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DAAD Undergraduate Profile: Zouhair Mahboubi |
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Zouhair from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, studied engineering at the Technical University of Munich from September 2006 to June 2007
Let’s first start with the city. If you like Montreal, you will love Munich. It’s a city full of culture and action; you will always be out there doing something! As an exchange student in Munich, you will get to meet heaps of other international people (it’s more difficult to get to know Germans but if you try hard enough you can) who are, probably just like you, trying to make the most of their stay in the city. Munich has a lot to offer: if you are into hiking or winter sports the city is a mere 2 hours from the mighty Alps which are easy to reach thanks to the trains, if you prefer water sports you are not far from a dozen of lakes (you can even do some wakeboarding on the Eisbach), if like cars you will spend your time goggling the BMWs, Porsches, Audis and Mercedes (and remember that there’s no speed limit in Germany on the Autobahn), if you enjoy biking you can get everywhere on 2 wheels, if your thing is concerts it’s host to a couple of music festivals, if you are a soccer fan it’s the home city to Bayern-Munich, if you enjoy traveling you are literally in the middle of Europe with easy access to both the Eastern and Western countries and finally if you want to take a break you can relax in the Englisher Garten (one of the world’s biggest parks) or in one of the hundreds Biergartens (and yes, Munich is where the Oktoberfest takes place).
The city aside, let’s move to the University. Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the top universities in Germany and has 2 campuses both easily accessible with the metro system (which can get you everywhere). It offers mostly engineering programs and is therefore an excellent choice as there are a multitude of interesting classes in all fields. There’s also another university in Munich which offers human sciences programs and is also ranked as one of the top universities in Germany. Up until last year, there were no student fees in German universities, but you don’t have to worry about that since as an exchange student you don’t need to pay them anyway. One important thing to keep in mind is that studying in a German University is different: most classes don’t have assignments and there are no midterms. This might sound fun and easy but once you hear that finals are worth 100% you will quickly develop self-discipline to make sure you are up to date with the course material. Also, rather than registering for classes at the beginning of the semester you have to register for the exams sometime in mid-session, so make sure you are aware of the deadlines. Furthermore, when you pass a class you receive a proof directly from the professor (Schein) which you must safe-keep and give to your exchange coordinator who will compile all of them into an official transcript at the end of the semester.
The only reason why you should have any doubts about choosing Munich as a destination is the language: Let’s face it, they speak Deutsch there. However, don’t let this discourage you. Instead think of it as a challenge and an opportunity to learn Europe’s most spoken language (yes, there are more people who speak German than French). You’ve probably heard before that German is difficult, and while I am not going to tell you it’s easy (easier than French if you ask me) you should know that I’ve only taken one Beginner’s course before leaving and I did fine just like my predecessors and the other North Americans I’ve met there. You are probably worried about taking classes in German, but you should be aware that there are dozens of international programs in TUM which offer classes in English. Also, Engineering classes tend to have a ‘scientific’ language which is easy to pick up and the reference books the professors use are usually in English. Personally, in my first semester I took most of my classes in English and by the 2nd one I became comfortable enough with the language that I took all of them in German. Professors and their assistants will usually be understanding of your situation and will answer your questions in English if you approach them.
I suggest you check out the RISE program which allows you to do a research internship during summer in a German university as it’s a great way to get used to your host city before classes kick in.
While I can’t guarantee that you will have the best time of your life (I don’t see why you wouldn’t though as I have yet to meet someone who went to Munich and did not fall in love with the city, people and university) I can confirm what many others before me have claimed: A year on exchange is the best year in University. And if our years in University are the best years of our lives as some say, then this has been the best year of my life.
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