What Students Say?
Likes
- "It is one of top universities for the department. I was impressed with course work and the faculty and how widespread it was. Germany has loads of public universities with good coursework and minimal fees. "
- The course work is very course intensive. It brings some discipline to your life. Which would be required to get everything done. The professors are top of the field. Since it is a collection of various institutions, a wide exposure in the field is provided
Dislikes
- The course is so intensive that it might get a little difficult to keep up sometimes, specially for people from non computer backgrounds. It gets very difficult to question the authority of professors or administration. Specially if you are not an EU citizen.
It is a bit hectic. If you dont have a financial support. You have to do a part-time. But as I said the course is very intensive and takes a lot of discipline to get across. Luckily i have found friends who help me get through this.
Course Curriculum
The course work is very updated and the professors are working real time in the field so we are provided with very recent updates. We have plenty of research opportunities during the course and thesis, as institutions are readily looking for assistants and TAs.
Exams
For my course, GRE was a plus and IELTS>6.5 was mandatory. My scores for GRE: 316. IELTS: 8 Your CV could include projects(1/2line description) and thesis project. Cocurricular awards. Mentioning extracurricular is also a plus. SOP: Write about why you want to do the course. Don't repeat stuff from your cv. They have that available. Rather share experiences that made you interested in the field while doing a project or working with a teacher. LOR: I think your professor would handle that. There are generally tests and interviews for public universities in Germany. For tests they would give you the syllabus and interview would be general.
Placement
A lot of students opt of ph.ds after the masters course. But yes jobs are still available with a profile of Bioinformatician, or research scientist and similar labels.
Fees
Its ~370 euros per semester. Since the public unis are free. This is just the semester fee.
Faculty
Our course has less students due to interdisciplinary nature of the course. So ratio is on an avg. 1:30 students.
Campus Life
There are many clubs, international communities and what not to keep you active and running throughout the semester. Apart from this the university also offer training course for all forms of arts(dancing, singing, fighting, games, sports). Its a list of 200 courses I guess. Taught once or twice a week. The libraries are amazing with a very good view of the river. The staff is polite and always ready to help. Wifi service is omnipresent in the university.
Hostel
STW flats: these are built for the students and less costly. Around 280 euros here in Bonn at least. Some might also be around 350 mostly studio flats. Depending on the type and area. This is the least that should be expected. It includes rent, water, heater, wifi and electricity. Private flats: they might be anywhere between 450 to 1000 or even more. But as a student you should opt for the lower range of course. It might include utilities or might not. Students only opt for these when there is no option left. Alternatively, you can always contact the STW via email to ask for what kinds of affordable options are there and they might be helpful."
