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

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