First and important thing do not trust your agency blindly, try to have info’s from websites, or former students, faculties from the university, you are applying.
As for the course, there will be many more that you have not even heard of, so be curious and widen your opportunities to research a bit and find what really suits you.
Applying for bachelor’s degree
Students who are looking for bachelor’s degree programs in Germany and doing language course, it is recommended to do up to C1 level German then apply to Aufnahmentest in various universities through uni-assit. This will be followed by the program ‘studienkolleg’ which will last for a year. At the end they will be having ‘Festelungsprüfung’ which will be an important exam for entering into bachelor’s degree program. It is recommended to the students to do their Bachelors in Fachhochschule for technical courses because there you get to practical exposure which will lead you to get good job.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of scholarship providers and search aggregators.
- TU Berlin Carreer
- DAAD- https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/
- Studienlotse
- E-Fellows
- Mystipendium.de
- FindAMasters.com
- E.ON
- TU Berlin Employment
Accomodation
If you are a student, then it is better to get into student apartments, which is affordable, and you get to experience the fun a lot more.
Otherwise, rather than getting a studio or single apartment, it is better to be in a WG to experience the real berlin life.
About 40 residences with approximately 10,500 hostel places in all parts of Berlin are managed by the Studentenwerk Berlin, a state agency supporting students. Apply as soon as possible to the following address with your student ID (or, if this is not yet available, with your letter of admission): Studentenwerk Berlin,Consulting & Service Point, Room 6, Hardenbergstr. 34, D-10623 Berlin, email: infopoint@studentenwerk-berlin.de.
There are usually quite long waiting lists, so apply as soon as you have your acceptance letter! If you need a temporary place to stay until a room in a student residence hall is free, you can book an inexpensive stay in backpacker’s hostels or in student and youth hotels. Look out for the Tourist Information Berlin or the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH). Here are some links you may find useful:
- HomeCompany – https://www.homecompany.de/en
- Wohnheim Berlin – F¨orderkreis Junge Politik e.V.
- Student Village Schlachtensee
- Search on ebay Internet ads
- House of Nations – https://www.house-of-nations.de/en/
- https://www.uniplaces.com
Many students opt for flat share, in Germany known as “Wohngemeinschaft” or “WG”; you may want to look at the following housing listings:
- www.studenten-wg.de
- www.zwischenmiete.de
- www.wgcompany.de
- www.wg-welt.de
- www.wg-gesucht.de
If you are looking to rent your own flat, you may use one of these search engines:
- www.immobilienscout24.de
- www.immonet.de
- www.studenten-wohnung.de
- www.studentenwohnungsmarkt.de
- www.immowelt.de
- https://housinganywhere.com/s/Berlin–Germany
- https://www.berlinovo.de
Accommodation Agencies:
- www.freiraum-berlin.com
- www.city-wohnen.de/eng/
- http://berlin.homecompany.de
When trying to find a place for your own, be aware of scam ads, particularly in the most popular sites for shared apartments. Common sense rules apply!
Student Jobs
It is not that hard to get a part time job in berlin. Sites like zenjobs.de, ucm.agency/de or studitemps.de will help you.
City Registration
Newcomers in Berlin as well as Berliners relocating within the city are obliged to register their new residence at any local citizen centre (B¨urgeramt). For this you need a document from your landlord (“Mietvertrag” – lease contract).8 Do this as soon as possible: the legal requirement is within 7 day; however this can be flexible if there is a longer waiting time to secure an appointment at the B¨urgeramt (which more than certainly is the case).
Communication facilities
SIM-cards are sold over the counter in discounters such as ALDI, Kaufland, or Lidl, but for most mobile carriers (Vodafone, O2, etc.) you must have residency proof to get a SIM-card with a contract. Electronic retailers such as Saturn or Media Markt offer prepaid the counter SIM-cards as well.