Germany is an amazing place to study with
world-class universities, a fantastic student culture and promising career opportunities. But...
There's actually no but. Today I'm going to talk about my experience with studying at the German
University and everything that comes with it. If you don't know the country that well, Germany
can be confusing. Everyone seems to be drinking five liters of beer at once and eating sausages
all the time. And after spending 12 years of my life in Germany, I can confidently say... that this
is true. So the most important thing to clarify is that studying in Germany is basically free. You
don't need to pay 200k and student loans for high quality education and this might be the number
one reason why so many people are attracted to this country and decide to stay in Germany for
their higher education. As a student whose second name is "broke", this is a true blessing. Usually,
you gotta pay a small semester fee of about 100 bucks but let's be honest this is not a big deal
especially for the quality of Education you get for this price. For some people it might be crazy
to hear that you can study for a bachelor's and master's degree by paying almost nothing. But
this is actually the reality. And for Ph.D., you get guaranteed financial aid. I would say the
cost of living overall is quite affordable, you know, the bigger cities like Hamburg, Munich
Berlin or Frankfurt tend to be a bit more on the pricey side of the spectrum but you can
definitely have a high quality life and live comfortably and this is the big thing: even as
a student. I myself live in Munich which is the most expensive city in Germany but me and
everyone I know are doing pretty well here. When you go out of your house you see that everything
is in order, the infrastructure is well developed and compared to many other European countries the
cost of living is considered reasonable. Different from countries like Japan where people usually
spend quite a lot of money on activities in the city, in Germany the focus is more on the free
ones. We really enjoy just hanging out in the park with our friends, visiting museums or chilling
at each other's houses and drinking a bunch of beer. All simple things that don't really cause
additional costs. Unless you... pay to have friends. When you are a student, you receive this nice
University card and with this you basically get a discount on almost everything. Your student status
is quite powerful, the entrance to museums is free or very cheap, public transport is more affordable
and certain goods and services are offered at a reduced price like food or Electronics. Which
takes away a lot of the burdens of being a broke student. Snd to be a bit less broke, students having
part-time jobs is really common here. Most people I know have some kind of side hustle, ranging from
working in retail to crypto trading. If you want to have a part-time job, you're legally allowed to
work 20 hours per week in addition to your studies. And I myself have a part-time job and also do
some freelancing work on the site. It's no problem at all. But let's do some simple calculations here
because I think it will be interesting for you to hear, what amount of money you can expect to make
on the site as a student. So the minimum wage is 12 Euros per hour, so even if you somehow get the
worst job ever, you'll still be making over 900 Euros per month which will be more than enough for you
to meet your living expenses. And the legal system is pretty solid here, you will get paid and most of
the degree programs give you enough space and time outside of the university to earn some side income.
You can absolutely have a good lifestyle and be financially independent. And yes you can also get a
job without knowing any German, I don't want to say that it's the easiest thing to do but I have seen
examples of people finding one with absolutely zero knowledge of German. All you have to do is be
willing to work for it. But learning basic German will really help you out, more on that later. From
affordable accommodation options to reasonably priced public transportation, I would say Germany
has nailed a pretty good balance that makes sure that the actual residents and also the visitors
can enjoy the country without going flat broke. I made an entire video about the cost of living
here and for your convenience, I put it as the first link down in the video description. So check
it out after watching this video. The thing that I really felt here is the quality of Education which
is literally world-class and one of the best you can get in the European Union. Again, without
the additional burden of educational loans. And Germany is home to some of the world's top-ranked
universities and many of them being in the top 30 and 50. Well that's actually, that's actually pretty
good. So to drop you some specific names, here is a list of the top universities in this country
and their world ranking. I grew up in both Germany and Japan and I went through the entire German
education system and now I'm studying computer science and design. And I was able to experience
this quality firsthand. I went to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and got to know
the system and environment there and I recently switched to the University of applied sciences in
Munich. In Germany, there are actually two types of Universities. This might be really important for you
to hear because depending on the type of person you are, depending on your preferences and career
paths, you might want to consider one of these two types of universities. And this is something not
many people have in mind, especially when they want to study in Germany as an international student.
They immediately think: uhh TUM is the best way to go but let me give you a different perspective
here. So two types of universities, one is called "Hochschule" or goes under the name University
of applied sciences. At a Hochschule, they primarily focus on their practical application
of knowledge and focus on profession-oriented programs such as Engineering, Business, Social
Work, IT and design. And the Hochschule has a strong connection to the industry and really puts
some extra emphasis on internships and practical training to optimally prepare us for specific
professions and the real world. So companies really like hiring from the Hochschule. For example, in
my degree program we have a mandatory internship in the sixth semester which is quite nice because
they make sure that you get a lot of real life experience and work on soft skills at the same
time. We work on a lot of projects, presentations and basically everything you need to thrive in
the job market. On the other hand, universities in Germany, they are called "Universität" and they
focus on theoretical knowledge, research and academic studies.So if you're someone who likes to
study a lot of knowledge, focus on research and all that theoretical stuff, the classic universities
might be a better fit for you.TUM, LMU and so on are examples of these kinds of universities.
Universität or Hochschule, both have various benefits. I saw myself as more of a practical
person who likes working on projects, rather than just plainly studying a lot of knowledge, so
the University of applied sciences was the best fit for me and I don't regret the decision. The
University of applied sciences at Munich which I attend, ranks number one in Germany when it
comes to entrepreneurship and startups. This is what particularly made it so attractive for me.
But if you want to become a doctor or a lawyer, the classic University is better for you. When
you want to study in Germany, the grading and exam system here can be quite confusing, depending
on the education system you're used to. First of all, most classes don't have that many assignments
but based the grade for the entire course on the final exam or term paper. So in most degree programs,
at the end of each semester, you have this final boss, this monster exam or even multiple monster
exams that you need to conquer. It's very stressful and it means that the final exam period at the
end of each semester is a very intense time for all of us. Libraries get hella crowded, caffeine
consumption goes through the roof and doing all nighters becomes a temporary trend. My prayer goes
out to all my homies who gotta write seven exams in engineering. There are about three months of
classes, followed by a multi-week exam season and we students here need a lot of self-discipline
to keep up with our studies. It's so easy to just start skipping lectures because no one forces you
to go. If you want to seriously study in Germany, there are certain skills you need to keep in mind
and focus on acquiring to get through University without major problems. Here people put a lot
of emphasis on time management and self-paced learning, whether you have assignments or projects
outside of the lectures. You're expected to get yourself together and do things on your own. As
harsh as it sounds, many of the professors at the bigger universities don't really take any interest
in your progress. Their job is to teach and they leave it to students to study. It's on you to learn to
approach the professors and tutors if you need to clarify any doubts. But when it comes to the
question of how long people study in Germany, I gotta say: it depends. Taking time over your degree
is actually the norm in Germany. Of course you can finish it on time which is quite a realistic
thing to do and I'm intending to do that as well but here people put a lot of emphasis on
self-development and really giving each other time and space to figure out what they want to do in
life. I see many people taking a gap year, doing a study abroad program for one year or switch degree
programs and stuff which is quite unthinkable in a lot of other countries. I personally switched degree
programs as well and plan on doing a study abroad soon. Both are very welcomed and accepted here and
people get really hyped up when you tell them. In my eyes, the more flexible approach is very
attractive because in other countries, where you pay a ton of tuition fees, you want
to finish on time right? Unless you want to get into serious debt or be seen as a failure. I can
smell the failure. The career is also not going to be an issue here. As a student, I used to do
some research because I wanted to know which companies are present here so that I can
prepare for my career and work towards a specific company. And there are many companies in Germany,
ranging from Giants such as SAP, Daimler, Siemens, BMW, Porsche, and many startups and international
companies such as Google and Microsoft. And since I'm not a foreigner in Germany, I'm actually half
German and half Japanese, many of you might notice it from the accent and I also went through a
German education system by going to a German School in Japan, on one hand i'm German and know
my home country very well but on the other hand, I also have the perspective from outside because
I also lived outside of Germany for quite a long time. So I'm kind of an international person
in Germany but at the same time a local. So my friends are a good mix of German people and
also International people with many different nationalities and backgrounds which makes
everything very interesting. I would say if you come to Germany as an international student, you
won't have that many problems. Especially if you go to Uni in the bigger cities, there will be a lot
of international people around as well, you might be surprised. So right now, I think there are like
400 000 International students in Germany and I'm pretty sure that the number is growing because we
have quite open borders, many countries around us and a pretty mixed culture. And 7 500 different
kinds of beer. Like what the heck bro. You can expect a pretty diverse group of students studying
with you in University. But I would say the majority are German, Indian, Chinese, and French. And
it's always beneficial to be able to speak German. I'm making this video for more of an international
audience and if you're watching this there is a high chance that you are an international person
as well. And most of the people speak English here and unless you live in a rural area where you see
more cows than people, you are absolutely fine with English. The interesting thing is, especially for
international students, you can study almost every subject in English. But learning a language is dope,
I can highly recommend it to you. People will like you more. In comparison with other countries,
Germany is a safe country. In town or in the countryside, by day or by night, you can move around
freely here. The economy is very stable, no worries Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are carrying the country.
The crime rate is low, people just like to protest a lot. Not as much as the French but definitely quite
often. Oh and I forgot, the only time when stuff becomes crazy is when there is a major soccer
game between rival and teams and the people there run on beer as fuel. But yeah, here in Germany the
university seems to be a big part of the culture. From what I noticed and experienced, the student
culture in Germany combines academic stuff with a strong social and cultural life outside of
uni. I think everything you want in your social life can be found in Germany. Especially in the
bigger cities you have everything you want. Sushi restaurant, no problem. Beautiful lake to chill at,
absolutely possible. I mean I can tell you that there are a lot of nightclubs and stuff but at the
end of the day, people here value work-life balance. It's like: "work hard, play hard". Hustle during the
semester, chill and party like crazy during your holidays. And if you get bored of the country during
the semester holidays, granted you don't have seven exams spread over the entire holiday, you can visit the
other nine countries that have a direct border to Germany. And also 26 other countries in
Europe. Transport, especially by train or bus is really affordable for students. I once took a trip
to Prague with my friends and we paid about 30 Euros for that train. And also going on a one day
trip to one of the beautiful lakes in Bavaria or a weekend of hiking in the Alps to wind down
from all the university hustle is something I really love doing from time to time. So from my
own personal experience and talking with other students, I figured out three challenges. They won't
break the entire experience but it's good to keep them in mind. So winter depression is a real thing
here. The German winter is dark, wet and cold and people are severely deficient in sunlight and the overall
mood is a solid 2 out of 10. You know, roughly from November to March, people are way more grumpy
with its peak in January. You need to survive through this period. The German summer on the other
hand is really nice with warm and dry weather. It's crazy how people's moods change when they see a
bit more sun coming out in April. St 20 degrees with a little bit of sunshine, everybody
instantly has short pants on and is ready to do some barbecue outside. The primary language of
instruction in German universities is German and while many universities offer courses in English,
especially at the postgraduate level, there might still be a language barrier for international
students and it can be challenging to fully integrate into the academic and social environment
without the German language. And learning German in advance or during studies will really give you
the best experience and opportunities. And people always appreciate it, if you talk to them in their
native language. Bureaucracy and administrative procedures. In short: annoying paperwork. Germany
has quite a shitty reputation for its bureaucratic processes and paperwork and especially for
international students, the administrative procedures might be overwhelming and time
consuming. For example getting a student visa, health insurance, also creating a company is not
the easiest thing to do compared to other European countries. Here, a lot of things are handled with
paper instead of digital processes and my big hope is that it's gonna change in the near future. But
I'm really sure that this won't be a deal breaker, Germany is still a fantastic place to study. I
can highly suggest you join our amazing Discord Community where we help each other out with a
lot of different topics. Love you and STAY FOCUSED.
