Studying in Germany is a dream come true for many. After all, the birth country of Einstein, Beethoven, and Karl Marx has a reputation for always having been one of the best when it comes to what their universities have to offer. You’ve surely heard of its promises of free education, amazing study programs, and affordable cost of living. Now is nearing the time to make that final decision and send your applications through. Will Germany be the country in which you’ll be spending the next few years of your life?
If you’re considering Germany as your dream study destination, here are a few pros and cons that may help in making that choice final… or not.
Let’s start with the advantages:
QUALITY OF EDUCATION
Germany is home to 47 universities that are ranked among the best worldwide. A German degree therefore guarantees a high employability value and is highly respected by employers around the world. When it comes to German universities, you can’t go wrong – you’re promised an internationally renowned undergraduate degree, which sets you on the right track for a successful future career. Additionally, several universities offer you the opportunity to work with companies, often multinational ones, allowing you to gain work experience through the many (often paid!) internship programs available.
COST OF LIVING
Compared to other European countries, the German cost of living is quite reasonable. You rarely, if ever, have to spend more than 900 euros a month, including food, clothing, health insurance and rent, the latter being the most expensive of all. That means you can get your monthly expenses down to about 500 euros a month if you manage to find a cheaper apartment, or flatmates to split the costs with. It all depends on the location but as a rule, students can live on less money in smaller cities than in larger ones. However, the amount of money you need will ultimately depend on how economically you live.
TUITION FEE
This is undeniably one of the greatest advantages of studying at a German university. Aside from a small administration fee, which rarely exceeds 250 euros per semester, public German universities don’t charge tuition fees. During a time where college tuition fees seem to be skyrocketing beyond limit, studying at a German university may be the option you’re looking for!
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Despite its crude history, modern-day Germany is not only open-minded but also consists of a generally multicultural society which is guaranteed to make most feel quite at ease in the country. Ranking 22nd according to the Global Peace Index 2019, and 20th according to the Social Safety and Security Domain, Germany has been one of the safest places to study abroad during the last decade. Its crime rates are impressively low by international standards, guaranteeing a safe environment for students all over the world. Germany also has an amazing healthcare system, where, if insured, you’re guaranteed free to extremely cheap healthcare.
Not only is Germany a safe country to live in, but it also promises security of employment. If you wish to stay in Germany for a little longer after your studies in order to gain some work experience, you’re almost guaranteed a spot in the German workforce. Depending on your level of education at that point in time, you can expect a yearly salary ranging from 33000 and 58000 euros.
Unfortunately, studying in Germany isn’t all pros. Here are a few less than ideal things to keep in mind, if you’re considering Germany as your study destination:
LANGUAGE BARRIER
The main obstacle to a fruitful few years spent at a German university is undeniably the language barrier. Despite the many courses available in English, you are still expected to be able to communicate with the locals, take care of paperwork, and function effectively in your day-to-day life. With only about 58% of the German population understanding English, and even fewer being fluent in speech, day-to-day life in the country does require you to have some level of German competency. You may not be required to be fluent in the language when it comes to acing your classes, but it’s always ideal to at least pick up the basics. Thankfully, there are always several options to choose from when it comes to learning a new language.
BUREAUCRACY
Living in Germany comes with an absurd amount of paperwork. From having to register your presence in the city, to manually registering for every single exam you take, you can’t quite escape the endless back and forth, from one office to the other, on the seek for that one person qualified to take care of your documents. If one stereotype proves itself to be true, it would be that of the Germans’ rule-abiding nature and the redundancy of their bureaucracy – filling in forms will become a regular pastime which you, unfortunately, will have to get used to.
WORKING LIMITATIONS
Non-European students enrolled in German universities are only allowed to work for about 120 days or 240 half-days per year. If ever you have a particular need to work for more than what’s allowed, you would be required to ask for a work permit from the German employment authorities (more paperwork!). Even then, there’s still a risk for your request to be rejected.
LACK OF RESOURCES
It may happen that public German universities aren’t as well equipped as you’d expect. Resources such as high-tech computer labs, or student centers are often not available. However, you can still get access to such services, albeit further away from your university and for a small fee. This may not be ideal, but given that tertiary education is technically free, most students would consider it a fair trade-off.
COURSE STRUCTURE
It has to be noted that the end-of-semester exams often represent 100% of your grade. That means assignments or attendance points rarely mean anything when it comes to passing your class and securing a good grade. While that may not be an inherent disadvantage, it’s definitely something to keep in mind. As afore-mentioned, you are expected to sign-up for your exams yourself, which can be stressful to remember on top of already anxiety-inducing cramming, each semester!
Students are also responsible for taking initiative in reading and homework. While teachers remain available for questions and concerns, there often isn’t as much interaction with them as one could expect. This means that you’ll be expected to be independent when managing your time and disciplined enough to do the required readings and research needed on time – there isn’t quite anything to keep you in line, and unless you want to spend the days before your finals cramming months’ worth of work, it’d be well advised for you to be consistent with your work.
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This article was written by Aidan S.
University Seeker 