[SFU OLC Experience] How I Thrived Through Studying Abroad in Germany

Program:

Study Abroad › Exchange

University

University of Cologne

Location:

Cologne

Germany

Experience Faculty

Applied Sciences

The CGSP coordinators organized a campus tour early in the semester. I met a lot of my friends here!

For my SFU Study Abroad Exchange, I went to the University of Cologne for the Cologne Global Study Program (CGSP). I was enrolled for the Fall 2022 semester, however, with Germany’s different semester schedule, I was in Germany from October 2022 – March 2023.

Experience Details

Semester

Fall

Year

2022

Introduction + Preparation

Travel and Transportation

My exchange to Cologne started with an application for a Student visa for Germany. Canadians can visit Germany for up to 90 days; after that, you will need documentation. The German consulate in Vancouver did not distribute visas at the time that I was applying (you will want to double-check this), so I needed to fly to Toronto for my appointment. The visa cost around $100, but the round-trip flight cost me an extra $1000. Note that the visa took around six weeks to get shipped back to me, so plan accordingly.

Preparation Tips for Future Students

I highly recommend finding accommodation with roommates. They became my closest friends and helped me a lot when I missed home. Plus, it was super helpful to do certain administrative tasks together. For example, in the first few weeks, you are required to register your accommodation with the city. This document (called an Anmeldung) is only available in German, so it’s helpful if one of your roommates has a German level of B2 or higher. The other few administrative tasks I needed to do in the first few weeks were to set up a phone number and a bank account. The visa requires you to create a blocked bank account which holds onto your money and deposits a certain amount every month into your bank account.

The view of Cologne from the top of one of the spires of Cologne Cathedral. Very tiring to climb up, but worth it!

Currywurst for 5 euros

A Mensa meal for 3 euros

A classic in Cologne: Kölsch. These light beers are served in 200ml glasses and every local will insist it's the best.

During my Experience

Accommodation and Living

Another challenge leading up to my semester abroad was finding accommodation. The university will claim that on-campus housing is available, but I know of only one student who actually lived there. Most students have to find shared housing somewhere in the city. Finding accommodation took almost three months for me; in fact, I was only able to secure housing four days before I flew out. That was stressful to say the least. I had the most luck using WG-Gesucht in finding shared housing. Though, you may still come across scammers so be wary. Most landlords asked for a 1000 Euro security deposit before they would sign the contract, which seemed suspicious to me. It turns out that it’s a common practice now. If your landlord is reasonable, ask for a compromise of 500 euros now and then another 500 Euros upon arrival in cash. As for health insurance, I used TK, which was easy enough to set up. They replied to emails quite quickly and helped me understand their policies.

Learning and Adaptation

The university was very helpful with communication when I was planning. The CGSP representative would reply to my emails within a day or two and with a lot of detail. Course registration was also simplified with a PDF guide they gave you. It included screenshots and arrows, which made navigating the German website easier. I ended up doing the pre-semester German language class in September as well. It was intense but I learned a lot. I think it was unnecessary stress however with all the paperwork and accommodation work I was drowning in. Plus, it was held in German time, which meant that I had class from 11pm to 3am every weekday.

Accomplishments and Challenges

The classes had a light work load up until the end of the semester where each class had an exam and a 4-5 page essay. I saw a lot of the same people in my classes so I became good friends with them. There would be around 20 students per class and attendance wasn’t always mandatory. The German language class is managed by a different faculty however, and they had a policy of requiring 70% attendance.

Cultural and Environmental Observations

I was unfamiliar with the city of Cologne when I first applied and found out that it’s the 4th largest city in Germany. Its reputation is that it’s the least German city in Germany. It’s fairly liberal and accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. Their major tradition is Carnival, which is a festival that starts in November and ends in February (though nothing really happens in between the starting and ending festivals). Carnival kicks off on November 11th at 11am with lots of opportunities to drink. The festival ends in the middle of February with a whole week of parade floats and activities (more opportunities to drink). If you aren’t fond of drinking, then you can enjoy the candy thrown into the crowd!

Reflection & Tips

Reflection

Germans in Cologne are pretty friendly! The CGSP program allows for some German students to take the courses for credits so you can make some local friends that way. One group of students took it upon themselves to organize weekly outings to different parts of the city. It’s a good idea to learn some basic phrases in German to communicate with grocery store clerks and doner shops.

Most Valuable Aspects of This Experience

German food isn’t my favorite cuisine, but there were some highlights! It’s very easy to get a bratwurst anywhere in the city, but currywurst was a more popular choice. The curry in question has a sweeter ketchup flavor. The food in the Mensa (school cafeteria) was a lifesaver. Eating out in Cologne can be quite expensive, so I opted to get a quick meal at the Mensa most days. Their menu was different every day, but they always had the salad bar, where it was charged based on weight. When I was there, they required a separate Mensa card that needed to be loaded up with cash, but I believe they accept debit/credit cards now. The food at the Christmas markets was amazing, and I highly recommend trying a little bit of everything! As a side note, I found that Cologne was very accommodating to dietary restrictions. Every grocery store I went to had dairy or meat alternatives and a wide variety of it too.

Connection to Academic Studies or Career Goals

Even with all the complications I had at the beginning of the exchange, I’m still so grateful I had this experience. I’ve learned how to handle tough situations on my own and how to make memorable experiences far away from home. The level of growth I’ve gained doing this exchange could not compare to a regular semester at SFU. I feel more confident in my own ability to handle difficult scenarios and thrive in unfamiliar environments. I’ve made life-long friends that I still message weekly, and I hope to see them when I visit Europe again!

Tags:

International