A Saturday Trek at Schwarzwald

A Saturday Trek at Schwarzwald

The Schwarzwald (English: Black Forest) located in Baden-Wuerttemberg, the south-western state of Germany, is a name constantly repeated by travel and nature enthusiasts. Even by food lovers, who love to occasionally enjoy a Black Forest cake. The onset of warmer days from May to August/September is a welcome call for Trekkers in Germany. While having never really trekked in the past myself, the ad I spotted accidentally in the local newspaper (benefits of reading German) sparked a thought to sign up for one. The ad spoke of a local club organizing a one-day Trek starting at Durmersheim, a town located 8-10 kms south-west of Karlsruhe, and invited even non-members to join if interested. Couple of weeks later, we were all boarded on the local train (called 'Murgtalbahn' informally, meaning the train that runs in the valley of the river Murg. Hint: Geographical features and City/town names are very closely linked). In a group of 30 odd people, I was the only Indian and perhaps the youngest at 26 years of age,...
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Fahrzeug, Feast and Friends at Frankfurt

Fahrzeug, Feast and Friends at Frankfurt

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...
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Wohnungssuche in Germany

Wohnungssuche in Germany

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...
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TIPS for your Internship and Thesis

TIPS for your Internship and Thesis

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

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

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,...
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An MBA in Germany !

An MBA in Germany !

I have just landed in Berlin on 2nd January 2017 as an MBA student of GGSB MBA'19. I have experienced suspicious brows when I say MBA in Germany. Germany is always seen as hub for an MS after the US. Germany is one of the most insulated Economies in Europe, it houses quite a few Fortune 500 companies and most importantly it boasts of a Multi Cultural Society. I did not however prepare for Germany as my MBA destination; I would like to call it a happy accident. I started preparations a year and half back. All I was sure about is that I would do my MBA from Europe. Undoubtedly Europe is one of the best places that can offer you exposure to an array of cultures. I initially considered Institutions from UK, France, and Portugal (yes, Portugal). One of the guideline to check the quality of a MBA programme is its accredition from Equis (European Standards) or AMBA (UK Standard)...
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Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots

From Madras Institute of Technology to University of Applied Sciences Esslingen “You can never connect the dots looking forwards. You can only connect them looking backwards” were the famous words of Steve Jobs. My presence at Esslingen, Germany in September 2016 is a surely a series of dots (a collection of steady efforts, hard work and cumulative experiences) tracing back to the days of September of 2009 at Chennai, India. The Start It all started with my interest to learn a foreign language in 2009 while still at Madras Institute of Technology, not just for the career opportunities it offered me, but also for the feel good effect and sheer joy of learning a 3rd language. I signed up for the German classes in 2010 and by December of 2011, I was through with my A2 level in German. Though I wanted to go further, my language journey came to a grinding halt owing to a financial crunch. As a university gold medalist, I...
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Taking your Interviews entirely in German

Taking your Interviews entirely in German

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart .”   My experience in Germany certainly justifies the above saying. On the professional front, it is even more significant. Some Germans hesitate to converse in English just like how some of us hesitate to talk to a German in German, due to lack of vocabulary. It does not mean that they aren't friendly but talking in German would help to develop a better friendship and a peaceful working atmosphere. I’ve been working for 9 months now and the official language at work is German. I work in a multi-cultural team with colleagues from Germany, Mexico,China, Iran etc. but we all communicate in German. I was also able to develop better contacts as I spoke entirely in German at conferences, trainings and events. My first interview in German was for my first job. Since...
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Tackling The Baggage Allowance Problem

Tackling The Baggage Allowance Problem

One of the many things a passenger is concerned about while moving abroad is fitting things into the limited space of the suit case. Tackling the baggage allowance imposed by flight carriers is a big problem for many people moving abroad, especially students. To tackle this problem, consider the points mentioned below. The dimensions of your bags must be within what is allowed by the airline. In addition, goods like big musical instruments or sports equipments may require special kind of handling. They may not be allowed into your regular suit cases. I wanted to carry my cricket bat and was told that as long as it fits inside my suit case, it would not be a problem. Inquire different airlines before you purchase your tickets. You will very likely be eligible for some sort of extra allowance if you are a student. The allowance limit varies from carrier to carrier. I have traveled in Oman Air and Qatar Airways so far,...
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Germany, a destination for Computer Science enthusiasts

Germany, a destination for Computer Science enthusiasts

I’m probably one of the very few people who has studied German before considering Germany as an option for my Masters. Also, one of the very few to consider Germany as an option for Computer Science. Like most computer science engineers, US of A was the top destination for me to study my masters. So just like every generation before me, I was under the impression that I would pursue my post grad at some reputed university in the US; until I took up German with The LanguEdge.  What started out as a hobby soon turned out to be a very important step in my life. Studying at The LanguEdgewas a very unique experience for me. It was such a fun and creative environment to study in. For a person who isn’t very good with languages, I was picking up German so quickly. I am currently pursuing Msc.Informatics at TU Munich, and I would’ve never imagined pursuing my masters in such a...
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