Tracing my path from SRM to TechnischeHochschule Ingolstadt

 

It all started in the second year at SRM when we were given a choice to choose foreign languages for the next two semesters. Being a student of Mechanical department, it was but natural that the first choice of language would be German. However due to limited availability, I could not take up the subject and instead ended up learning a different language (it is always advantageous to know more languages). My main aim for choosing Mechanical was the exuberant auto maniac inside me who wanted to learn intrinsically about automobiles.

During my third year of engineering, I interacted with many erudite people from several auto industries as well as seniors abroad and everyone had only one thing to say – “Germany is THE destination for car freaks! The technology and design in the automobile field is unmatched”. After receiving so many positive responses towards Germany, I started my own research for different courses and the requirements for the admission to these Universities. I started attending webinars and other educational sessions conducted by DAAD which gave me a fair idea of the education in ‘The Land of Ideas’. I was also enlightened by the fact that most of the Universities have no or minimum tuition fees which encouraged me even more! There was however one big hurdle – Knowledge of German language!

By the end of the third year, it was quite evident to me that if I had to pursue my dream of going to Germany, I had to study German (top most priority). I started enquiring about German classes and all my seniors recommended me to join The Languedge and I am extremely delighted that I did so.

Initially, I had joined the classes only to learn the language, but little did I know that I will start enjoying the language! The amazing teaching techniques and the individual attention at The Languedge is unparalleled. Going to The Languege was always fun as we would have timely discussions about everyday topics, politics, culture in Germany and so much more! Speaking, acting and reacting in German made me learn new words and grasp the language even faster. I had begun my classes at the beginning of my final year (which is supposed to be a tad late!) which included placements, projects and other subjects to study but the classes were extremely flexible to fit according to my timetable (which is the best part!).

Alongside German, there were a couple of requirements that needed to be fulfilled for the admission process. Once I had a general idea to apply to the Universities, I started shortlisting the Universities according to the courses that I was interested in. In Germany, there are two basic types of Universities – FH or Fachhochschule and TU or TechnischeUniversität.

The main difference between these Universities is that the later one concentrates more on research based studies and offers courses inclined towards the research field whereas the FH is more industry oriented and the course is designed to study about the current trends in the industry.

Since I was inclined towards automobiles, I had shortlisted only those Universities which offered such courses. Not only does the course name and University type matter, but the entire coursework is also of paramount importance. There were some courses which offered automobile courses, but were inclined towards the production side whereas some courses offered only certain subjects in Automobiles and other subjects were just an overview of Mechanical Engineering. It is very important to go through the coursework before applying to the University and have a clear idea about the field to apply in. For every shortlisted University, the deadlines and the requirements were different and each needed personal attention. I remember making an excel sheet for every University with their deadlines and requirements. According to my interests, I had shortlisted TH Ingolstadt, Hochschule Esslingen, RWTH Aachen, TU Hamburg, TU Kaiserlautern, FH Aachen, TU Eindhoven (Netherlands), KTH University (Sweden).

Each University has it’s own set of requirements, but in general all of them require good Bachelor grades, IELTS or TOEFL, LOR (Letter of Recommendation from Professors), SOP (Statement of Purpose), some experience in practical field such as internships (Work experience may boost your profile) and finally knowledge of German language. Some universities also demand GRE and GATE scores for specific courses.

In order to prepare for all these examinations along with Bachelor studies is challenging but definitely doable if planned properly and in advance. The major examinations such as IELTS, GRE should be taken at the ending of the third year so that there is a time window for improvement and reappearance if required. I had started the preparations from the third year ending and had given these exams in my final year. I had finished these exams between the semesters so that I do not mix up with my Bachelor exams as it would affect my grades which are the basic criteria for the admission process. The exams such as IELTS and GRE coincide with the placement preparation during the Bachelor studies and indirectly help to score better in these exams. I had combined my studies for these certificate exams which helped me score better grades.

Once all the examinations had been completed along with my language certificate till B1 from The Languedge, with a good SOP and LORs from Professors, sorting these documents according to every University is a tough task! While some Universities wanted LORs in sealed envelopes, some demanded them in their own format, while some wanted all the documents to be uploaded; some had to be sent by post! These were a few differences of the application procedures to different Universities.

It is but natural to mix up the things once the deadlines near, hence it is recommended that the documents should be sent well in advance in order to avoid any delays or discrepancies as the University is not responsible if the wrong documents were sent and will not intimate the student in any case. It might cost your admission to the dream University. As the deadlines are completed and all the documents are sent, the anticipation phase begins. This was the toughest phase for me as a student to wait for the results of admission. It was intimidating at first due to the uncertainty of the results, but when the results arrived, it brought relief to me that I could get into a University and pursue my dream of studying in Germany!

Do I wish I had work experience? – As a personal opinion, I would not like to have work experience even though it would intensify my chances of admission at some Universities in Germany. I would always love to finish my student life with a Post-Graduation degree at a stretch and then start my career in the automobile field as it would give me better prospects.

Coming and studying in Germany was a dream come true! The day I received my admission letter to TechnischeHochschule Ingolstadt was one of the happiest moments of my life. This is my second encounter in a foreign country and I do agree that Germany is a land of ideas! The professors, the way of teaching, the University are totally different from Indian Universities. There are so many campus activities that happen every day, the various excursions the University organises free of cost, the various workshops and events the University conducts and the plethora of research activities that occur at the labs have just left me awestruck! The German culture that I had read and discussed during my German classes at The Languedgehelped me adjust in this foreign land. The food, the Christmas celebrations, New Year’s eve, evening dinners at WG (Wohngemeinschaft) with Germans not to forget the chilly winter with SNOW are some of the memorable experiences I have had coming to Germany!