newsletter >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016

Topics of this issue

Editorial, Announcement p.1

Recent Events................p. 2

Upcoming Events...........p. 3

Financing your studies . p. 4

Testimonitals ............p. 5 / 6

Contact us

Online:

www.ic.daad.de/singapore/

www.facecook.com/

daad.singapore

Email:

info@daad-singapore.org Phone: (+65) 6223 4226

Dear readers,

In this issue ...

This time, we have two testimonials from

students who have spent time in Germany

recently. Hearing some first-hand

experiences from fellow students is often

more interesting than researching plain facts

about a country; which is why we always try

to bring you some personal testimonials.

Khai Shing Chua and Christabel Fernandez

both had the opportunity to study German ‘on

site‘ thanks to different scholarships. Do read

their accounts on page 5 and 6.

If you also have an interesting story to share

or advice for future students, please let us

know!

A big worry for any potential student is how to

finance their studies in Germany. While most

programmes are tuition-free, there are still

living costs to bear for the duration of studies.

We have included some information on

scholarships for various levels of studies and

research as well as other options such as part

time jobs.

We hope that you will enjoy reading this

edition of our newsletter. If you have any

queries, feedback or ideas regarding the

content, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Kerstin Schulze & Claudia Finner Publisher

Deutscher Akademischer

Austauschdienst e.V.

(DAAD)

Kennedyallee 50

D-53175 Bonn

Contact

German Academic Ex-

change Service (DAAD),

Information Centre Singa-

pore

c/o Goethe-Institut

136 Neil Road

Singapore 088865

Editor

Claudia Finner

Photos

DAAD IC Singapore p. 2

U. Wenzel/DAAD, p. 4

K. S. Chua, p. 5

C. Fernandez, p. 6

Editorial

“Falling Walls Lab”

NTU is hosting the “Falling Walls Lab” this year on 2nd September, 4pm-7pm at the

NTU HSS Auditorium!

Initiated 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, this interdisciplinary forum gives

emerging talents, entrepreneurs and innovators the chance to present their work and

ideas to like-minded peers as well as a jury. Winners of the Singapore Falling Walls

Lab will get to attend the Falling Walls Conference in Germany in November, which

you can also watch through a live stream!

The event is free for the public to attend, but requires registration due to limited availa-

ble spaces: http://tinyurl.com/z696bpw

More information:

http://falling-walls.com/ and http://global.ntu.edu.sg/GDI/Events/FWLS/Pages/

default.aspx

ANNOUNCEMENT

Page 2

newsletter >>>>>>

Recent Events

IPSA-NUS

On 13th July, the DAAD presented the op-

tions for scholarships for PhD’s and Postdocs

in Germany to a group of Master students,

PhD’s and postdocs currently studying and

researching at the IPSA-NUS Methods

School.

Students were particularly impressed that

programmes were not only free, but there

was even the option to receive funding from

the DAAD or other institutions.

Temasek Polytechnic

On 14th July, Temasek Polytechnic held their

annual Global Opportunities Day. Together

with the Goethe-Institut, the German

Embassy and the Bundesliga, the DAAD rep-

resented Germany. In two sessions, groups

of 30 students were introduced to Germany.

A football quiz, goal wall shootout and table

football matches entertained the students and

this was followed by a short quiz on Germany

and its higher education system by the

DAAD. A mini German class by the Goethe

Institut concluded the second session. Time

flew by and all students left excited with new

impressions and information about Germany.

Raffles Institution

On 15th August, the DAAD attended the

career fair at Raffles Institution, explaining

students the available study options and

necessary requirements to study in Germany.

NUS High School

The career fair at NUS High School on 17th

August was bustling with people when it

opened at 12 noon. For 2 hours, both Claudia

Finner and Kerstin Schulze from DAAD were

answering questions to interested students

and parents about studying in Germany.

Students were excited to hear that most

programmes are tuition free and they even

have the opportunity to study in English.

MOELC

Claudia Finner presented studying in

Germany in a fun way at the MOELC on 3rd

August. Both grade 11 and 12 learned about

German culture, history and studies - all in

German. The students have been learning

the language for 5 or 6 years respectively and

showed a keen interest in German culture

and career opportunities.

DAAD, Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016

Tips & Tricks

Semester Holidays

and what to do

Travelling within Europe

is easy and many inter-

esting countries are right

at your doorstep. Even

for students, there are

affordable travel options

such as the Interrail Tick-

ets or Student Bahncard!

Another alternative is to

use the break to find a

job for a few weeks and

help your finances!

Semester breaks:

At universities you typi-

cally have time without

lectures “vorlesungsfreie

Zeit” between mid Febru-

ary to mid-April and from

the end of July to mid-

October. At FHs these

times may be slightly

earlier. Exact dates will

vary.

Travel destination Ger-

many:

www.germany.travel

Career, education, life-

style: www.young-

germany.de

Hop on the train:

www.bahn.de and

http://www.interrail.eu/

Find jobs:

www.arbeitsargentur.de

Excited students after the Bundesliga Quiz

MOELC German Class 11th Grade

MOELC German Class 12th Grade

Claudia Finner consulting an interested parent

and son at NUS High School

Page 3

newsletter >>>>>>

Upcoming Events

We have many exciting events coming up in

the following months! Please find a summary

of each event below. Once more information

or sign up links are available, or if new events

are added, we will post them on our website

http://ic.daad.de/singapore/ and Facebook

page www.facebook.com/daad.singapore -

please check in closer to the dates.

Like us on Facebook to always keep up to

date with news, information and events!

Falling Walls Lab, 2nd September, NTU

HSS Auditorium, 14 Nanyang Drive,

Singapore 637332

NTU is hosting the Falling Walls Lab,

mentioned on Page 1 of this newsletter.

Entrance to this interdisciplinary forum is free

of charge; simply register at http://

tinyurl.com/z696bpw

Note that there are limited spaces available.

Infoseminar “Doing a Doctorate - Re-

search in Germany”, 23rd September

14:30, at SIT@SP, Level 5, 510 Dover

Road, Singapore 139660

Together with TUM Asia and Fraunhofer

IDM@NTU, the DAAD will hold a joint info-

seminar on doing a doctorate in Germany.

Information about the difference between

doing the traditional PhD with supervision by

a “Doktorvater /-mutter” and structured PhD

programmes as well as information on

scholarships will be presented.

During the panel discussion with German

professors you can ask any questions you

may have regarding doctorate studies in Ger-

many.

Please sign up at https://ssl.daad.de/

limesurvey/426563/lang-en

Information Session at Dulwich College,

26th September

The Dulwich College is organizing their first

European Day of Languages and the DAAD

will be there with the Goethe-Institut to

represent Germany and inform students

about study opportunities at German

universities as well as life in Germany.

Career Fair at United World College, 30

September

On September 30, the DAAD will attend the

UWC Fair to provide interested students with

information about studying in Germany.

Study in Europe Fair, 1st October, 10am-

5pm, Peninsula Hotel, 5 Coleman St,

Singapore 179805

After a very successful event in the past

years, the Study in Europe Fair is back. This

year the event will be held centrally at Pensin-

sula Hotel near City Hall. Come and find out

more about studying in Germany at the DAAD

booth, attend the DAAD presentation or chat

with German students as well as Singapore

students who have studied in Germany to get

some first hand information and insights!

The DAAD presentation will be held at 12:30.

Additional information is available at http://

ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/

index_en.htm

Symposium on 1st and 2st November,

A*STAR, 9am both days

Together with TUM Asia and A*STAR, DAAD

is arranging a two-day Symposium.

The events will feature interesting presenta-

tions, discussions and talks with profession-

als, researchers and professors.

Detailed schedule, venue and sign up infor-

mation will soon be posted on http://tum-

asia.edu.sg/events-and-conferences/ and

www.facebook.com/daad.singapore

DAAD, Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016

Public Events 2016

2nd September |

Falling Walls Lab

Time: 4pm - 7pm

Venue: NTU HSS

Auditorium, 14 Nan-

yang Drive, SG

637332

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

23rd September |

Infoseminar,

Theme: “Doing a

Doctorate—

Research in Ger-

many”

Time: 2:30pm

Venue: SIT@SP,

Level 5, 510 Dover

Road, SG 139660

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1st October |

Study in Europe

FAIR

Time: 10am - 5 pm

Venue:

Peninsula Hotel,

5 Coleman St,

SG 179805

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1st, 2nd November

| Symposium

Time: both days

9am

Venue: A*STAR

Page 4

newsletter >>>>>>

Study in Germany

Financing your studies

One of the major questions to answer before

embarking on studies abroad is how to

finance your studies. While most

programmes are tuition-free, living costs in

Germany can amount to approximately 800

Euros (1200 SGD) a month. Note that some

cities can be considerably more expensive

than others.

Find an average breakdown of costs and

expenses here: https://www.study-in.de/en/

plan-your-stay/money-and-costs/cost-of-

living_28220.php

Proof of Finance

Even before you come to Germany for your

studies, you will need to prove that you can

finance yourself during your stay. The

“Finanzierungsnachweis” requested for your

visa would usually come in the form of a

blocked bank account. You can find more

information here: https://www.study-in.de/

en/plan-your-studies/requirements/8000-

euros-for-one-year_27533.php

Part Time Jobs

Many German students study away from

their hometown and it is very common for

them to have a part-time job to help with

living costs. While some find jobs in the F&B

sector, another good opportunity is to find

positions at the university itself; working for

a professor, or helping with labs

(“studentische Hilfskraft”).

With the student visa you are allowed to

work 120 full or 240 half days.

Note that internships will count towards this

limit unless they are required for your

degree.

Read more about the details here: https://

www.study-in.de/en/plan-your-stay/job-and-

career/part-time-job_26928.php

Scholarships

The DAAD is the world’s largest funding

organisation for the international exchange of

students and researchers and offers a variety

of scholarships.

The DAAD offers scholarship programmes

targeted at German and international

students, graduates and researchers; univer-

sity summer courses (German

language courses), research grants, study

scholarships for international graduates in

specific subjects, even study visits and

exchanges of academic.

Note that application deadlines are often very

early and the selection process is very

rigorous.

Further scholarships are available through

various other foundations, organisations and

research institutes.

You can search the DAAD database for

specific types of scholarships offered by the

DAAD and other funding organisations.

Information on application deadlines and how

to apply can also be found in the database:

www.funding-guide.de and a summary on our

website: http://ic.daad.de/singapore/

scholarships.html

If you have any further questions regarding

studying in Germany, feel free to email us or

schedule an appointment with us at our office

in Neil Road.

DAAD, Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016

Watch

Videos of the Study-

in.de campaign:

How safe is Germany?

https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=9IBpI0eMuO0

Can you find German

friends? https://

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=o0jaqyA-xfo

Student Life: German for

Beginners: https://

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=1gmhQHT6PHY

Student Life: How much

does it cost to live in

Germany? https://

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=F9h6W6jxq_0

WEBINARS

Webinar: Admission re-

quirements for studying in

Germany: https://

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=9n-Qx6TxJBo

Webinar: Single steps on

the way to a successful

application via uni-assist:

https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=vJVYraZtRg8

uni-assist helps regis-

tered universities in as-

sessing submitted certifi-

cates and applications for

university admission.

Page 5

newsletter >>>>>>

Hi there, my name is Khai Shing and I was

granted a scholarship for a four-week language

course in Germany thanks to Goethe-Institut

Singapur!

It was my first time in Germany and I was

extremely excited. To apply for the scholarship, I

had to send in a personal essay along with my

particulars. Thereafter, I was thankfully

shortlisted to attend an interview about why I

hoped to win the scholarship. I have been

passionate about German ever since I took it as

my third language in Secondary 1 and to be able

to finally have an opportunity to visit and explore

Germany is a dream come true! It was a tough

decision, but I eventually decided on Munich to

have the course as I did a project on it in

Secondary 2 where we had to give a virtual tour.

Lessons were fun and interactive, and I forged

many new friendships which I won’t be forgetting

any time soon.

We were inquisitive and it was interesting

knowing that we were bound together by our

passion for German. Naturally, there was the

cultural aspect of lessons where we got to visit

interesting sites such as Chiemsee, the BMW

factory and Neuschwanstein Castle! Munich is

simply beautiful, offering easy train rides to other

parts of Germany such as Dachau or Passau.

People say, you haven’t actually been to

Germany if you haven’t tried a “Biergarten” at

least once! Here’s a photo at a renowned

Biergarten in Dachau that was on a hill, allowing

visitors a great view of Munich!

One other highlight that coincided with my trip

was the Euro Cup 2016, and it seemed all of

Germany gathered to watch (and support!) the

Germany matches. To sum it up, my trip to

Germany was an amazing experience and I hope

to return soon!

DAAD, Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016

At a Glance

Interested to receive

more information from the

DAAD and about study-

ing in Germany?

Subscribe to the selected

social media sites and

follow the most recent

updates.

https://twitter.com/

DAAD_Germany

The DAAD Germany is

on Twitter! Check out

@DAAD_Germany for

latest updates and news!

https://

www.facebook.com/

study.in.germany

Follow interesting up-

dates on studying in Ger-

many on Facebook.

https://

www.facebook.com/

Research.in.Germany

Are you a researcher or

scientist interested in

Research in Germany?

Find the latest updates

on the Research in Ger-

many Facebook page.

https://

www.facebook.com/

dw.learngerman/

Brush up on some Ger-

man terms with Deutsche

Welle.

Interested in learning German?

Check out the following links:

www.daad.de/sommerkurse

http://www.dw.com/en/learn-german/s-2469

Stories from Germany -

Khai Shing Chua - Goethe Institut Scholarship Holder

Page 6

newsletter >>>>>>

Stories from Germany -

Christabel Fernandez - DAAD University Summer Course Scholarship Holder

This summer I had the opportunity to attend a German language course

at Humboldt-Universität in Berlin, thanks to a scholarship by DAAD in

Singapore. The course was entitled Deutsch Erleben and it consisted of

4 weeks of intensive language classes and excursions to different sites

all around Berlin. For me it was the perfect opportunity, given that I had

just finished the highest level of German language classes at NUS and

I felt ready and more confident to face some first-hand experiences

studying and living in Germany.

I must admit that initially it felt like I was thrown in at the deep end. I had signed up for a course that was taught completely in

German and at a level much higher than I had anticipated. I felt my fellow participants were much more fluent and advanced than I

was. Nonetheless, that gave me added motivation to brush up on my communication skills. Unlike my previous experiences in

Germany, I decided to make it a point to always begin conversations immediately ‚auf Deutsch‘. I find that (and this is a common

belief among non-native German speakers) that Germans are always more than eager to speak to foreigners in English! In any

case, I was there for a purpose and I tried my best not to be intimidated by native-German speakers.

The course itself consisted of 3 hours of language classes every day and an excursion

somewhere around Berlin. I feel extremely fortunate that DAAD gave me one of my

desired courses that I applied for in Berlin. One never tires of that amazing city!

Everyday was an adventure and the excursions chosen by the university made me fall in

love with the city even more! The first week’s trips were aimed at exposing us to German

culture and history. We visited some of the most famous museums in Berlin, such as the

Deutsches Historisches Museum and Topography of Terror. The following week was

focused on politics. We visited the Reichstag (where an extremely friendly Member of

Parliament stopped to speak with us!), the Political Archives and had the chance to

speak with a spokesperson from one of the political parties in the Bundestag. As a

Political Science major at university, I couldn’t have been more thrilled!! Of course, being in Germany during the Euro2016, we

made sure to catch all the important matches either at the Brandenburg Gate itself or at one of Berlin’s many amazing beer

gardens.

The four-week course proved so beneficial to me in deepening my passion and

interest for the German language. Our instructor exposed us to different forms of

German literature, theatre and film every class. I actually find reading Goethe less

intimidating after the course! Having students from all around the world in one class

learning a foreign language allowed many interesting cultural exchanges and

insights. As one can imagine (and as Mark Twain eloquently described), learning

German can be extremely frustrating sometimes given the never-ending list of

grammar rules, verb forms and sentence constructions. However, although we found

it challenging, it was also immensely enjoyable and rewarding especially with the

dedication and encouragement we had from our teacher.

Overall, the improvement that I feel in my language ability has given me the motivation to want to further my studies in Germany

after my Bachelors. Learning a new language is never easy but the rewards that it brings make the endeavour worthwhile and

certainly memorable. My journey learning German for the past 4 years has brought me to places I never imagined I could visit and

experience and exposed me to a whole new culture and society that I find so warm, friendly and inspiring. I would say picking up

German as a foreign language has been the most rewarding experience in my university life thus far and I am extremely grateful to

DAAD for this experience.

DAAD, Information Centre Singapore, Issue August | 2016