Nassel News

More and more college-bound students from the U.S. and around the world are traveling to Germany to study, some for a semester or a year, but others to pursue a two- or four-year degree at one of the country’s many prestigious universities.

The current climate of commercial and political globalization offers an advantage to students with fluency in a second language, and particularly to those who have a deep familiarity with another culture; graduates who boast a degree or even a semester at a foreign university will probably be looked upon with high interest by recruiters for large corporations. But beyond that kind of pragmatism, living in a foreign country and studying elbow-to-elbow with students from Europe, the U.S., Japan, China, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and other geographically and culturally diverse corners of the world offers students a unique opportunity to develop diverse friendships and an understanding of other cultures and world views. And perhaps this opportunity to connect on a meaningful level with individuals from other, often profoundly different, cultures is the most important benefit, in this complicated and troubled world, of study abroad.

Organized university education in Germany dates back to several centuries ago. The first university was in Heidelberg in the fourteenth century. Today, there are more than 300 institutions of higher learning all over Germany including 82 Universities, 132 other institutions offering shorter and more practically-orientated courses and 46 colleges of music and fine arts.
Germany is a great industrialized nation. To this end, it is ranked among the five largest economies in the world. Germany is open to foreign students who number thousands.
Germany has become even more attractive to foreign students, since there are now undergraduate and postgraduate courses in German universities that are internationally accredited, leading to Bachelor and Master degrees. Many of these courses are taught in English, including those in the fields of engineering, natural science and business studies.
Most universities are state institutions. There are no study fees at German universities. In addition, German universities are autonomous and centered on research and teaching. This has made statistics to show that thousands of foreign students have graduated from German institutions over the years thereby benefiting from the broad range of opportunities that German education system had to offer. Not only that, Germany has become attractive to foreign students because of these benefits:
 

•  The German university system offers you an enormous freedom of choice for subjects and the kind of courses you want to enroll for. You can choose from an undergraduate courses studying towards a Bachelor degree just like in most countries of the world. One can also put in for the traditional German Magister or Diplom, which normally takes four years. Postgraduate courses include Masters or PhD’s or the German Doktorat.
  
• To make life easier for international students coming into the German Higher Education system, more and more of the degree courses – especially the BA and MA courses – are taught in English. The variety of subjects is vast, and the course structure offers you a great choice.
  
• Although in future (moderate) tuition fees will increasingly be introduced, in many cases studying in Germany, particularly for a first degree, is free of charge allowing the student the ability to plan his budget.
  
• What makes German higher education institutions so special is the combination of advanced research and teaching – not only in the areas they are well known for, such as sciences, mathematics and engineering but also business and economics, law, social sciences and the arts. Nearly all German university departments now interact closely with national and international academic bodies and research institutes, as well as business and industry.

By: OBAFEMI TORIOLA

According to Campus Germany, nearly one tenth of 1.8 million international students choose German as their destination for study. Germany has been a popular place for international students to come and is ranked as one of most-preferred destination by foreign students. Why do international students often choose to come to Germany? In my opinion, there are 5 most noticeable reasons to prefer Germany to others.
 

1. Uniquely old-aged education with an emphasis on modernization:
   

 
 Germany’s education is well-known for a strong traditional education emphasizing on socialization, debate, vocal participation in class and critical faculties and it is also known as the most student-centered education with a broad base of selective subjects. To response to the trend of internationalization in education, Germany has showed her steady seat among the world’s highest level of education with many famous universities. The combination of study and research is the most eyeful nature of German education.                                           

2. Diversity in subjects with a flexible option of languages of instruction:    
   

  With a strong commitment to socio-development and individualism, German universities offer a wide board of subjects to satisfy human’s thirst of education from A to Z. All courses are designed with a basis of empirical researches and they are open to any who desire for educational combination of theory and practice. Moreover, although most of courses are taught in German which is an interesting-to-learn language and is used in 38 countries around the world but there are many courses availably instructed in English, French, Latin, Italia, and Spanish as a way that German universities wish to join hands with their peers in other countries to contribute to the global education development.                                     

3.  The bottom tuition fee for the top education quality:
   

 
 Unfortunately, the time of studying in German universities for free has been passing, but we only are required to pay a very modest tuition fee between 300 Euro and 500 Euro per semester. It is really needless to say something more since it is obviously cool for international students in the comparison with tuition fees in other countries. At this low cost, students with financial limit have chance to reach the internationally-recognized education.  

4. A various resource of scholarships:
   

 
 As to financial aid, Germany is famed as one of the countries having biggest amount of scholarships given out annually. Through DAAD, Nassel, and other public or pirate organizations, thousands of scholarships are offered to the needy around the world with a wide range of costs, durations and requirements. Besides, part-time jobs are also available for foreign students to support their studies in Germany.                                                        

5. Tasting German people and culture:  
   

 Located in the heart of Europe, Germany is thought of the capital of culture with many historic places worthy of visiting as well as German people are well-known for their  heartiness, politeness, generosity and friendliness.  All of these create a unique chance we can not let it bypass.
I do not mean that all above mentioned reasons are the perfect or typical reasons when selecting our ideal place for study but I am sure to get your consent that German is one of the most-preferred destinations for overseas study due to her true power in educational realm and charming cultural attraction along with the friendliness of her people.

By: Diep Thanh Vuong

Germany is always the first choice for foreign students who want to go abroad for studying further. This is where you will discover who looks after such issues as equality of opportunity and international competitiveness in the educational sector - and makes sure that what is taught in German classrooms is contemporary as well as fun. There are many reasons why many people choose Germany as a place to continue their career and here are four reasons. 

1. You can study in a university and a field you want
In Germany there are a lots of good and high-qualified universities. There are not so many differences between the German universities. You can study whatever you want. Only some small parts (like business administration…) can’t take all the appliers because, there are a lot of students that want to study these parts. However in general, you can choose for you a university and a field relevant to your abilities and backgrounds.

Typical student jobs include working in a bar, office work, courier work, taxi driving (though you need a special permit for doing this), hostess work on fairs (well paid) and street cleaning in winter. Pay for student jobs is typically €10-15/hour. Vacancies are often promoted on newspaper websites, via student unions or the university. 

Self-employed Work a residence permit can be issued for carrying out self-employed work. This presupposes that certain prerequisites are fulfilled that, in particular, ensure that the work has a positive effect on the German economy. These prerequisites are generally deemed to be fulfilled with a minimum investment sum of 1 million euros and the creation of ten jobs. If the investment sum or the number of jobs is less than these values, the prerequisites are examined in terms of the viability of the business idea, the amount of invested capital, the business experience of the foreigner and involves, among others, trade authorities and associations. Foreigners who are older than 45 years only receive a residence permit if they have a suitable retirement pension. 

The residence permit is initially issued for a maximum of 3 years. If the planned business endeavor has been successfully realized in this time, a settlement permit can already be issued after three years regardless of the usual prerequisites. 

Working illegally given the difficulties getting work permits many people consider working illegally. However, finding illegal work in Germany is difficult and not recommended. Illegal workers are under constant threat of deportation and are often exploited by employers. An employer cannot even be forced to pay for work done by someone working illegally.
4) Germany is the World’s 3rd, and the Europe’s 1st economical power 

Social market economy. The economic cycle is con­trolled by the market without central intervention. The government authorities ensure conditions that make competition viable. A market economy in­cludes the freedom of consumption, freedom of trade, free choice of occupation and place of work, and the right to private ownership. The right to free collective bargaining, i.e. agreement on employ­ment conditions especially the scale of wages and salaries - by the trade unions and the employers’ associations, is guaranteed under the Basic Law. Both sides of industry act on their own responsibili­ty without being subject to government interven­tion, abiding by the Basic Law and the laws. In the public service sector, the Federation, the Lander and the local authorities act jointly as bargaining part­ners of the trade unions. 

The welfare element of the social market economy is reflected in an extensive welfare system encom­passing a statutory pension scheme, health insur­ance, unemployment insurance, child allowances and other significant benefits. Progressive taxation takes account of the economic situation of the indi­vidual. 

The economy is regulated by framework conditions that influence factors of relevance to the economy as a whole, such as the volume of investments, money supply, consumption and national income. The goal is to ensure price stability, high employ­ment levels and a stable trade balance while main­taining steady and adequate economic growth. 

Have you always dreamed of traveling to cool places, meeting lots of different people, and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter what country you live in, you can fly over the world’s highest waterfalls in Venezuela, learn world trade in Japan, study in France, or take dancing lessons in Ghana, or go and enjoy in Germany’s “Fun City”, Munich known for its Oktoberfest. 

Besides the excitement of travel, one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs, holidays, foods, art, music, and politics firsthand. 

“Obviously, I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps more importantly was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself. I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my [host] family, not from the tourist’s point of view,” says Andrew, who studied in Poitiers, France. 

Another reason for studying abroad is that you’ll gain self-confidence. Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that? 

Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, social savvy, and a genuine interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. “After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college to be a breeze - moving 560 miles from home didn’t seem particularly daunting after having lived thousands of miles away.” 

And speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into choice colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected. 

Most of all, it’s fun! You’re not likely to suffer from sophomore slump or general boredom while you’re studying in a different learning environment. 

If you’ve studied abroad and want to be a host yourself, or if you’ve decided you don’t want to travel but would like the chance to learn about another culture, your family may be a candidate to host a student. Families fill out applications and interview with organization representatives, reviewing profiles (or videos) of students who might be a good fit. 

Whether you host a student or study abroad yourself, you’re sure to see the world in a new way. 

Studying abroad opens larger opportunities for people. It is giving the person the chance to explore by himself the bounty of the globe and experience its richness. Knowledge and wisdom is not only sought in ones country. The real world is large, larger than we thought it to be. It has scattered pieces of gold in any place in the world. But the larger pack of gold is in one country. Though all places offer different fields of study, Germany has it all. Its wide range of opportunities attributed to its richness and stable economy has invited many people to make the country among the first choices in selecting places to study. It is indeed among the leading countries when it comes to high standard education. It will continue offering the student’s quality education generations from now.