Anybody considering Germany?

[pomoni]

Hello people!

I was just wondering if anyone is considering Germany as a future Uni?

I would love to hear your thoughts on that...

[Green]

I did consider Germany at first, I have family there and I absolutely love the country.

University is a lot cheaper there compared to countries like England, or Canada.

What stopped me from applying there is the language. I do know German, but not fluently.

The universities require proof of German language, and for anyone taking the IB they expect certain levels of things.

For one, they expect a science at HL, they also do not accept Math Studies. There are a couple other conditions, but it depends.

If you are applying for a course that is taught in English, perhaps the language does not apply to you.

I tried to apply to Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich to study Physics, the course was in German, not to mention difficult.

So Physics in German was not really what I was looking for.

[pomoni]

Hehe yeah they have a lot of requirements. But if you don't know the language, as far as I know you can take a year as a "Studienkolleg". The thing is you would have "wasted" a year.

But yes it's true they're very picky with the subjects etc... I'm definitely applying for Germany and thank God I have the subjects they want. (Got lucky!!!!) =D

[soph]

Hehe yeah they have a lot of requirements. But if you don't know the language, as far as I know you can take a year as a "Studienkolleg". The thing is you would have "wasted" a year.

But yes it's true they're very picky with the subjects etc... I'm definitely applying for Germany and thank God I have the subjects they want. (Got lucky!!!!) =D

hey. What universities are you applying to? any bilingual courses?

[Bishup]

In Germany I heard that bilingual courses were only the one's that included commerce, otherwhise it'd all be in German.

[pomoni]

hey. What universities are you applying to? any bilingual courses?

I'm applying for medicine, biology, and human-biology. I guess it's going to be in German but I don't mind as it's my mother language. I think they only offer courses in English at the masters level.

Why? Are you considering it?

[MiriamGr]

hi

I am considering Germany, since I have lived there for mos of my life so far, and I really want to go back. Also, the schools tend to be pretty good.

But they don't make it easy

There is a formula to calculate your German average grade from the IB points.However, it makes IB a disadvantage to the Abitur

Basically, a 7 in IB is a 1 in German system, 6=2 and so forth, unfortunately it's way harder to get full marks in IB than in the German Abitur. the 3 extra points can bump it up a little though.

I have hear from alot of people, that they, to get around that formula, first started studying in Holland, Austria (which has barely any subjects with a minimum requirement) or any other place, and then transferred after a year.

about the general requirements: In my school, alot of SL social sciences and languages are cut down to 1year courses. If that's the case at your school, make sure you don't take any of them, because they aren't accepted.

Miriam

[Abdominal Procrastinator]

I don't speak German, so no !

[Lyre]

I'm going to be applying to Germany.

I took the German Language Fluency test during the Summer and got a 2, so I should be okay with the language.

Miriam is right about the grade conversion, though. It really is disadvanteous to those who have completed the IB Diploma. I think it favors AP graduates.

I should be able to pull it off though, crappy conversion or no.

[xNoDonniex]

Here a guide "How to apply to Germany as a German citizen"

I will be applying to Germany, more specifically the University of Hamburg, the University of Muenster and the University of Freiburg.

There are a few complications involved with this process, but be aware that my case is very specific: I am applying to Germany as a German citizen, with an IB Diploma.

Firstly, I have had to take specific courses. As others have indicated above, the rule is: you must:

- Take a science or maths at HL

- Have completed 4 consecutive years of a third language (in my case Spanish B)

- Fulfill all of the other requirements for the IB.

- Complete a German course (ideally the IB's self-taught version)

My courses are:

Physics HL

English A1 HL

Visual Arts HL

Economics SL

Mathematics SL

Spanish B SL

German A1 Self-taught SL

Once this is done, things get more complicated.

Deadlines for applications in Germany are all on the 15th of July.

Most of the universities in Germany will not know how to handle IBDP grades.

Therefore, a certification of your diploma must happen. This is done by ministries within Germany.

Problem is: how do I get my diploma certified in time for the application deadlines?

Solution: request a transcript of grades. You can get your IB coordinator to request a transcript of grades to be sent to an institution. You will have to find out which institution. For me, this is the "Bezirksregierung Duesseldorf". You can coordinate with a specific individual and make sure that they receive a transcript of your grades, so that a certification can take place.

Beware: some universities now use uni-assist. Uni-assist is, in many ways, like UCAS: it handles all the formalities associated with university applications. When I called uni-assist, they told me to send them the log-in data, which I will be given in order to check my grades online from the 6th of July onwards. However, the official IB handout about this mentions: "Under no circumstances should candidates reveal their PIN to universities or admission centers", whereby I would advise against this. Sending them a transcript of grades should be sufficient, regardless of what they say. It is an official document from the IBO and I figure that if you insist for long enough, they'll give in.

After all, the easiest way to go about this is CALLING the people and making sure that you are speaking to the same person each time. That way, you can have a transcript of grades sent to them and have it certified in time, so that you can apply in time.

Once you have the certification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung), it will most likely be accepted by all of the different states in Germany. I will be getting mine certified in Nordrhein-Westfalen, and I've been assured that this will be valid in all other states.

It's all very confusing and a pain in the a**, but what are you gonna do. It also very much depends on the universities you're applying to.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

[pomoni]

Here a guide "How to apply to Germany as a German citizen"

I will be applying to Germany, more specifically the University of Hamburg, the University of Muenster and the University of Freiburg.

There are a few complications involved with this process, but be aware that my case is very specific: I am applying to Germany as a German citizen, with an IB Diploma.

Firstly, I have had to take specific courses. As others have indicated above, the rule is: you must:

- Take a science or maths at HL

- Have completed 4 consecutive years of a third language (in my case Spanish B)

- Fulfill all of the other requirements for the IB.

- Complete a German course (ideally the IB's self-taught version)

My courses are:

Physics HL

English A1 HL

Visual Arts HL

Economics SL

Mathematics SL

Spanish B SL

German A1 Self-taught SL

Once this is done, things get more complicated.

Deadlines for applications in Germany are all on the 15th of July.

Most of the universities in Germany will not know how to handle IBDP grades.

Therefore, a certification of your diploma must happen. This is done by ministries within Germany.

Problem is: how do I get my diploma certified in time for the application deadlines?

Solution: request a transcript of grades. You can get your IB coordinator to request a transcript of grades to be sent to an institution. You will have to find out which institution. For me, this is the "Bezirksregierung Duesseldorf". You can coordinate with a specific individual and make sure that they receive a transcript of your grades, so that a certification can take place.

Beware: some universities now use uni-assist. Uni-assist is, in many ways, like UCAS: it handles all the formalities associated with university applications. When I called uni-assist, they told me to send them the log-in data, which I will be given in order to check my grades online from the 6th of July onwards. However, the official IB handout about this mentions: "Under no circumstances should candidates reveal their PIN to universities or admission centers", whereby I would advise against this. Sending them a transcript of grades should be sufficient, regardless of what they say. It is an official document from the IBO and I figure that if you insist for long enough, they'll give in.

After all, the easiest way to go about this is CALLING the people and making sure that you are speaking to the same person each time. That way, you can have a transcript of grades sent to them and have it certified in time, so that you can apply in time.

Once you have the certification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung), it will most likely be accepted by all of the different states in Germany. I will be getting mine certified in Nordrhein-Westfalen, and I've been assured that this will be valid in all other states.

It's all very confusing and a pain in the a**, but what are you gonna do. It also very much depends on the universities you're applying to.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

amazing summary =) this is exactly what i did! (I'm also a German citizen with IB). But it's not necessary that you always choose the specific city for the certification, I chose Bayern although my 'Wohnsitz' is in Baden Württemberg!

Also I dont think that 7=1, 6=2, etc... because 1= sehr gut, 2= gut, 3=befriedigend. etc. and 7=excellent, 6=very good (which is like sehr gut, i.e. '1') and 5 = good (2)

Good luck for the application! Donnie, why not consider Karlsruhe? I am at this uni now and its one of the best in Germany too =)

[MiriamGr]

thank you very much for the summary!

I agree, 7 is in no relation to 1, but the Kultusministerkonferenz(who came up with the formula) doesn't really get that...

Miriam