My study abroad: experience report
If you're bored in the usual environment at your German university, you can add a little spice to your life: Almost all German universities offer exchange opportunities such as ERASMUS to spend one or a maximum of two semesters at an international university. In this way, you not only get to know the creative thinking and approaches of the students in the respective target country, but you also learn a lot about the country, people, culture and, at the same time, brush up on your English skills. And on the weekends there are exciting short trips and excursions. You can hardly make your studies more exciting.
Study abroad experience: Taipei
As a huge Asia fan, I decided relatively early on where I wanted to go. The warm, tropical climate, the distinctive food culture, the friendliness of the people and the relaxed culture really appeal to me and drive me back to other Asian countries every year. The idea of completing a semester abroad in Asia is not far off. So I applied to a few universities and finally decided on Taiwan, more precisely Taipei: a city I've never been to but in which I've been passionately interested for a long time. I seized the opportunity and was happy about the opportunity to spend half a year on the other side of the world.
Taipei: My everyday life during my time at NTU
Gaining experience studying abroad is something different than a simple vacation: you live in your own apartment or a shared apartment (alternatively, there is often the option of getting a room directly on campus), cook for yourself, and have friends invite you and plan your time freely without having to stick to a strict flight or hotel schedule. Everyday life at the university provides an extra dose of local feeling: just like at home, people learn together here, live out everyday life at the university, make new friends, spend lunch breaks together and occasionally complain about the upcoming exams and curse the professors for assigning such nasty exercises create. All in all, a wonderful combination of vacation and feelings of home that couldn't be achieved in any other way.
Unlike at my home university in Munich, the first route to the university does not go through the musty subway shaft, but rather takes me through a street lined with palm trees directly to the main entrance of the university, which is beautifully centrally located in the middle of Taipei City. A completely different feeling!
Free hours can be spent comfortably and relaxed outside in the sun, with delicious dishes from the street food stands and a fresh coconut in your hand. Even after university, you could quickly and easily go into the city center to end the day with a cocktail or more food. The weekends are ideal for short trips to nearby cities - just like at home, it doesn't matter if you skip a class or two and use the day off you gain to explore Korea or Japan, for example - an incredible feeling in this one To be free and explore goals that might not otherwise have been on the agenda.
This is how it works with the credits at the target university
Of course, you don't have to (or can) completely forego earning credit points at your target university. It is important that you find out in advance which curriculum makes sense for you: which subjects can you potentially get credit for, and what doesn't work? Which teaching units can be combined and how and what type of examination is required here? Language courses, for example, are always a good option to earn points and refresh your knowledge. It is often possible to complete a semester abroad and still take exams as usual when you return to your home university - so you kill two birds with one stone, enjoy a nice time abroad and don't necessarily have to add another semester because the credits are not enough worked. You can find the best solution for your individual stay in the student advisory service for your subject, as this varies completely from university to university - both in Germany and in conjunction with the partner university.
Study Abroad Experience: The Finances
The same applies to financial support: Find out in advance whether and what you may be paid and what you will have to add from your own funds. There is often the opportunity to live cheaply on campus - but places are limited and you should take care of it early.
Some programs are almost entirely taken over by your university, such as ERASMUS. Here you receive a monthly subsidy that you can use to pay for your apartment, etc. In this case, any tuition fees that may arise are also generally covered. However, more exotic goals are often special cases that you should discuss with the student advisor or the responsible advisor as early as possible in order to have enough time to prepare.
Gaining experience studying abroad is easy, fun and something everyone should do. Here are my experiences on the topic!
