Stop! Don't study abroad!

Why would you ever consider schooling abroad? Don't do it! It is not worth it.

There are just so many reasons why you should never consider doing this. What are the schools in your home country for? Here are 3 reasons you shouldn't school abroad.

1. You will be lonely. Imagine going to a strange country, maybe with a new language, with no family or friends available. You will lose all your social connections. The locals are not friendly, and your fellow students will not go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Basically you are on your own. Where your days were filled with parties, weddings and family gatherings you will spend most of your free time on your phone on facebook, trying to maintain the connection with your home country. On the other hand, if you're lucky you may meet other international students who are open to making friends. There may be a language barrier but you will share similar experiences trying to navigate your new country.

2. The weather sucks! If you have lived in Africa most of your life, you'll probably have dreams of playing in snow, or experiencing a white Christmas. You'll want to experience freezing weather because you are just tired of sunshine every day. When you study abroad in a western country the first shock will be how cold the weather is if you arrive during winter. Apart from braving the cold you also have to deal with dark dreary winter days. Imagine coming from a place of sunshine and light and warmth to darkness, coldness and emptyness. The weather conditions during winter sets the perfect background for depression. A lot of African students struggle in their first months because they usually arrive in October  when it starts getting colder. On the plus side, you'll get to experience the different seasons and summer is always fun!

3. You'll be broke. If your surname is Dangote this doesn't apply to you. As an international student, get used to being poor. Yes you may have access to basic amenities like housing, electricity, internet and food but your bank account will have a frown most of the time. If you are coming from an African country like me, the exchange rate means that it is almost impossible for your middle class parents to be sending you money regularly. You will have to work alongside studying and because most student visas have some form of work restrictions, you will most likely only
earn enough to be able to pay your bills. However I know some students who were lucky enough to get good jobs and save whilst schooling.

If these 3 reasons don't deter you then you may be the right candidate for schooling abroad!

Finally Graduated!!

After 3.5 years I have my degree. Master of Science in Economics. 3.5 years of blood and sweat. The original plan was to complete in 2 years. This is the official duration of the program however Germany happened. If you are already an International student in Germany then you have an idea of system and how you can easily spend extra semesters than planned.

When I first decided to pursue my Masters degree I had an idealistic expectation of what my years in Germany would be. Learning German, meeting fellow students from all over the World, scoring top marks in exams, graduating and finding the perfect job. Ah well.

Over the next  posts I will be documenting some of the experiences about the German school system, culture, supporting myself as a student in Germany and finally what next after graduation.

Are you currently an International student in Germany? Do you have plans to study in Germany? Leave a comment!

Long Break

Hi Guys,

Sorry I took a long break from blogging. You know, I was getting used to the school system here and classes and settling down and I was virtually left with no time to blog. Its really hard to come up with blog posts so for now I am going to develop a new strategy.

Meeting my classmates :)

A huge part of the reason I wanted to study abroad was to meet people from all over the world. I believed that would expose me to different cultures and also make me aware of how diverse our World is. Also I know very much that I will end up working with an International organisation and my job will include a lot of travelling to different parts of the World so schooling with different people from all parts of the world is definitely a step in the right direction.

Cultural Shock...Pedestrians own the road

So I am going to start a cultural shock series about things that are done differently in Germany. The very first thing I noticed was about the roads...

Living Expenses...Arrghhh

The biggest expenditures will be your living expenses. Nothing is free in Germany. You even pay to use the washroom. And the washing machine at your apartment.

Free Tuition?

I have received a few emails from blog readers asking about how the free tuition works in Germany. Let me quickly outline it

Email me for enquiries

Hey guys,

I have been receiving quite a lot emails from you guys...A lot of you have so many questions and I try to respond as promptly as I can. But please keep in mind that as classes has started, I may see your email and make a mental note to respond but may end of forgetting
.

Also since I receive lots of emails, and I have limited time responding to everyone, I would prefer if the questions are straight to the point and specific.

Like if you send me an email saying 'I need your help', I would respond asking you the exact type of help you need. To save time, its better to tell me what you exact needs are and If I can be of help I will let you know...

It will be helpful for both of us if you also read previous posts as I've already talked about some issues. Like I mentioned earlier I have very little free time during the day.

Some general questions can be left as comments and I will respond to it as well. That way others can see the answer too.

Difficulties in the School/Visa application process or personal questions should be sent via email.

My email address is foreignstudentingermany@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

My almost first month in Germany

Hi Guys,

It has almost been a month since I got to Germany and I know it has been a while since I updated the blog...I have been crazy busy. Between registering at the city, school and sorting out accommodation issues, there has been so much to do and so little time!

My Life in Siegen

Siegen

My school is located in a meduim sized town called Siegen. Yeah I am sure you havent heard of it.

In Germany now :)

Hi Guys,

Sorry I havent updated the blog in a while. Between having to resign from work and preparing for my trip I was super busy.

I had booked a ticket with Ethiopian Airlines as far back as August even without my Visa (talk about faith), so after I was called to pick up my Visa all I had to do was wait for my scheduled flight date.

What are the essentials to pack?

I have less than a week to leave Ghana! Because I hadn't resigned earlier I will work till next week Tuesday and then prepare for my flight on Thursday morning. I am already exhausted thinking about all the preparations I have to make.

I got my Visaaaaa!!! :)

Yaaayyyy!!! I am shaking and jumping as I write this. I stare at this piece of document blankly. The significant of it still sinking in.

Writing an awesome motivational letter

If you are applying for grad school, then there is a good chance you will have to write a Motivational letter as part of your application.

A lot of people underrate the importance of motivational letters, and simply copy sample ones from the Internet. I remember hearing the story of someone who was applying to a top notch grad school. He graduated top of his class. And he was trying to get into a top University. He was very confident of getting into the program so he didn't pay much attention to his motivational letter. He was confused when he received a letter of rejection from the school. It wasnt until he consulted other people that he realized that his motivational letter was extremely bad. As in terrible.

How I managed to save up money for my Masters degree

Being a self sponsoring student is a huge financial burden. As a young twenty something year old girl in Ghana, it was a daunting task to be able to raise over 8000 Euros for my studies. Throw in the fact that your salary is meagre and the task almost seems impossible.

I want this so bad!

Every one who knows me personally knows how much I have been wanting to pursue a Masters degree.

Though I love my current job, I feel somewhat trapped in a career I have no passion for. I have always wanted to be an Economist, and for some reason, I have steadily built a career in another field. Probably the fact that my first job out of school was in this field.

If you are familiar with the career path of an Economist, you would know that you definitely need a Masters degree to even be considered for any serious job role. A PHD should be considered if you want to specialize in a particular field of Economics.

Studying in South Africa

Studying in South Africa can be an amazing and rewarding experience. Being the biggest economy in Africa, there sure are lots of opportunities that this country could provide a potential student.


Also remember that South Africa has the most developed economy in terms of infrastructure. Higher education in South Africa is comparable to world standards and the University of Cape Town is a world wide known institution of high quality education.

Study in Africa?

Aside countries in Europe and North America, you can get the International Student experience in other African countries.

Yes you can still assess top quality education in a safe and enabling environment in some countries in Africa.

Getting Recommended by your past Professors

When I was applying for admission into schools, I considered a whole lot of countries and a whole lot schools. I must have applied to about 10 schools. Or more.

It was so bad that I applied to schools, forgot about them till the admission letter came in.

Whilst some schools do not require it, a lot more schools ask for recommendation letters from your past lecturers.

If you are female, get in here quickly!!

There are a wide range of scholarships available for students. However the selection criteria for most of them is quite tough. A lot of them is merit based - you need to demonstrate excellent academic track records.

A few of them are need based. This means that priority is given to candidates from very poor backgrounds.