Report February - Business and Engineering
February, Closure
With the exam period running until the 12th, The beginning of the month started heavily. One exam every 2 days leaves time to review and refresh the topics, but surely get ready to abstain from sleep and going out. The business subjects specially have tons of contents and terms, so it’s good to make a summary describing in the easiest way possible the different themes since usually explaining theories and describing the difference between each other are the most requested thing on these theoretical exams. Regarding Practical subjects like mostly all the engineering classes, I found out that those were the ones that consumed more of my preparation and study time. Each exercise makes you think of a different route to find the solution and almost always the exercises contain several topics chained together that require basic and advance knowledge in order to solve it. I recommend doing the exercises sheets during the semester, and to assist to the tutorials and Übungen classes. Focusing more at the end where the exercises are more like the final exam is also advisable. Talking about the examination itself, you’ll find is like everywhere else. Yourself in the classroom with all the other students, rigid starting and ending times and suspicious teacher walking around making sure there’s nothing tricky going on. For me the paper walls to separate the students and avoid cheating was a funny surprise.
After the examinations, I didn’t stop the effort and gambled for taking a second job in order to keep myself busy and make some more earnings. Unfortunately, during this time all my friends were going back home or going on vacations. The city became again a ghost town, but the learning opportunity on the new work kept me motivated. I was working as a Barman and got the chance to talk with clients, improve my German and learn more about beers. As a student, there is the maximum amount of 120 days per year that one can work (not applicable for European citizen) and also one must not exceed the amount of 450 euros of earnings in order to keep it Tax free. This and more rules are easily found on internet, and don’t forget to read about Minijobs and about signing a contract in Germany.
Another interesting topic about this period is that many students end their studies and leave, or others change apartments, so there is a very vivid rental activity. Don’t miss the chance to look for better and sometimes cheaper accommodations. In my case, around the end of the month, I was able to move to an apartment closer to my jobs in the city center but also nearby the university buildings. Despite the great location and that my room is bigger and comfier, I’ll be sharing again with stranger. This time with Germans, so I’m anxious for learning about the convivence and to discover if the Bavarian stereotypes are true. Don’t underestimate like myself the moving out process. Packing, transporting the things from one place to another, Unpack and put everything in place again, takes an enormous amount of time. Depend on your friends on helping out with the furniture and lift together the heavy stuff, after, making a great dinner to welcome the new home is a great memory. Don’t forget neither to clean exhaustively the place before leaving. In the student dorms as in everywhere else, high cleaning fees are charged if the cleaning is not done correctly and the landlords are generally not the most sympathetic people to argue with. Also, don’t miss that in your new place, you are the new one! So, making a charming introduction with your neighbors makes always a good first impression.
One final and sad last topic to comment is the moment of saying goodbye to the exchange students. It is a bit harder this first time, because these are the people you first meet on your arrival and are the ones you survive your first steps on Germany with, the ones you do your first trips and make your first memories in Schweinfurt. Saying goodbye to these amazing people you’ll encounter will be hard because once gone, you’ll realize that those were the ones making you feel like home and brightening your day. But the friendship won’t end and there are great chances of keep on meeting new incredible people in this international student town. In my case, I registered this incoming semester in the buddy program, and I hope to help and guide the new incoming people and making more friends over the globe.
This is the end of my first semester, but that only means the start of a new stage. I believe that with my initiative and the guidance of the coaches and friends I was able to settle up pretty good. I feel confidence in this short time with my German language, and also about my studies. I feel accomplished of being economically independent, and to be everyday working on improving myself for the better. I’m thankful to all the people who stayed by my side during the process and also to the people who took the time to read my experiences. I hope it was useful and interesting to read as it was for me writing them.
Until my next Worldwide Experience,
Nicolas P. Ustar