Studying in Germany as a foreigner

Quick background: I was born in Indonesia but moved to Germany when I was three, after 7 years moved back to Indonesia and have now finished my studies in veterinary science in Leipzig, Germany. I am fully Indonesian, but since I have Abitur, the process of studying in Germany might be a lot different than the one Indonesians usually have to undergo (NO STUDIENKOLLEG!).

Note: I have spoken German all my life, so no, sorry, I can't help you if you ask, whether it's hard to learn or whether I have special anecdotes and tips to learn. It's a complicated language, but I grew up with it, so it's basically my native language. How would you explain how to speak your native language?

1 Universities in Germany

There are over a 100 universities in Germany, excluding all the private ones. The variety of different majors is one of the biggest in the world, so I'm sure you'll find something.

Little tip: Search for the major you want, and then find out which cities offer them, if you don't have a city preference already.

Note: Most of you guys will have to absolve STUDIENKOLLEG first. It's a kind of pre-course for people from abroad to prepare for the real studies. Unfortunately I have no idea at all, how this all works, because I didn't go that way. Please advise with Google!

Universities in Germany have different faculties and are often in different locations all over the city, so you might have to get around by bike or public transport, or all your classes are in one faculty. Depends on what and where you're studying.

There are private universities as well, but they have extra fees (like 3000 Euros per semester) and the general unspoken rule is: if you're not smart enough to study at a government university, you pay yourself into private ones. It's not hard to get in those, but as far as I know they're also not as challenging in their subjects and only people with rich parents apply to those, because they got rejected from state universities. (not generalising, but the ones I do know who study there went down that road.)

Applications are partly done online, and partly by mail. You fill out an online form, that you then print, sign, and send to the universities with other required documents. Some universities only want online registrations. I don't know whether it is different for Studienkolleg applications, so please consult elsewhere.

2 VISA

So the first step is of course getting a VISA. This you can acquire at the German Embassy (in Jakarta). Please check here for the requirements:  http://www.jakarta.diplo.de/Vertretung/jakarta/id/01_20Visa/03national/praktikum__studium__wissenschaft.html

The process will take 4-8 weeks, so plan ahead!

You need to calculate the time to open a Deutsche Bank account ("Sperrkonto") as well (which takes around 2 weeks, if I remember correctly). You can only get a Visa if you have an account with a minimum of approx. 8000 Euros on it, unless you are receiving a scholarship. A guarantee for the state, basically, that you are able to provide for yourself during the duration of your stay (see below).

3 Scholarships

I get this question A LOT, but I have absolutely no clue about scholarships from Indonesia, since I do not have one and the one my brother has is not for Indonesians with an Indonesian high-school diploma. You will have to ask Google.com for this, sorry! As far as I know it is easier to get a scholarship for Masters, rather than Bachelor, but correct me if I'm wrong!

4 Costs

This highly depends on the city. There is the general idea that the (North-)East of Germany is way cheaper than the South and the West. I think it is relatively true. I will try to make a rough computation of costs you have:

Rent depends on where you live

Dorm rooms: is the cheapest and easiest alternative since you have to take care of nothing. You sign the contract and you get a room equipped with all the necessary furniture. You share kitchen and bathroom with other people, though. My dorm room did cost around 200€/month, including water, heating, internet, electricity. In order to be eligible for a dorm room you have to be enrolled at a university or college, because the Studentenwerk (student services) of each city arrange the distribution of dorm rooms.

Wohngemeinschaft/WG: here you share an apartment with other people, but have your own room. This should cost you around 250-400€/month.

Wohung / Own apartment: Is the most expensive alternative of course. Depending on which city you're in and how big the apartment is, this might cost you 300-800€/month!

Health insurance is one of the requirements for both VISA and university, so you have to keep paying this.

There are several statutory health insurances that range around 60-100€. The simplest way is to apply for a "gesetzliche Krankenversicherung". Private health insurance can be very costy and requires extra documents for university applications.

Mobile Phones

Prepaid: I don't have much experience with this, but basically you pay any amount you want and get that amount off your account when you use it.

Contract: I've signed a contract and there are thousands of options. Internet flat 300MB, 500MB, 1GB, flat for certain providers only, or for all, free SMS to everyone... Take your pick. The cheapest alternatives are around 7€/month ranging to crazy 40€/month contracts. Mobile phone contracts get cheaper by the year. It's good to check up on new deals, if you don't have a binding two-year contract.

Food and groceries and other daily stuff

This is really a factor that you can influence. If you wanna live a more luxurious live and eat every other day, that can push the cost up by quite a lot. If you cook at home at night and eat at the cafeteria for lunch it might be cheaper... Usually this ranges from 150-250€, but of course you can heave this up as far as you want.

Other expenses are probably books, clothes, cinema, requirements for your studies etc. etc. However, a lot of activities don't even require any money. There are free museums and even bigger museum have free entry days. Check out meet-ups in your city. University offers a lot of courses that are included in your fees. And there's always the option to hang out in parks (if the weather lets you).

University fees are probably the biggest win in Germany

Basically you only have to pay some form of administration fee + a Semesterticket for the local public transport. Each city deals with this differently, but as far as I know even the most expensive cities do not reach over 300-350€/semester! Yes, really. You pay 300€ to study for a whole semester and get to ride the public transport as well. Leipzig for example is about 210€/semester, Berlin 320€/semester (depends on the Uni)! This applies if you are not a "Langzeitstudent" (=someone who has ridiculous amounts of semesters for a degree that shouldn't take that long).

I heard that some universities / states have now arranged extra fees for foreign students, but I have not checked up on this myself...

Currency converter right here: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter/#from=IDR;to=EUR;amt=1

5 Foreign Authority

After you've actually arrived in your city, there are several bureaucratic things you gotta do.

After you have signed a lease agreement and have a place to stay, you have to report this to the local Bürgeramt and get a Meldebescheinigung.

Then, before your Student Visa expires, you have to go to the Ausländeramt (Foreign Authority) to apply for a residence permit. This may take a while. If your Visa expires before your permit is issued, they will provide you with a temporary verification.

Don't forget to extend your permit after one or two years!!

6 People and Culture

Coming from Asia, if you are not accustomed to the European way of dealings, there might be some culture shocks...

Punctuality. Germans are quite strict about this, but you will experience this yourself. EVERY. MINUTE. COUNTS. For example, you are late only by a minute, then your bus has left and you will have to wait another twenty minutes.

Straight forward. Many Asian countries have the problem of what Indonesians call "basa-basi". They talk, but just don't get to the fucking point. Not so in Germany. You get straight to it and get shit done.

Working fast. People work fast, so you have to as well. You will know what I mean when you go grocery shopping for the first time and panic when you have to pack away your shit, put them in a bag, and pay at the same time, so that you don't block the line.

Foreigners. Germany is surprisingly diverse, especially if you live in a university city.

Racism? I get this question a lot, whether Germans are racist and discriminating against foreigners, especially Muslims who wear "jilbab"/headscarves. To be honest, I've never specifically paid attention to how Germans react to hijab, since I have nobody in my close circles wearing one. Recently there has been a movement that is against the "Islamification of Western Countries", but the opposition towards them has been big as well. In my years I have never (consciously) experienced a German person treating me differently, because I'm a foreigner. I have however heard of stories, where Germans, probably drunks and/or Neo-Nazis, insult and verbally attack others. At the same time, when this happens, other Germans may step in and help you out. Before I came to Leipzig people daunted me by saying that the East of Germany is relatively racist. I cannot vouch for that statement, though, because I have only met genuinely nice people here. We have to keep in mind, though, that Leipzig is a green island amidst the very right-leaning tendencies of Saxony. I am aware that this is a huge privilege and that others may have not made the same pleasant experiences I have. Especially since the rise of AfD (a right-wing party that doesn't want to admit their problematic, racist implications), the issue of racism has become more present.

7 Public Transportation

Get ready to become mobile instead of sitting in traffic jams. Every German city, depending on its size has various alternatives to get around:

Bus: The most standard vehicle, takes ages but it gets you around.

Tram: Some cities have tram tracks on the street, which means the trams are driving amidst all the cars.

U-Bahn: = Underground-Trains, bigger carriage and as the name says they're driving underground. Only in bigger cities.

S-Bahn: = Straßen-Bahn = Street-Trains, similar carriages to the U-Bahn but operating above ground on their own tracks. In Leipzig you have some S-Bahn stations underground in the City Center, but it's still S-Bahn.

Bahn: These are the regular trains normally used for intercity transportation, but big cities like Berlin or Munich use these trains to get around inside the city.

Tickets for the usage of their services come in different versions. There are tickets for one trip, daysaver tickets, tickets for weeks or months, depending on what you need. If you're enrolled in a university however, they mostly offer Semestertickets for the city's (or sometimes even the whole state's!) public transport. In my case the Semesterticket is included in the University fee and you may use whatever the city has to offer (Bus, Tram, S-Bahn) and even goes into neighboring cities like Halle. It really depends on the university and the city how they manage the Semesterticket.

Note: A very convenient way to get around is by bike, since it makes you less dependent on the vehicle schedules. However, keep in mind that there are tons of bike burglars roaming the university cities, so make sure to park safely and correctly. Bikesharing is now an option too in bigger cities and so are e-Scooters, although the latter are dying out again and really not that safe. NextBike or LidlBike are the better alternative if you want to get around on a bike!

8 Part-time jobs / Minijobs

In Germany it is very easy to find a part-time job, if you look for the right ads. May it be as a cashier at your nearest supermarket, a private tutor, a waiter or a shop assistant in places like IKEA, you will find something. There are actually a lot of other positions like telecommunication jobs or customer service at certain companies, but you will need a lot language skills for that. As a foreign student you are allowed to work 120 full days or  240 half days. Make sure that the contract you sign from your employer doesn't bind you to work more. In 2020 the minimum wage is 9,35 Euro/ hour. If you're a student you should keep the jobbing at bay and get a minijob. These are jobs that pay you a MAXIMUM of 450 Euros per month. They're less complicated in their bureaucracy than a full-time job since you don't pay any taxes and you're freed from the social security contributions. But be careful, as soon as you exceed the 5.400 Euros/ year limit, you might get into trouble and have to pay taxes and fees etc. So don't exaggerate the working, you're here to study!

This is all I have for now, updates will be made upon sense of requirement! I'm open to any questions you might have!