Category: germany

a long ago conversation with my school friend (currently doing a PhD) on various links and information on German universities. Too bad that I never got myself down to following up on it but atleast the info is here, and perhaps its not too late…

>Is the medium of instruction for you in German or English? Would you have
>managed with only English (with just a minimum knowledge of German?) Are the
>text books in English or German?

Well, the course was 60% German and 40% English (though not exact & moreso keeps changing as & when a new Prof. takes over!). For ex. the script was in German and the class was held in English or both in English or both in German! In the first sem i took just the english exams and by then had enuf German knowledge (technical german is almost the same as english) to carry on with German subjects. Well, the best part is that u get the question papers in german and english and u can ans it in either Ger. or eng.!

As far as text books are concerned, some subjects do NOT require. The script suffices! And the uni lib has a hoard of books and u do get eng. as well as ger. books. The recommedations from the prof. are usually a mix of German and english books. I found some German books (esp. in the field of communications better than their english counterparts!). But no worries….

u can hv a look at our univeristy’s library

www.ub.uni-duisburg.de

click on Katalog ( a new html pops up!) and look for the book…..

>Also, pls have a look at www.i-u.de .It looked interesting to me, what do you think? >Is it a good place?

Well, i myself am surprised to see their website! so many associations blah blah blah…and then later realised it’s a private school and charge a whopping 10,000Euro per year + Insurance + acco + living costs + course matl + initial cost .. roughly 20,000Euro per year!!!! Not me…. Bruchsal is a small place, roughly an hour’s journey by normal train from Mannheim. Heard not much as it happens to be a private one rather paid one!!!! Nevertheless, if u are more interested then i can garner some info. abt it!

>This is wrt all universities or only specific ones? If all, then what exactly did the >DAAD scholarship cover? (Do not bother to elaborate too much here, since I dont >qualify for one, I am already aged 27!)

Well, most Universities are government based and all the foriegn studies are DAAD funded! And Sanjay, don’t be dissapointed abt your age….. the age requirement was specific to my schol type.. need not be for other schemes!

Well, DAAD gave me a monthly stipend of 1330DM or roughly 660Euro. So, 350DM (i was put up in Duisburg (West Germany), cheaper than South Germany, else u pay 440DM) for house + 100 DM for Insurance + rest for you! 😉 But u will realise that u can hardly save especially if u call India frequently or have too many friends to play pool or visit the pub! But the amount is more than enuf in West Germany, just enuf in South Germany!

Well, more than the money support, it’s the DAAD schol. You won’t believe it…. you are the VIP for the University. Your doc. are kept in the VIP section and you have a personal guide apart from the DAAD rep. +++ . I realised the VIP part quite too late…. 🙁 Atleast, zindagi main ek baar tho….. anyways….

there are lot more links…. lot more schemes … contact DAAD in newdelhi daadnd@bol.net.in

for ranking, don’t believe it fully! just get an idea….

http://www.stern.de/campus-karriere/uniwelt/ranking/

http://www.focus.de/D/DB/DBU/DBU27/DBU27F/dbu27f.htm

All Courses at German Universities

http://www.hof.uni-halle.de/tabellen_ba_studiengaenge_02.pdf

Association of Universities and other Higher Education Institutions in Germany
http://www.higher-education-compass.hrk.de

Exchange of Students for Techincal Experience (IAESTE)
http://www.iaeste.org

You might also want to contact Alexander Humboldt foundation for schol-

www.avh.de/en

Good Luck Sanjay!

And remeber UNI is better than FachHochschule (FH)

>daad.de website was down yesterday… will try it again later.

Quite surprising!!!!

>have u completed ur MS? It is typically for 2 years compared to 1-1.5 years in >other places, right?

I am done with my Master’s and you are absolutely right! It’s 3 semesters for the exams(normally) and one semester for Thesis. Rules here require that you need to do Thesis for 6 months. Also the 3 semesters is dependent on you! How? well, i had 15 subjects to do and i took 5 per semester! So, if you can manage it in one sem or two…… wallah! Additionally, people have to do something called “Industry Praktikum” for 13 weeks and is exempted for those who already have worked in an industry for a min period of 13 weeks in the field of Comp. Sci. For ex. if you have worked in a non-Informatik co. then add 3 months to your study!!!

>What have u specialized in? Do you think that by the time youre done, it still carries value in the ever-changing market?

Well,we had 3 areas of specialisation Data Processing, Communications and Electronics. And i did DP as it was favorable (had to do 15 subjetcs when compared to 18 in Communications) and moreso had subjects of my interest! (like C++, Databases and datamodels, Knowledge Engg. , Internet Tech etc.)

>Do u think its too late for me to start studying now?

well, is it ever late for studying??? Jokes apart, i would advise you to look at the pro’s and cons! It might take a little time to get back to study mould after a gap! I had turbulent times in the first sem… did BE in EE, worked for KEC as Design Engg and was deep into Induction Motors and then had to switch to study mould for a different syllabus!! Also, if you have plans to marry (which i see on a rule of thumb basis!), then you should hv enuf money to support yourself and your wife (approx. 1000Euro per month for both).

>Does ur MS help in getting you a job, or do you think that if you had worked for the >same time, you would have done better?

Well, that was the very hope. But thanks to Sept 11 and Iraq, Germany is currently in deep shit! The situation was good… but now is facing a crisis! But, i would say a Master’s would always help anyone… to get to the upper levels of Management. It’s a direct promotion. The second part of your question is partly answered! The rest is dependent on how the company is “seeing” you and how potential a cadidate you are. Well, bottom line BE + Master’s immediately – best recipe, BE + Job(2-3years) + Master’s – Potential candi for MNC’s, prob for individual, BE + Job (5+years) + Master’s – doing BE once again, “why so late” question from MNC?

>Did u pay for the fees and are u working part time… (or i think I vaguely remember >u mentioned u got some scholarship?)

NO. There are no fees here. But you are supposed to pay a paltry 100 Euro (on a rule of thumb) per semester for Student ID which ensures travelling free (roughly 50kms radius) and for cheap food at college canteen! And yes, i did get DAAD scholarship. The requirements were that you were supposed to be from the 10 colleges that they had listed (RV was one), disti candidate, TOEFL of 550 and above, age not greater than 25 or 26!

>Thanks!

thanks for the quick response….. well, i am back in Germany and would be more than pleased to answer any of your questions about doing Master’s in Germany. Before we could have any conversation on that, request you to have a look at www.daad.de . Hopefully it answers most of your questions and do NOT hesitate to ask any question no matter how trivial it is! Also, in my opinion winter semester would be better and the last dates (on a thumb rule) is 15th June. Most of them ask for TOEFL and a basic knowledge of German… so ensure that u r within deadlines for any enrollment or exams!

Good Luck!

nice to read you! and i had answered the mail in a common perspective as to what holds for one in the future and not from the perspective of just gaining knowledge. Nevertheless, peace!

Well, i have not much to say abt the onset of winter sem and so also the German language requirement! And same with me vis-a-vis language…… i am still a novice! 😉

– soaps, scents, etc (from Schleker)
– some small shops maybe in railway stations have these beautiful statues – very artistic and colorful for 2 or 3 euro
– chocolates of all colors from the shop Real
– small cheap electronic gizmos on sale (like USB MP3 players having upto 1 GB storage, hi-tech headphones, DVD players, video recorders, cameras) from MediaMarkt, some other famous electronic shops I dont remember
– nice looking wrist watches for 10 Euro from many places but typically Kaufhof where you would get even Casio or Swatch watches dirt cheap as well.

Today Mathias my manager called me for a coffee… hmm quite surprising, because they hardly ever take a break over over here. But I guess nobody else was there in the office, everybody is on leave today so he was getting bored. It turned out to be quite a long coffee break (more…)

The transition for my stomach from Indian food to German food has proved to be slightly more daunting than the earlier one from British to German food. But there are occasionally still some silver linings.

The other day, I heated this readymade Kartoffel Gemuse Suppen ohne Fleiche (potato and vegetable soup without flesh) and when it was boiling, added some rice to it. Then in a sudden flash of inspiration, added 2 teaspoons of Amma’s vangibath powder, and mixed everything thoroughly, and let it simmer a bit.

After everything cooled down, I had a look and thought hey, this looks a bit like bisibelebath.

And after I tasted it, I am not exaggerating, the result tasted EXACTLY like bisibelebath! I was really stunned. I bet nobody believes me 😀 …but this experiment, unlike most others, is actually reproducible! (I remember all the ingredients, their ratio and quantity).

Olympus C-750 (F3.2, 1/125s)
Location: Boeblingen (south east Germany, near Stuttgart)

Autocorrected image… but still this is what it more or less looked like including the very bright sky in the internal one.

I was so stunned looking (and photographing) this that I ended up missing the train!! …oh well I took some more photos 😛

Though the entire semicircle of the two rainbows was visible, the camera could cover only this much. (as usual, any comments (for improvement/other) welcome).

See also:

The Double Rainbow

Why is the sky brighter inside the rainbow? – Light Inside the Rainbow

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.
– Diane Arbus

[date is only approximate. TODO: update date]

Travelling is no doubt the greatest teacher, as long as one is willing to observe and learn. While travelling through Deutchland, I saw many characteristics about the Germans which I felt are worth emulating. My inferences may be based on limited experiences and may not be accurate. They are just some of my thoughts, and are in no way comprehensive. They focus mainly on the positive points, and are based on my visits to Dusseldorf, a city in the north-western part of Germany. Many of the points are applicable to many other countries too, including our own, and I don’t mean to compare too much.

To start with, the sense of discipline of the Germans is their most prominent characteristic. This can be seen for example while driving on the roads. If you drive from a neighbouring country like Belgium and enter Germany, you can see a marked difference in the way the rules are followed. This discipline extends to various aspects of their life. Their sense of health-conciousness is very impressive. It is uncommon to see people overweight; people of all ages are generally in good shape. They are careful about their eating habits and watch what they eat. They generally eat a good breakfast and lunch, and have a very light dinner – sometimes just a little bread.

Their respect for other people’s time is uncanny. I think the height of this was when one day, a friend was to pick me up along with some others from my room at 22:00 to go to some party, he called me at 21:45 to tell me he would be 10 minutes late.

There are no set conventions, no matters of prestige and status to uphold. Even the richest people don’t hesitate to to take out their own trash, or ride a bicycle if they feel it more convinient than a car. Even when they visit someones home, they help the host clean up after dinner or take something like groceries for the host along with them. There are a lot of things I have learnt to appreciate about India which I just used to take for granted earlier, and our great sense of hospitability is one of them. But this duty of the guest to not impose on the host esp. for long two or three day visits was a real eye-opener. I have seen this being done here too but only limited to close family-friends.

They have a great sense of pride and possessiveness for their own language, city, and country. An amazing incident was when I saw a lady who was sitting in a bus, got up and cleaned a dirty spot on the seat next to hers when she noticed it. On the other hand, there are always exceptions… for instance some unused bus or train terminals are dirty with broken bottles and at times, even the stench of urine. But the ratio of civic minded people far exceeds these ‘exceptional’ people – mostly drunkards since beer is available cheaper than water.

They seem to be more or less self-content, not craving for more and more in life… happy with whatever they have. I wouldnt really go as far as to say they are all happy people, judging by the silent morose expressions I used to see on their faces in the trams, on the way back to my hotel room in the evenings.

They have a lot of value for other people’s ‘personal space’. For example, while I was working there, anyone who came to talk to me usually conciously made sure they were facing away from my monitor when they approached me, so
that it was made clear to me that it didnt matter to them if I had some mails open or the Developer studio at that point in time. And they would first ask me if they could interrupt, and then go on to start talking.

They have a lot of respect for even total strangers; while commuting, they are very much aware of people around them. For example, even in places like shopping malls they usually hold on to the door for a second more after they
entered so that it wouldnt close in the face of the person coming behind them.

When a tram is about to leave from a station, and they see some person running to catch it from a distance, I have often observed someone press the button to open the door, even though they dont intend to board the tram… its just that
they’re so observant and care about others.

They are not workaholics and value their life too much to waste late evenings in the office. At the same time, their effectiveness at work during work hours is truly inspiring. The most ideal person I know came in the morning around 8:30 AM, and finished so many tasks by 6 PM that it would have taken any average person two days to finish the same number of tasks! They dont waste too much time for at coffeebreaks, etc. After work, their life begins, and different people have different hobbies which they do regularly more than just an occasional past time. One friend was a member of a rock band and composed and played music and had a well established garage studio! I had the priviledge of being invited to one of his rehearsals, and he gave me a CD that he had made of his bands latest album. People are not very addicted to television.

Travelling is a popular hobby, and they love to see the world ‘as it is’. I judge this based on the observation that they travel with minimum baggage, sometimes just a rucksack, and are they are more likely to go around by walk or whatever local public transport available than in a rented car – this way they get a real ‘feel’ of the place than just see the place. They generally take atleast two really long vacations a year, to any of the neighbouring European countries, the more adventurous go further visiting Asia and America too.

I think the aspect I liked the most about Germany was the greenery coexisting with the concrete jungle. They have a high regard for the environment and there are many parks where one can walk endlessly amidst nature, right in the middle of the city.

I think a lot of civic amenties could easily be implemented here without much cost, the simplest one being maps of the city put up at various places. Or seperate bins for recycling and a good process in place.

Last but not the least, when I visited a doctor there, I had an opportunity to witness a lot of beautiful ideas. While I was waiting at the opthamologist center, there was a section in the waiting room just for kids. There was a playpen with a lot of toys, paper and crayons, comic books, etc. There were a lot of posters on the wall having cartoons about eyes and the eye-doctor as seen from kids’ point of view. There was one interesting cartoon in which a kid’s vision has gotten a bit blurry, and his mom gets him to the eye-doctor, and the kid talks about how nervous he is. Then the process that the kid goes through at the hospital is clearly explained from a kid’s perspective, and at the end he is seen smiling happily having made a the eye-doctor as his new friend.

Incidentally, as I was sitting in the waiting room, I heard the receptionist calling for a Harmuth again and again… was he deaf or what he didnt seem to hear though she called so many times. Names like Andreas, Harmuth, Stefan, etc are very common in Germany. If you were to go to a crowded market and make an announcement for a Harmuth, there would be a long queue at the announcement center. When my mind drifted back to the waiting room, this particular Harmuthad still not appeared. Maybe he had gone home tired of the indefinite waiting. Since I had nothing else to do I started thinking … Herr is ‘Mr.’ in German, and my last name was Mutt and then it flashed… they might be calling me Herr. Mutt (Mr. Mutt) since my full name is Sanjay Mysore Mutt (I had always called myself Sanjay M all my life till I went abroad and now I was usually confused about which to give for which part of the name) And it did turn out to be me she was looking for, and she asked me something in German which under the circumstances might have been something like where the %$%@# were you all this time? But luckily the doctor could speak English.

One nice thing about the waiting room was that every time a new patient joined the waiting room, h
e would greet everyone else as soon as he entered, and others would greet him back. Ocassionally this seemed to be just for formality’s sake, when the greeting would end up being just an incoherent grunt, but apart from that, it was cheerful most of the time.

Germany is not just an ‘advanced’ country, it is continuosly advancing. On every visit to the city, one can see something new, some new models of trams, or some new touch-sensitive interactive train reservation terminal replacing the earlier mouse wheel and button based interactive train reservation terminal.