The good, the bad and the ugly side of living in a student dorm

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Farah Khan

If you are moving into a student dormitory and you have no clue what goes down there, this blog may give you some idea of the interesting world of shared living. While most of us have the experience of living with other people thanks to our family homes, living with strangers, that too from different backgrounds, is a different ballgame altogether. Here, I share with you the best, the not so great and some downright painful things about living in student dorms. Diversity While travelling to a ...

Finding your dream study program

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Christina

Once you have finished your Abitur the world lies at your feet: time to get started! But where do you want to go? What do you want to do next? What do you want to study? These are not easy decisions to make in this jungle of 1000 possibilities. According to a study by the CHE (Center for Higher Education Development), there are approximately half a million new students each year. School leavers have to make important life choices, and nowadays there is so much choice that it is easy to fe...

Short Profile: The Uni Library

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Christina

Guardian of all printed knowledge: that’s the university library, also affectionately known as the ‘Bib’ from the German word Bibliothek. Students have free access to over one million books shared between two locations in Stuttgart. The building that houses the university library in the city center has existed in its current form since 1961. In what was at that time considered a pioneering departure, Hans Volkart constructed a building inspired by modern American libraries with public acc...

Working during your studies

Posted on November 9, 2016November 12, 2016 by Christopher

Working part-time is sometimes not just the cherry-on-top for your CV,but can become a necessity to get by. According to the 20th survey by the German Student Service (“Deutsche Studentenwerk”), the average student in Germany is 24 years old and has 864 euros per month at his/her disposal. 25% has less than 675 Euros monthly to get by, while the top 25% has over 1000 Euros. For others that are not eligible for BAföG1 (i.e. foreign students) or receive a negligible amount, the reality is tha...

Don’t be Scared of Oral Examinations

Posted on October 31, 2016October 31, 2016 by Christina

For many students, oral examinations are simply hell: The cause of sleepless nights, sweaty palms and temporary blackouts. They evoke associations with words like, blackout, embarrassment, arbitrary questions and/or losing your voice. Adrenalin is pumping through your body, your mind has gone foggy, and your thoughts are either racing or frozen. You want to escape as soon as possible; and if possible never come back. Yup, we are talking about oral examinations. As always, there are many ...

Exam Prep

Posted on October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 by Christopher

Studying. Stu-DYING. The word "dying" is part of the word and yet most of your time at Uni will (should!) be spent on this, so having a good study plan is essential. The workload at Uni is miles beyond high school, be it depth or breadthwise and yet freshmen underestimate it despite repeated warnings of the fact. Romy’s post has some excellent strategies on how to get better grades and I decided to chime in with other ideas that may prove to be of some use. If you are a Civil Engineering stu...

First Steps

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Christopher

Studying in a foreign country is an enriching experience, you get to learn a new language, a new culture and you get to view things with a different lens. Germany is a beloved destination for students worldwide, due to low (if any) tuition fees, world-class education/reputation as well as a strong economy that enables highly qualified graduates to stay on after their courses. This is a short guide that has the issues that you will have to keep in mind as an international student. I have purp...