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AFTER World War II, Germanywas split into two countries whichwere informally known as East andWest Germany. They were laterreunified in 1994. The country’scapital is Berlin and the official cur-rency is the Euro. Christianity is thelargest religion in Germany.

EducationAcademic education in Germanyemphasises on basic knowledge,theoretical background and practi-cal application. The first graduatedegree obtained is called bachelor’sdegree. One can continue with amasters program.

Both the bachelor’s and Master’sdegree programmes are generallydivided into modules. Modules areacademic units comprising of lec-tures, seminars and practicalsessions. A module can take a max-imum of two semesters to completeand consists of six-ten hours of aca-demic work per week.

Popular courses Some popular undergraduatecourses are Bachelor inInternational Business, BSc inManagement, Bachelor of BusinessAdministration, BSc in AutomationTechnology, BSc Electronics andBA in Information Engineering.Post graduate courses like MBA,Masters in Computer Engineering,Masters in InternationalManagement and MSc AerospaceEngineering are given preference.

The Ruprecht Karl University ofHeidelberg is one of the mostreputed universities in the world.Other popular institutes are: TheTechnical University of Munich, theUniversity of Stuttgart, Universityof Dresden, Cologne BusinessSchool, Frankfurt School ofFinance and Management andDusseldorf Institute of AppliedSciences. They attract quite a fewstudents from all over the world.

Admission requirements

To apply for a Bachelor’s degree, aschool leaving certificate, (e.g. highschool diploma, A-levels baccalau-reate) is required. They arerecognised as a higher educationentrance qualification. Additionallysome universities may ask for SATscores as well.

Applicants for a Master’s degreeand PhD programmes will require auniversity degree as well. Whileapplying for Master’s degree pro-grams, one should bear in mindthat in some colleges it may bemandatory to take the GRE/GMATexam prior to admission.

Courses and programs taught inEnglish are sometimes referred toas international programs.Applicants wishing to pursue aninternational degree program donot necessarily have to take aGerman proficiency test. AnEnglish language certificate likeTOEFL or IELTS is often required.Each university/college decides onthe minimum score required tosecure admission.

A prospective international stu-dent also needs to provide a proof offinancial resources. At present, for-eign students must prove that theyhave at least 8000 per year attheir disposal. This document willneed to be submitted with the visaapplication or when one applies fora residence permit. Other docu-ments that may be asked areresume, letters of recommenda-tion, letter of motivation and a copyof the passport. Requirements arecollege/course specific and mayvary accordingly.

Germany has two intakes in ayear — one during winter thatbegins in October and one duringsummer that starts in April.Generally, the deadline for the win-ter admissions is July 15 and for thesummer admissions is January 15.These may vary from college to col-lege. Although one need not knowGerman for academic reasons, it is

important to know the language forlife outside college.

Financial assistanceGerman public institutions ofhigher education normally waivetuition fees for many bachelor’sand Master’s degree programs.However some institutes maycharge approximately 500 persemester for tuition, between150&250 as semester fee andabout 50 per semester for regis-tration. Certain Master’s degreeprograms charge higher fees whichcan be more than 10,000 persemester approximately. It’s best tocheck with each institute abouttheir fee structure before applying.

Financial aid, grants and schol-arships can be competitive andmay be granted on the basis ofstudy of subject/research, academ-

ic achievement and economicbackground. Funding can be in theform of financial scholarshipswhich generally cover the appli-cant’s entire living expenses. Manyinstitutions also offer non-mone-tary scholarships where recipientsare invited to workshops, lecturesand scientific conferences.However, grants for undergraduatestudents are limited. The aids andfundings are mostly awarded toMaster’s and doctoral students.

Able support International student servicesoffices and helpdesks in collegeassist students with accommoda-tion, insurance, administrativeprocedures etc. There are pro-grams to promote academic,organisational, social and culturalintegration.

STUDYING IN GERMANY news brief

18 career quotient celeb on campusNEETU CHANDRA, actress

on her college days

I studied in Indraprastha College,New Delhi. I used to live in thehostel. I remember my friendsintoxicating me with bhaang once

wednesday, march 19, 2014, pune, www.mid-day.com, twitter@mid_day

What is the process forpursuing a course in medicinein the USA? Also, specify thespecialisations that areavailable?Tina Rai, Mumbai

Before applying to anymedical school, internationalstudents should make surethey have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree, withthe requisite subjects neededby the medical schools beingapplied to. These requisites

vary from school to school.Specialisations that one canopt for in medicine are:Allergology, Anesthesiology,Cardiology, Dermatology,Obstetrics and Gynecology,Orthopedics, Pathology,Pediatrics, Psychiatry,Radiology, Surgery, Research,Public Health.

What is the duration of abachelors degree in medicinein the U.S? What is theexpenses?

Renuka Salvi, Pune

The duration of a medicalcourse is for four years inUSA. As an internationalstudent, a bachelors degreewill cost US $30,000-$50,000 per year for fouryears. To practice in USA, youneed to complete UnitedStates Medical LiceningExamination (U SMLE) 1 andUSMLE 2 exam from India.USMLE 3 can be completedin USA to obtain the license.

Courses in medicine abroad

Recognition to women powerTHE International Institute of InformationTechnology (IIIT) and NatarajanEducation Society (NES), jointly hostedthe ninth episode of the Women’s Prowess2014 on its campus. The theme was titled‘Reach for the Stars’ and brought togetherdistinguished achievers from varioussectors who have strengthened our societyand the nation. With two panel discussionsand an interactive workshop, the eventinspired and motivated hundreds of youngwomen to be the best they can. Thepanelists shared personal experiences thathelped them achieve professional andpersonal success. They advised everyone toadopt an excellence-based approach.

MoU for medical aidA FORMAL MOU was signed betweenBharat Vikas Group (BVG) and SymbiosisInternational University (SIHS), wherebythe latter has been entrusted with themedical training of all medicalprofessionals in State Governmentschemes across the districts ofMaharashtra. To date, SIHS has trained3,000 doctors as emergency medicalprofessionals. Maharashtra EmergencyMedical Services (MEMS) is a project bythe State government which will provideemergency ambulances to those in medicaltrouble on dialling 108. Accordingly, 937ambulances with basic and advanced lifesaving equipment will be rolled out to treatthese patients during the golden hour.

An event for special kids SUNDERJI’S Institutions celebrated itsannual day recently with a musicalconcert for the first time. The interestingthing about it was that it was presentedby kindergarten and nursery kids withspecial needs. The concert was writtenand directed by Marukh Bharucha andKhurshid Irani. It was a wonderful showthat had these special children withlearning disabilities, autism and otherspecial needs performing on stage. A totalof 200 children from across allinstitutions, accompanied by teachers andtrainees put up an interesting show thatwas enjoyed by everyone present.

Applications invitedTO fulfill the ambitions of young talentedIndian students, Kingston University,London has recently announcedscholarships specifically for Indian studentsunder the GREAT scholarship campaign incollaboration with British Council. Thereare ten scholarships, each worth £3,000available specifically for Indian studentswho have university offers for any one ofthe following post-graduate courses forsessions starting September 2014. Courseslike Marketing and Brand ManagementMA, Managing in the Creative EconomyMSc, International Business ManagementMSc, Film Making MA, etc. are part of it. Deadline for submission of applications isMay 31, 2014.

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