A different life begins with the end of the college entrance examination
Q: Why did you choose Germany among the many countries you studied in?
Because our family is doing machinery, Germany's mechanical, electronic, energy and other majors are very good, my father prefers Germany, he wants me to come to Germany.
Q: What do I need to do before I study in Germany?
Prepare for the preparatory exam before going abroad. To go to the PSP Preparatory Department, you have to take a mapping exam and an interview.
I also had to learn German, and I came to Germany to learn German at the A2 level and continued to learn the language in the preparatory department.
Also prepare a self-insurance deposit. Go to Shanghai Deutsche Bank to open an account, the amount is now 10338 euros, because my visa is about to expire, these two days have just completed the extension, so I remember it more clearly.
Then there's the jury trial.
Q: Can you tell us about the concept of PSP Preparation?
PSP Preparatory Department is a special project approved by the German Ministry of Education, for Chinese college entrance examination students, take the college entrance examination results to apply for a year of preparatory course in Germany, and then submit an application to German universities.
But in the process of operation, I found, how to say? This prep is OK! It is said that it is for all Germany, and there are actual restrictions on the time of application. The German states are independent, this PSP preparatory department is in North Rhine-Westphalia, basically only the schools in North Rhine-Westphalia recognize this preparatory grade, and other states do not recognize it.
All I know now is the University of Bremen accreditation. I applied to the University of Stuttgart, the Technical University of Brunswick, and both rejected me because I didn't recognize my preparatory grades, and these schools were all applied by myself, so I knew better. But in fact, as far as the schools in North Rhine-Westphalia are concerned, they are already very good, like RWTH Aachen University, they must be literate, rational and reasonable, and basically meet your needs.
Q: Can you tell us about your application to study in Germany?
Before going abroad, it is mainly a visa. We go through the trial, and the trial does not have to face the visa officer directly to answer the questions, which is not as troublesome as the individual trial. Just hand in the materials, and then record a fingerprint, it's OK, the process is not troublesome, but it is very troublesome to prepare the materials.
Q: Can you tell us about the difference between a jury trial and an individual trial?
APS audit, which I think is quite humiliating to say, is actually because some people who came to study in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s falsified their academic qualifications. Only Vietnam, Mongolia and China are the only three countries in the world that need to do APS audits, and people in other countries don't even know what this is...
Generally speaking, students with projects will go through the group review, and individuals will take a group review.
Because the jury review is projected, it seems to have been reviewed once, so there is no need to face the visa officer again. The audit is in English or German to review your academic qualifications, which seems to be quite strict.
When I went to the jury trial, I saw that less than a dozen people were tried in one day. Go into a small room and have a one-on-one interview with the visa officer, not just ask visa-related questions, as if there is a professor who comes to examine your academic related field, which is stuck in a lot of people. Whether the other party is in German or English, it is not a native language for us, it will be difficult to express, and it will be more nervous if you do not understand it.
And if you take a review, if you don't have the first review, the next time you have to make an appointment until half a year later, if you don't have it, it will be very uncomfortable. The jury trial is better, you have not signed this time, you can make another appointment after half a month.
But not all schools in Germany recognize jury trials. Schools outside NRW either do not recognize the grades of the preparatory department or do not recognize the jury.
Q: After arriving in Germany, what do you think attracted you the most?
What attracted me the most was that Germany was quite laid-back. So much so that after returning home, I felt that the country seemed too noisy. Quietly over there, everyone sits on the grass in the park on Saturdays and Sundays, or goes to the café to drink coffee and eat ice cream, and the days are very moist, very leisurely!
Q: The impression of Germans is rigorous, stereotypical and gentlemanly, do you think these labels really fit the locals?
I think there are more of these characteristics for real Germans. But there are a lot of immigrants and refugees in Germany now, and their quality is generally relatively low, and I think the real German natives are very proud. Mainly depends on what identity you appear in, if you go to the store as a customer, people are very polite and enthusiastic to you. If you walk on the street, no one will take the initiative to take care of you.
In general, it is boring, I am three o'clock every day, home, school, library, at most a gym, go to the gym may be entertainment activities, nothing else. Occasionally watch a movie or all in German, not even subtitles, sometimes I can't understand...
Q: How long did it take you to adjust to your study abroad life?
I think it's been more than half a year before I really feel that life here is still quite comfortable. It may not be more than half a year, because of the epidemic, they are all locked up at home.
I passed in November, there was an epidemic in January and February, I took offline classes for a few months, and then I let us quarantine, and there was no offline class.
Q: What arrangements do you need to make when you arrive in Germany?
After arriving in Germany, you have to go to a place similar to the household registration office, make an appointment to register the household registration, the larger the city, the more difficult it is to make an appointment, we have been in Hanover for two months before. You have to register your address, tell them where you live, record your address in their system, and then they'll give you a pass, and you'll take that card to apply for an extension, because your student visa is only six months old and you have to change it to a residence card.
There is a sequence, you have to get this card to get a bank card. In the domestic bank has opened an account, but there is no bank card, you must first download a voucher from the Internet and then go to the bank to collect your bank card. You go directly to some banks that do not give you to do it, you must type out the voucher and make an appointment to do it.
At that time, our teacher helped print the voucher, and several of our classmates went together, directly gave the voucher to the bank, and then got the bank card every two weeks, and then got the password in two weeks, and spent a month together.
So, when you first go to Germany, you need to bring some cash. In fact, the price of goods in Germany is not high, and it is almost the same as taking a thousand euros. Just came to be afraid of what not to buy, converted into RMB is too expensive, and then there is no such idea, to keep converting you can not buy anything.
Q: Tell us about your preparatory department?
I'm in Hanover
On the prep. Because I wanted to go to a big city, I didn't expect it to be quite a village, but now after spending time in a small city, I think Hanover is indeed a big city, but compared with China, you may not be able to see it.
During the preparatory year, we study chemistry, mathematics, physics, and German.
For the exam, chemistry is an oral exam, with only two students at a time, and the rest of the people are waiting in the preparation room. After the two people go in, give them half an hour and let you do three big questions, and there are three or four small questions in each question. Half an hour later, you will be taken to another room, and there are three people in total: your chemistry teacher, scoring and timing, and also the theory questions. You have to go on the blackboard to the teacher within 20 minutes, talk about how these conclusions came to be, and you have to finish all these things.
I got a perfect score in chemistry at the time, and although there was a question I couldn't, the teacher guided me to answer it.
Mathematics and physics are both written tests, each course is three hours, a total of three questions, the main questions are particularly long, and the small questions are particularly numerous.
The German exam takes five hours, starts at 9:00 in the morning, and is divided into three parts: listening, reading and writing, without speaking, but listening, written test, and composition must be written. There are still 20 minutes between each exam
Rest intervals, but rest is also very tense, after the exam are not very sharp hands and feet.
The preparatory department lasted less than a year in total, but I went on for a year because I didn't take the physics exam for the first time. If you can't pass the exam, you have to pay the tuition again for another three months.
As a result, I missed last year's winter enrollment time, and there were too few majors enrolled in the summer, so I didn't participate, so I had to delay it for a year before I could enroll in this winter.
The full score of the preparatory department is one point, and if it is five points, there is actually a chance of make-up examination, but the make-up examination is not much use, because no matter how you make up the test, there are only four basic points, and the make-up examination is arranged at the end of August, you get the results at the end of September, at that time most schools have ended applying, few schools can still accept you, it will be very restrictive. If you don't choose a major, you can enroll in the summer, otherwise you will have to wait another semester like me.
Q: In the learning process, which subject do you think is the most challenging and difficult?
That must have been in German, and the rest was not a problem.
In fact, as long as you can understand the question, there is no problem, the most important thing is that you can't understand the question. I haven't been in physics, because the physics problem tells you a small story, and you can't understand the problem and you're finished. In the back of the pre-science, you feel that your level can be, the teacher can understand everything said in class, and then come according to the teacher's rhythm, I think the preparatory exam is no problem.
I've been preparing for the German exam recently (it doesn't really matter if I take the exam or not), but the preparatory results can't be used as a language proof, I think it's better to take a certificate, otherwise I can't say what level I am.
Q: I heard that after you finished your preparatory studies, you got offers from some of the top German schools such as the University of Göttingen, RWTH Aachen University, the University of Bremen, the University of Bonn, etc., but why did you choose the University of Göttingen?
Think about it! I would like to go to the University of Bonn, but I didn't want to study; I also considered the Technical University of Dortmund, but it was not as good as going to the Aachen University of Technology; the University of Bremen is a bit far away, it is inconvenient to move, and it leaves me with a short time to consider, I feel that there is no sincerity, so I mainly choose between the University of Göttingen and the RWTH Aachen University.
Aachen recorded only electrical majors, and Göttingen recorded several majors. I live in Aachen now, in fact, I have a lot of classmates here, so I came here to find a house as soon as the preparatory department was over (the house here is not easy to find), and when I heard my classmates say that it was very difficult to graduate from Aachen, anyway, I was a little scared and persuaded to quit.
Q: Why did you choose to study mathematics?
I think those college classes are a name for me, and I don't know exactly what I'm studying now, so I should read them to know what I want. Learn this broad major first, and let's turn around as a graduate student. There are also mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics, agriculture and other majors at the University of Göttingen.
Q: After completing the preparatory course, what are the procedures and precautions for applying to universities?
You need to find the university's official website, then register a university account, think about the major you want to study, and then submit the application materials online.
Your own things still have to be taken care of yourself, you have to apply for more, you know what it is like.
Q: What do you think is the obvious difference between studying in Germany and studying in China?
No one cares about you, what you love to do, learning or not learning is your own business, you have to worry about everything, cook and whatever you want, and wipe your own dirty home. In the past, I didn't know that chai rice oil and salt were expensive, and I often bought a thing to think how this was so expensive, and it was almost the price when I looked at the country.
But I think these are all advantages, after all, there really should be no one to take care of you when you become an adult, you should exercise yourself.
Q: Tell us about your life in Germany, such as eating, living, traveling, entertaining, shopping?
German food is not delicious, just eat what pork chops, sausages, these things I do not like to eat, if you go out to eat, it is Japanese food, Chinese food, Vietnamese food.
The Chinese restaurants here have a general taste and high prices, and their labor costs are expensive. We generally go out to eat about ten euros, that is, it may be about 100 yuan, and if you want to order another drink, it may be less than 200 yuan.
Vietnamese food is actually OK, maybe five or six euros can be done. Japanese material is very expensive, at least 200+ yen.
The school cafeteria was cheap. I recently borrowed my classmate's student card to go to Aachen's canteen every day to eat, the taste is OK, that is, Fries, chicken steak, pork cutlet, hamburger these, the price is very cheap, equivalent to less than 20 yuan, feel the same as the white send, my classmate said to go to the supermarket to buy raw materials are more than this price.
The school canteen meal card is not a real name, just charge money to swipe the card, and they don't look at who you are. It is a single dish, but also have to go out to eat, if it is too expensive, you can occasionally go to the canteen to eat.
When it comes to accommodation, student dormitories in Germany are not the same as in the UK and the US. I heard that freshmen in the United Kingdom and the United States are preferred, and that our student dormitories are lined up, and the sooner students come in, the sooner they can get in. Therefore, the student dormitory has little to do with the new students, and generally waits at least half a year.
So renting is very tight here. I'm going to move to Göttingen, my house is in the Crowd of Chinese, twenty or thirty people add me, and some people in China say that if you don't look at the house, you have to give me money... Even if I don't pick, my roommate has to pick, I said this is not OK, or first close to the local people.
The rent in big cities is expensive, and small cities like Aachen are about three or four hundred euros per month, and more than five hundred are expensive. But in cities like Berlin and Munich, they all started at five or six hundred euros. Generally, water, electricity and net are all inclusive.
I have lived in a single apartment for a while before, I feel too depressed, 20 square meters of everything, too crowded I am not used to living, or share with people slightly better.
Germany's infrastructure is still very good, bus, subway are very convenient. Our students stuck in the state can take the green train for free, not the domestic kind of green train, this train is very advanced, there is wifi or something, it feels OK, but it is slower than the high-speed rail.
After a while, there are discounts for activities, and if you have a student card and a monthly pass, all of Germany can travel by car for free.
I played in Germany, and before Germany could understand it, I didn't go to other countries. I went to Berlin, and some other places. I have classmates to go abroad, Italy can not go, too many thieves, we said that the next time to wear short sleeves, shorts, bags do not carry, how much to spend on how much to bring, spend it will be gone.
In Germany, buses, subways, and trains are not checked by anyone, all by self-awareness. The quality of Germans is still relatively high, I have not encountered being robbed, stolen, the overall security is better, that is, occasionally you can see homeless people.
Shopping here is also convenient, you can shop online, shopping malls are also quite a lot, basically can meet. Adidas always has a 60% discount, and it is more cost-effective.
You can use Amazon to buy electrical appliances, daily necessities are mainly purchased offline, buy clothes to go to the discount village, you see a good look in the country, just buy on the official website here.
The price here is not high, I think it is cheaper than in China. But luxury goods are expensive, similar to domestic ones, and electronic products have a 20% EU surcharge, which is more expensive than domestic. I bought a tablet and a mobile phone here, and I have already used the student discount, which is at least 1,000 yuan more expensive than buying it in China.
In terms of entertainment, it is to go to the gym to work out, or a few people go to the park barbecue, go out on a tour, or for example, this week everyone is tired of learning, we will go to the big city to eat a good meal, go around, buy things. In short, the nightlife here is not as rich as that of the United States, Canada and Australia, and Aachen is at the junction of the three countries, and some places are not very safe.
Germans don't go to work on Saturdays and Sundays, supermarkets are not open, and now the weather is good, so cafes and ice cream parlors are still open, and there are a bunch of chairs at the door, sitting there eating, chatting, and it's quite comfortable.
Q: How much is your overall spending throughout the year?
Tuition and living expenses, 100,000 yuan. Public universities in Germany are tuition-free, except for schools in Bavaria that pay 1500 euros a semester. Here you only need to pay a registration fee of more than three hundred euros per semester.
Q: Are German schools taught entirely in German? Or is it a specialty?
At the undergraduate level, only German is taught, and postgraduate students are taught in English.
Q: Have you resumed offline classes this year?
The school informs that the next semester offline and online parallel, more people online, less people offline.
Q: Do you think the current epidemic in Germany has affected you?
I don't think it's at all, I feel that the country is a bit too exaggerated, the Germans don't think it's a very serious thing, we don't wear masks on the street, we only wear masks when we go indoors.
Germany now implements a 3G policy, if you eat out, you are either vaccinated, or a covid-19 recovery, or have done rapid testing (there seems to be no rapid testing in China). You have to show one of the above three proofs before you can dine in or go to these places, and you need to go to school.
Slightly larger pharmacies here can do rapid nucleic acid testing, which is effective within 24 hours and is still free. It will cost you money to do it in October.
Q: Does Germany recognize the vaccine in China?
Don't admit it. I hit it at home, I came to Germany and hit Pfizer again, and the next shot was on September 23rd. Because it is too inconvenient not to get vaccinated, you have to do rapid testing every day. In October, it is not free, do 10 euros at a time, and the German government forces you to get a vaccine.
When I get the vaccine, I take my residence card with me and I have to go to the pharmacy to buy the vaccine book. After my classmates and I finished playing Pfizer, I just had a pain in my arm. German vaccinations are free, and there are quite a few options, Pfizer's, Modena's, and Johnson & Johnson's. Every place has a local vaccination center, as well as a university hospital, Aachen and mobile vaccination buses, there are many places to vaccinate, the fight is also very fast, after the fight also sent a free ticket to invite us to eat a meal, but also sent a bottle of drink, feel very cost-effective.
Because the vaccination rate in Germany is still relatively low, only more than sixty percent. Those who want to be vaccinated have long been vaccinated, and the rest are stubborn elements. The government has no choice, announcing that it will pay for rapid testing next month, and that someone may be vaccinated again.
Q: What advice do you have for future students applying to study in Germany?
Plan more, manage more time. It is best to have a plan for whatever you want before you come, you want to go to this school, you must know what you want to do, how to do it every day. It's impossible to do it 100 percent, but if you go in that direction, it's fine.
A turning point in life
Roughly at the moment when I can't hold on
END