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MAD 4 GERMANY

Things to take care before coming to Germany

16/12/2021

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Health Related

  • It is better to do a master health checkup before you come here, if you have any minor health issues this will help you to get it sorted.
  • If you have any pre-existing health condition , please carry your recent medical reports related to the condition. 
  • If you have any dental or eye or any specific issues please get it sorted , In Germany waiting times are longer. 
  • If you wear specs get extra pairs, it’s very expensive in Germany.
  • Medicines:
    • If you are having any health condition and under medication get the medicines for 6 months or the duration required as per your doctor’s suggestion.
    • If needed, get medicines for general health conditions.
    • Get all the above medicines with a Doctor prescription in his letter pad and his seal. During Immigration or security check they might ask (though it is rare and random)
    • Keep the medicines well packed in Check-In bag
    • Any emergency medicines of limited quantity can be kept in cabin bag (i.e. you take with you in the flight)

Cooking stuff

  • Learn the basics of cooking from mom or YouTube or from other sources before you come here.
  • Buy Cooking utensils (check Things to buy )
  • Pack Homemade Spices and Masalas  (if buying in shop, buy the ones which has latest expiry date, i.e. it should last at least for 6 months), majority you will get here indian stores (online or in Magdeburg) but if you feel costly and have some space in luggage you can get this.
  • Please check online store links to get some idea on things you get here and rates
    • https://www.get-grocery.com/en/ ,
    • https://www.jamoona.com/ ,
    • https://spicelands.de/ ,
    • https://indianstorestuttgart.com/  
  • Home made masalas double pack it and label it.
  • Get some ready to make food or pastes for initial days, maybe for a week.
  • No need to bring rice or lentils.
  • DO NOT BRING poppy seeds (normally in south India it is used in biryani) it is treated as a drug especially if you are transiting via the Middle East.

Clothing

  • Some clothes are very cheap in India , I have listed a few below Mostly all this things would have been covered in  Things to buy but just adding it here​.
    • Thermals (Jockey you might get for 500 or 600 rupees)
    • ​Socks (winter socks , as well as normal ones)
    • Slippers for home
    • Jeans (it is very costly in Germany compared to India)
    • Winter Jacket (If you are coming for October Intake buy some cheaper ones for initial days as most of the costlier jackets in India also might not withstand peak winters), Initial days you can manage with Multi layered clothing and a jacket , then you can buy a good one in Germany for 60 to 100 euros which can last for years.
    • If you are coming during summer personally I say you can manage with multi layered clothing and sweaters (which we wear when we go to hill stations ), but if you feel you need one buy it.
    • ​T-Shirts (T Shirts are cheaper here but personally from my experience felt in India you get better quality  for the same price)
    • Towels
    • Traditional dress​

Initial Expenses

Get 1200 to 1500 Euros in cash or cash/Forex. It may take 4 to 6 weeks to unblock your blocked account. When you come here you need to pay

  • University fee (~approx 130 €)
  • First month rent and rent deposit (mostly one or 1.5 months rent will be your deposit) 500 to 600 euros.
  • If it takes more than four weeks to unblock you may need to pay 2nd month rent from your hand
  • Initial expenses like buying some furniture, bed, mattress etc. - 200 € to 300 € if you buy new ones in IKEA or similar shops
  • Your food expenses - 150€ (assuming you cook most of the time)
  • Miscellaneous- 100€
  • Keep cash in multiple locations I.e. in different pockets and in cabin bag

General

  • Get 3 or 4 Europe travel adapter (universal travel adapters might be loose for German sockets and as your going to use it for a long time I feel it is better to get specific ones)
  • Get a couple of universal travel Adapters.
  • Buy one surge protection universal plug  extension box (Belkin is good)​
  • Get Non programmable scientific calculator
  •  Link to check Non Programmable models from Casio https://edu.casio.com/products/scientific/ 
  • Get Pen,Pencils, Rubber and notebooks.
  • Get 15 or 20 copies of Biometrik Passport size photos (German Standard,  same as the one you submitted for visa)
  • One Power bank 
  • Carry a few 1 euro or 2 euro coins to use at the airport for getting baggage trolleys.
  • Get hair cut done :P Here it costs 8 euros (post student discount) for a haircut (Of course for men :P).
  • Use your gadgets less and spend a good amount of time with parents, siblings, relatives and friends you will miss them much after coming here and vice-versa. 

Baggage Packing

  • Know your baggage allowance( check your ticket and if not clear call customer care and confirm it. It varies based on the offer , route etc so never go by friends word or by hearing from someone in the group)
  • Check your luggage dimensions whether it adheres to the dimensions specified by the airline.
  • Check the restricted goods from the airline website and make sure you do not carry any.
  • As you know your baggage allowance and the split , create a checklist of items based on it.
  • In check in bag 
    • If you have fragile or breakable things do not keep in the corner, bubble wrap or wrap it with clothes and keep in the center
    • Try buying vacuum bags and put clothes in it, it will save lots of space
    • If you have spices and masala items, double pack it and wrap it with another cover so it does not spill all over if there is any leakage.
    • Have a weighing scale and check the baggage weight, DO NOT exceed the weight limit (Normally whatever you weigh at home it will be at least 500 gms higher when weighed at the airport). Chances are very high that they might ask you to pay extra for every extra KG. If you are not willing to pay in the last minute you have to take something out (you don’t know which one is not important :P to be taken out) and it is unnecessary tension. Some may say that for students an extra two or three kgs they will allow but do not go by that it all depends upon the person who issues the boarding pass, if he is strict you have to pay for every extra kg, the call is yours :P
  • In cabin bag (which you take with you)
    • Keep emergency medicines in small quantities , for example 2 or 3 tablets each.
    • Total volume of  liquids (All liquids together) SHOULD NOT EXCEED 100 ml (i.e. hair oil, face wash etc), keep in small quantities 
    • Keep your laptops (if there is no separate laptop bag allowance), power bank in it.
    • Keep all important documents (passport, educational certificates, admission letter, medical prescriptions and other documents if any)
    • DO NOT KEEP dangerous items like knives etc, it is not permitted
    • KEEP EXTRA pair of clothes, this will be helpful in below scenarios
      • If your check in  baggage is delayed (sometimes it will be missed during transit and it will take 3 or 4 days for them to send it to your city)
      • If You feel colder after landing in Germany, you can take out and wear extra layers of clothes to feel warm
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What is your experience completing a master’s in a German taught course?

18/11/2021

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I did my master's from HAW Hamburg in German taught the course in Automobile engineering. Master Fahrzeugbau to be specific.

I started my study in March 2017 and was able to complete it successfully including a 1-year internship in August 2019. Before starting my study at HAW Hamburg, I had done the German language course till the C1 level and also appeared for TestDaF, DSH, and Telc C1 Hochschule exam, from which I cleared two of them, to secure my admission at HAW Hamburg.

The first semester was not that good, due to being the only non-German in the whole batch. I consider myself an extrovert, but I need some time to make connections. German classmates are happy to help, but you have to ask. It was normally about understanding the process and making a few connections, with whom you can share and work in groups. I had the advantage of getting a buddy from my batch, who helped with this stuff, with my timetable and so on stuff, also took me to some cool parties on the campus. Once my social circle was established, I was more confident with the course, I cleared 7 subjects in the first two semesters, at the end of the third semester, I started with my internship in a different city, from there I only came to Hamburg for giving my remaining exams, as in Germany you don’t have to be present in the class to give the exam. I cleared all the practical subjects plus project work in the beginning. So I was doing my internship and also gave exams for 2 subjects in the 4th semester and the 5th semester, I gave the last remaining module and also submitted my thesis to clear my master.

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What is the cost to study in Germany for Indians?

18/11/2021

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Let’s go through all the expenses you have to pay for and during the study in Germany.
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University application:

At first, you will apply to a university for getting admission from India via Uni-Assist (Start) which costs 75€ for the first application and 30€ for each extra university where you are applying. On average you will apply to 5–6 universities, to increase your chances, which makes the total around 225€ plus the courier charges to send your document to Germany.

Here you might need to submit the language certificate depending upon your course selection, English or German taught course.
  • IELTS Exam Fees (15000 INR)
  • IELTS Tuition Fees (15000 INR)
  • German Tuition Fees (15000–25000 INR for each level in India)
  • Goethe Exam Fees (12000–15000 INR for each Level)

Here you might not need to give IELTS if you are going to study in German taught course, or the opposite for English taught course. For German taught course fees would be more as you would be learning till B2/C1 level from Goethe Institute in India which can be more expensive. If you are planning to learn the language in Germany then the fees would be further expensive 900+€ for an intensive German course for each level. So you can count what is applicable to you.


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Is there any Indian who is doing MS in Germany in German taught program?

11/1/2021

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I feel my self, eligible to answer this question as I am about to finish my Master soon in German taught Program. Currently writing my thesis in a reputed German firm.
Trust me it’s not at all Hard to do Master in German taught Course if you are ready to take language as the medium of education rather than taking it as a hurdle between you and the master’s content.

I did my bachelor study in India, in English taught course though being in Gujarat, we were using Hindi or Gujarati to make concepts of engineering clear, though all Exams need to be in English orally or Written. My schooling was done in my mother tongue Gujarati.
Now from such a background, it seems difficult to study in a German taught-course, as we have never tried it before, so we try to avoid it. I started basic A1 classes in India and get A1 Certificate so it can help me getting visa acceptance easier. Then I did an intensive German language Course in Berlin. At that time my focus was only to get the required language certificate, so it was kind of full time only for the German language. In that way, I was able to get the Telc C1 and TestDaf in around 8–9 Months. ( You need only one of these, Goethe C2, Telc C1 Hochschule, TestDaF (4*4) or DSH 2)
​

So as I began my study at HAW Hamburg being only Indian or you can say the only Foreigner, it was difficult to understand what’s going on around me. It’s not because of language it was the method of teaching which is a little bit difficult as an Indian to digest. Classes are having a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes and there will be 2 sessions per subject on its day. That means you learn at very rapid speed, so many things need to be done by yourself at home. Being at Hochschule you have to submit reports, perform experiments, and present the content of your work. No written exams for many subjects. This way you don’t need to mug up all the content if you can explain it in your broken German, that’s enough. No Negative markings if you make some grammatical mistakes. Grades will be based on your performance for those subjects, not your language skills.

One thing one needs to work on technical words but if you take those technical terms as new words, rather than translating it to English. You understand the meaning in the German language itself would be better. Similarly, I have done it in my Bachelors, similar migration from mother-tongue schooling to English engineering universities. This will make things easier than all-time using unreliable translation apps or sites.

HAW HAMBURG Erstsemester Begrüßung | International Students | HAW HAMBURG | Ankit Sheladiya |
Now I didn’t find it hard presenting in German or also writing exams in German as I invested 9 months before and also language can be improved along the semester, so it will always improve assuming being in Germany. The benefits of studying in German-taught courses can be seen while finding internships and jobs. As most of the management level or HR head are native and they require at least a basic understanding of the German language. Here you will get the advantage of all other applicants as your fluency level will be higher and you can express your skills better.

Summary:
It’s not hard at all but needs to work on language. It will also open a big rich job market for you in Germany as well as in the world. For Master 3 semester is not that Hard, I have seen many who did their bachelors also in German taught, so it’s doable from every aspect if you are open to a widely growing language without being afraid of its difficulty level.

All the best
​

#Edit1
I finished my master degree in automotive engineering (M.Sc Fahrzeugbau) in August 2019 and started working from 1st November 2019 with a leading engineering services provider in Germany. If I can finish a course in German taught program, I don't think it's impossible for others.
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Can I cover my living expenses doing part-time jobs in Germany?

11/1/2021

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Student jobs in germanyStudent doing Part-time jobs in Germany
Is it possible? Yes
​

is it easy? No
According to German laws, Students can work 20 hours per week and 120 full or 240 half days in a year. So the average basic salary is around 9 to 11 Euro per hour. The minimum salary is somewhere between 9 & 10 € (In 2020 it’s 9.35€) per hour, you can not get below this amount if you are working legally. This is the general criteria you will have to follow during your part-time work. Per day maximum working hour is 8, it can go till 10 but more than that is not allowed for anyone not even for German employee. Two extra hours is also complex, some say it will be counted as extra day so you may lose 1 day from your 120 days by working 2 hours extra, but I am not sure on this topic. Not following these rules might get you a penalty from German authorities, only in the extreme conditions like working more than 150 Full days or more.
  • 120*8*9 =8640 or 120*8*10=9600 Euros per year which is the most common number you can achieve if you use your 100% allowed quota, to make it easy I am taking the average from these two figures which are 9120 Euro/year.
  • Now the money required to survive in Germany can be explained as below
    • 2015 when I came to Germany the minimum amount per month decided by Germany was 760 Euro per month, which you can take out every month from your block account. Now, this figure is around 850 in 2019. The new rules have increased it so you need around 10236 Euro per year for your block account.
    • Breaking the Cost
      • Rent - 250–500 Euro (some cities can be more expensive, assuming you were unlucky and didn’t get the student Wohnheim)
      • Insurance - 100 €
      • Food - 200 €
      • clothes - 50
      • stationary -20
      • tv/internet/phone - 30
      • extra - 50
    • which leads to total around 800–850 € depending on your needs and lifestyle. It can be way lesser or can go much higher. If you get the student accommodation then you will save some money there, clothes and food is always the personal consideration which can go high and low. but not more than the figure shown above.

Now reality is it’s impossible to utilize those 120 days if your primary goal is education and also you want to score well in your exams, but you can start with the initial blocked amount in your bank account and try to maintain this balance around 4–5000 €, here you can work during semester break full time and earn some good money and during semester just earn to fulfil major expense such as rent and insurance, you can do a mini job (450 €). This will be the optimum approach as per my advice.

Getting a good job without good german skills is not an easy task, you will end up doing a labour job where language skills are not required. Another factor is the city where you live, bigger cities offer more job opportunities. Some people can also find the job at the university itself, but not everyone can find it, as the numbers of such jobs are also limited.
Another thing I would like to explain is the greediness of earning money. As once you become greedy, you will do more and more part-time job, as once you start with any kind of job, the job provider will always have a shortage of people, and you are the cheapest manpower for them, they will always send you for work, and per day on an average you get around 70–80 Euro for full shift, and some students work kind of full time by not going to universities and spending more time to earn more and more money at the cost of education and grades.

If one calculates this whole thing with the vision you are just sending your full-time salary one or two-semester away. As early as you finish your study there is a high chance of getting the amount of money you earned by doing the part-time job for one-two semester in just two months. So keep your vision and priority in your mind. Just don’t look at the short benefits of earning 80 Euro in a day.
I have managed successfully my finance with this strategy, I had advantages of living in Big cities like Berlin, Hamburg and now Hannover so things worked out for me very well. As I did my Course in German taught Programme so language was never a barrier for me, as I was able to work without any limitations.

So if you are good at communications (English and German) and not a lazy person you will most probably survive with student job during your study. Other factors have influences but it can be overcome by efforts and little bit discomfort and optimum level of luxury.
Good luck! You can also watch the animated explainer video for this question in this video.

Thanks.

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Is it possible to get a student job in Germany without having sufficient knowledge of the German language?

11/1/2021

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I like to answer this kind of questions as the person who asked it want a binary answer either yes or no. But in reality, it’s not always like that, it depends on so many factors including the person itself. I will try to break down the thinking scenario to make it easier for readers to prepare them self for their adventure in Germany.

The first thing to clear: What is a student job?
  • A job which a student can do without affecting his studies and earn some money to finance his/her studies is known as a student job.
  • A student job is mostly part-time up to 20 hours per week as per the guidelines of the German education ministry.
  • There are many portals / Startups which recruits students and send them to their different clients such as restaurants, supermarkets, bars, factories etc.

The second thing: the German language?
  • You need to know the German language if you are working in restaurants or bar as you have to somehow deal with your German customer, take orders and so on. You can also work in the kitchen, there might be some German working with you, it would be easier for them if you know some German.
  • You can work in Amazon or similar warehouse because of the shortage of people with them during festivals. Here they are in need and also your work doesn’t need to communicate with anyone other than some basic instructions from your team leader. So here you can work without sufficient German skills.
  • In factories and hotels as cleaners or packers, you don’t need German for your work, but your boss might love to instruct in German so if you know some German it’s always a plus point.

Conclusion:
it’s possible for sure, but it won’t be always easy to find. As Germany seems small on the map but you will be in different cities where different industries would be situated and they will have different requirements for their student employees. So you can’t get the binary answer in yes or no.

It depends on factors such as:
  • Location
  • Industry
  • Type of work
  • Demand / Supply
  • Time of year
  • etc.
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Knowing German in Germany makes things easier for you. As you will be in a position to discuss and argue in case of any conflict situation. There are many students who are in their learning phase with the German language, but they still managed to get part-time student jobs in their respective localities. In the end, your inner Jugaadu soul will lead you in case of trouble to find student jobs.

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Is Duolingo enough in learning German to do MS in Germany?

25/12/2020

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​Short Answer: No, It’s not enough.

​Long Answer: Not enough at all, even if you are going to study in English taught course, the thing which you will learn on Duolingo will help you to know the basic grammar and basic day to day conversations. By basic, it’s really pretty basic. Like I am eating an apple and he is eating an apple kind of stuff, so if you won't do any other thing to learn the language and only use Duolingo, you can say only these kind of basic sentences which according to CEFR would fall under A1 and in some advanced Duolingo levels A2, more than that Duolingo can not offer at the moment. I am Duolingo Global ambassador for 2 years, there are some promising features like Duolingo Stories, Duolingo Podcast and Duolingo events which can be used to fulfill the gap. You can connect with me and learn a language for free over Duolingo.
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I have completed the complete 5 levels/ checkpoints offered on Duolingo when I was learning the language, they have updated them now. I was also attending the physical class, Duolingo for me was kind of addition to my language learning, but it was never a substitute for a full-time teaching or former teaching options. Even to communicate with a native person would need a proper environment and a little bit of practice, which is not possible at the moment with Duolingo. You can find a Duolingo Event group where you can practice with other Duolingo users. Listen to some podcast to get familiar with the german culture and some common practices by the natives, which are also important aspects of learning any language.
Use Duolingo as a tool to enhance your learning experience, but it won’t be enough on its own to use it in real-world out there, for that, you need some more resources like books, online materials, etc for your MS in Germany for English teaching course. For German taught courses there is no substitute other than learning professionally up to C1 level and appear for the required exams to get the proof of your required language proficiency.

​Thanks.
​Ankit Sheladiya

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What is Xing? How it can be helpful for your career being in Germany?

30/7/2020

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What is XING?

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I am pretty sure you know already about LinkedIn, which is professional networking site. Main purpose of LinkedIn is to connect with like-minded professionals and make your network strong in any particular field. You can also use it find new jobs and share your field knowledge and insights with your network or learn something new about interest using groups. 

Coming back to Xing. It does the same work as Linkedin and it's more popular in German speaking countries or in other words under DACH region. DACH consist of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LinkedIn is the international networking tool, which allows you to make global connections around the world. On the other hand XING is more limited in DACH region basically German speaking countries. Xing is still popular business platform in Germany, but Linkedin ist getting popular day by day. In Austria and Switzerland is Linkedin is slowly taking over Xing.​   


How to make most out of Xing?

You are reading this, that means you are in DACH region. Either working professionally or looking for some opportunities here. That's why you are interested in knowing about Xing. Xing has majority of experienced professionals with higher positions in their firms. As it's German equivalent to LinkedIn, it also works same as LinkedIn, you can create your profile on Xing, follow the businesses of your Interest. Take part in any group discussions, post your ideas and content for other people and businesses to make your presence in this professional network. As of now there are more than 18M registered professional in DACH region over XING.  
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As you know about LinkedIn premium, you can also get some insights and statistics about your profile with Xing premium. You can update your profile with your skills and language,etc with your work and education to be visible to the recruiters. It's all about showing off your skills over such professional networking platform. By keeping your profile updated can bring you new opportunities as most of the recruiters depends on Xing and LinkedIn for their recruiting and it is also nice to have someone experienced in your network, so you can learn from them.

Main thing to observe that Xing or LinkedIn is not Facebook, so you shouldn't use it like it. It's professional networking platform, so you have to use it wisely. Use proper profile photos, don't pose rubbish internet junk on your profile, put your details responsibly. Make suitable connections, follow companies you admire, rest your network will work for you, and it will bring some new opportunities for you. 

All the best.  
Happy Networking.
-Ankit Sheladiya
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6 Thinking Hat for your Study abroad plan

11/3/2020

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​​Being positive is good, but looking at a decision from all points of view is even better.
This method tells you to act against your Instincts, for example, if you are too positive you can take big risks without considering any backup plan to fall back. The same works for the very cautious people who may not focus on the rewarding side of the opportunity you are looking at. By wearing these 6 different hats having unique thinking Patterns you force yourself to look at the different viewpoints, it can help you to look at problems from different perspectives, one at a time, to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings.
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This tried and tested six thinking hats method can be applicable in any business professional cases or even in personal matters such as deciding about your career. I have been writing on Quora regularly since 2 years as if now, mostly about the topics related to education in Germany and around the German language issues faced by aspiring or existing students in Germany. I myself have studied my MS in master taught course from HAW Hamburg in field of Automotive engineering. Before it was easy to write answers or help people one to one by video/audio calls, now due to full time job I am not able to write much and also it's hard allotting my time for one to one counselling. Though I prefer one to one sessions on weekend which can save student's tons of money by not consulting any inefficient and not needed agents in market who charges lots of money for their services. I always says that there is no need of any Consultant, every information you need is available online, one just to need to look for it. In extreme case I am offering my weekend hours for the paid sessions, there may be some other people as well, who can help you out. So be proactive and use this 6 thinking hats method for your case and find out some extremely surprising information and things you haven't thought of.
  
Thanks for reading and don't forget to watch the video and subscribe to my channel. I have started this as a beta project to create digital content of my expertise and life, mostly around my experiences and learning having travelled a lot and successfully studied abroad here in Germany.
As mentioned in the video, I have original Powerpoint presentation to help you getting started with 6 thinking hats, and live your dreams.

Keep Exploring. 
6_thinking_hats_for_ms_in_germany_by_ankit_sheladiya.pptx
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Author :
Ankit Sheladiya

Ankit belongs to the country known for its cultural diversity, which we usually know as INDIA. He studied his master's degree in automotive engineering at HAW Hamburg, Germany, and is currently working with the renowned engineering services provider AKKA Technologies. Before he came to Germany, he conducted his B.Tech in the same field and also helped his father with a start-up to supply the workshop owners in the Indian state of Gujarat with high quality car parts in a timely manner. He sees the world from a different perspective and you can expect 100% transparency, no horror stories and bad surprises when you work with Ankit. When he is not working, he is always on the road to experience the world as a solo traveller.

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Could one learn German in one year and reach C1 level?

9/2/2020

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In Another Word: How did you learn German quickly?​
​Almost 6–7 Months invested for the language class and 1 month for exam preparation is not considered quick enough, at least for me it’s not Quick. For learning language, it is still fast given that you didn’t any previous experience with the language before.

As I was about to finish my Bachelors in engineering, I had started looking for what to do further with my career, after adequate research I decided to go for Masters in Germany given that I have done my B.Tech in Automobile Engineering. After researching MS courses and educational details about Germany, I decided to go for a German taught master degree in engineering. I was a little bit concerned with language difficulty as many others, but my father did his research and found out few contacts who were well settled in Germany, and he encouraged me to continue with the German taught course. And If the Indian father says something to you, you don’t argue with them, you just do it. (Joke only !!!)
Now coming to your Question.​
How?

I joined the language class by a native German teacher in my home town for initial levels(A1-A2). This took around 2.5 months. The class duration were 7–8 hours 5 times a week. The teacher was very good and enthusiastic, she had organised many group activities and practical exercises for speaking and comprehension. As the alphabets are the same and have almost the same pronunciation as in English, made the reading and writing(spell errors) part easier. Grammars and sentence structure were difficult in the beginning but by doing exercises and practising it made it clear and understandable. Apart from that, I was using Duolingo for learning new words and other useful apps for identifying der, die, das articles with the proper suffix for different cases to cross-check my grammatical part. I was writing voluntarily on different topics and emails and was letting it checked by the German teacher. This way I was able to score 95 in Goethe A1 level exam in India. In these 2.5 months, I was able to make a strong foundation for my German learning, which helped me making tower up to C1 with lesser efforts. Though A1 and A2 exam formats from Goethe are not that difficult and also do not expect more fluency from you, but the contents from the coaching are important as most of the basic grammar rules and syntax will be covered in A1 and A2.

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After getting admission for my language school and visa as per my plan I had to begin my language learning from B1 to C1 in Berlin. Until now I was surrounded by my fellow countrymen, where I couldn't use or utilise my German other than in class. In Berlin, this scenario changed completely. I had booked the German guest family for my accommodation in the initial months. Here I had more time speaking with the guest mother Mrs.Faber about different topics and history. She loves to talk and tell stories about her life and city and also wartime history of Germany, which more or less was preparing me for my German in an indirect way. Also in Language school, I was having intensive learning with more colourful environments under the native German teacher. I didn’t stop the use of Duolingo and my writing habit which helped me for the exams and also, in general, I had more words in my vocabulary compare to my classmates. I used to listen to the radio as I didn’t have laptop and TV with me at that time, which ultimately forced me to either listen to the radio or watch or play in the small screen of my Sony Z1 compact. I started with B1 German in January 2016 and I was finished with my training around May/June 2016. After that, I was prepared exclusively for the exams like TestDaF, Telc C1 Hochschule and DSH which are the main requirement for German taught MS course. I gave 3 of them and was qualified for two of them to secure the admission in German taught MS courses from 4 different Universities.
During language coaching, I was actively using the language itself with the people in surrounding like my guest family, my classmates and roommates and so on. As being in Germany your exposer to the language is higher than in your home country. You will learn so many things by listening to people or trying to talk with them. I changed my phone’s default language to German since January 2016 till now and I am even using my Laptop in German mode. Watching movies and listening to German radio will definitely help and also it tells about the local culture, one can also read newspaper, books and magazines to get familiar with literature and culture in Germany. By being in contact with native can definitely be a big plus point, especially someone talkative like Mrs.Faber. All these factors together helped me to get the needed fluency in the German language. Luckily I was one of the three candidates out of 20 students to crack the C1 exam. Even today sometimes I use Duolingo for german language, though I am learning Spanish for myself.

It won’t be easy peasy or piece of cake, but It’s 100% possible. Language is also not mathematics or physics that you can learn by remembering some set of formulas or theory. For me, every language is an expression of Art, if you will give respect to that art and give your effort to understand it, with the right desire to learn the language with consistency you will surely find your way out.
At the time of writing this answer, I have finished my M.Sc Fahrzeugbau with good grades and started working in the Automotive industry still in a German-speaking environment.
All the best !!!

Ankit Sheladiya (અંકિત શેલડિયા)

Useful Links :
  • Learn a language with me for free! Duolingo is fun, and proven to work. Here’s my invite link: Learn a language for free
  • Learn German with Anja
  • LEARN GERMAN | DW
  • Learn German with Movies: 10 Great Movies for Learning Real German
  • Do you know the 3 German articles?
  • This list accepts the tried and tested positive suggestions from its reader. Do comment them, will get them listed here.
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    Ankit 
    Sheladiya

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