Germany
Examples of universities in Germany in
which you could go as a visiting student:
* Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany (History)
If anyone is thinking about studying in Konstanz, or anywhere in
Germany, I would thoroughly recommend it.
Konstanz is a small city, but with a very large student
population. It is dominated by a lake, which is a fantastic place
to have a drink or relax beside and, of course, swim in. In the
centre of the city, there is a very grand Minster (sound familiar?)
that is worth a visit or just a good photo stop. The university
itself is slightly away from the city centre (much as York is), but
very easy to get to and you can buy a bus ticket for the whole
semester that is incredibly cheap. The university cafeteria offers
stunning views of the lake, which are not to be missed and the
university's general architecture is noteworthy even if it quite
dated now. The city is very manageable to walk around and get to
know and full of quaint little pubs as well as trendy bars and
plenty of shops.
Travel is very good value and from Konstanz you can visit the
Black Forest, Stuttgart and southern Bavaria in a day. It is also
located right on the Swiss border, which means you can go and visit
Switzerland very easily too. On a clear day you can see the Swiss
Alps from the city very clearly. Zurich is only an hour away and
it's even quicker to get to the Alps, where you can wander, ski or
just enjoy the view from a cable car. In fact, from Konstanz, you
can visit Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and France
in a day!
For those worrying about the language, there really is no need.
Some students go on exchange to the university having never done
German. Although I wouldn't recommend that, it is worth remembering
that with some German and English you'll get along in work and a
social life fine. There are plenty of English books in the library
and some departments allow you to submit work in English. There is
also a language course before the semester starts, which is a
perfect way to brush up on your German before the real work begins
and you can also settle in before most of the students arrive.
If you have any other questions, just ask Lucile or Maarten to
put you in touch with me.
* Universität Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
Würzburg is a city in southern Germany (Bavaria). It is an old
city (more than 1300 years of documented history) and therefore has
many historical monuments like the cathedral and the castle and a
history-charged city centre (even though it was partially destroyed
in the World War II). The Würzburg The ancient bridge and the
castle Residence, the former residence of the bishop of Würzburg,
is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For other cultural
interests there a several theatres some of which even have free
admission for students. And of course the best wine in Bavaria (in
spite of the Ocotberfest there is not only beer!) is from
Wurzburg.
Würzburg is situated in the valley of the river Main, which is
not deep but very steep, hence Würzburg is mainly concentrated on a
small area so that it is possible to walk to nearly every place in
town. But the buses are much cheaper than in York, too (around 34€
for half a year), so for those who are less sportive, there is no
need to walk. There are a lot of parks in the city and the banks of
the river are a nice place to relax or to do sports. It is even
possible to bath in the river in the summer.
Würzburg has about 130 000 inhabitants and the university has
more than 21 000 students (nearly twice the size of York!)
therefore the town shaped by the university and the students - for
example there are more pubs than you can see in half a year. The
campus is split into several parts. Apart from the clinic there are
two main sites: One in the city centre for the administration,
economy, law and religion and a newer part a bit The cathedral in
the city centre more outwards where the library, the science and
languages and history is located. The latter is quite "green":
There is a large lawn with trees to relax between the lectures or
to play games in the lunch break. The library is very well equipped
and if you are looking for a books that they don't have in the
library, you can order it to be bought free of charge. There are
not as many non-sports societies as in York, but there is an
English society amongst others.
And if you want to travel around, Würzburg is quite centred in
Germany and there are many direct trains northwards to Hamburg,
westwards to Cologne and southwards to Munich and even Austria.
Further information about Würzburg are available under
http://www.wuerzburg.de and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Würzburg
and the university website is http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de, the
international office can be found on
http://www.international.uni-wuerzburg.de/studium_in_wuerzburg/
The people in the international office are very friendly and not
bureaucratic at all, so don't hesitate to ask! Furthermore my
international supervisor (in the mathematics department) supported
me as well as possible, so I think every international student
coming to Würzburg will have an equally warm welcome.
See you in Wurzburg, soon!