Masters in Germany Demystified

Covering letter for University

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:30:00 +0000

A sample covering letter for your reference.

Covering Letter

To,

Dekanat Elektrotechnik,

Kennwort: MPA

Otto-Hahn-Straße 4

44221 Dortmund

Germany

This is a covering letter enlisting the application materials to be found in my application envelope. It is complete to my knowledge, but if anything is found missing, incorrect or any information within the documents is found to be ambiguous then please contact me and I will have all the doubts clarified.

Moreover, if this material has reached an incorrect destination on the campus, then you are earnestly requested to re-direct it appropriately or let me know so that I may resend it, if needed.

Following are the documents that I have enclosed:

A signed printed copy of the application form
Certified copies of university transcripts
Certified copy of university degree
Certified copy of 12^th(HSC) and 10^th (SSC) Mark Sheets.
Two letters of recommendation (2 sealed envelopes)
Statement of purpose
Academic Resume
Certified copy of English language certificate
Reference letter from working organization
Additional Certificates

Please feel free to contact me for any other document that is required, and if possible, please acknowledge the receipt of my application material via e-mail.

Yours Sincerely,

XXX

NOTE: This covering letter is only for your reference.

PhD – Programmes / Doctorates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:49:00 +0000

PhD – Programs / Doctorates:

If you are interested in studying for a PhD in Germany, follow our step-by-step guide on how
to go about applying for admission. There are traditionally two options:

1. Independent Research under supervision of a "Doktorvater" or "Doktormutter"

Germany does not traditionally have a system of Graduate Schools, Graduate Centres or Graduate Colleges that support and guide students to their doctorate in a structured programme; nor is there a binding curriculum that needs to be completed during the doctoral phase. The production of a doctoral thesis or dissertation is the core element of the doctorate. Students agree their topic with a supervising professor and then produce a thesis or dissertation as a piece of independent research work.

2. Structured PhD-Programmes

Structured PhD-programmes or IPP´s (International Postgraduate Programmes) are a fairly recent development in German higher education. In total, Germany's universities currently offer around 360 programmes, of which around 130 have an international focus. They offer doctoral students the following advantages:

• Flexible admission for foreign applicants, e.g. graduates holding a Bachelor's degree
• English largely used in courses and everyday work
• Team-based doctorate, frequently involving joint research projects which ensures that a
constant process of exchange takes place with other doctoral students and supervisors
(Source: DAAD)

Step-By-Step Guide: Independent Research under Supervision

Step One: Finding a supervisor

It is important to know that there is no central admission or selection office for doctoral students.
The decision is made solely by the accepting university, with the academic supervisor playing the key role. You may already know the professor’s name from a publication relevant to your field. You can then look up his/her contact details in an external search engine or on the website of the tertiary education institution in Baden-Württemberg. Go onto the homepage of the relevant institution, look up your field of interest and contact the head of department listed.
• In some cases the Dean’s office (Dekanat) can help as can the office of international affairs
or even the counselling office.

Step Two:

Contact your future supervisor Contact your future supervisor by E-Mail or formal letter and provide him/her with the following information:
• A brief description of your field and topic of interest
• A short review of the relevant experience you have in this field
• Your curriculum vitae (résumé or profile)
• letters of recommendation better your chances
Important notes for PhD-candidates
• You can write your thesis in English, provided your Supervisor agrees. If you decide to write in German you will need to have passed the DSH (German language test) or TestDaF (German language test).
• Your university degree has to be recognised as being equivalent to a German degree. You can do this by simply sending a copy of your degree certificate to the dean of the relevant faculty. He/she will then send you a written assessment of its equivelant in Germany.
• Before admittance you will be asked to prepare a piece of scientific research which could vary between 50 – 100 pages (depending on the subject),as sometimes you may also be required to take a written or oral test.
• You will need a student visa (not a tourist visa) At present, practically all doctoral programmes in Germany are tuition-free.

Further information: http://www.daad.de/deutschland/forschung/promotion/04670.en.html

Visa Processing Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Continuing from my previous post...

If your parents or elder siblings or any blood relative is sponsoring your education in Germany, apart from the one year statement of the sponsor's bank account, you also need to submit an affidavit of support from your sponsorer along with your application. If a third person is sponsoring your studies, affidavit of support is mandatory. If you are showing your personal bank balance as proof of finance without any third person sponsoring your education, affidavit of support is not necessary.

Affidavit of support has to be made on a stamp paper of appropriate value and should be signed by your sponsorer in the presence of a notary. Notaries usually have a prescribed format with them for preparing an affidavit of support. In case they don't have one, you can use the format given below as a reference.

**********************************************************************************

1. That my son Mr. x has secured admission for University of ______

2. That I am supporting my son's education and living expenses during his period of study at the university of ______

3. That I have adequate financial resources to sponsor my son's education viz., tuition fees, boarding expenses, traveling expenses and living expenses during his study at university of ______

The above stated facts are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief

Place:______

Date:______

DEPONENT

(Mr. x)

**********************************************************************************

*This format is for reference only

One more format for affidavit of support.

**********************************************************************************

AFFIDAVIT OF "Sponsors Name"

I Mr. XYZ, s/o Mr. ABC, aged XX years, residing at "complete residential address" do hereby solemny affirm and state as below:

My son/daughter "your full name" , has got admission in "university name". I would like to state that I am interested to meet out all the expenses incurred by my son/daughter "your full name" , to pursue his/her higher education and I am financially capable of supporting him for his education in Germany. I have sufficient funds in savings and also in properties (give the break-up of your sponsor's savings, investments, property holdings etc.,). I will be bearing the cost till the completion of his studies in Germany. I also state that he will not be a public charge on the Government of Germany during his stay in Germany.

Signature of sponsor

VERIFICATION

I Mr. XYZ, s/o Mr. ABC, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare that what are stated herein above are true to my knowledge and nothing has been concealed therein.

Solemnly affirmed at "place" on "date"

Seal and signature of Notary public

Signature of the sponsor

**********************************************************************************

*This format is for reference only

Visa Processing Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Students planning to get a visa from Chennai consulate need to schedule an appointment for visa interview by visiting a VFS office located close to you in the cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Click here for the location and address of the VFS centers.

Before scheduling a visa interview, make sure you have all the necessary documents and finances in place. List of documents that has to be submitted to VFS can be found here.

Before you start preparing the documents, you need to make sure that you have adequate finance to support your education in Germany for two years. Financial adequacy can be achieved by several means but the most common being either education loan or support from your family.

Visit this link to check interest rates and other terms and conditions of education loan offered by all the major banks of India. If you are applying for an education loan, make sure you apply atleast 3 months prior to the month in which your course starts as getting a loan sanctioned and receiving all the necessary documents from the bank can take anywhere between 20-40 days.

Important note on Finance: When applying for a visa, you need to show sufficient funds to convince the authorities that you will be able to sustain yourself for two years in Germany without having to rely on part-time jobs or other sources for income. Any of the following source of money is accepted by the consulate. Minimum finance that one needs to show during visa application should cover: Tuition Fee + Living expenses for one year. But its recommended to show Tuition Fee + Living expenses for two years as it would reduce the chances of visa rejection to zero.

1. Education loan.

2. Education Loan + Savings in your personal bank account.

3. Education Loan + Savings in your personal bank account + Savings in your parents/relatives account.

4. Savings in your parents/relatives account.

5. Any combination of the above mentioned means of finance.

Following investments are not accepted by the consulate as proof of finance:

1. Fixed Deposits (Please confirm with VFS as there is a lot of ambiguity regarding its validity)

2. Mutual Funds, ULIP, Life Insurance, NSC, KVP and Share certificates.

Note: Rules can change from time to time. Please confirm with either VFS or the consulate regarding the validity of the above mentioned forms of investments.

Once you have the loan sanctioned, you will receive an official loan sanction letter from the bank. Apart from this letter, request the concerned bank manager to provide you another letter in the bank's letter head which mentions the loan amount sanctioned to you as well as its equivalent value in Euro. You need letter for visa processing. Most banks will have a format of their own for issuing such letters. In case they don't have one, you can use the one below as a reference.

**********************************************************************************

BANK LETTER HEAD

Bank's complete address Date:_______

Phone Place:_______

Fax

To whomsoever it may concern

This is to certify that Mr. ABC has been sanctioned an education loan of Rs. 10,00,000 (Rupees Ten Lakhs only) approximately equivalent to Euro 15,400 (Euro Fifteen thousand four hundred only) to pursue his postgraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at University of XYZ, Germany.

For "Bank Name",

Branch Manager

(Seal and Signature)

**********************************************************************************

**This format is for reference only.

After you receive this letter from the bank, get it translated to German from anybody with decent translation skills.

Along with your loan, if you are planning to show your savings in the form of cash in savings account, you need to produce 12 months account statement when applying for visa. Along with the account statement, get a letter from the branch manager which mentions the balance of you account in rupees and its equivalent value in Euro. As mentioned earlier, banks will have a ready made template for issuing such letters, in case if they don't have one, you can refer the format given below.

**********************************************************************************

BANK LETTER HEAD

Bank's complete address Date:_______

Phone Place:_______

Fax

To whomsoever it may concern

This is to certify that Mr. ABC s/o Mr. XYZ, residing at "full residential address" is maintaining a savings account No. 1212131 with us. Balance in the above account as on date is Rs. 1,00,000 (Equivalent to Euro 1540 @ Notional rate of Rs. 65 per Euro)

For "Bank Name",

Branch Manager

(Seal and Signature)

**********************************************************************************

**This format is for reference only.

This letter also needs to be translated to German.

Important note on translation: All the translations should be on an A4 paper. Translations need not be on any letter head, they need not be on a stamp paper, they need not carry the signature of the bank manager or any other authority and no need to get it authorized by a Notary. Get the translations done on a plain A4 paper that's it!! If required, put your signature and nothing else.

DAAD office or Max Mueller Bhavan in your city can help you with the translations. Also, Indo German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) will take up the translation work. For IGCC locations and contact details, click here. Both DAAD and IGCC are expensive when compared to freelance translators and the cost of translation in DAAD/IGCC can run up to several thousand rupees depending on the number of pages. But on the brighter side, DAAD/IGCC translations are very accurate and professional. Staff in the German consulate will not doubt the authenticity of translation if it carries the seal of DAAD or IGCC.

If you want to keep the keep the cost of translation low, look for freelancers who will be ready to do the work at a fraction of what it costs in DAAD/IGCC. Also, if your city has a university with a department for German language studies, professors from that department can help you with the translation work.

To be continued in my next post.....

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Visa Processing Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Congratulations!! You have an admit from a university and you are wondering how to get a student visa, I'll tell you how!

To get a student visa you need to approach the German consulate directly with the exception of Chennai and New Delhi consulates, which I will be explaining in detail later.

There are five German consular offices in India and each consular office is responsible for issuing visa to candidates residing in that state as well as a few neighboring states.

1. New Delhi

German consulate in New Delhi provides consular services to the people residing in these regions: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Union Territories Chandigarh, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Minicoy and Amini.

2. Mumbai

German consulate in Mumbai provides consular services to the people residing in these regions: Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Union Territory of Daman and Diu.

3. Kolkata

German consulate in Kolkata provides consular services to the people residing in these regions: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

4. Chennai

German consulate in Chennai provides consular services to the people residing in these regions: Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry.

5. B angalore

German consulate in Bangalore provides consular services to the people residing in these regions: karnataka and Kerala.

Important: Bangalore consulate was not yet functional as of the day this post was written and Chennai consulate continues to cover the states of Karnataka and Kerala until Bangalore consulate becomes fully functional.

Except for Chennai and New Delhi consulates, students can approach the other consulates directly to apply for a student visa and also to appear for the visa interview. Click on the name of the cities to take you to the respective consulate website. The consulate website provides detailed information regarding the student visa process.

For Chennai and New Delhi consulates, students cannot approach the consulate directly, instead they have to approach a private agency by the name "VFS Logistics Ltd." to initiate the visa process. VFS is the only private agency authorized by German consulate to receive and process visa applications. Visit the VFS website by clicking on the above link to get upated information regarding the application procedures.

Since I am applying for visa through Chennai consulate, I will be posting a detailed description of the procedures involved in applying for Chennai consulate. I will ask some of my fellow batch mates to post their personal experience of applying in other consulates.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

CHE University Ranking 2009/10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:40:00 +0000

The University Ranking of the Centre for Higher Education development (CHE) helps those who want to start studying to find the right higher education institution.

Strong share research

About Ranking method

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Show&tmpl=p500_das_ranking

Department wise ranking :

I have provided a subject wise link below. Follow the link for more details.

Electrical Engineering and Information Engineering

In electrical engineering and information technology, specialists are 34 universities in the comparison included. As indicators of research in this subject is the third-party accounts, the results of a bibliometric analysis, the number of promotions per year, and Information on the number of invention reports by scientists of the subject to Disposal. The reputation is informational expelled, but not in the formation of the Groups of strong research universities in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology included.

Funded accounts per year (€ million) to universities and third-party donors:

Universities

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=9&hstyp=1

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=9&hstyp=2

Mechanical-, Process- and Chemical Engineering

Universities

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=10&hstyp=1

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=10&hstyp=2

Industrial Engineering

Universities

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=13&hstyp=1

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=13&hstyp=2

Computer science

Universities

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=1&hstyp=1

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=1&hstyp=2

Civil Engineering

Universities

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=8&hstyp=1

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=8&hstyp=2

Process- and Chemical Engineering

Universities of applied science

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Hitliste&do=show_l1&esb=11&hstyp=2

For all other subjects......

http://ranking.zeit.de/che10/CHE_en?module=Fach&tmpl=p201_faecherliste

Please put your comment regarding my post.... :)

Mobile phone in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:09:00 +0000

There are four GSM companies operating in Germany, which are T-Mobile (D1), Vodafone(D2), O2 and EPLUS. And there are also many other service providers which buy service from these operators and sell them to customers with their own special offers.

You may already have a cell phone with your home country's GSM operator, but because of roaming prices, it will be a expensive choice to use them in Germany. So we assume that, you all want to have a German “handy”.

When you want to buy a service from one of these providers, first thing you have to decide is the type of your contract. You have two possibilities: you may choose to make a contract for two years, which also include cell phone for free or for very cheap prices, or you may have a prepaid contract.

Mobile Phone with a Contract (Handy mit Vertrag)

These contracts are usually valid for two years. There are lots of opportunities but they are basically formed of starting price (Anschlusspreis), a monthly price (monatlich Preis)which usually includes free minutes, and after spending your free minutes additional minutes are charged depending on your contract tariff.

Prepaid Contract

As you are probably familiar with the similar services in your own countries. In this type of contracts you pay nothing more than you speak. But there are also many tariff options for prepaid ones too. You can use your own cell phone with a prepaid contract in Germany

All these companies have special tariffs for students, which allow you have free minutes and a cell phone very cheaply. They often make special offers for a limited time. All you have to do is take all these criterion into consideration and decide the most suitable one for your own needs.

Source:

http://arcouncil.blogspot.com/search/label/Newbie-Guides

Learn German

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:10:00 +0000

As I have mentioned in my previous post, it is advisable to have some basic knowledge of German language before you arrive in Germany. Goethe Institute/Max Mueller Bhavans located in many major cities offer short and long term certificate courses in German language. For those who don't have Goethe Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan in your city, you can approach a private tutor or try learning the language through internet.

For those who want to learn German through internet, I am posting a few links which has excellent study material for both beginners as well as advanced learners. Happy learning :)

German is a very funny and unstructured language especially when compared to the highly structured nature of Indian languages!! Don't say this to a German :)

http://www.ielanguages.com/German.html - Good for beginners. This site also has a lot of links to other similar sites.

http://mariogerhardt.libsyn.com/ - Podcast of grammar lessons (I can see the grin on the faces of iPod owners :) )

http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/learn-german-online/beginners/summary.php - Good place for beginners

http://www.hueber.de/shared/uebungen/schritte/lerner/uebungen/index.php - Online exercise for basic to intermediate levels

http://www.dw-world.com/dw/0,,2548,00.html - Short audio lessons for beginners. Audio can be downloaded in MP3 format.

http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/ - Very good place to start. Lessons are published by a professor from University of Portsmouth, UK

http://www.hueber.de/sixcms/list.php?page=lernen_tana - Study material for A1, A2, B1 and B2 level exams conducted by Goethe Institute.

http://www.telc.net/index.php?id=129&L=4 - Sample question papers in PDF format for all levels of exam conducted by Goethe Institute.

http://www.hueber.de/seite/downloads_daf - Some downloadable study materials.

Some more websites suggested by Sameerr:

http://www.deutschseite.de/time-table/time-table.html - Good place for beginners

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/EN/ENDE/ENDE002.HTM - Good place for beginners with audio lessons

http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang_inhalt.htm - Basic lessons with audio

I will update this list if I come across any other good website offering free lessons in German.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Welcome the new guest contributor to my blog

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:25:00 +0000

For those who have been following this blog from some time, if you're wondering who this new contributor is? Please welcome Sameerr. He will be the new guest contributor to my blog and he will provide us with some more valuable information and data available with him which he collected during his application process.

Thanks Sameerr for all the valuable information you will be posting in the future :)

Das Humboldt-Ranking-2006, For Engineering

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:19:00 +0000

What is the No. 1 address for top-flight foreign academics in Germany? The Humboldt Rankings are calculated on the number of research stays undertaken by fellows and award winners sponsored by the Foundation at German research institutes. From 2001 to 2005, there was a total of 4,943 long-term research stays by Humboldtians in Germany. Amongst scientists the Technical University in Munich takes first place. Heidelberg University comes second and Munich University third. In the humanities, law and social sciences most Humboldtians choose the Free University Berlin, followed by the Humboldt University Berlin and Munich University. In life sciences Munich University lies ahead, followed by Freiburg and Tübingen.

The most popular host for engineering is the Technical University Darmstadt, ahead of the Technical University Aachen and Stuttgart University which share second place.

Most Humboldtians choose to collaborate with a research partner at a university. The most successful non-university institution is the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin which belongs to the Max Planck Society and hosted 58 visits.

"The Humboldt Rankings reveal which German institutions and disciplines are so good that they attract the best people to Germany on research visits", Secretary General Dr. Georg Schütte commented. "A top place in our rankings is also a seal of quality for the international status of German hosts. Germany's reputation abroad is much better than some of the pessimistic statements here at home would give you to believe", Schütte added. Details of the rankings at:

Source from :

http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/aktuelles/presse/pn_archiv_2006/2006_11.htm

http://www.tu9.de/media/img/designelemente/2007_Humboldt-Ranking.pdf

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Ranking of TU9 universities in the DFG Funding Ranking 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Excellent Research at TU9 Universities

The excellence of the TU9 universities is also reflected in their outstanding positions in a variety of rankings: TU9 universities are to be found at the top of the DFG ranking for research funding in engineering.

Four TU9 members are among the top ten for R & D funding in the 6th EU Research Framework Programme (RFP): Universität Karlsruhe (TH) with € 22 million, RWTH Aachen (€ 27.2 million), TU München (€ 28.5 million) and Universität Stuttgart with € 34.6 million.

TU9 universities are attractive to international scientists, as shown in the Humboldt Foundation ranking: Six TU9 universities are in the top 7 for engineering.

Source:

http://www.tu9.de/research/1505.php

http://www.tu9.de/media/docs/tu9/Platzierung_der_TU9_Universitaeten_im_DFG_Foerderranking_2006_ENG.pdf

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Scholarships Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:58:00 +0000

This is a list of scholarships awarded by Indian firms/trusts/individuals for students of India.

J. N. Tata Endowment	Rotary Service center
Bombay House 24 HomiModi Street Mumbai 400001 tata.com	Juhu Tara road Mumbai 400049 Phone: 022 - 26609847 Fax: 022 - 26607217 www.rotary.org
AT&T Leadership Awards (For US only)	K. C. Mahindra Education Trust
Contact USEFI or email awards@attmail.com Fax: (886) 2-2715-7013 (attn: AT&T Leadership Award)	Cecil Court, MahakaviBhushanMarg Mumbai-400039
Mariwala Trust	R. D. Sethna Scholarship Fund
409 Shah and Nahar Industrial Estate Dr E. Moses Road, Worli Naka Mumbai-400018 Tel: (022) 4938307 Fax: (022) 4974704	Esplanade House 29 HazarimalSomaniMarg, Fort Mumbai 400001 Phone: 022 - 22070764
Sahu Jain Trust	American Alumni Association
4^thFloor, Times House 7 Bahadur Shah ZafarMarg New Delhi-110002	C-VulcahInsuranceBuilding, VeerNariman Road Opp: Churchgate Station Mumbai 400020 Phone: 022 - 2821413 Fax: 022 - 2821485 eMail: aaa@indous.org
Lotus Trust:	The Fulbright Commission
Lotus House Near Liberty Theater 6 New Marine Lines Mumbai 400020	022-22624603 (Bombay) 044-28112049 (Chennai) 033-22881637 (Calcutta) 011-23328944 (Delhi) eMail: info@fulbright-india.org www.fulbright-india.org
Inlakhs Scholarships	Bai Shrinbai and Seth HorusjiMody Trust
Post Box No. 2108 C/O St. Stephen's College New Delhi 110 007 eMail: inlaks@del2.vsnl.net.in www.inlaksfoundation.org	C/O KapadiaDamania company Bhupen Chambers Dalal street Mumbai - 400 001 Phone: 022 - 22673806
Shri BrihadBhartiyasamaj Scholarships	Currimiji JiwanjiMoriswala Charity Trust
ONLY given to candidates lacking in financial resources Sri BrihadBhartiyasamaj NKM International house 178, Backbay reclamation Babubhai M. Chinaimarg Mumbai 400020 Phone: 22020113	Trust 157 KaziSayeed Street Bombay
Dawoodbhoy Fazalbhoy Muslim Educational Trust	Deccan Education Society - Foreign Scholarship Fund
DawodbhoyFazalbhoy Muslim Educational Trust 42, Ibrahim Md. Merchant Road DhadahKhadak Mumbai 400029 Only for Muslims	Deccan Education Society Pune
Ichalkaranji educational Endowement	Eduljee Dinshaw Trust
Yeshodham, 7 Tapobhuml Society Near Kirloskar Press MukundNagar Pune - 9 Only for Maharastrians	Bombay University M. G. Road Mumbai 400 023
G. B. Kimaye Scholarship Fund	GSB Foreign Education Society
Trust c/o Director of Education Pune Maharashtra	Trust ChikitsahaSamuha Building Sadashiv Cross St. Khadilkhar Road Mumbai 400 004
H. C. J. Trust	Hinduja Foundation Trust
Readymoney Mansion Veer Nariman Road Mumbai	Hinduja House Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli Bombay 400 018
Homi Bhabha Foundation Trust	India Foundation (For Free Passage)
c/o National Centre for Performing Arts Nariman Point Mumbai 400021	Sakal Office Building 595 BudhawarPeth Pune 411 002
Jain Educational Society Trust	Jivraj Mulukchand Shah Charitable Trust
c/o V. T. Sheth 14 Murzban Road, Fort Mumbai 400 023	Trust VasantNivas 1st Babulnath Lane Mumbai 400 007
K. C. Mahindra Education Trust	K. H. Goreganokar Charitable Trust
MahindraSpincer Building 15, J. N. HerediaMarg Ballard Estate Mumbai 400038	Trust RadhaNiwas 1st Babulnath Lane Mumbai 400 017
Kasturbhai Walchand Trust	Lady MeherbaiTata Trust Bombay House
Construction House Ballard Estate Bombay 400039	HomiMody Street Mumbai 400 020 Only for girls
Lila Poonawalla Foundation	Lokmanya Memorial Trust
C/o the Secretary The White House, ModiBaug University Road Pune 411016 Only for girls	C/o Kesari Maratha Trust Gaikwad Wada Pune
M. G. Charitable Trust	Mafatlal Charity Trust
C/o M. S. Motichand & Company United India Building Sir P. M. Road Fort Mumbai 400001	Mafatlal House 27 Veer Nariman Road Mumbai 400 001
Maganlal VallabhdasMehta Trust	Maharatta Education Fund
C/o ShriGopaldas M. Shah ChandraNivas Opposite Prakash Picture Andhari (East) Mumbai 400058	MaharattaNiwas 219 Mowbrays Road Chennai 600018
Mahindra Education Trust	Mariwala Trust Knamoor House
Trust Wavell House 15 Graham Road Mumbai 400 023	5th Floor, 281/87 NarsiNatha Street Near MasjidRly. Station Mumbai 400 009
Marshal Charitable Foundation	Menekji & ShrinibaiNeterwalla Trust
2074506, Ellis Saroj Savoy Chambers Ground Floor (Behind Excelsior Theatre) 5 Wallace Street Mumbai 400001	Trust Liberty Building 4th Floor New Marine Lines Mumbai 400020
Nanikran Meghraj Trust	Oak Education Charity Trust
16 Kishore Building 521 Kalbadevi Road Opp. Edward Cinema Mumbai 400002	C/o R. V. Dongre 348 Lamington Road Mumbai 400040
Paragon Charitable Trust	Pirojsha Godrej Foundation
90, Paragon Textile Mills Opp century Mills Near Mahindra Towers Mumbai 400013 Phone: 2493 8599 or 2493 8752	4 A, Home Street, Fort Mumbai 400 071 Phone: 56365656
HA Dubhash Charities	S. K. Patil Trust
Near Jehangir Art Gallery Fort Mumbai 400 001	N. K. Mehta International House 178 Backbay Reclamation Mumbai
S. V. Rajadhyaksha G. S. B. Foreign Education Society	Saifee Foundation Trust
ChikitshakaSasmuda Building 1st Khadilkar Road Mumbai 400 004 For GSB community only	7 NajmuddinSaifeeMahal Powai Road Mumbai 400001 For Bohri Muslims only
Seth P. F. Davar Charitable Trust	Seth PuroshothamdasThakurdas Trust
c/o ParsiPanchayat Office 209 Dr D. N. Road, Fort Mumbai 400001	Navsari Chambers ThakurdasMarg Mumbai 400001
Shri HatakeshAmbika Trust	Shri Ramakrishanan Shikshan Mandal
38 Noble Trust, 5th Road Parsi Bazaar Street, Fort Mumbai 400001	C/o Raghunath R. Narwane Shastri Hall Tardeo Road Mumbai 400 007
Tata Chem Golden Jubilee Foundation	The V. C. VaidyaHundi Education Fund
Trust Bombay House HomiMody Street Mumbai 400 020	Managing Trustee C/o New India Assurance Co. Ltd. M. G. Road, Fort Mumbai 400 001
Manekji & ShrinibaiNeterwalla Trust	Naina Parikh Education Trust
Liberty Building 4th Floor New Marine Lines Mumbai 400020	Vithaldas Chambers Opp. State Bank Bruce Street Mumbai 400001
B. D. Bangur Endowment	Hinduja Foundation
Mumabi Office C/O Graphite India Ltd. Bakthwar Towers Nariman Point Mumbai	Hinduja House Worli Mumbai
Rameshwardas BirlaSmarakKosh	Sir VitthaldasThackersey
Hospital Avenue Mumbai	2042441 Sir Vithaldas chambers 16 Apollo street Near Mumbai house Mumbai 400023
Shriyans Prasad charitable Trust	Somaiya Charitable Trust
2nd floor, Nirmal building Nariman point Mumbai 400021	c/o Godavari Sugar mills Next to Davar's college, 3rd floor Mumbai 400001
Jagjivan Vibbanji charitable trust	Maneckji and ShirinbaiNetterwalla foundation
Mann Mansion ShaheedBhagatsingh road Mumbai 400001	Sir VithaldasThackerseyMarg Liberty building Phone: 22017130 Fax: 22015895 Mumbai 400020
S. R. Bomanji Charitable trust	HASANBBHOY JEEJEEBHOUY TRUST
60 FORBES STREET Mumbai 400001	2618446 BALLARD HOUSE ADI MARZBAN PATH BALLARD ESTATE Mumbai 400039
ESSAR Scholarships	G. D. GOKHALE TRUST
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DEPT. INVESTORS RELATIONS GROUP PLOT NO. 82, SURVEY 104 LAXMI UMAJI GADKARI MARG ANIK CHEMBUR Mumbai	90 MUMBAI CHEMICALS 5TH FLOOR MANKECJI WADIA BLDG Near CHICAGO ROAD Mumbai
Aga Khan Foundation	Shambhekar Trust
Diamond Jubilee Trust Aga Hall Nezbitt Road Mumbai For Khoja Muslims only	UdyogBhavan Tilak road Pune 411002
Hargobind Foundation Medical Fellowships	Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship
PO Box No 11703 Nariman point Mumbai	Scholarships The Ministry of Education and Social Welfare Dept. of Education E. S. 5 Section Room No. 517 B Wing, ShastriBhavan New Delhi 110001
Charanjiv Charitable Trust	Citibank Cambridge Scholarships
Charanjiv Charitable Trust	Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (TPG) C/o the Nehru Trust for Cambridge University Teen MurtiMarg New Delhi 110011
Dr Amedkar Overseas Fellowships	Dr P. N. Behl Foundation Scholarships
Dr Ambedkar Foundation 25 Ashoka Road New Delhi 110 001	Dr P. N. Behl Foundation N Block Opposite of Lady ShriRam College for Women Greater Kailash New Delhi 110048
Raunaq Education Foundation	S. J. Jindal Trust
Rannag Management and Personnel Consultancy Services 17 Parliament Street New Delhi 110011	Jindal Trust, 1/6 - B Asaf Ali Road New Delhi 110001
Sahu Jain Trust Trust	Aga Khan Foundation
Times of India House 4th Floor 7 BahadurshaZafarMarg New Delhi 110003	Sarojini house 2nd floor 6 bhawandas road Phone: 23782157 / 73 / 85 Fax: 23782174 New Delhi 110001
Janaki Ramachandran Educational Trust	Jeppiaar Educational Trust
483 3045 31 Doraisamy Road Chennai 600026	JeppiaarNagar Phone: 2496 1179 Chennai 600 119 eMail: jprsatyua@vsnl.com
Maharatta Education Fund	MGR Memorial Charitable Trust
The Hon. Secretary MaharattaNiwas 219 Mowbrays Road Chennai 600018 India Professional and Technical Studies for Marathi speaking students in South India	MGR Memorial House 27 Arcot Street Phone: 2435 9094 Chennai 600017 eMail: mgr@vsnl.com education.vsnl.com
The Tamil Nadu Educational Trust	Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Charity Trust
Rajah Annamalai Building 18-A Marshall's Road Egmore Chennai 600008	ShethLalbhai DalpatbhaiVanda Pankornaka Ahmadabad 380001
H. E. H. The Nizam Charitable Trust	Neichu Foundation
Trust HaveliManjili Begum Shah Ali Banda Hyderabad 500002	The Managing Trustee Neichu Foundation C/O Needle Industries Ltd. Nilgris TamilNadu 643243
Birla Education trust	ITC limited
Pilani Rajasthan	Virginia house 37 Chowringhee lane Calcutta 700071

As you can see, majority of the scholarships listed above do not have a dedicated website or atleast an e-mail ID. They still rely on snail mail for receiving requests and the applications. Candidates need to factor in sufficient time to ensure that the snail mail reaches well within the deadline.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Readers are welcome to leave any additional information they have in the form of a comment. If the data is authentic I will add the information in this post and the person who left the comment will receive duehis share of credit!

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Scholarships Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:30:00 +0000

I am back after a break :)

In this post, I wll provide a list of scholarships available for studying in Germany. The list may not be complete as of now but I will be updating the list as and when I come across any new information.

I would like to thank my friend Sameerr for providing me with the much needed list. Good work Sameerr in compiling the list :)

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft / German Research Foundation	www.dfg.de/en
Index of German foundations	www.stiftungsindex.de
German Academic Exchange Service - DAAD: Scholarship Database	DAAD
Stipendium plus	www.stipendiumplus.de
Leibniz-Association	www.wgl.de
e-fellows.net - Stipendium – online	www.e-fellows.net
Friedrich Ebert Foundation	www.fes.de
Konrad Adenauer Foundation	www.kas.de/wf/en/
Heinrich Böll Foundation	Link
Friedrich Naumann Foundation	www.fnst.org
Hanns Seidel Foundation	www.hss.de/homepage-e.shtml
Erasmus	www.esn.org
Fulbright Commission	Link
Cusanuswerk - Bischöfliche Studienförderung Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V.	www.cusanuswerk.de
Hans-Böckler Foundation	www.boeckler.de
Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation	Link
Stiftung der DeutschenWirtschaft /Foundation of the German Industry	www.sdw.org
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation	www.avh.de
InWEnt - Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH / (Capacity Building International, Germany)	www.inwent.org
German Academic Exchange Service-DAAD	www.daad.de/en
Robert Bosch Foundation	www.bosch-stiftung.de
Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg	www.bw-stipendium.de
Volkswagen Foundation	www.volkswagen-stiftung.de
Stiftungskolleg für internationale Aufgaben der Robert Bosch Stiftung und der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes in Kooperation mit dem Auswärtigen Amt	www.studienstiftung.de
Markelstiftung	http://www.markelstiftung.de

IPSWat scholarship for water related studies

IPSWat - International Post Graduate Studies in Water Technologies.
Any one willing to study environmental engineering and water related courses in selected universities can apply for this scholarship. It is offered by BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education & Research)
Apply before Feb 15th
Web Page: http://www.internationales-buero.de/de/777.php
A few courses that are eligible for this scholarship
WAREM - Univ Stuttgart
Resource Engg - TUHH

You can also download this list in PDF format from here.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Application Process Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Continuing from my previous post....

How to Package the application?

Rule of thumb for packing your application is; avoid as much packing material as possible!

- Avoid stapling the papers.

- Avoid using paper pins and paper clips; let the sheets be loose.

- Do not add unnecessary packaging materials like plastic covers, plastic folders, bubble pack etc.,

- Except for recommendation letters, do not use envelopes for any other document unless you are specified to do so by the university.

Include a covering letter listing all the documents in the package. But it is not necessary and universities do not ask for it.

Put all your documents inside an A4 size cloth-lined envelope. You will get this type of envelopes from all book shops. This envelope has a thin layer of cotton cloth on the inside making it stiff and resistant to bending and folding during transit. Seal the envelope using an adhesive tape and write the address of the university in block letters using a black sketch pen or a marker pen. Don't forget to write your address and phone number at the left bottom corner or at the back.

Sending the application using courier service

After all your documents are sealed and safe inside an envelope, you can take package to any of these reputed courier companies and get it delivered to Germany in 3-4 working days.

DHL\Blue Dart (University Express Service):

- Very good service and very good customer care support.

- Free pickup of the package from your doorstep.

- More the number of packages, cheaper the price per package.

- 1 package costs Rs. 990, 2-5 packages cost Rs.875, 5 or more costs Rs.825 per package.

- Quickest delivery (2 working days)

- Contact Info: 1800-111-345 (BSNL and MTNL phones) or 30300345

- http://www.dhluniversityexpress.com/abt.asp

- Free frequent updates about the location of your package through SMS (I personally liked this feature a lot as it reduced my anxiety :) )

If you send three packages, DHL is offering a free ISIC card. These cards are recognized and accepted all over the world and it can get you great discounts on air tickets, train tickets,hotel reservations etc., I personally found this offer to be very good as a new card will cost Rs.280 to get it by ourself.

FedEx:

- Very good service but the customer care is a bit slack.

- If you live in a town which is not directly covered by FedEx but by it's affiliates, package information updates can take upto 4 working days!

- Free pickup of the package from your doorstep.

- Fixed price and does not vary with the number of packages you send.

- Rs. 1903 per package. This is the discounted price and the courier will be sent in a FedEx envelope. Customer care executive I spoke to was not aware of any special discounts for students or for sending college applications.

- Delivery in 3-4 working days.

- All India toll free number: 1800-209-6161 or 1800-22-6161

- http://fedex.com/in/

- No updates through SMS but you can track the package online.

TNT (Special service for university applicants):

- Very good service and prompt response through customer care.

- Free pickup of the package from your doorstep. You need to call their all India toll free number to schedule a pickup. They don't have an office as such.

- Delivery in 3 working days

- Costs Rs. 711 per package. Fixed price and it does not vary with the number of packages.

- All India toll free number: 1800-425-9999

- http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html

- No updates through SMS but you can track the package online.

UPDATE: A user has left a comment saying that TNT will charge Rs. 685 per package if you tell them you want to make use of Edulix-TNT offer for sending application pack to a university.

Thanks for the tip, whoever it was :)

UPS:

- I don't have much idea about the services offered by UPS. You can check out the link below to find a UPS drop-off center nearest to you.

http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/locations/dropoff/index.html?WT.svl=PNRO_L1

India Post (International Speed Post):

- Least expensive.

- No special offers for students or for sending application pack to universities.

- Costs anywhere between Rs.450 to Rs.600 per package depending on the city of delivery.

- Can take upto 10 days for delivery.

- Free pickup of the package from your doorstep. You need to contact the nearest speed post center to schedule a pickup.

- No updates through SMS but you can track the package online.

- http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Netscape/SpeedPost.html

To be continued in my next post....

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Application Process Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Continuing from my previous post....

Here is the list of other documents required by the universities:

4. Recommendation Letters: Almost all universities require you to send them atleast one recommendation letter but it is preferable to send them two recommendation letters. Here are some tips on recommendation letters.

- If you are still in college, get two recommendation letters from your professors. Try your best to get it from a professor who has a PhD and not from a junior lecturer or an assistant professor. It is always recommended to have the letter neatly formatted (full justified, proper margins on all sides, Arial or Times New Roman 10pt. font), spell checked and printed under the college letter head or under the letter head of the concerned professor and don't forget to get the signature and seal of the professor in the letter. Once the letter is complete, put it an envelope carrying the name of your college. If that's not available put it in a white envelope, seal it using good quality glue and take a seal and signature of your professor across the flap of the envelope. Please avoid using brown, orange or any other coloured envelopes for recommendation letters.

Remind your professor to include following details without fail:

- His/Her contact number (preferably mobile number)

- Email ID (preferably the ID supplied by the college and not the personal ID which uses Gmail, yahoo etc.,)

- Full address of the college

If you are employed, you need to provide one recommendation letter from your immediate supervisor and one from a professor who taught you during the bachelor course.

When taking a recommendation letter from the company, it is always better to take one from the highest possible authority under whom you are employed, like tower head, head of your business unit, director or atleast from your project manager. Avoid recommendation letters from people who are in the same hierarchy as you are!

As for the letter and it's format; make sure it is in the company letter head which carries the following details:

- Company logo (ask your HR to spare one letter head for you and don't try to show your skills in MS Paint by trying to make a letter head of your own!)

- Company website

- Telephone/Fax numbers

- Full address of the registered office

Ask your recommender to include following details without fail:

- His/Her full name

- Designation

- Official e-mail ID (personal mail Id's from Gmail, Yahoo etc., should be avoided)

- Contact number (mobile number as well as the office phone with proper extension number)

Enclose the recommendation letter in the company envelope and get the signature of your recommender across the flap of the envelope. As far as I know, none of the employees in private sector companies carry a seal. So, seal is not required. You can inform this to this to the admission office of the German university if they are very particular on having a seal!

I was informed by a few students in Germany that if a recommendation letter can be obtained from a foreign client for whom you worked, it will improve your chances exponentially! But many companies (especially US based MNC's) have rules in place which prevents you from asking personal favors from a client. So, before shooting a mail to your client, talk to your manager or HR and make sure you are not breaking any rules by doing so!

Important: Some universities have their own specific format for recommendation letters. You need to download the form, get it filled by the recommenders and send it to the university in a sealed envelope or from the official mail ID of the recommenders. Make sure you visit the university website or contact the course coordinator to know exactly how the recommendation letters need to be sent.

5. Experience Certificate: Contact your HR to get the experience certificate. Each company has it's own format for issuing this certificate and universities do not insist on any specific format. But make sure that the certificate is in the company letter head and carries the signature of HR Manager. Experience certificate can be sent as it is and not in a sealed envelope.

6. German language certificates issued by Goethe Institute or any other recognized authority.

7. Bachelor Degree Certificate: Take a good quality photocopy of the degree certificate on an A4 bond paper and get the seal and signature from your college principal or a public notary. Get multiple copies of degree certificate authorized as you will be sending it to many universities. For information on notarization see my previous blog entry on university transcripts.

8. Certificates issued on completion of internship or academic project: Take a good quality photocopy of the certificate on an A4 bond paper and get the seal and signature from a public notary. Get multiple copies of this certificate authorized as you will be sending it to many universities. For information on notarization see my previous blog entry on university transcripts.

9. GRE and TOEFL score report: Take a good quality photocopy of the these reports on a A4 bond paper and get a seal and signature from a public notary. Get multiple copies of these reports authorized as you will be sending it to many universities. For information on notarization

see my previous blog entry on university transcripts.

Note: Most of the universities ask for a notarized copy of the GRE and TOEFL score report and it is not required to report the scores through ETS. But a few universities require the scores to be sent officially through ETS. So before reporting the score through ETS make sure the university is asking for it specifically. This will save you a lot of money.

10. Miscellaneous Certificates: If you have received any professional certifications like PMP, Six Sigma, Microsoft Certifications, CISCO Certifications, PTC Certification for Pro/E, ANSYS Certifications or certificates issued by an organization of international repute, you can send them to the university. It will definetly add value to your application. Certifications issued by institutes like NIIT, Aptech, IIHT etc., may not be of much use!

NOTE: While sending authorized photocopies of a document, make sure you send the original authorized copy to each university and not the photocopy of the authorized document. e.g. If your are sending a notarized copy of your bachelor degree certificate, make sure it is the original notarized copy and not a photocopy of it! This is also true for recommendation letters.

To be continued in my next post......

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Application Process Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:16:00 +0000

Now to begin with the actual process which involves preparing all the necessary documents to be sent to the university for processing.

In one of my previous post I have mentioned that many universities require the students to fill up an online application. This application, sometimes, will be used to shortlist the candidates! If the university finds your profile suitable you may receive an e-mail from the course coordinator asking you to send the paper documents. Yes, rejections can happen at this stage!

Now coming to the documents that one needs to keep ready;

1. SOP (also know as Letter of Intent, LOI for short)

This is the most important part of an application. Spend considerable time on preparing, refining, proof reading this document. Think of what will go through an admission committee members mind if he/she finds silly spelling or grammatical mistakes in your SOP!! It's a clear indication of lack of professionalism on your part.

Keep it short - within a page or two. Don't write an eulogy praising the university, they know its good. Don't reproduce your CV because you need to send it separately :-)

Focus on why you are interested in that particular specialization, how your BE course has prepared you for this particular specialization (give details about your electives, projects, seminars etc.,), your long term research interests, possible research topics for your MS thesis and what are your plans after completing the master's course.

Word of caution: Do not copy ready made SOP's available in the internet. Use it as a template but blatant copy-paste job makes it easier for the reviewers spot it and that can ruin your chances!

Here is a very good guide for writing SOP published by UC Berkeley.

2. CV

Detailed CV (one or two pages) containing your personal information, educational information (bachelor's and 12th grade is sufficient), work experience (including any internships), paper presentation in national or international seminars, publications in reputed journals and your hobbies/extracurricular activities. In the extracurricular activities section mention only about the recognition or prizes won at the state, national or international events. Do not include stuff like won inter-school dancing competition while in 5th grade or adjudged as the best singer of our apartment block!!!

Here is an amazing guide to prepare a CV published by Stanford University.

3. University Transcript

Though not all university ask for an original transcript; it's not a bad idea to send them an original transcript unless they are very specific about not wanting to receive an original transcript!

Ideally the transcript received from your university should be inside an envelope, which is sealed and carrying a seal and signature of the registrar across the flap of the envelope. A word of advice, take atleast 5-7 transcripts in one go. This saves you a lot of time at a later point as you don't have to go back to the university and spend time on getting the transcripts ready! If the university transcript is not in English, it needs to be translated to German by an authorized translator under his seal and sign. Goethe Institute offers translation services.

For VTU students of Karnataka, going to Belgaum is the quickest possible way to get the transcripts. You will get it in just one day! but if you apply through your college it may take upto 3 weeks for delivery! First copy of the transcript will cost Rs.250 and every subsequent copy will cost Rs.150. You need to take a DD in favour of Registrar, VTU, Belgaum for the right amount from a bank as cash is not accepted. VTU will give the transcripts in proper format. Transcript issued by VTU will be in English and the back side of it will contain an explanation of how classes are awarded and the hours of teaching for theory and practical classes.

If a German university asks for a notarized copy of the transcript, here is what you do: Take a good quality photocopy (xerox) on an A4 sheet (preferably a bond paper). Go the nearest district court and look for Notaries. They are lawyers who are authorized by the government to act as an authority for authenticating a document They have a seal bearing their registration number and Government of India insignia (National emblem, Pillar of Ashoka). Pay them the prescribed fee and get their seal and signature (in green ink) on the blank part of the paper so that it does not mask any important information.

If any university (TU Dresden has this absurd rule of not accepting rubber stamps) objects to the rubber seal of a notary and insists on an embossed seal, reply to them saying that the judicial system in India does not allow for the use of embossed seal on unimportant papers like photocopy of a marks card!

My enquiry with notaries of a district court revealed that the use of embossed seals are restricted to certain higher officers and notaries do not carry such seal.

To be continued in my next post....

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Pre-Application Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:17:00 +0000

.....Continuing from my previous post

1. There is a service called Uni-Assist which helps international students and the universities with the application procedures. Students can submit a copy of their application to Uni-Assist and the same will be verified and forwarded to your universities of choice by Uni-Assist. I personally feel that this service is waste of money! They charge Euro 55 for the first application and every subsequent application is charged at Euro 15. Apart from the high processing fee, many reputed universities like TU Munich, Erlangen-Nuremberg, TU Darmstadt and TUHH do not endorse this service! Moreover Uni-Assist also says that even if a university is covered by their service several of the courses in the university may not accept applications sent through them! So, students are advised to send their applications directly to the university.

More info on Uni-Assist can be found here.

I think I have covered almost all the information needed to start the actual application process. Now to begin with the application process...

P.S. If I come across any other useful information, it will be updated here.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Pre-Application Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:29:00 +0000

Few important things to keep in mind:

1. Not all universities offer english-taught courses. So, blindly applying to a dozen universities is not going to help!

2. If you are specific about attending only the english-taught courses, a comprehensive list of such courses can be found in the DAAD website. For many universities, information provided in the DAAD website is outdated! So, don't forget to check the university website to get accurate information.

UPDATE: A comprehensive list of English taught courses in universities spread across EU can be found here.

3. If you plan to apply for a german-taught course, be aware of the fact that many of the universities ask for german language proficiency certificates along with your application. So, you should have completed the certifications beforehand. Certifications issued by Goethe Institute are accepted by all the german universities.

4. Even if university website says that a course is conducted entirely in english, contact the representative of that particular department to get a confirmation on this. Because, electives which are taught by other department (e.g. you may be studying in the mechanical engineering department and opt for an elective taught by civil engineering or mathematics department) may be available only in german. Go through the entire electives list to make sure you are comfortable with the available options!

5. For most of the universities, application window opens in November and can last upto July for winter courses. For exact dates please refer the university website.

6. Some courses like COMMAS in University of Stuttgart, Computational Engineering in TU Braunschweig and all the ERASMUS programs like EuMAS, CINME (if you want to be considered for ERASMUS sponsorship) has very early application deadline which usually ends by Feb-15.

Continuing from the previous post, there are few other pre-requisites which the candidates need to fulfill before they can start the actual application process.

1. For all english-taught courses, either TOEFL or IELTS score is mandatory. Candidates are expected to have scored atleast 90 in TOEFL iBT. Higher the score, better the chances during admission process. Important point to note here is; some universities have restrictions on how old TOEFL score can be (some universities explicitly say that scores cannot be more than 1 year old). Please consult the university website or the program coordinator for exact details. Universities ask for the score report to be sent through ETS. So, its a good idea to make a note of 4 universities of your choice to report the scores when you register for TOEFL iBT. Reporting scores at a later date can cost you $17 (~Rs. 1000 as on March-2009) per report!! And to make matters worse, smart people at your credit card company will bill you at the maximum possible exchange rate on that day!!

2. Some universities require candidates to provide valid GRE score. Make a note of four universities that you are interested to attend so that you can report scores directly to those universities as soon as you are done with GRE CBT. Scores reported from the test center are free and any additional score report at a later date will cost you $20 per report. Important point to note here is; before reporting score to the universities, visit the university website and make sure they are asking for the score to be sent through ETS. Because, some of the universities ask for notarized copy of the official score report sent along with the application and not the report sent by ETS!! This saves a lot of money :D

P.S. GRE score of 1200+ can surely put you on top of the lot but I know a few who have received admits with scores hovering around 1000. Moral of the story; don't loose heart ;)

3. In the university website, look at the course fee and make sure you can afford it. As far as I know, only two universities, RWTH Aachen (for private english-taught courses) and TU Berlin for GPE Manufacturing and GPE Solar, charge in excess of Euro 13,000 as tution fee. You should be aware of the fact that universities do not offer any scholarship or funding. Candidates have to pay the fees through educational loans or apply for third party scholarships and pray ;)

4. Speaking of scholarships, universities do not offer any scholarships as they charge a nominal amount (~Euro 500 per semester) as tution fee and the burden of educating you lies on the shoulders of german tax payers :D....Socialism at it's best....So, do not flood the course coordinators inbox with mails asking for scholarships or funding!

5. Continuing with the scholarships, after spending many hours looking for the right scholarships, I have decided that it's easier to apply for an educational loan in a public sector bank and repay it later :D Almost all the scholarships require you to be admitted to a university before applying.

6. If you need any clarification regarding the admission procedure or if you want additional information about the course which is not published in the department website, do not hesitate to contact the course administrator or the international admission office. Prompt reply is guaranteed within one or two working days.

7. If you want to shortlist a university based on it's ranking and popularity, you can find it here. Ranking here does not mean the usual No.1, No.2 etc. Instead they tell you whether the university belongs to the top group, middle group or the lower group. This system of ranking is very confusing to me. Look at RWTH Aachen. According to the ranking system, it's in the top group for research but they say university is ranked low when it comes to equipments! Top quality research without equipments eh..!! or may be they are doing only theoritical research :)

P.S. Don't get carried away by the US system of university ranking (No.1, No.2 etc.,) published by some websites/organizations. General consensus is, any particular TU or FH is as good as all the other TU's and FH's when it comes to teaching and labs. Only things to worry about are internship opportunities, industry tie-ups, proximity of reputed industries to the university and cost of living.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Pre-Application Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:19:00 +0000

In this post I am going to discuss about the pre-application process. There are a few things which the candidates need to be aware of before starting the actual application process.

DO NOT go to consultants for getting your applications processed! They fleece you of your or your parent's hard earned money. Application procedure for German universities is very straight forward and simple. Also, none of the public universities accept applications forwarded by the consultants. If you want to apply, DO IT YOURSELF!!

Following is the ideal preparation schedule to be followed if one wants to avoid missing the deadlines:

1. Ideally one should start preparing about an year in advance. If you are trying for 2010 winter admits, you can ideally start your preparation during the months of august or September 2009.

2. August to September: visit DAAD website and university websites to see what courses are offered and to check out whether the courses of your choice are available. This also includes reading my blog :) Collect as much information as possible. Contact friends and seniors who are in Germany to get first hand information about the universities and courses.

P.S. There are some very good communities in Orkut like "Indian Students In Germany". Visit this community as it is very active and any questions you have get answered by students in Germany. Follow all the forum postings and threads. Apart from this almost all the universities have an Orkut community of their own which is run either by a student or an alumni. Follow the threads to find answers to most of your questions! Don't forget to check out other places like Yahoo groups, Google groups and Facebook for similar communities/groups.

3. September to October: After you are done with shortlisting the universities and courses, see what qualifications are expected from a prospective candidate. This includes GRE, TOEFL and German language qualifications. Ideally, you should have your GRE and TOEFL scores by the end of october. This way you can ensure that you have sufficient time to give GRE and TOEFL another shot if you've screwed up the first attempt! Also keep in mind the fact that GRE and TOEFL scores reported through ETS take about 3-4 weeks to reach the university.....so much for $170 you paid to ETS :-p

P.S. TU Munich requires Indian applicants to provide valid GATE score while applying to the international courses. So, you may want to give GATE a shot if you are interested in TU Munich. There has been a lot of discussion in various forums and communities as to whether applications without GATE score is accepted. My e-mail to the international course coordinator regarding this issue got a reply saying that such applications will be "strictly rejected". So think twice before applying to TU Munich if you don't have GATE score!

4. October to November: If the courses of your choice require you to show German proficiency you can register for German courses at your nearest Goethe Institute. Register for the course as early as possible since the intake is limited and the seats get filled up pretty fast! Plan the course in such a way that you have atleast A1 certificate by the end of November.

Meanwhile, if you don't have a passport, it's not a bad idea to apply for one!! Make sure you have ECNR stamp on your passport. If you don't have the ECNR stamp, check with the passport office as to how you can get that done. Nowadays, a pass in 12th grade is sufficient to get ECNR stamp. Earlier, a valid bachelor degree was required to get the ECNR stamp!

Update: According to information in the passport website, passports issued 2007 onwards do not carry the ECNR stamp. No stamp in the first page of the passport implies that you have ECNR status. However, this rule does not apply for passports issued before 2007. For more information check the passport website.

5. December to May: Application window for most of the universities open in the month of November. Contact the course coordinator to know the exact application procedure and the list of documents that needs to be sent. Many universities requires you to register online in their application portal. You will be asked to provide following details:

- Personal information (Name, Age, Residential address, Phone number, Nationality and Marital status)

- Educational Qualifications (Bachelor, 10th and 12th grades. Some universities also ask you to provide the score card of entrance exams like JEE, AIEEE or CET(conducted by individual states) etc., So, keep the score report handy!)

- Work Experience (do not forget to include internship done as a part of the bachelor degree)

- Research Experience

- Papers presented in any national or international seminars or publications in reputed journals.

- Name and contact information of the people who will give you recommendation.

- Brief description of your motivation to carry out studies in that particular department.

6. January onwards: You can start sending the application pack to the universities and also start praying to your favourite god ;)

P.S. Even though the application windows are open till end of may, early application (before end of march) is recommended!!

Few words about the classification of German universities.

There are four different classifications in their order of merit:

- Techniche Universitaat (Technical University/TU)

Technical Universities are more recognized and oriented towards research. They offer doctoral degree (PhD) in engineering. Studying in a TU might be a good idea if you are inclined towards a career in research or academics.

- Techniche Hochschule (TH) - There is only one TH; RWTH Aachen

They are considered as equivalent to a TU.

- Universitaat (University)

They offer bachelor's, master's and PhD in arts, pure sciences, economics, law and medicine. They rarely offer engineering degrees.

- Fachhochschulen (University of Applied Sciences/FH)

The FH's are more oriented towards the practical use of theoretical knowledge. Most of their degree programmes are in the field of engineering, natural sciences and business administration. Degrees in the field of humanities, social sciences are seldom offered at the Fachhochschulen. They maintain close contacts with industry and offer extensive opportunities for internships/practical work carried out in the industry. FH's do not award the title of PhD. Important point to consider is, FH/H graduates usually are NOT admitted to PhD, but there can be a few exceptions.

- Hochschulen (H)

These are similar to FH.

For a comprehensive list of German universities, check out this wikipedia page.

Don't forget to leave a comment :)

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Mithun) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Hello everybody. I am creating this blog to help all the students planning to do their Master's in Germany. I will be posting my personal experiences as well as all the information collected by me during my application process and hope it will simplify the process for others!

Viel Glück!