Some Tips If You Plan To Study in Germany

After spending about 2 months in Germany, these are some tips that I can offer for those who plan to study here.

This is not a complete guide on what documents to prepare, which clothes should go into your luggage, etc. There are already myriad articles and YouTube videos about those topics so I will not do it here.

Filter Information

• Always check the relevance of the information that you read, especially from personal blogs.
• Some of these blogs were written many years ago so it may not be relevant anymore. The authors have no obligation to constantly update all the information written there.
• This is especially true in times of pandemic like we experience now. Many things changed hence we need to adapt.
• In other words, do not trust any website or other information source without cross checking.
• Be prepared to provide other documents that are not mentioned in the official embassy website, for instance, is a good way to prevent frustration when applying for visa.

Different City, Different Regulations

• In Germany, each city has different ways of doing things.
• This is related to my first point about filtering information. Some personal blogs or YouTube videos, apart from being outdated, are specific to certain cities.
• Find out specific regulations for the city that you live in. You may ask your seniors or peers who have arrived earlier than you.

Great Things Take Time

• Be patient. Some things may not go according to your plan, again, mostly due to the current pandemic.
• Processing documents and other administrative matters here take some time. We need to understand that each country has different ways of doing things.
• We cannot force things that we cannot control. It is best to prepare what we can and be patient.
• I think it is a matter of expectation. If you expect everything to be processed as quickly as possible, you will most likely be disappointed. Else, if you understand that things here take time, you will not be frustrated.

Beware of Scams

• It is notorious in Germany that finding a place to rent is extremely competitive.
• One of the problem is scam in renting a room/apartment. I became aware of this after reading a Reddit thread about such scam.
• There was one email from an apartment rent listing that we applied. It follows the same story with what I read on Reddit. It goes something like: a German couple work as doctor living overseas, you need to transfer them the money and they will arrange courier service to deliver the house keys to you. I did not bother to reply that email.

So that’s it! Hope you can benefit from the tips.

One key message is to be flexible and ready to adapt!