A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: Germany

  • Reinette at the HUWISU Summer University (Humboldt)

    During June / July 2012 Reinette Meiring attended the HUWISU Summer University (Humboldt), here is her story.

    Pre-departure

    Pre-departure was a time of excitement, panic, an attempt at good time management and above all learning. My excitement upon hearing I had been accepted to attend a summer school at Humboldt University in Berlin, was quickly overshadowed by the amount of preparations that needed to be done as quickly as possible. The fact that I had to make all the arrangements by myself was intimidating at first. However, by the time I was ready to leave; I had a degree of self-satisfaction and an exhilarating feeling of independence, knowing that this is completely my responsibility and at the same time my adventure.

     

    Three South African students on our first day
    Three South African students on our first day

    (more…)

  • Tinashe at the European Business School

    During June 2012 Tinashe G Tendayi attended the European Business School (Bachelor & Master Session), here is his story.

    Pre-departure

    The first thing I did before anything else was to search for the best prices for flights to Frankfurt because I had been wisely advised that it is always cheaper to book way in advance and also that prices would likely rise as a result of the 2012 London Olympics in July. After a bit of logistical planning and shopping around, I eventually settled for a reasonably priced flight that allowed me to travel with the other three Summer School students from Stellenbosch University. I made the booking through a travel agent although to be quite honest, I was better off booking online because I only saved myself R50 which was really not worth it considering the amount of time and effort I spent dealing with the agent. Concurrent with looking for the best flights, I also familiarised myself with the requirements for obtaining my Schengen Visa. This information was readily available from the German consulate website and was relatively easy to follow.  One key requirement for applying for a Visa was that I be in possession of documentation for proof of study at EBS and also proof of accommodation for the duration of my stay there. This proved to be the main bottleneck and it took a while before I received the above-mentioned documents. As for the actual handing in and processing of the application itself, it was a breeze and I had my visa within four days of applying. And the best part is that, for a reason best known to the German Consulate officials, I had a waiver on the R600 application fees!

    (more…)

  • Taryn in Berlin

    Taryn Whittles attended the Winter University at Humboldt University, Berlin during January 2012. Here is her report.

    • Planning for Berlin

    After the initial excitement of being given the chance to do a winter school in Berlin had settled, the panic of having to arrange a trip outside of South Africa set in. I was absolutely confused and had no real idea of what one does when planning an international trip, as I had never done this before.
    (more…)