Germany Archives - The Languedge

Hamburg and Copenhagen: A trip on rail, road, sea and air

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

Covering 600+ kilometers in Germany in a spacious, comfortable private railway cabin at just 30 Euros and arriving perfectly on time at the destination requires luck. Favorable turn of events made this experience a reality when I took the NightJet NJ40470 train operated by the Austrian Railways (ÖBB - Österreichische Bundesbahnen) from Karlsruhe to Hamburg (https://rail.cc/en/night-train/zurich-hamburg-nj-40470/500). The 6-seater cabin I was allotted had hardly any occupants and I could stretch my legs on the recliner seats for a comfortable nap in the climate-controlled cabin. A sleeper cabin (incl. breakfast) in these NightJet trains readily costs around 100 Euros, even if booked 3-4 months in advance. Starting the trip with the usual free walking tour (https://www.neweuropetours.eu/), I got to know that Hamburg (supposedly deriving its name from 'Hammaburg' roughly meaning 'Castle on the rivers', as the Elbe and Alster rivers flow here) has a long history of tax-free sea trade, culminating in its today's status of being a gateway to Germany. More Vegan/Vegetarian options at Restaurants and cheaper public transport options are noteworthy. The city...

Pursuing a Masters in Hochschule Esslingen (Part 2)

October 1, 2018October 8, 2018 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

Here I attempt to address the question 'How much German is required?' from a varied perspective of mine. Read http://thelanguedge.com/2017/01/02/b1-or-not-a-b1/ and other articles from The Languedge's blog which offer the valuable insights of many others. It is valid to also say that the contents of these apply more than to just applicants of Hochschule Esslingen. To know about the admission process at Esslingen, read part 1 of the article from the blog. Self-interrogation should be step one - always Firstly, try asking yourself the following questions. How long do you plan to live in Germany? After graduation, do you intend to work for a German organization? Do you intend to do Internships or apply for jobs here? Do you dislike being a mute participant in conversations/discussions with German speakers? What are your constraints (family, financial, age)? Some of your answers might not be very well formulated. But assuming, things work out. What then? Take a sheet of paper and try drawing a timeline for yourself 5 to 10 years down the line. This important...

Pursuing a Masters in Hochschule Esslingen (Part 3)

October 1, 2018October 8, 2018 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

In this article, I make an attempt to compile a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) that I have received from applicants in the past (and are likely to remain frequent in years to come as well). Part 1 on admission process and part 2 on German language skills can be found in the blog. Q from applicant : Which course should I choose ? ASM or DDM ? A: Ask yourself what you want to pursue. ASM is more along the lines of Control Engineering while DDM is extensively on physical structures and materials. Write on a piece of paper your skills, interests, career plan 5-10 years ahead. Read course module information from the University website or get in touch with students to know about what is taught in a subject if needed (It is fine if much of these seem threatening and unfamiliar. That's the reason you are applying. To learn them). Explore and gather as much information yourself before seeking help...

Pursuing a Masters at Hochschule Esslingen (Part 1)

October 1, 2018October 8, 2018 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

Winter is coming. Oh no, this has nothing to do with the Starks of Winterfell. It is that time of the year when tens of thousands of students are investing time, effort and money for GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, Language classes, University applications, Courier services and lots more. Or probably they are in the process of planning (thinking) these and wondering if they should invest. Like the year before. And the year before that. And the several years gone by in the past decades. And among them are a few hundreds who maybe interested in studying at Germany, a subset of which likely has their eyes set on Esslingen. As a former student of the Hochschule Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, I intend to offer a glimpse into what you are getting into. If your aspirations are sincere, you might as well be patient and invest a few minutes here. For those of who who started reading this without concrete information about the English-taught study programs at Hochschule Esslingen, I recommend doing so before reading on...

Walking Tour – An experience for free and a glimpse of my three

October 1, 2018 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

The cost of public transportation in many major European cities, can very quickly empty one's pockets. So, if you are someone looking to explore the cities of Europe, and keen to do so with minimal expenses (typically students), then Free walking tours can be very handy. Usually an extensive narration of the city's history along with a tour of the key landmarks, these walking tours save one the trouble of having to plan quite extensively yet explore a lot. My first experience of a free walking tour was at Strassbourg, a city in the eastern part of France (called the Alsace Region). Located not far from the Rhine river which separates the German-French border, one can arrive here from Germany by train (typically French high-speed TGVs or the German ICEs/ICs) as well as by intercity bus services from operators such as FlixBus. The city has repeatedly come under German rule in the past and the effects of this is quite noticeable. Owing to this and the European Union's relaxed border controls, it would be no surprise if one momentarily forgets being...

Fahrzeug, Feast and Friends at Frankfurt

October 6, 2017 by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed

In the Land that's renowned for it's invention of the motorized transportation and Automobile brands, it was exciting to personally visit, along with friends, the International Motor Show (German: IAA - Internationale Automobil Ausstellung) at Frankfurt in September this year. It was a 2-day trip with the major chunk of Day 1 at the Motor Show. For those of you who have heard/read little about it, the Motor Show puts on display the Passenger vehicles in the odd years at Frankfurt while the even years focus on Commercial vehicles (at Hannover). With personal mobility seemingly at crossroads with the buzz about 'self-driving vehicles' and 'alternate energy sources' stronger than ever before, the Motor Show this year was much different than in the past decades. I leave the task of enlightening the reader more about the IAA to Google. Just for the record, my friends and I personally participated as passengers in a free demo from Bosch for the Automated Emergency Braking that work's on stereo camera based setup (related clip below). There was another demo from Continental...

Wohnungssuche in Germany

September 5, 2017September 5, 2017 by Anoop Krithivasan Comment Closed

As soon as you get your admission next thing you need to look upon is for accommodation. It is very difficult to get accommodation in Germany, especially in cities like Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, and Hamburg. In these cities the prices are too high which is very difficult for a student to afford. Note while looking for accommodation : If your university is providing the accommodation kindly take it because you don’t have the burden of searching , checking the accommodation etc. The university will mostly provide in a Studentenwerk which might or might not be near the university, but still take it if you have good transportation facility. Even if you get it for 6 months take it because once on coming to Germany you can judge the situation on arrival and act accordingly. If you’re not getting in Studentenwerk start looking for private WG – Wohngemeinschaft in websites like WG-gesucht.de, Studenten-wg.de, Facebook pages and immowelt.de. If you’re fine with the WG...

TIPS for your Internship and Thesis

August 11, 2017 by Anoop Krithivasan Comment Closed

Once you get your admission for Masters in Germany and reach here you will have to get started searching for your internships and thesis. Things you must know before we get started : Companies will never approach you in Germany. You will have to go company's website and check in their career portal and apply. But the positive thing is , they will respond to your application. When you're looking for internship there are two types of internship one is voluntary internship (In German Freiwillig praktikum) and the other is compulsory internship (In German Pflichtpraktikum).Compulsory internship is part of your course work. Most of the masters programs have only voluntary internship. Your German Langauage Certificate does not matter :You do not need to show any proof that you have done A1 or A2 level etc. But make sure while writing a Resume and cover letter , write it with the German knowledge you possess. My experiences and some tips: First select the field in which...

A step – by-step plan – From your UG to a PG in Germany

May 18, 2017 by Mathangi Jeypal Comment Closed

THE SMART KID’S GUIDE TO AN MS IN GERMANY. We see a lot of material for Dummies, but this article is targeted at the smart ones. The ones who require a bit of guidance. And believe in planning their next step towards studying abroad. One of the options being Germany. First, let us analyze the reason as to why we must consider Germany an option, when all our Friends and relatives are busy packing their bags to other places. WHY GERMANY Quality of Studies – the biggest factor is the quality of Studies you receive. It is absolutely top-notch, in accordance with international standards and the language of instruction is dominantly English Finances – An MS in Germany would easily require maybe 30-40 % of the funds you might have to allocate for a similar degree in the US. Think of the bank loans, financial burdens and stress that you would be reducing. Job Market – In comparison to many other European countries,...

You DON’T need a language certificate, but having one can help !

May 15, 2017 by Harish Kumar Comment Closed

When it comes to learning a language simply memorizing grammar or conjugation rules won’t be enough. What matters is assessing your ability to communicate. Speaking is by far the hardest part. It will definitely be required if you want to be able to prove not only your knowledge of a language, but your ability to use it to communicate with other people. Certificates are just pieces of paper. Being able to communicate is all that matters. During a job interview, or while sharpening your interactions with clients or friends - it becomes apparent just how skilled you are in a language. When I interviewed for companies here in Germany, they appreciated the fact that I had passed a higher level of the German Language Proficiency Test. All my friends who want to work in Germany also have this certificate. So, it can definitely get your foot in the door. Beyond that point though, it's pretty useless. A certificate cannot prove that you speak...