New language classes in downtown Cochin

In June 2014, the German Study Centre Cochin (DSZ) merged into the Western European Language Institute (WELI). WELI offers innovative classes in the four Western European languages (German, English, French and Dutch). The classes will be conducted in a new locality in downtown Cochin (near MG Road). WELI's approach incorporates elements of the teaching methodology of famous linguists Michel Thomas and Paul Pimsleur. The Thomas-Pimsleur approach enables students to focus on communicative skills with authentic pronunciation and to acquire grammatical structures intuitively. WELI also offers tuition sessions in English, French and German for school children and personalised counselling on higher studies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

For more information, please call 0484-2372370 or 8086880388 or write to weli.cochin@gmail.com.

The “5 Qs” that may decide your future

International applicants to Germany's prestigious public universities face increasingly stiff competition. The number of young people from all over the world who wish to study in Europe's most populous and economically strongest country has been on the rise for many years now. This trend has become particularly conspicuous after the 2008 economic meltdown that severely affected two of the world's leaders in international education, the US and the UK. In the following years, Germany has emerged not only as Europe’s economic powerhouse but also as one of the most popular destinations for higher studies worldwide. A recent survey by a Dutch educational website placed Germany at the third position in Europe regarding the satisfaction of international students – ahead of the three other major European nations France, Great Britain and Italy.

Unfortunately, Germany's largely government-financed, low-fees higher education system has not only come into the focus of international education seekers but has also developed into a target for commercial interests. The country's high-quality public universities are nowadays heavily marketed by so-called “educational consultancies” in many parts of the world, including the South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Cut-throat competition in this mushrooming sector has induced many “consultancies” to rely on aggressive marketing tactics that are a far cry from accepted business ethics. Charges are often exorbitant, and much of the information provided misleads rather than informs prospective students.

When advertising the course offerings of Germany's public universities, some basic facts of a tax-funded higher education system are frequently overlooked. A university that depends on public financing (i.e. taxes) basically operates like any other government bureaucracy. It only has a limited capacity to adapt to a changing environment, in this case, to a rapid increase in the number of applicants from abroad. Adjustments are usually slow in coming, if they take place at all. Whereas private educational institutions that charge substantial tuition fees will react to increased demand by simply employing more lecturers and offering new courses, this is either impossible for their public counterparts or involves a lengthy administrative procedure of applying for additional government funds.

Thus, international applicants to German public universities should consider carefully whether they are personally and academically qualified enough to succeed in a highly competitive admission environment. The practice of some “consultancies” to recruit candidates on a purely commercial basis (“whoever pays the counselling fees is eligible”) can turn into a frustrating experience for many applicants. More and more of them find themselves without a seat after several months of preparation and application, which consumes time, money and energy. Others, especially at undergraduate level, make it to Germany but get stranded inside the country due to overcrowded preparatory courses that some universities organise for non-European school leavers.

In order to avoid unpleasant surprises later on, do a “benchmarking test” as early as possible by asking yourself the following “5 Qs”. Answering these questions honestly will give you a clear idea whether you stand a realistic chance of being admitted to one of Germany’s public universities and to complete your chosen programme successfully:

(Q1) Is my academic performance clearly and consistently above average, i.e. do I generally obtain marks above 70% and / or do I belong to the best 10% in my  batch? German universities select their students mainly on the basis of their prior academic achievements. If you are a graduate student, you should prove that your qualification stands up to international comparison by presenting good scores in internationally valid tests such as GRE or GMAT. (See also my blog entry on the benchmark of eligibility.)

(Q2) Do I have a sufficient command of the English language? Most study programmes at German universities are still taught in German, but there is an increasing number of English-medium courses. Becoming a successful student in one of these courses requires more than average IELTS / TOEFL scores and a command of colloquial English. You need advanced English language skills in all four competencies (reading, writing, listening, speaking) to complete an English-taught study programme at a German university.

(Q3) Am I prepared to cope with a German-speaking environment? Germany is a monolingual country where English is not used as a second language in everyday life. The widespread English fluency that is sometimes observed in some neighbouring countries like Denmark or the Netherlands cannot be expected as a matter of fact in Germany. To get on with your life off-campus you need at least basic (and possibly intermediate) knowledge of German.

(Q4) Is my financial background sound enough to carry me through several years of studies in a country where living expenses may be much higher than in my home country? Don’t be misled by Germany’s no-tuition-fees policy: You will need app. 9,000 EUR per year to support yourself. Education may be cheap in Germany; rents and food prices are not. Part-time jobs are difficult to find unless you are fluent in German and stipends for undergraduate or master students the exception.

(Q5) Do I fulfill any other requirements that my chosen study course(s) ask for? Two examples: Despite being taught in English, some courses require a certain level of German language that has to be fulfilled either before applying or before departure. Other courses (e.g. most MBA porgrammes) are not open to fresh graduates but can only be joined after having acquired substantial work experience (usally at least two years). A third group of courses is partly self-financed and charges annual tuition fees of several thousand Euros.  

If answering the “5 Qs” has still left you in doubt regarding your eligibility for higher studies in Germany, you should get in touch with us. Our personalised counselling (chargeable) will provide you with a clear picture of your individual study options in Germany and all the details of the application procedure.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

BBC: Germany is the world's most popular country

For a long time the image of post-war Germany was blemished by its gruesome Nazi past. These times seem to be over for good. The country has finally made it to the top of international popularity. In an annual BBC survey, Germany has emerged as the most positively viewed nation in the world. It is followed by Canada and the UK on positions 2 and 3, respectively.

The BBC interviewed 26,000 people in 25 different countries. They were asked to rate 16 countries and the European Union on whether their influence in the world was "mainly positive" or "mainly negative". Whereas the EU has declined in popularity, global views of Europe's biggest nation have improved significantly in 2013. One reason may be that Germany's economy has performed better than almost every other in recent years.

The BBC poll also indicates that positive views of China and India have fallen sharply around the world over the last year. After improving for several years, views of China have sunk to their lowest level since polling began in 2005, putting it in ninth position of 16 nations included in the survey. India is ranked 12th with negative views slightly outnumbering positive ones for the first time.

Iran and Pakistan are the most negatively viewed countries in the world. Their support or toleration of Islamic extremism are widely seen as a threat to international peace.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Engineers and scientists needed!

Internationally, Germany is known as the “home country of engineering”; German natural scientists have made important contributions to the development of their disciplines. All this seems to be of little relevance to German youngster these days. Their interest in engineering and sciences continues to decline. 106,300 freshmen opted for an engineering subject in 2012, which is 8.8% less than in the previous year.

The situation is hardly better in the natural sciences (including mathematics), which saw a decline of 7.2%. More interest could be summoned by study subjects related to health. The number of young people who enrolled for medicine or health sciences in 2012 increased by 7.9% compared to 2011. As Germany will soon experience a shortage of doctors, especially in the eastern part, this is basically good news.

Germany's high-tech economy, however, has to continue worrying about its future workforce. Even now the number of vacancies for engineers and scientists is in the five-digit range. The country's prospects as a leader in advanced technology depend on a continuous flow of well-educated, highly motivated young people with state-of-the-art skills in engineering and the sciences. This opens up great opportunities for international students willing to pack up their bags and start a new life in the heart of Europe.

Source: German Federal Office of Statistics

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Opt for a consistent career path

A bachelor in physics, followed by a master in computer science? Not really… What may work in some countries usually doesn’t in Germany. German universities and employers believe in a consistent career path: criss-crossing between academic subjects is not interpreted as flexibility but as lack of focus. So, embarking on a particular course of studies is considered a major decision in Germany that should be based on intrinsic motivation and interest and not on extraneous considerations like the advice of parents or the availability of seats in a certain college. You will be expected to continue on this or a closely related path later on and – basically – for the rest of your occupational life.

If you have, let's say, completed a bachelor in mechanical engineering, and only then discovered your passion for computers and now want to pursue a master in computer science, be aware that in Germany this would mean that you have to start all over again. With an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering you are clearly lacking the academic knowledge needed to take an advanced degree in computer science. The arguments that “you have always had an interest in computers” or worked in the IT business after graduation (because there were no jobs for mechanical engineers) won't hold with the selection committees of German universities.

Of course, young adults in Germany – just like anywhere else – sometimes take wrong decisions. If you discontinue medical school in the second semester because you have found out that the operation theatre after all is not the right place for you, nobody will hold this up against you. Having finished a whole study course, mainly because you paid an enormous “capitation fee”, is a different story. Completing a bachelor in engineering with poor results and then applying for a master programme in business administration “because there is less physics and mathematics in it”, won't impress anybody in Germany.

Interdisciplinary or non-consecutive master degrees offered by some German universities tend to be more open to candidates with different academic backgrounds but you still need a qualification that is closely related to the graduate curriculum. To give an example: As an electrical or mechanical engineer you will be eligible for a master course in mechatronics but not in pharmaceutical biotechnelolgy which – in turn - recruits students from disciplines as far apart as medicine, pharmacy and microbiology. German graduate degrees are rarely overspecialised; they often start with a more general approach and allow students to specialise in a later semester and for their master thesis.

Be aware that universities in other parts of the world sometimes award degrees in subjects that are not fields of academic study in Germany. Topics like commerce, accountancy or “corporate secretaryship” are considered as vocational training, and a bachelor in these fields does not qualify you for graduate studies at any German university. The same applies to holders of a so-called “diploma”, which should not be confused with the German “Diplom”, a now obsolete master-level degree. Having done a “diploma” after junior high school (i.e. after standard 10) may turn out as an educational dead end in Germany. You need at least 12 years of general schooling in order to be eligible for university studies. If you have done your senior secondary school outside the EU, more likely then not you will be asked to complete a so-called “bridge year” at one of the German universities before you are admitted to undergraduate studies.

One more word on the widespread craze for MBAs in the English-speaking world. To join an MBA programme immediately upon graduation, just to get the title and without prior work experience, is considered as meaningless by German academics and employers alike. MBA courses in Germany (especially those at pubic universities) mainly target candidates who have already acquired substantial work experience and obtained at least middle-level management positions. Apart from the necessary work experience, applying for an MBA course without good basics in management and economics (documented by a related undergraduate degree and / or good GMAT scores) will rarely work out in Germany.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

IMPORTANT: If you contact us for personalised counselling (chargeable), please mention your CGPA or percentage(s) in senior secondary school and - if applicable - in college, together with the name of the university that awarded your degree(s) and the scores of any international tests (IELTS, TOEFL, GRE etc.) you may have taken. Your CGPA has to be above 70% to make you eligible for our counselling, irrespective of your test scores.  

A doctor need not be a “Dr.”

Everyday I find at least one message in my mailbox by a “Dr. Sunil” or “Dr. Gita”, asking for the possibility of doing “postgraduate medical studies” in Germany. Initially I was confused: If they have already taken a medical doctorate, why do they ask about “postgraduate studies”? “Postgraduate” in Germany and the US is another term for doctoral, “graduate” meaning master-level and “undergraduate” bachelor-level studies.

Very soon it became clear to me that all the “Dr. Sunils” and “Dr. Gitas”, who contact me, are in fact doctors but not “Drs.” What caused the confusion is the so-called “courtesy title” used by medical graduates (MBBS) in some English-speaking countries, including those of the Indian subcontinent. This is a practice that you should forget as soon as possible when you are dealing with Germany, not because Germans are “uncourteous”, but because they have a somewhat legalistic attitude towards academic titles.

“Courtesy titles”, as the one automatically “awarded” to medical graduates in India and other countries, are considered a discriminatory practice in Germany, as they put graduates of other disciplines, who need to do a doctorate first in order to earn the title of “Dr.”, at a disadvantage. Therefore, if you are a medical graduate and deal with German universities, hospitals or other official authorities, do not use the title “Dr.” at your own discretion. “Dr.” is a protected academic title in Germany, and putting a “Dr.” before your name without having completed a doctorate is a legal offence. Just in case you didn't know…

Should you ever have the opportunity to walk through a German city, take a look at the plates that doctors put up outside their practices. You will notice that most of them use a “Dr.” before their names. Yes, after what has been said above, you are right in surmising that all of these doctors are not availing themselves of a “courtesy title” but have in fact completed a medical doctorate. The first medical degree in Germany being a master-level degree (there is no bachelor of medicine in German-speaking lands), it is a normality for the vast majority of medical doctors to acquire a doctorate before opening their own practice.

And, finally, if you have already taken a medical degree from another country and want to upgrade your qualification, I am not the right person for you to contact. My counselling extends only to undergraduate medical studies in Germany, in other words, I focus on those who wish to become German-trained doctors from scratch.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Is Germany a “racist” country?

Racism and racial discrimination are sensitive issues, whether in Germany or elsewhere. Few people will openly admit that they are racially biased, but in fact most of us are – to a certain extent. Think for a moment: If you meet a stranger, what are the first things you notice and pay attention to? Of course, his or her skin colour (the “largest organ”), hair and eye colour, height, etc. Personality and character only come into the picture much later, when communication has set in (which is often hampered by language and cultural differences).

Distinctions based on race (or ethnicity) are - so to speak- built into human interaction. Few societies are free of it. Unfortunately, Germany has a notorious reputation for exaggerated racism. Even people, who don't know anything else about the country, have at least heard about the Nazis and their genocide of European Jews. That Hitler and his cronies have been dead for more than half a century and are rightly abhorred by most contemporary Germans is frequently overlooked. Travelling through Asia, I was often shocked to hear in what high regard as a “strong political leader” Hitler is still held by many people. When I replied that Hitler was not a “political leader” but a ruthless despot who destroyed the country in a senseless war and murdered millions of people, I earned puzzled looks.

Foreign commentators are inclined to compliment Germans on “having learned their lessons” after WW II. Well, at least those in the western part of the country have, I would add. East Germans, living under totalitarian communist rule for 40 years, had little chance to learn about tolerance and the acceptance of people who are in some way different. No wonder, then, that once the “iron curtain” fell, and people with different faces and habits started moving into former East Germany, the local population often reacted in a less than welcoming manner. Widely reported cases of physical attacks on foreigners brought up memories of an inglorious past.

It has been more than two decades now that Germany became reunited again. In many regards, the country has returned to the normality of its European neighbours, meaning that people with right-wing extremist and racist views make up only a tiny minority of the total population. Todays so-called “neo-Nazis” are neither more numerous nor more dangerous than similar “white power” groups in other Western countries. Nazism and its contemporary spin-offs have been outlawed and marginalised in the public sphere throughout Germany.

As an international student in Germany, no matter which country you come from, it is very unlikely that your life or studies will be in any way affected by the remnants of racism and Nazism. If you show respect for local customs and traditions, as should be a matter of course for every foreigner in any country, you can expect most Germans to treat you politely and welcome you in their midst.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com