Europe leads in gender equality

When it comes to educational and professional opportunities combined with affordable healthcare and high political participation, women worldwide should take a closer look at Europe. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2012, published annually by the world economic forum, out of 20 countries with the highest gender equality in the world 15 are located in Europe. Among the four largest economies of the world – USA, Japan, China and Germany – , only Germany made it into the top 20 group. From 2011 to 2012, the United States slipped five places to position 22.

The Global Gender Gap Report ranks countries on their ability to close the gender gap in four key areas: access to healthcare, access to education, political participation and economic equality. The fact that German universities do generally not charge tuition fees and that the government provides subsidies and grants to domestic students has allowed many girls from lower and lower-middle class backgrounds to overcome the financial obstacles of their family backgrounds. 

Asia's highest ranking country in gender equality is the Philippines (8), primarily due to success in health, education and economic participation. China, which is the second lowest ranking country on the health and survival subindex (132) due to a skewed sex ratio at birth, scored highly in terms of female labour force participation (74%). Japan (101) and South Korea (108) are among the lowest ranking OECD economies. India (105) is the lowest-ranked of the BRIC take-off economies, while Pakistan is among the bottom 10 countries for primary education, secondary education and literacy.

Particularly disappointing is the situation in the Arab world. Rich countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia performed dismally at positions 107 and 131, respectively. Arab girls and women so far have not benefited from the political transformation taking place in the region. To the contrary, some countries – like Egypt and Syria – have recently experienced a drastic decline in job opportunities and public security for women.

The full report can be downloaded here:

http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2012

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

The three pillars of Germany’s university system

University of technology, university of applied sciences or just university? The terminology is confusing, in particular for those who are used to the British system of universities and affiliated colleges. In Germany, you will look in vain for colleges; instead you encounter three different types of universities that have no equivalent in English-speaking countries like the UK, US or Australia. Still, Germany’s system is not unique: you find similar institutional distinctions in Austria, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

General universities (i.e. institutions that just call themselves “university”) offer a wide spectrum of academic disciplines, from the humanities and sciences to medicine and law. Engineering subjects can also be found at general universities, but they are concentrated at universities of technology (TU or TH in German) and universities of applied sciences (UAS or FH/HS in German). All universities in Germany, no matter which category they belong to, are independent institutions without any affiliations. They can conduct their own examinations and award their own degrees, except for a few disciplines like medicine, pharmacy and law, where centralised state exams are prescribed.

People used to a commercialised system of higher education with “first-class”, “second-class” etc. institutions have sometimes voiced the opinion that the UAS are “inferior” to the other two types of German universities. This is not the case. The difference is a functional one and not one of quality. As their name says, the universities of applied sciences have been established with the primary intention to make scientific knowledge and research findings applicable to the needs of private companies, social service agencies and government institutions. They do not train “pure” researchers, which is also the reason why they do not award doctoral degrees. However, if a UAS student discovers her or his passion for “pure” research at a later stage, it is always possible to cross over to a general university or university of technology.

When it comes to the practical application of their skills, graduates of UAS frequently perform better than their more theoretically educated fellow graduates. Additionally, most UAS are closely integrated into the economies of their respective home regions. In other words: Regional industry and public administration are tied into the research and teaching at the UAS in the form of concrete cooperation projects. This helps students with finding internships, relevant topics for their theses and suitable jobs upon graduation. 

The fact that UAS are commonly smaller institutions with a more limited student population and a shorter tradition to look back on has led to their widespread discrimination in international rankings. These rankings are generally unable to grasp the intricacies of Germany's multi-facetted university system. The quality of education offered by the UAS, the relevance of their findings in applied research, the tight organisation of their curricula and their often superior services (including the better guidance and supervision of students) have been proven by many surveys and studies. Some UAS have in fact acquired an academic and scientific reputation far over-taking that of many larger general universities or universities of technology.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Germany: a tuiton-free country?

Almost all of Germany’s federal states have meanwhile abolished tuition fees for both domestic and international students. Tuition fees at German public universities have never been very substantial, commonly around 1,000 EUR per academic year. However, for some students from low-income countries this amount could still make a difference.

At the moment, there are only two federal states left which continue to charge general tuition fees: Lower Saxony (capital: Hanover) in the northwest and Bavaria (capital: Munich) in the south. Both states may soon join the rest of tuition-free Germany. The present conservative government of Bavaria is pondering to end the era of tuition fees, which would make some of Germany’s most prestigious universities even more affordable than they are now. In Lower Saxony, the upcoming elections may topple the present state government; the opposition parties have promised to abolish general tuition fees.

Thus, soon Germany may be one of very few countries in the world that offer free university education to all students. It won’t be completely free, though. All universities charge an enrollment fee that ranges from 50 to 250 EUR per semester and often includes free local public transport. Apart from this rather marginal fee, some universities continue to introduce partly self-financed English-taught graduate programmes which commonly charge tuition fees of several thousand euros per year.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

The benchmark of eligibility

It is now widely known around the world that international students at German universities do not have to worry much about tuition fees. The latter are either non-existent or very low in global comparison. What is less widely known is that German universities often select their students more carefully than institutions that charge high fees and treat international education as a form of big business.

So, when you consider studying in Germany, do not think of the financial aspects alone. Most German universities are government-funded (i.e. financed by German taxpayers), so they are very much accountable to the public about who they provide free education to and who they do not. Sit back for a moment and reflect on your previous academic achievement in this light before you start filling in application forms.

For many study courses, the universities do not mention quantified admission criteria like a minimum CGPA or particular GRE scores (TOEFL and IELTS are exceptions). However, several years of study counselling have made it clear to me that most German universities are reluctant to accept applicants with a CGPA below 70%, especially in the case of English-taught graduate programmes.

Does this really imply that German higher education is off limits for you if you are below this benchmark? Not necessarily. With a CGPA between 60 and 70%, what is considered “average” in Germany, there are still options for you, as long as you are flexible regarding the choice of programme and institution. This does not mean that you have to compromise on the quality of education which maintains an evenly high standard throughout Germany.

I am often asked whether it is possible to compensate for low marks with job experience or test scores like GRE. This may sometimes work out. However, when several hundred candidates apply for 20 or 30 seats, as is the case with many graduate programmes, few universities are able to pay attention to all details of an applicant's profile. The CGPA then serves as an easy benchmark. All candidates below it are automatically out of the game.

Another opinion that is frequently voiced refers to variations in the grading system between different foreign universities. “60% at my university is like 80% at another university”, the argument goes (the opposite is rarely mentioned, for obvious reasons). Please be aware that German universities are rarely willing to involve themselves in the intricacies of grading practices used in other countries. So, if you come up with the above-mentioned argument,  most likely nobody will listen – unless, of course, you are a graduate of one of the IITs or another institution whose academic achievements are internationally well-known.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

A case for educational match-making

I am sometimes asked why this blog does not contain any information on particular universities, study programmes, rankings etc.The reason is simple: I do not believe in random applications but in bringing the right students together with the right courses and institutions, what I call “educational match-making”. There is a wealth of information about study options in Germany available on the net, and I do not want to further contribute to this, as many German universities are already complaining about the rising number of applications by international students who are often not qualified for the course they are applying to. This is especially true for those institutions that regularly appear high in global rankings.

For most graduate programmes at German universities no application fee is charged. As a result, these courses tend to be flooded by chance applications of candidates who are not always really serious about their expressed study intentions. Nevertheless, these documents have to be processed by the universities, congesting decision-making and leading to ever greater inflation of bureaucracy. Many applicants send out an exaggerated number of applications, sometimes spread out over several countries, in the end causing an unreasonable waste of allotted seats.

To counteract this unpleasant situation, we have established a small counselling agency, the “German Study Centre Cochin / Deutsches Studienzentrum (DSZ)”. Initially we provided free personalised couselling to all interested candidates world-wide, but this soon turned out to be impossible. Since Germany has become one of the most popular destinations for international students, the number of inquiries has increased to unmanageable proportions. Additionally, many messages that reach us have a certain flavour of “spontaneity”, i.e. arbitrariness. To be able to concentrate on serious and qualified candidates, we had to introduce moderate charges for our counselling services.

DSZ believes in merit-based education and is highly critical of the increasing commodification of knowledge. Information catering to vested interests is rarely objectice and free of biases.  We do not serve the needs of any particular institution, no matter whether government, university or private company. Our activities are financed neither by advertisements (which you will not find in this blog) nor by profit-based commissions.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Open-door policy for academics

German policy makers have again stretched out a welcoming hand to international academics. Both houses of parliament have passed a European Directive which further expands present opportunities for students and researchers from non-EU countries.

In future, foreign students will be permitted to work part-time for 120 instead of 90 days per year. The time period to look for qualified jobs after graduation will be extended from 12 to 18 months. While seeking employment, foreign graduates can work without time limit and are no longer obliged to ask for approval by the German Federal Employment Agency (BA).

Anyone able to present an employment contract as an academic or qualified professional with a minimum salary of around €44,800 (around €35,000 for certain shortage occupations) may work in Germany for up to 4 years using a so-called ''Blue Card''. Another novelty is that foreign academics will be eligible for a settlement permit (indefinite right of residence) after two years. Family members of foreign skilled employees will also find it easier to take up employment, for example by no longer requiring the approval of the BA.

In 2011, Germany was a particularly popular destination for people seeking a new life abroad. According to the Federal Office of Statistics, around 6.93 million people with foreign citizenship lived in Germany at the end of 2011, which is 177,300 more than a year earlier. The increase of 2.6 percent was the highest in 15 years. “Deutsche Welle” reports that the jump may be due to Germany’s economic growth and the freedom of movement granted to citizens of the new EU states.

Link: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15864426,00.html

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Application deadlines: theory and practice

German universities do not have a standardised, nation-wide application deadline, to the dismay of many international students. Deadlines vary from institution to institution and quite often between different study programmes within the same institution as well. To add to the confusion, some universities fix separate application deadlines for different groups of applicants, like domestic, EU and non-EU…

Especially for those hailing from outside the European Union, close time planning can be a decisive factor in the application process. Apart from obtaining admission, these students have to worry about getting their visas on time. In handling student visa applications, German consulates and embassies display widely different degrees of efficieny and promptness. Sometimes, applicants have to wait for up to 8 weeks just to be granted an appointment for submitting their documents!

Keeping all this in mind, students should be careful when taking official application deadlines mentioned on German university websites at face value. A date that leaves less than three months between application deadline and expected arrival date of a student will be often impracticable for students from many African or Asian countries. There are laudable exceptions, though. Some German consular representations have recently sped up the whole visa process considerably.

Neverthess, handing in an early application is not always the solution. Some institutions slavishly stick to their deadlines, even when these turn out to be unmanageable for many applicants. They wil not consider an application before the deadline is over, argueing that a careful comparision of all applicants has to be made before seats can be assigned.

In conclusion: The early bird catches the worm, but not always! Applying as early as possible often helps to relieve time pressure, as many universities send out admission letters before the application deadline has passed. But there is no guarantee for that. Sometimes it can be better to just wait for the next intake instead of making use of a late deadline and ending up without a visa when the semester starts.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com