Einstein. You need at least C1 to get at least through some pages of these books. Yes, university in Germany is free, but you have to invest a lot of effort before even starting.
@@AltIng9154 Let's start with chemistry: What's that? "Natronlauge" Physics: "Berechnen wir jetzt die Beschleunigung". Maths: "Sie begegnen einem Mann mit Gamsbart am Hut. Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass es sich um einen Touristen handelt?" If you understood these, and if you are able to answer in German - ok, go on. Btw. These are questions from school. IT: "Schreiben Sie ein Programm, das für ein Sparkonto Zinseszinsen berechnen kann. Als Eingabe benötigen Sie die Höhe der Einlage, Datum der Einlage und Datum der Abhebung/Überweisung. Der Zinsatz beträgt 0,25%p.a. " - if you prefer humanities, like philosophy, theology, languages, education... Then just buy a book and try and read it. Because this is what you are going to do every day. Quite a nice test whether your language skills are sufficient for the subject you want to study. - it is possible, there are many students from other nations, but due to our language, it is really hard. You must be willing to learn about 50 new words per day in the first year (estimated).
@@himmel-erdeundzuruck5682 Klar, Textaufgaben sind ja auch nicht selten falsch formuliert! Ich wollte damit nur ausdrücken, dass es wesentlich einfacher ist, eine technisch/physikalische Aufgabe zu verstehen, unter Voraussetzung, dass man gut in diesen Fächern ist, als dass man irgendwelchen philosophischen Formulierungen folgt. Wenn jetzt jemand ein Ass in Chemie ist, dann versteht er sicher eine Aufgabe, wenn z.B. nur ein Teil einer Reaktionsformel aufgeschrieben ist. Physikalische Aufgabenstellungen sind meistens mit Skizzen versehen, ... man sieht schon, worum es geht. Ein paar Hauptwörter übersetzt, ... Problem gelöst! USW.
Damn 7 exams is actually crazy. I study Biology and we have between 3-4 exams per semester - and I didnt put any exams into the future yet and I am already in my 4th semester. But I guess that is different from university to university and from subject to subject. We tend to have some more practical courses than some other subject. Still I dont think I have ever heard of someone else of my friends needing to do 7 exams. Also one note, here at FAU in Erlangen at our subject they tend to stretch the exams a little bit more out, so you have a little more time to prepare for each one normally, so this also differs from subject to subject. My Computer science and engineering friends do have most of their exams in a 2-3 weeks period too, like you.
10 yrs late is flattering. 10 yrs ago I stayed with relatives in Lithuania. Perfect internet, perfect wifi availability, perfect mobile phone connectivity. - It‘s great that Germany has 9 neighbouring countries and there are dual sim or dual country mobile flat offers in each of them!!!
One thing to add: I never had 7 exams in a week. It highly depends on your field of study. Doing history for example, we had mostly term papers, not many tests.
good... it can be even worse than what he shows, depending on ur personal life, like which city, which area u live in, the type of friends u make, hw well u adapt to things, the part time job u do... its an uncertain rollercoaster. Its much more straightforward back in India, with good colleges even offering placements. German colleges do not care if u get employed or not.
I don't know what are you studying but not every subject is equal. I did study Lebensmittelchemie and I definitely had no time for a vaccation in Italy during the semester. Science based studies are heavy in labwork and we often miss the lectures so we could finish our lab assignments. Besides getting marks for the lab assignments, we also had short oral examens after each assignment. So we didn't have the big exam at the end of the semester...only when passing from basic sciences to food chemistry and then for the masters and the professional degree.
"The ugly truth" you are adults who are expected to actually UNDERSTAND what you are learning and don't get everything mothfeed. It is totally good that you have to go to the prüfungsamt, because it gives you the possibility to not take an exam if you feel like this semester you won't make it, without getting a failed exam. You can repeat the course next time, with no repercussions.
I can confirm about the strike. My father was working in Italy for 1 year. And in one week atleast 2 times there was train strike and everytime they had to use different route which is 45 min late. Even when we visited him we planned to go to paris. But again the same issue our train got cancelled and we cancelled the trip.
I think especially berlin offers many opportunities for non Germans so theres a very big international community there. But in cities like Hamburg and munich thats already much more limited. Also, Germans tend to widly overestimate their ability to speak English. If you need to communicate in german with them, its not because they are unwilling to speak English, they probably dont understand. For starter, dont expect any person without a degree to be able to understand anything beyond very basic English. Besides, the isolation in bubbles goes beyond the language factor. Germans are very stuck in their ways and usually not open to making new friends. They're also not very flexible accommodating or likely to initiate social activities. thats why you'll probably end up hanging out with other foreigners, even if you do speak a decent German.
When Ur talking about trains,this Is nothing tò compare with Italy.I am living there for last 45 years.every week you have delays likes 2 tò 3 hours.sometimes they cancelld the train.That Is real nightmare.
"Have to understand the subject..." Sounds very much like the old O-level and A-level exams back in the 1970s British system. You had to understand and explain your answer in exams. And the university regimen sounds very like the UK one used to be. You didn't have to turn up to lectures, but you were required to submit any assignments on time and pass the exams.
Yes, true. I can remember when I was sitting in an exam what would be called "Electrical Physics" at other places. I read , read, read,...for hours.... at least I wrote almost nothing on the paper. The joke was, I passed this exam! Others" produced" heaps of paper but failed.
For everybody planning on doing similar stuff in austria: DONT! Austria is an extremly hostile place to international students. Even if you speak german, without the accident you get called a Pifke (negative word for german) and you get uneasy stares. As a viennese guy myself, i cant recommend it to international students, because you might feel like you are developing yourself, but you are just a pain in the ass for locals
I have completed my nursing diploma or Ausbildung from Germany and trust me the exam,class ,lessons and grading structure is almost the same like university.You will be assessed based on your group presentation, role play and ppt. As I am a foreigner therefore I was being left alone to do things almost on my own or independently. Thankfully, I was actually successful to complete projects assignments on my own and scoring good grades without the help of any group. Yes, there would always be weekly klausur and that was important!
even if nobody is talking about it, but one thing is sure, since the jabs, people get ill all the time. For services this is terrible. One can see this best at all schools, where teachers have started to get ill over and over again. Schools have to find replacements, which means the children have to adapt all the time to a new teacher. I have followed my grandsons schooldays over the past 11 years and all the mess started around 4y ago. And this phenomenon is visible in all sectors of daily life! Incl. trainservices, hospitals and all industries!
yes the train system is ... special ... it's far less relyable as it should be .. but it's worlds apart of anything offered in the US .. IF there's offered anything
and as if i summoned a demon .. i had to use a s-bahn yesterday .. which was stopped and we where released to do some u-bahn hops to get to the right ubahn to then get home because some one decided to use the bahn to end him/her self ... *sigh*
Internet speed ist not the best, ok, but its getting better every year and in my opinion its a big difference from 2-3 Years ago, not only in terms of speed but also in terms of prices.
Another pitfall of studying in germany is that there is no "unified system". Your two weeks of hell exam period can take place during the last two weeks of lectures, first two weeks of the "lecture free period", or all exams will be spread out over the next three months potentially preventing you from going on vacation/doing an internship or working at the time (at least, depending on the exams and lecturers. at least leaving the country becomes quite a hassle). One university may start their coursework 1-2 months earlier than another. Usually, two exam dates need to be offered in case you miss one (eg due to illness) but the second one can be two weeks after the first or even 8 months (both have happened to me). Every department, sometimes every lecturer, do their own thing.
This popped up in my feed for some reason😂 And I found it fun to watch. So I’m now living in Switzerland, never been a student here, came here to do a postdoc at ETH (after my doctoral studies in the USA) and ended up staying here. But I worked in university and I know many foreigners who did their PhD (including my husband) and masters here as well… So I can compare a bit. 1) The load - it’s probably the same. Really bad, I heard people struggling. 2) Trains and transport is excellent in Switzerland. This is actually one of my fav things in this country. Super super reliable. 3) German - depends on the part of the country you are in. (There 3 real state languages in Switzerland). Not sure how it works in the French part or Italian part, but in Zurich at least all (or at least most) of graduate degrees are in English. Also, in Zurich English is unofficially the second language. You basically never need German in your every day interactions. (I don’t want to go into details that Swiss people speak a pretty strong dialect that is not even intelligible to some Germans, but they know high German obviously as well, since the schooling system is in it and the newspapers and so on). I think while you are studying you can survive without German or without good German for sure. It changes when you are looking for a job. Then you will need it. The only exception is IT. The language of IT in Switzerland is English. German would be an advantage, for sure, but it’s possible to get a job in Switzerland in IT with zero knowledge of it… So I guess, it looks less tough than Germany… Not really. There are some special cons there… 1) Prices. It’s very expensive. If you don’t have a local scholarship - prepare a lot of cash. 2) Immigration-wise it’s super tight for people outside of EU. (I’m not from EU, so I know). Germany is a joke regarding getting a job permit compared to Switzerland. So… that’s all from me.
I would like to ask one question only: in what language are the subjects taught in Germany_ in English or German. The reason I inquire about this is because in many countries including mine subjects can be taught in two languages but English terminologies are still utilized in my native language so typically English is almost always is preference. Please tell me what's the situation there in Germany.
There are German and English-taught programs in Germany. But most degree programs do have English elements, especially in Computer Science for example But video on that is coming soon!
Servus! Ich plane auch schon lange in Deutschland zu studieren aber es ist immer noch nicht ganz klar was brauche ich dazu. Ich wohne und arbeite schon 3 und halbes Jahren lang hier. Ich habe endlich schon mein Schulabschlusskopies übergesetzt, ich muss nur schon abschicken zu anerkennen lassen. Meine Frage sind über die Aufnahmeprüfungen. C1 Hochschule Sprachprüfung muss man zu haben zu anfangen oder b2 kann auch schon genug sein (ich habe Deutsch und Englisch beide B2)? Wenn ich habe c1 muss ich Aufbahmeprüfung auf Deutsch immer noch machen oder nur wenn ich niedrigere Stufe habe? Matheprüfung muss man immer schreiben oder nur wenn man Abiturnote nicht so gute hat?
Die meisten Unis in Deutschland nehmen international Studenten, die auf dem B2 Level Deutsch sind. Nicht jede Uni hat eine Aufnahmeprüfung Sehr gut, dass du B2 hast, informiere dich am besten über die Voraussetzungen für den jeweiligen Kurs
Man kann an den Unis einen sogenannten DSH Kurs mit Zertifikat machen, wenn B2 nicht ausreicht. Man muss sich dann via Uni Assist bewerben als würde man sich beim Studium selbst bewerben. DSH wird normalerweise uni-übergreifend anerkannt d.h. Man kann es auch an einer anderen Uni machen als der, an der man wirklich studieren will. Ist aber dann ggf. bei der Bewerbung umständlicher.
No way, I live in Czechia and the 3 main Internet providers are the exact same... germanisation persists Very helpfull video, I might move to Deutschland one day but not soon (im 14)
An Interesting fact about the statistic that 36% of trains are „late“ is that in the statistic a train is considered late only when being late for more than 6 minutes. I‘d say over 80% of trains during the day are late here
Great video blud 👍 , I have a question. I used the DAAD web to check if my high school certificate meets the requirement of studying in Germany but unfortunately it does not. But I saw something talking about getting certain grades and getting accepted and that info is contradicting.
I think that's the case for most foreigner's... You have to take Studienkolleg for 1 or 2 semesters. And all international students I know took like a year of German classes in their home country to prepare for Studienkolleg and studies in general
Deutsche Bahn!!!!!! I am old enough to have experienced Bundesbahn BEFORE it was privatised. THEN it was proverbial for punctuality - since then ALL the privatised sectors have gone down in efficiency, less available outside the Metropole regions but MUCH MUCH more expensive
Basically, the exam period depends on the university I think. My current exam period with three actual exams is three months. Two weeks is rough regardless.
I'm South African and honestly the only thing that has me a bit shook is the language learning. Apart from that, everything you mentioned is probably worse here 😂 Thank you so much though. This video has been very informative.
Gonna have to pick up and actually study it for your life to be a bit easier. It's the same everywhere if English isn't the first language, learn the local language.
I lived many years in France and there are a lot of things which the french have to pay a lot for, which is free for us and which we take for granted. Or our activities we can do in our free time, which costs almost nothing becuase some of our taxes go to support those, the french have to pay a lot of money for. Germans complaining about high taxes should take this into consideration!
You see many people from different cultures studying as a good thing? The hyper diverse cosmopolitan people were my biggest nightmare during uni time, I didn't know it was possible to dislike people that much
Is there a difference between college life and university life? I’m thinking of going to college rather than university in Germany but majority of the people are talking about university. Can someone please explain it to me so I’m so lost rn😭
U said that talk more and connect with people for learn German language, but i am vary shy type of person 😢, you are Japanese right so u understand weel, so i want confidence to talk with other people so i think you also can make vedios on networking and social communication and i know your vedios are too good well research and amazing content so i hope u make vedios like that😊
A good idea is to ask the few contacts you have and feel somewhat comfortable with to stark speaking German with you. They won't be bothered by all your mistakes and will help you learn this way.
I know that issue... My personal recommendation would be to just look for people with the same hobbies/interests, e.g. to join a club and not to focus solely on the language side. This way it's easier to get to know people and actually make friends. And imo it's easier to learn a language if you combine it with activities that are actually fun.
If you want to get over your shyness, in Germany when in public transport, say something nice to an older person next to you. You can say "I like your jacket" or even just talk about the weather. Most old people in Germany will like having a small chat in the bus and so you can practice speaking to strangers this way.
Very helpful. The train system used to be very punctual when I was stationed there. Late 80sto mid 90s. Question... I have a chance to get my German citizenship through the "newer" program because my mother was German. This would alow my daughter to also potentially qualify for German citizenship. Do you have a video on the pros and cons of attending German University as a citizen vrs a foreign student? Ie. There are more financial aid / scholarships discounts or costs savings for citizens vrs foreign students. No student visas, work visas. Blocked accounts, etc.🤔 She's fluent in Spanish and English just now starting to learn German. Using Pimsleur. Great free course 👍 halfway through it now. Do you offer consulting services?
The 'newer' citizenship rights, only relate to your miminal stay period. It's reduced from 8 years to 5 years residence. This is not really an option for students, if you want to stay 5 years first, before starting to study. Childrens of German citizens are automaticly German citizens. So your case of having a German mother but not German citizenship must be very rare and special, unless with "beeing german" you don't talk about citizenships. A german mother not teaching their kids german sounds very strange also. If this is a 3-generation problem, you talk about your mother and your daughter ? This doesn't count.
actually taking into account my own case, your mother should apply for your german citizenship. Which takes a lot of papers. It's easier if you have lived with your mother in Germany for a time and get a doc from that towns townhall of your registration. I did that for my 2 children at the end 1980 where I had just 2 weeks time to the deadline. After that it became much more difficult. Maybe it is easier today with new laws. Btw I always talked to my children in german, one reason being I wanted them to have a good connection to their german grandparents and family. Even though not living in Germany at that time they had no problem and are both fluent. I never understood mothers not doing that, taking away the advantage of learning a difficult language effortlessly, compared to when having to learn it as an adult.
@@holger_p the automatic citizenship only applys if they live or have lived in Germany a certain time. If they have been living abroad every parent has to apply for their children to get the citizenship, one does not get it automatically.
About the train system: it might have gone bad for the last couple of years. I'm brazilian, but i lived in Germany for 1 year between 2016-2017. There were some delay sometimes but it wasn't that bad
Another thing is student life:
there might be less feeling of community or belonging to a university, because universities may spread around different parts of a city or town, and people may just disappear into their private lives after lectures. You need to be very active to look for activities or organise on your own. In general, there is less/non-existent "campus life" and more about your private circle of friends.
Totally agree, I'm coming from Asia country and the social life at university in Germany looks so bleak compared with my home country, hard to makes friends and get into their circle
I’m German and I’m not in university but while I read your comments I feel very sorry for you 😢😂
There are things like university sport tho which are an easy and fun opportunity to get to know new people. Also going to study at smaller cities like Freiburg or Gießen helps a lot, as it is a lot more personal than Berlin for example.
Well, that's a huge advantage of the German system!
There however are "Burschenschaften" (student fraternities), some with two centuries of tradition, but as most of them are leaning right-wing it may be difficult for foreigners to get access.
_Pünktlich wie die Bahn_ , "As punctual as the railway," used to be high praise until the system got privatised. Now, it's dripping sarcasm.
As Punctual as the train* You translated it wrong
Privatisiert? Wer hält denn ALLE Aktien?
@@riverrist 👃
@@riverristDer Staat, das macht die DB aber nicht "öffentlich"
Die DB operiert wie jede andere Gewinnorientierte Firma
Genau das ist das Problem, die Bahn arbeitet gewinnorientiert und verschlechtert so ihren Service (vor allem weil sie keine Konkurrenz hat) um Kosten zu sparen. Das is natürlich kontraproduktiv und verfehlt das Ziel eines flächendeckenden, gut ausgebautem ÖPNV
Interesting that speaking German is the elephant in the room . Glad you brought it up . I could not agree more . Without German , even if they do English speaking degrees , which is where many foreigners gravitate to , the options for decent job opportunities will become limited . Reminds me why I’m currently learning German .
@@kathleenmelzer7499das ist aber nicht dasselbe was er gesagt hat.
Couldn’t agree more. I work as a career coach here and your job opportunities will multiply significantly if you speak German well ( B2 and above).
What a surprise, you need to speak a decent level of German to work in Germany
True! A study colleague was too lazy to lern german. She basically has no german friends and only connected to foreigners. If you move to any country you need to learn the language!
Yes, that is like not speaking English in GB or wondering why you should speak Spanish in Spain.. it's just logical that you should speak the language of the country you're planning to live in. At least at a quite good level.
if you are going to study in Germany be prepared to learn German, regardless if your studies will be in English or any other language. German is a must in Germany... (more jobs opportunities, build your network, meet local people and so on}
Well said!
That should be common sense this late in the internet age
I don't want B-grade education run by fascists
@@maxyoko what is the minimum level of German to succeed in a German university program? Is it B1 or higher?
Who knows? Maybe you’ll develop a hobby of speaking multiple languages
going to a foreign country and not willing to learn the local language voluntarily baffles me everytime. Here in germany, but especially when i did my erasmus semester in Italy, what do you expect?Youre missing out on a huge part of the culture and a big part of making friends with the local inhabitants, the ones being able to help you the most!
Do you think it’s realistic to do a technical interview for a foreigner in German?
As good as all Germans would never be able to do a technical interview in a language different than English or German
Most people speak their native language + English, so it’s stupid to expect other nationalities to speak all Germans.
You germans are just lucky because most of the European job market is under German occupation. The problem is that the German speaking market excludes other nationalities and cultures without giving many chances to others
The US are much more forward on this
@@Boozneos-h2x i attended university in italian, and i am currently leanring my fifth language,
but tell me how are the US more advanced? do you offer technical interviews in mandarin or what?
@@Boozneos-h2x The US is much more "advanced" in that? If you say it's more "advanced" by having technical interviews in English, that is not really the same there, is it? Otherwise, they may accommodate Spanish in some positions, though I doubt it, or very, very big, rich, international companies like Google or Amazon allow for native language interviews because they want people who are technically the best. Although English is the language of Computer Science and even though I study in German in Germany, I know more technical terms in English than in German at this point.
@@kathrinlindern2697 English is the language of tech and international business
Americans are much better because if you are let’s say Spanish and speak with a thick accent or you are a first generation immigrant nobody will look badly on you, and you have strong corporate DEI policies that protect you against any form of discrimination, that just doesn’t exist in Europe
If you speak with a weird accent in Germany and make a few grammar mistakes people will think you are not good and trashcan you
Furthermore you must be aligned with German culture as well, so if people make a joke about a pop-culture thing they will expect you to laugh even if you were not grown up in the country so you cannot know
You will never feel essentially one of them
Instead you can feel american if you work in an American team
Furthermore you will also see it at university: at universities in Germany during group projects German students will tend to stay together and exclude international students from their team
This is much different in the US where it is easy to integrate even with classic “cheeseburger Americans” (or “Gringos” as the Mexicans call them)
This is reflected in the labor market
If you are from a different country, a German company will generally not hire you if they can find a German cause the German knows better the language + culture
So the question is that learning the language is ok to live everyday life but to work it’s much less useful than you think
A company that values internationals will hire in English or accept a flexible language model where you can talk in German with some colleagues, talk a different language with others and do most of the work in English
I doubt there are skilled workers in very high ranking positions that don’t speak English (although with a strong accent) since it’s a global language and it is used in the western world for different nationalities to interact with each other
The way of thinking of continental Europeans is antique, toxic and it’s not only the reason why they are not growing economically, but also the reason of why they lost WW2 (they lost many of their best scientists because they could not speak German and went to the US, check Enrico Fermi)
@@dyslexictunes248 technical interviews shall be in English
They may be in mandarin for the western world
I am sure you would not be able to face a technical interview in Italian. It’s ok to talk with colleagues or do conversations but for explaining technical things without any moment of blocking it is impossible unless you have not learned the language since you were a kid
About academic diffculty:
it varies from universities, but technical subjects like engineering or applied sciences can sometimes be "overly theoretical" and come at a shock for some students. I know friends from my masters in Munich who struggled or even dropped-out for failing a course twice. This is because students come from different academic backgrounds in different countries, some of which might be more hands-on or have different focus.
The key is to "fail early" and look for a new program/university that suits you better, so that you don't waste time struggling. Not everyone needs those obscure theories in real world jobs or asipire to become a researcher/professor.
I think the the original complain about a high plank of Academics in Germany is just stupid, to begin with. It comes from a brainwashed, mental pervert. The Academics must have a high plank, and it is NOT for everybody. Period. Nobody needs fools, imbecils and/or lazy demagogues in a real university.
You don't get it. The system creates "Stehaufmännchen". You know the toy which always stand up again. They don't want guys who can't fight themselves. To fight the inner Schweinehund and win. The Boarhound! Do you know what a Boarhound is? Boarhound is not an insult! :-) It's more like badass! To fight the inner badass! :-)
Brings back very painful memories of my first 4 semesters of compsci. Pure maths, proofs and theory (complexity, Turing machines, P/NP completeness, the works). I understand some ppl get off on that shit and it has its applications in some fields, but I'd estimate less than 10% had any relevance for my later jobs.
At the end of the day, that wasn't surprising: compsci was an outgrowth of the maths department, and our profs were all mathematicians, NOT computer scientists. Plus we got exactly the same lectures as the maths majors, just in a separate group.
Yeah, I confirm this as a master student at TUM. I really don’t know why they focus too much on the theories. I am studying for data science and what they teach is pure advanced mathematics which are not even used in the research field in the industry. Fuck this. I went too far to change to another uni and as I am heading towards the graduation but really useless.
From my experiences, European universities except for British ones b are the terrible choice for those seeking to gain practical knowledge along with just the right amount of theories. I did not know how different the system would be from the us but here, the teaching methods and materials they teach still stay in the medieval era 😢.
No wonder why the leading tech companies no more emerge from here.
The German student or some of I international students say that they like it here because they have to fight inner selves but what I see is the inefficiency.
Free education obviously does not seem to come free. I’d rather pay 50,000 pounds for the education and get my fucking degree rather than struggling with the useless stuffs. But too late😢
@@Bulgogi_Haxen The entire German mentality is still stuck in the middle ages! The UK does indeed have some excellent universities (I worked at one), but remember these are mostly private and therefore unaffordable for many students without scholarship, unlike the overwhelming majority of public German universities. This is made possible largely through Germany's absurdly high taxes and its outdated, one-size-fits-all socialist mindset that it's been stuck in since becoming a "democracy". At the end of the day, students get what they pay for: very mediocre higher education and zero interaction with their arrogant supervisors, who basically just consider them a nuisance.
Thank you so much! I love how you give so many resources for free. One of the best persons to follow if you are planning for Germany!
Appreciate your comment 🫶
1. University Demand (note to myself : different system, need to adapt)
2. Train
3. Internet Speed
About the Internet Speed, it’s bad, but Not THAT BAD. I guess it depends mostly on the internet you have
@@erandishirelmirandabarajas5568 yeah you have to check the provider too. My chinese friend got herself some weird sim card and I often have to provide hotspot despite only being in D-2 network myself.
1. the universities differ a LOT. certain universities are well known for certain subjects and are very hard to get through. the biggest step is to succeed the first 2-3 semesters. as an example: the whole school maths and physics is covered in like 2-4 weeks in physics bachelors. there are some study programs at some universities that are seen as "easy" though.
and read your exam regulations there is everything you need to know about deadlines etc.
2. it really depends on the route you drive. the track system is old and got neglected and now they have much work to do. but some people dont realize how gigantic the track system is compared to other countries. it is not easy to organize that
3. yes it is shit and expensive. all thanks to a past kanzler who got lobby bought into sticking to old techniques instead of modernizing it which till this date makes the internet shit (especially in rural areas (i had 50kb/s download until the age of 14 in my home village and to this date you dont have mobile funk in 60% of the area))
I left the US in 1965, came to Germany and after "learning German" at a beer-drinking course at the Goethe Institute in Bad Reichenhall I began my doctoral work at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen and at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cyberntics under Prof. Dr. Werner Ernst Reichardt. Work at the MPI was very demanding for an American with a BS in microbiology from Purdue Univ. and no German language experience, especially since I had to build up a complete electron-microscopy department while doing my thesis work. Study at the university was much like at Purdue and I got along with English for almost 2 years, while trying to learn German. German students enjoyed practicing English with me and asked me to correct them if appropriate. Finally, after 3 years I began giving lectures and writing papers in German. It took me 7 years to finish my PhD work, which at that time was not unheard of. It took that long because of the nature of my thesis work. When it was finished it was accepted in English so that it could be published in an international journal as soon as I passed my exams in cybernetics, biochemistry and microbiology. (In Tübingen doctoral theses could be submitted in German, English and Latin). I loved my time at the university and found it generally very pleasant and satisfying. The last 30 years of my career I spent as director of the dept. of electron microscopy at the virological institute of the Uni-Gießen. I enjoyed my interaction with colleagues and students and helped many students obtain their doctoral degrees. I have always been grateful to have had the opportunity to follow my academic career in Germany.
Great!
Ausgezeitnet !
@@albertgrant1017 👀 may I correct you on what you're trying to say here?
Beeindruckend
Bruce, you got the best advise to go to learn german at the Goethe Institut. I recommend that to everybody who
really wants to learn the language relatively quick. It's the best there is! And of ccourse having chosen Tübingen
and Max Planck! I can image in 65 you where the odd man out ;o))
Germany starter kit course is superb.Thanks a lot for updating us.sending love ❤️
You're very welcome ^^
Are u Singhalese ?
@@tomchandler7568 yep
As an Indian, the train thing isn't a problem for me 😅😅
Truth bro 😹
understand you bro, :) least you are not on feet
Third World knows how to survey with a worst public transport KKKKKK Brazil is the same KKKK
It should be, considering the fares they charge and the subsidies they scum off us!
Then what problems did u experience, I too want to go to Germany
What people don't understand about the german university system: it's a fight for survival and not by accident. You have to pursue your education on your own. You're an adult and you have to take responsibility for your education, life and decisions. The motto is : if you can make it there, you make it anywhere.
It's you against the system.There are some students ( good ones in fact) who wouldn't want it any other way.If you succeed, you know your limits, capabilities and you have achieved a lot.😊
I think it is acutally a basic requirement for studying. You have to be independent, able to work on your own, be able to solve problems without anyone yapping it all out for you...I think that is the heart of studying, that is what it teaches! Having everything planned for you and just memorising what you are told is not studying.
@@endlessstudent3512
Memorisation shouldn't be underestimated. A lot of subjects ( including math) require it. It"s not everything, but definitely part of the deal.
@@charlottepeukert9095 of course it is. But specially the subject you mentioned, math, does not need much memorisation, but understanding. If you really understand the logic, you need not memorize and higher math usually is not even calculating anymore, its describing a theoretical solution. There are subjects that need a lot of memorisation, law and econimics for example. But university should teach critial thinking, problemsolving, self-organisation and the ability to apply the learned outside of the box. Tbh i think even highschool should teach that already, but the do not.
@@endlessstudent3512
Even math , at university level, requires memorisation. Not as much as other subjects, that's true.But even in math, you're not reinventing the wheel.
Most countries understand academic studying as a self-directed exercise. The vocational studies offer a more school like approach for the ones who prefer that
This was really interesting. I am from Switzerland and must admit that it's a big advantage to speak German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Thank you.
Lol! Yes.... a good idea to learn German... for Swiss people. Very hard,... but some did it... 🤣😉👍
@@AltIng9154 Of course it depends on where you are in Switzerland. We have four national languages.
It was a joke about swiss german not being german 😂@@LearnGermanwithMarzipanfrau
@@Unicalnetwork Haha :D
I have only listened to the first few minutes. Ugly side: ”high academic demands”; “understanding the subject”. Ugly side? I have seen the rest now. Ugly side: “speaking German in Germany”. Is that the ugly side? Is it the ugly side that you have to register for exams you want to sit? Sounds like normal responsibility. The only bad things are trains and the internet, which have noting to do with universities.
He’s just lazy
@@yesplatinum7956 I don't know, I think it's completely reasonable if someone preferred university courses where the final grade is determined by ongoing projects, along with a midterm and final. Preferring ongoing deliverables instead of a long lead up to a single make or break exam doesn't make a person lazy. For programming at least, I'd personally rather have a grade rely on a series of projects, but that's just personal preference. No reason to judge others for their preferences in how they'd like to learn, it's certainly good to know what to expect.
People coming from third world countries, don't bother worrying about these things. It's nothing, you're much more resilient and you CAN survive and thrive here.
That is 100% true
Taking the trouble to make this and other videos and providing all this useful information is very generous of you! Thanks!
Glad to hear that 🫶
I got a scholarship in Germany, finish my master's recently. Und alles gut gemacht. I am very thankful for this opportunity and Germany. All things are beautiful experience I had with Germany
Pls can you put me through on how you applied for the scholarships
Your guidance will really go a long way. I’m Balikiss from Nigeria and hoping to get free tuition university in germany
@@BalikissShantellTry Fintiba
Thank you for all of your information. Thinking about sending my son to college and you are providing 4:10 great info! I appreciate all the time and effort you have put into making these videos for people like us!
To further stress what he said at 2:10: Duly check how to register for modules AND the included seminars (which is often two separate steps, depending on the system used) and check the academic calendar (which is published waaay in advance) for the timeframe in which to sign up for your exams. Once the date is gone, it's gone. Period. This usually goes for cancelling your exam: Should you have signed up and then have the feeling that you are not that prepared, you can usually cancel your exam participation up to two weeks before the exam date.
I'm a German who worked at the registrar's/exam office at two universities. The number of students (mostly Germans, in fact) who got all this wrong or didn't even bother reading all this information really baffled me.
Your videos really helped me alot when I was applying for a visa
Thank you so much and keep up the good work!❤
happy that I could help 🫶
German Internet actually got pretty good, just compare it to the US and Canada just stay away from O2.
It depends on the region😅 In my region o2 is pretty good but Vodafone is terrible (i have never tested Telekom, i think its still the best but also the most expensive choice)
O2 ist best. Vodafone is shit
O2 is not as bad as it was some years ago. Nowadays it's actually the only one functioning in some otherwise dead spot areas when it comes to mobile reception.
Internet in some eastern european countries is much better. But in comparison to mobile internet in the US, home of Apple, Microsoft and Tesla, believe me, Germany is like paradise.
@@helmrichharms2225in the US most people have fibre glass in their home though, unlike Germany
this is so helpful! thank you :)
Glad it was helpful 🫶
I go to university in a small town in Saxony and we have over 40% international students. Most German students are used to having to communicate in English in bigger groups. Lectures are still mostly in German though and I just had a seminar today with about half of the students being international and while they mostly understood everything and participated in German because of their limited vocabulary the pace was so slow that the German students got quite bored.
I think while participating in student life can work very well when you know only a little bit of German, you need to know much more to be able to follow lectures and participate in seminars.
Where do you study?
Chemnitz?
I just start learning German and now, a single video make me stare at the celling for hours think if i even should go study in Germany
🤣
Love you bro, great as always❤
So I study at RWTH Aachen which is said to be one of the most difficult universities in Germany. And yeah it's challenging but you definitely learn a lot and the exam periods are stressful but it's also important for life to know how to deal with stress.
Love this attitude, most of the people usually just bash the difficulty of RWTH.
Good luck!
Stehaufmännchen!
I'm at KIT it's pretty similar, I just wish they would remake the exam schedule, it's so weird
As a student at TUM studying for data science, I feel like German universities are more or less like online universities except that you have to pass an exam and that they give eligible degrees.
No support from the school, an absurd student professor ratio.
My biggest regret in my life so far is that I did not go to English speaking countries for my master’s. Not because of the language but not only because of the invaluable connections you can get but also because of the full support you get.
Here, I don’t know, the school systems are terrible for degree seeking students. No offense but the universities sometimes look like they act as an asylums..
I went too far to go to another country and now I am stuck at the Uni. I am not a proactive student and for students like me, German universities are terrible as they don’t provide you the right path nor assistance.
Only the thing I like about German universities, no Germany is that it is easy to travel to neighboring countries. Other than that, I wish I had known more about Germany.
I hope people make the right decisions later.
I did my bachelors in the US and have stayed in several countries so far but Germany is the only country where I encountered the most rude people and the most unfriendly people.
I really wish I had know these facts before I made a decision to come here. The Germans I met in other countries gave me so good impressions about the country that I did not know that there would this huge difference lol.
Make wise decisions folks before you get stuck here like me.
thanks for heads up
Wow, thanks for this. I was under the impression that Germany would be good for me because their masters is a mix of coursework and research but I actually work best with good supervision and mentoring. I also have very limited knowledge of German and thought I could get away with it. I'm rethinking a lot now 😅😅
I can tell you what went wron with Deutsche Bahn. Privatisation. It all started when it was partially privatised. In the eighties the Deutsche Bahn was cheap and perfect.
For international students its a lot harder to study in germany. You have to proof that your income is high enough for your living costs and you have to proof that you doing good in uni otherwise you could loose your visum. I have a friend that is from vietnam. He studies here because its less expensive.
Make sure that you have a good support system and try to make friends who could help you in hard situations.
And uhm the ausländermelde amt is different in citys. In colone its very strict while in some cities besides that its much more gentle and agreeable.
@@sharisad9730 What's he ausländermelde amt ?
@@lawtraf8008 it is where you get a residential permit
About the registering for the exams, I guess that's also dependant on where and what you are studying, I experienced the opposite system where you are automatically in the exam and make up exam unless you are on sick leave by a doctor, so you automatically fail your exam twice if you registered for a course and then skip the exam while doing nothing, even when you do not attend the course a single time.
Thanks for that free Starter Kit Course, it's very helpful
You're very welcome 🫶
@@maxyoko can you make a video about „dual Studium“ ?
@@aleddineabsi4268 Next week ;)
7:01 when you showed us the average internet speed around the world, I looked at Germany and I looked at my home country, and turns out my home country has a slower internet then Germany so I don't think internet speed will be a big problem for me as I am used to slow speed internet 😅😅
You are so hardworking! Thanks for all this info!
Glad you liked it ❤️
Just because Germans are known for punctuality, they make it such a big deal if the trains don't fullfill their demands. In other countries nobody would worry about a delayed train, they simply don't have such high expectations. At UCLA you have no public transport and need a car. In munich you have public transport, but it's only 90% perfect. The difference is the expectation.
It's also the never ending strikes like each 2-3 months. When you depend on trains you might have no way to get to work or maybe with a delay of half a workday.
@@Blast-Forward during the year it's reliable, even strike you know in advance and take a bicycle or ask friends to join in the car.
Is brasil or indonesia better?
It's only worse than our expectations.
Are there less strikes in france or uk ?
@holger_p
Trains in Germany are bad. To say that expectations are the problem is absurd: we have the financial and technical means to solve DB problems but politics, bureaucracy and negligence get in the way. So next time if you go to a hospital and you don't get the treatment you need, or you get it too late, I hope you won't simply set for: "well it's just my exaggerated expectations that I should've got a timely, decent medical treatment. Never mind, it would've been worse if I lived in Indonesia".
I hope you are not a university student, because that would mean that German universities have serious problems too.
@@sug1733 Universities don't teach in a style of good or bad. There is always a way to do things better, but it's german mentality to transfer this idea into "everything sucks", or into always complaining, commonly spoken.
(Is there any topic Germans wouldn't complain about ? Your comment proofs me right).
Be aware of what you got, not so much on the things you haven't got.
"Bad" has no meaning, if you don't say what you compare with. Worse than in Switzerland: Yes, worse than in UK: No.
If you compare with the best, Germany is not among the 10 best maybe, but maybe it's on place 11 ;-)
Running trains as a profitable company was an idea of the 90ies. They forgot, profit means saving on investments, or closing down nonprofitable lines. It was a mistake, but not really a matter of bureaucracy.
Actually running the trains by bureaucrats, without intention to profit, would be the fullfillable vision you might talk about.
I finished university already. You talk like economy or business management was not part of your studies. Cause the problems with trains is exactly in this ambivalance. Is it economy (infrastructure) or business (profit).
@@holger_p
I hope that you're lying and are actually really young. Your "arguments" are banal and sound like from a 8-9 Klässler.
Otherwise it is not like German Universities have serious problems, but Germany is doomed.
The Internet even differs in the same city or neighborhood. Sometimes in your house the internet sucks while your neighbor is 100% fine.
Also what you described is not true for any university course. In my field of study you can’t just go on holiday during semester, you have to give talks, work together with other students, do internships etc.
So there is not 1 phase with exams but the whole semester (including the time without lectures) there are exams from time to time. Sometimes very spontaneously so you can’t even plan beforehand.
Every coin has two sides but you explained this worse side in a very informative way. The production quality has improved so so much.
Thanks for being here from the beginning!
video starts with positive things about Germany like 'high quality education', only to list as the #1 'ugly side' at 0:19 _high academic demands in Germany_ . one would have thought the 'high quality education' goes hand-in-hand with 'high academic demands'. it's a bit difficult to have the one without the other, isn't it?
This is it mate! 1m for sure ❤
That was all very good advice. I have lived in Germany for a long time and have seen two of my children go through university, and can confirm everything Max Yoko says about studying and living in Germany from the fast pace of the first couple of years at university to the terrible trains, the less than speedy Internet and the importance of learning German to make the most of your time in Germany.
Summary
Studying in Germany has its challenges, including high academic demands, an unreliable train system, the need for German language skills, and slow internet speeds. However, there is support available and opportunities for growth with the right resources.
Highlights
🎓 High academic demands: Studying in Germany requires a deep understanding of subjects rather than memorization.
🚆 Unreliable train system: Germany’s train system is often late and prone to strikes, causing frustration for commuters.
🗣 Need for German language skills: Speaking German is crucial for success in daily life and accessing more opportunities.
🌐 Slow internet speeds: Germany’s internet connection is known for being slow and unreliable, hindering productivity.
💼 Support available: Tutoring, study groups, and coaching programs offer assistance to students navigating the challenges.
📚 First two semesters are the hardest: Many students find the initial semesters to be the most difficult in terms of workload.
💡Germany’s Starter Kit: A free online course provides guidance on setting up life in Germany and overcoming common challenges.
Key Insights
⚡ High academic demands: The German university system focuses on understanding subjects rather than rote memorization, requiring students to be independent learners.
🚂 Train system woes: Germany’s train system is notorious for its delays, strikes, and poor service, causing inconvenience and frustration for commuters.
📚 Importance of German language skills: While many Germans can speak English, fluency in German is necessary for everyday tasks and opens up more opportunities.
🌐 Internet struggles: Germany’s internet connection is slower and less reliable compared to other countries, posing challenges for online activities and productivity.
🤝 Support systems: Despite the challenges, there are resources available such as tutors, study groups, and coaching programs to help students succeed.
🎒 First semesters can be tough: The initial semesters of university in Germany can be particularly demanding, requiring students to adapt to the workload and academic expectations.
🆓 Germany’s Starter Kit: A free online course called Germany’s Starter Kit provides valuable information and guidance for navigating life in Germany, including setting up essential services and overcoming common challenges.
I feel this things apply for every country and are (except the trains being late) common to almost all countries.
You always need to know the local language to be a local.
There are always exams.
Course organziation/ sign up for exams etc. is difficult for everyone and everywhere since its something you never did before.
what you describe isnt the same for all german universities. a lot do take attendance and a lot dont put all exams in a two week period after the semester. even homework is optional in some classes, but mandatory in others, completely depending on the lecturer and university.
Hugely interesting the point about trains! When I lived and studied in Germany some 40 years ago, you could set your watch to the arrival of trains in the station! And that was also the reputation the DB enjoyed. I am hearing from friends that the country’s infrastructure has been on the decline for a long time and trains appear to be no exception…
Yes... it worked like a Swiss clockwork.... but than they got the idea to follow the Anglo-Saxons business model! Find a wealthy idiot to do the investment! Uhm... not easy to find wealthy idiots... . Meanwhile it is rotten to the core!
Terrible! It will take 20 years to repair the mess!
Ralph, the complaining about trains can only be made by people who commute much on a daily basis (or even more by those who never take a train and nag about it just by hearsay). I travel extensively throughout Germany and everywhere the trains are fine and almost always on time. And it takes me everywhere even to remote places. Or you have very good bus lines. We are complaining on a high level! Moreover the last 3-4 years the DB had extensive work to do with building new rails for the fast trains, which until then had to take the rails of the regional trains. And that nationwide! Can you imagine that effort with a net of rails which add up to 40.000km? And of course those works affected all lines throughout the country.
@@juttaweise Thanks for that, Jutta. After 35 years in London, I have totally lost contact with Germany so I cannot judge which views are accurate and which ones aren’t.
Yes... you are right... I am 64 and can remember.... but than they got the idea to follow the Anglo-Saxon business model ... is a must to do. Madness! The idea was: Stop investment, sell a heap scrap metall and let stupid investors do the investment. But the investors got the idea: Do the investment and I buy it for 1 €. :-))))
Lets gooooo❤ so helpful!
How to know someone is truly German: they keep on ranting about the Deutsche Bahn (german train company) for hours.
yes we always rant on a very high level. Maybe too spoiled? ;o))
But unfortunately it is true that it is a mess now! I am 64 and I used it several times the last 4 months and it was always late, often dirty or just did not even getcstarted. Canceled train... because of sick traindrivers! My sister drove me to the next city for example or picked me up when I stranded at a previous city! 50 km distance. At night after a delay of hours. Does she live in a village? Well, a village with almost 80.000 inhabitants. :-)
I will be honest the first thing isn't bad for me. My high school-aka British high school system except for international students- was like that and I loved it! I like to fully understand everything, and this can slow me down, not to mention I'm already a slow learner. But exams usually accounted for everything and checked whether you did understand or not and not just your solving skills or how much you have memorized. This was perfect for me; if I don't have good teachers, quite rare though, and understanding took a lot of time to the point I couldn't practice enough, I could still pass with A*'s for all subjects except A levels always A's. Also, attendance contributed nothing to my grade. I don't know why but if I don't understand my teachers to a good degree, I fall asleep. No matter how much I try not. So, attendance counting to my grade is just a waste of time; I'll fall as sleep anyway 15 minutes through the lesson. Also, I don't have to feel burnout after each midterm cause they didn't account for my grade anyway. I studied for them, but they weren't as mentally tiring as the finals.
My university, however, is different. There's midterm and final exam. Attendance count. Sometimes even homework counts and having to do Homeworks for a bad teacher that you cannot keep up with anyway is exhausting.
The only good thing I learned is to study faster, because most of the time I cannot finish, and to not dwell too much on details (basically how to study efficiently without a teacher lol) anyway good teachers are irrelevant to any system. So, the only good thing the new system did to me was learning to work in groups. The rest are downfalls, stress, and waste of time.
Note that the exam period depends on the university. At RWTH Aachen you are lucky to have 1 month free at the end of the semester. I have had 2 weeks to 2 days between the last exam and first day of class. My course is particularly bad though
We were in Germany for a month and I found the trains and transit great compared to what I am used to. Same with the internet and phone connection. Everything is relative.
After living for 6 and a half years in Germany I am habituated to do assignment, project work , power point presentation and delivering speech because to be honest you will be assessed based on all of these part. I have learnt all these things through nursing Ausbildung.
Concerning exams: every subject has their own way of handling this. When you study humanities it can happen that you will not take a single exam in your whole stay at university and you will only write term papers. Also signing up for those can be handled quite differently from subject to subject. For example where I study you will not be registered for the term paper until you hand it in and the prof updates your grade. Also the deadline of these papers is often up for discussion with your prof. But I would recommend checking in with your seniors and ask how it is handled at your faculty. Sadly most of the "Fachspezifischen Bestimmungen" and "Prüfungsordnungen" are not translated.
It is exactly the same as in France, aside from the fact thet in frace there is also "classes préparatoires" which is inimaginable work 😅
Hi Max, just found your channel and you have lots of great content on living in Germany! As an American who's lived in there on two separate occasions, I can definitely relate to a lot of the points you described in this video. Germany is a country that is near and dear to my heart as it was my first trip outside of the U.S., but I never realized these challenges until I got older. I first traveled to Germany in 2008 while doing a high school summer exchange program with our sister school in Bavaria. It was very laid back and only a six-week program, so thankfully my classmates and I from the U.S. didn't require student visas, bank accounts, or anything else that required the dreaded German bureaucracy (other than our initial applications to participate in this exchange). Furthermore, we all lived with outstanding German host families who took care of us, and our studies at our host gymnasium came second to cultural experiences like tourism and sightseeing, that was really the name of the game (plus we didn't receive any grades in our classes since we were only short-term visiting exchange students). That was one of the best memories of my high school career and this first trip to Germany helped start my passion and career in foreign affairs.
Then fast forward to 2022 when I applied to do a research project at a German university through an academic research grant, and I came to realize a lot of the challenges you mentioned in your video. Gone were the days of having German teachers and loving host families to take care of everything for me, gone was the hand-holding that I had during my summer exchange as a teenager. I had to figure out all the logistics of applying for my student visa, finding an apartment in my host city, registering with my host university, getting a German bank account, and getting a sim card for my phone pretty much all on my own. My academic research program gave us an orientation and offered some resources on navigating the hellscape that is the German bureaucratic system, but it really didn't offer much. Thankfully it was my colleagues and our mutual support for one another and trying to figure out these steps as we went along that helped me get through everything. While I love the German language and still enjoy speaking it, I also never had to use it for such serious matters until I returned to Germany for my research grant. Like you said, I needed it for daily tasks such as opening my bank account, attending appointments at my local Ausländerbüro, going to the dentist, asking for directions, and trying to reason with angry service workers in different places I'd go. Furthermore, you were on point about the trains. While I was satisfied with the trains when they ran smoothly and on time, I was astonished at how frequently there would be delays or how some trains would be cancelled, and even sometimes leave me stranded in some cities. Regardless of these experiences, I'll always love Germany and would love to continue visiting for vacations.
Signing up sim card was not that difficult if you follow the instructions also the customer service during Video call to confirm id spoke fluent English. It took sometime but i got my Deutsch handy nummer fine.😊
As a german, I can 100% agree with the difference of standards in university. When I studied in Spain, I was irritated because nobody was listening until the Prof said "this is relevant for passing the exam" and everyone took a pencil and wrote it down. After the first months, my Spanish Co students recognized, that I write "at the wrong moment". They were very cute in offering me their notes, because they feared I would not excel the exams. After three months, when I could talk better, the quality of questions I asked enlightened the professor. Because I was trying to understand the topic instead of passing the exams. 😂❤
And as a lecturer now, I can tell that we will grill you for barbecue if you just learned it by heart and repeat it like a robot without being able to understand and applying it. 😊
I get some of your points but not attending lectures that are meant to prepare you for your exams and then suffering under a huge workload during the finals is on you. German universities focus on self-organization and self-responsibility. I can only speak for human sciences but I actually found studying in the US to be a lot harder. The reading tasks are tougher in the US since they want you to have a broader view on the topic rather than understanding the texts in depths. Therefore you have to read a lot more in less time. This and the trimester system result in a very short and packed period of finals where everything is cramped in a week and there is almost no time left for writing papers. In the end it all comes down to which system fits you better, I guess.
Interesting. Maybe you hit the nail on the top. I don't know the US system but my Profs. where not interested in broader understanding. It was more to visit a dentist... :-).
Great info!
In Germany, we tend to speak english with foreigners, such as tourists. And with friends from other countries. But our universities are only using german. Don't fool yourself, B1 or B2 won't be sufficient to understand your professor. B1 is enough for tourists, B2 for expatriates, but a university lectures are completelly different. If you want to study philosophy - read Kant. Psychology? - Freud. Physics? - Einstein. You need at least C1 to get at least through some pages of these books. Yes, university in Germany is free, but you have to invest a lot of effort before even starting.
There are English speaking programms...
If you want to study in French, Spanish or Italian, study in France, Spain or Italy.
Physics, Engineering... etc. got their own language... called maths, right? :-)
@@AltIng9154 Let's start with chemistry: What's that? "Natronlauge"
Physics: "Berechnen wir jetzt die Beschleunigung".
Maths: "Sie begegnen einem Mann mit Gamsbart am Hut. Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass es sich um einen Touristen handelt?"
If you understood these, and if you are able to answer in German - ok, go on. Btw. These are questions from school.
IT: "Schreiben Sie ein Programm, das für ein Sparkonto Zinseszinsen berechnen kann. Als Eingabe benötigen Sie die Höhe der Einlage, Datum der Einlage und Datum der Abhebung/Überweisung. Der Zinsatz beträgt 0,25%p.a. "
- if you prefer humanities, like philosophy, theology, languages, education... Then just buy a book and try and read it. Because this is what you are going to do every day. Quite a nice test whether your language skills are sufficient for the subject you want to study.
- it is possible, there are many students from other nations, but due to our language, it is really hard. You must be willing to learn about 50 new words per day in the first year (estimated).
@@himmel-erdeundzuruck5682 Klar, Textaufgaben sind ja auch nicht selten falsch formuliert! Ich wollte damit nur ausdrücken, dass es wesentlich einfacher ist, eine technisch/physikalische Aufgabe zu verstehen, unter Voraussetzung, dass man gut in diesen Fächern ist, als dass man irgendwelchen philosophischen Formulierungen folgt. Wenn jetzt jemand ein Ass in Chemie ist, dann versteht er sicher eine Aufgabe, wenn z.B. nur ein Teil einer Reaktionsformel aufgeschrieben ist. Physikalische Aufgabenstellungen sind meistens mit Skizzen versehen, ... man sieht schon, worum es geht. Ein paar Hauptwörter übersetzt, ... Problem gelöst! USW.
I studied in English
Damn 7 exams is actually crazy. I study Biology and we have between 3-4 exams per semester - and I didnt put any exams into the future yet and I am already in my 4th semester. But I guess that is different from university to university and from subject to subject. We tend to have some more practical courses than some other subject. Still I dont think I have ever heard of someone else of my friends needing to do 7 exams. Also one note, here at FAU in Erlangen at our subject they tend to stretch the exams a little bit more out, so you have a little more time to prepare for each one normally, so this also differs from subject to subject. My Computer science and engineering friends do have most of their exams in a 2-3 weeks period too, like you.
10 yrs late is flattering. 10 yrs ago I stayed with relatives in Lithuania. Perfect internet, perfect wifi availability, perfect mobile phone connectivity. - It‘s great that Germany has 9 neighbouring countries and there are dual sim or dual country mobile flat offers in each of them!!!
One thing to add: I never had 7 exams in a week. It highly depends on your field of study. Doing history for example, we had mostly term papers, not many tests.
good... it can be even worse than what he shows, depending on ur personal life, like which city, which area u live in, the type of friends u make, hw well u adapt to things, the part time job u do... its an uncertain rollercoaster. Its much more straightforward back in India, with good colleges even offering placements. German colleges do not care if u get employed or not.
I don't know what are you studying but not every subject is equal. I did study Lebensmittelchemie and I definitely had no time for a vaccation in Italy during the semester. Science based studies are heavy in labwork and we often miss the lectures so we could finish our lab assignments. Besides getting marks for the lab assignments, we also had short oral examens after each assignment. So we didn't have the big exam at the end of the semester...only when passing from basic sciences to food chemistry and then for the masters and the professional degree.
7 exams in 2 weeks doesn't sound that bad to me cause im persuing my bsc in psychology in india and we have like 7 exams in 15 days
same lol ,for my BTech in Aerospace.
"The ugly truth" you are adults who are expected to actually UNDERSTAND what you are learning and don't get everything mothfeed.
It is totally good that you have to go to the prüfungsamt, because it gives you the possibility to not take an exam if you feel like this semester you won't make it, without getting a failed exam. You can repeat the course next time, with no repercussions.
This guy is the best❤,the course is so rich of informations
Love u!
I can confirm about the strike.
My father was working in Italy for 1 year. And in one week atleast 2 times there was train strike and everytime they had to use different route which is 45 min late. Even when we visited him we planned to go to paris. But again the same issue our train got cancelled and we cancelled the trip.
This is a big surprise for me as all my past knowledge of Germany represents trains on time, strong high tech and fast internet…….not so
I think especially berlin offers many opportunities for non Germans so theres a very big international community there.
But in cities like Hamburg and munich thats already much more limited.
Also, Germans tend to widly overestimate their ability to speak English. If you need to communicate in german with them, its not because they are unwilling to speak English, they probably dont understand. For starter, dont expect any person without a degree to be able to understand anything beyond very basic English.
Besides, the isolation in bubbles goes beyond the language factor. Germans are very stuck in their ways and usually not open to making new friends. They're also not very flexible accommodating or likely to initiate social activities. thats why you'll probably end up hanging out with other foreigners, even if you do speak a decent German.
How about Dortmund?
Never been there, but it's way smaller than Hamburg and Munich... But they say that west Germans are nicer
@@M-tl4xt Is Dortmund west Germany?? Also, is it diverse or not at all?
The thing that went wrong with the DB was the partial privatisation. It´s basically the worst of private and gouvernment owned.
Privatization is amazing if you have competition. If it’s a private state backed monopoly, then it’s the worst thing imaginable.
Facts on 💯“You’ve to be a Beast and You’ve to Perform “ 😂😂 Nice Video
Thanks a lot!
When Ur talking about trains,this Is nothing tò compare with Italy.I am living there for last 45 years.every week you have delays likes 2 tò 3 hours.sometimes they cancelld the train.That Is real nightmare.
"Have to understand the subject..." Sounds very much like the old O-level and A-level exams back in the 1970s British system. You had to understand and explain your answer in exams. And the university regimen sounds very like the UK one used to be. You didn't have to turn up to lectures, but you were required to submit any assignments on time and pass the exams.
Yes, true. I can remember when I was sitting in an exam what would be called "Electrical Physics" at other places. I read , read, read,...for hours.... at least I wrote almost nothing on the paper. The joke was, I passed this exam! Others" produced" heaps of paper but failed.
well if all the public fund money has gone into building streets for cars for decades but money for the train system was cut down till it hurts
For everybody planning on doing similar stuff in austria: DONT!
Austria is an extremly hostile place to international students. Even if you speak german, without the accident you get called a Pifke (negative word for german) and you get uneasy stares. As a viennese guy myself, i cant recommend it to international students, because you might feel like you are developing yourself, but you are just a pain in the ass for locals
I have completed my nursing diploma or Ausbildung from Germany and trust me the exam,class ,lessons and grading structure is almost the same like university.You will be assessed based on your group presentation, role play and ppt. As I am a foreigner therefore I was being left alone to do things almost on my own or independently. Thankfully, I was actually successful to complete projects assignments on my own and scoring good grades without the help of any group. Yes, there would always be weekly klausur and that was important!
The trains were fine in the 1980s. I heard that it’s because of labor shortages that performance has gotten worse.
even if nobody is talking about it, but one thing is sure, since the jabs, people get ill all the time. For services
this is terrible. One can see this best at all schools, where teachers have started to get ill over and over again.
Schools have to find replacements, which means the children have to adapt all the time to a new teacher. I have
followed my grandsons schooldays over the past 11 years and all the mess started around 4y ago. And this
phenomenon is visible in all sectors of daily life! Incl. trainservices, hospitals and all industries!
yes the train system is ... special ... it's far less relyable as it should be .. but it's worlds apart of anything offered in the US .. IF there's offered anything
and as if i summoned a demon .. i had to use a s-bahn yesterday .. which was stopped and we where released to do some u-bahn hops to get to the right ubahn to then get home because some one decided to use the bahn to end him/her self ... *sigh*
Bro when will you post your video on ausbildung
By the way great work ❤❤
As soon as possible :)
There are currently a lot of videos in the making
trains are late but you can travel the whole country and more for 50 euros a month, which is amazing for students (they probably pay even less)
Internet speed ist not the best, ok, but its getting better every year and in my opinion its a big difference from 2-3 Years ago, not only in terms of speed but also in terms of prices.
Another pitfall of studying in germany is that there is no "unified system". Your two weeks of hell exam period can take place during the last two weeks of lectures, first two weeks of the "lecture free period", or all exams will be spread out over the next three months potentially preventing you from going on vacation/doing an internship or working at the time (at least, depending on the exams and lecturers. at least leaving the country becomes quite a hassle). One university may start their coursework 1-2 months earlier than another. Usually, two exam dates need to be offered in case you miss one (eg due to illness) but the second one can be two weeks after the first or even 8 months (both have happened to me). Every department, sometimes every lecturer, do their own thing.
This popped up in my feed for some reason😂 And I found it fun to watch. So I’m now living in Switzerland, never been a student here, came here to do a postdoc at ETH (after my doctoral studies in the USA) and ended up staying here. But I worked in university and I know many foreigners who did their PhD (including my husband) and masters here as well… So I can compare a bit. 1) The load - it’s probably the same. Really bad, I heard people struggling. 2) Trains and transport is excellent in Switzerland. This is actually one of my fav things in this country. Super super reliable. 3) German - depends on the part of the country you are in. (There 3 real state languages in Switzerland). Not sure how it works in the French part or Italian part, but in Zurich at least all (or at least most) of graduate degrees are in English. Also, in Zurich English is unofficially the second language. You basically never need German in your every day interactions. (I don’t want to go into details that Swiss people speak a pretty strong dialect that is not even intelligible to some Germans, but they know high German obviously as well, since the schooling system is in it and the newspapers and so on). I think while you are studying you can survive without German or without good German for sure. It changes when you are looking for a job. Then you will need it. The only exception is IT. The language of IT in Switzerland is English. German would be an advantage, for sure, but it’s possible to get a job in Switzerland in IT with zero knowledge of it… So I guess, it looks less tough than Germany… Not really. There are some special cons there… 1) Prices. It’s very expensive. If you don’t have a local scholarship - prepare a lot of cash. 2) Immigration-wise it’s super tight for people outside of EU. (I’m not from EU, so I know). Germany is a joke regarding getting a job permit compared to Switzerland. So… that’s all from me.
yoo,dude im planning to do my ug at german next year can any one guide me,(like where to study,daily living stuff)
and im from india
There are plenty of videos on this channel :)
I would like to ask one question only: in what language are the subjects taught in Germany_ in English or German. The reason I inquire about this is because in many countries including mine subjects can be taught in two languages but English terminologies are still utilized in my native language so typically English is almost always is preference. Please tell me what's the situation there in Germany.
There are German and English-taught programs in Germany. But most degree programs do have English elements, especially in Computer Science for example
But video on that is coming soon!
@@maxyoko Would you confirm for physics, math, chemistry or engineering field?
Servus! Ich plane auch schon lange in Deutschland zu studieren aber es ist immer noch nicht ganz klar was brauche ich dazu. Ich wohne und arbeite schon 3 und halbes Jahren lang hier. Ich habe endlich schon mein Schulabschlusskopies übergesetzt, ich muss nur schon abschicken zu anerkennen lassen. Meine Frage sind über die Aufnahmeprüfungen. C1 Hochschule Sprachprüfung muss man zu haben zu anfangen oder b2 kann auch schon genug sein (ich habe Deutsch und Englisch beide B2)? Wenn ich habe c1 muss ich Aufbahmeprüfung auf Deutsch immer noch machen oder nur wenn ich niedrigere Stufe habe? Matheprüfung muss man immer schreiben oder nur wenn man Abiturnote nicht so gute hat?
Die meisten Unis in Deutschland nehmen international Studenten, die auf dem B2 Level Deutsch sind. Nicht jede Uni hat eine Aufnahmeprüfung
Sehr gut, dass du B2 hast, informiere dich am besten über die Voraussetzungen für den jeweiligen Kurs
Danke für deine Antwort! Dann kontaktiere ich direkt sie Unis.
Man kann an den Unis einen sogenannten DSH Kurs mit Zertifikat machen, wenn B2 nicht ausreicht. Man muss sich dann via Uni Assist bewerben als würde man sich beim Studium selbst bewerben. DSH wird normalerweise uni-übergreifend anerkannt d.h. Man kann es auch an einer anderen Uni machen als der, an der man wirklich studieren will. Ist aber dann ggf. bei der Bewerbung umständlicher.
No way, I live in Czechia and the 3 main Internet providers are the exact same... germanisation persists
Very helpfull video, I might move to Deutschland one day but not soon (im 14)
An Interesting fact about the statistic that 36% of trains are „late“ is that in the statistic a train is considered late only when being late for more than 6 minutes. I‘d say over 80% of trains during the day are late here
Great video blud 👍 , I have a question. I used the DAAD web to check if my high school certificate meets the requirement of studying in Germany but unfortunately it does not. But I saw something talking about getting certain grades and getting accepted and that info is contradicting.
I think that's the case for most foreigner's... You have to take Studienkolleg for 1 or 2 semesters. And all international students I know took like a year of German classes in their home country to prepare for Studienkolleg and studies in general
Why the "Free Germany Starter Kit Course" link is not working?
It's supposed to be working.
Deutsche Bahn!!!!!! I am old enough to have experienced Bundesbahn BEFORE it was privatised. THEN it was proverbial for punctuality - since then ALL the privatised sectors have gone down in efficiency, less available outside the Metropole regions but MUCH MUCH more expensive
Basically, the exam period depends on the university I think. My current exam period with three actual exams is three months. Two weeks is rough regardless.
I'm South African and honestly the only thing that has me a bit shook is the language learning. Apart from that, everything you mentioned is probably worse here 😂 Thank you so much though. This video has been very informative.
Gonna have to pick up and actually study it for your life to be a bit easier. It's the same everywhere if English isn't the first language, learn the local language.
I speak swiss german and germans make fun of me. I guess they really expect from me to speak only in high german 😅
Nah fuck them. I'm German and I love the Swiss accent. They're just jealous.
Hä wieso studierst du in Deutschland wenn ich fragen darf?
We make fun of every other dialect as well. I'm just jealous, because I don't have any accent and I love them, especially the swiss one is very cute
Ha, ha... I was angrily blamed : "... Sie sprechen ja Schriftdeutsch!" . I am a native German! A fishead in Bavaria.... for a while. :-)
@@meno437 Ich schreibe meine Bachelorarbeit in Deutschland. Die Umstellung von Schweizerdeutsch zu Hochdeutsch ist schwerer als ich dachte
4:47 . Taking advantage of the free education that is funded by the citizen's tax money and asking where is the tax money going? LoL
I lived many years in France and there are a lot of things which the french have to pay a lot for, which is free for us
and which we take for granted. Or our activities we can do in our free time, which costs almost nothing becuase some
of our taxes go to support those, the french have to pay a lot of money for. Germans complaining about high taxes should
take this into consideration!
You think students come empty handed ?
You see many people from different cultures studying as a good thing?
The hyper diverse cosmopolitan people were my biggest nightmare during uni time, I didn't know it was possible to dislike people that much
Is there a difference between college life and university life? I’m thinking of going to college rather than university in Germany but majority of the people are talking about university. Can someone please explain it to me so I’m so lost rn😭
U said that talk more and connect with people for learn German language, but i am vary shy type of person 😢, you are Japanese right so u understand weel, so i want confidence to talk with other people so i think you also can make vedios on networking and social communication and i know your vedios are too good well research and amazing content so i hope u make vedios like that😊
You will build that confidence in no time just don't worry😁👍
@@RandAlThot 😊😇
A good idea is to ask the few contacts you have and feel somewhat comfortable with to stark speaking German with you. They won't be bothered by all your mistakes and will help you learn this way.
I know that issue... My personal recommendation would be to just look for people with the same hobbies/interests, e.g. to join a club and not to focus solely on the language side. This way it's easier to get to know people and actually make friends. And imo it's easier to learn a language if you combine it with activities that are actually fun.
If you want to get over your shyness, in Germany when in public transport, say something nice to an older person next to you. You can say "I like your jacket" or even just talk about the weather. Most old people in Germany will like having a small chat in the bus and so you can practice speaking to strangers this way.
Great video. Thank you so much.
You're welcome!
Very helpful. The train system used to be very punctual when I was stationed there. Late 80sto mid 90s.
Question... I have a chance to get my German citizenship through the "newer" program because my mother was German. This would alow my daughter to also potentially qualify for German citizenship.
Do you have a video on the pros and cons of attending German University as a citizen vrs a foreign student?
Ie. There are more financial aid / scholarships discounts or costs savings for citizens vrs foreign students. No student visas, work visas. Blocked accounts, etc.🤔
She's fluent in Spanish and English just now starting to learn German. Using Pimsleur.
Great free course 👍 halfway through it now.
Do you offer consulting services?
The 'newer' citizenship rights, only relate to your miminal stay period. It's reduced from 8 years to 5 years residence. This is not really an option for students, if you want to stay 5 years first, before starting to study.
Childrens of German citizens are automaticly German citizens. So your case of having a German mother but not German citizenship must be very rare and special, unless with "beeing german" you don't talk about citizenships. A german mother not teaching their kids german sounds very strange also.
If this is a 3-generation problem, you talk about your mother and your daughter ? This doesn't count.
If you mum is a German (and didn’t give up the German citizenship) and you can bring the needed papers you should be able to get the citizenship.
actually taking into account my own case, your mother should apply for your german citizenship. Which takes a lot of
papers. It's easier if you have lived with your mother in Germany for a time and get a doc from that towns townhall of your registration. I did that for my 2 children at the end 1980 where I had just 2 weeks time to the deadline. After that it became much more difficult. Maybe it is easier today with new laws. Btw I always talked to my children in german, one reason being I wanted them
to have a good connection to their german grandparents and family. Even though not living in Germany at that time they had no problem and are both fluent. I never understood mothers not doing that, taking away the advantage of learning a difficult language effortlessly, compared to when having to learn it as an adult.
@@holger_p the automatic citizenship only applys if they live or have lived in Germany a certain time. If they have
been living abroad every parent has to apply for their children to get the citizenship, one does not get it automatically.
About the train system: it might have gone bad for the last couple of years. I'm brazilian, but i lived in Germany for 1 year between 2016-2017.
There were some delay sometimes but it wasn't that bad