What Students Say
Likes
- The course was a perfect fit because I was planning to enter and shift from wet-lab to computational field. It mostly focuses on computer science, AI and ML. I went through the module catalog of the program and understood which courses will be taught.
- "- International group and support from the community - Organized and student friendly department/professors - Straight-forward application process (without need of application fee) - Public Transportation facility for entire state within student ID"
Dislikes
- "- Less support during the pandemic - Slow/rigid decisions on conduction of online-classes during pandemic - Hard housing crisis and no support from university in this regard. Students have to find their own accommodation in a new city/country without uni's help."
Required Exams for Admission
Overall experience is good. My batch happened to be affected by the pandemic, hence social interactions were limited. But otherwise, the university has many social events organized by international club to meet new people. Academically the facilities are good. The research opportunities are good. The course itself may be hectic initially, and takes time to get adjusted to the fast learning curve.
Course Curriculum
- Course Syllabus is pretty relevant and updated. It is important to understand what the program will focus on during the program. For example, my course focused more on ""Chemo informatics"" part of bioinformatics. But not ""Genomic analysis"" part. But this aligned with my research interests. - As someone who simultaneously worked in an industry, the course is pretty industry relevant also. Although there is no particular exposure/ hands-on in the course to bridge the gap to industry.
Faculty
Faculty are well-renowned and established in the scientific community. There were around 25 students and about 5 professors.
Campus Life
There are clubs/facilities for every aspect mentioned like libraries, WiFi, sports, gym. Many student benefits could be used for example in restaurants.
Placement
Post study- most students prefer PhD or go into data science jobs. The opportunities are good since machine learning / computer skills are taught in the program.
Accommodation
Housing crisis is real and every student faces problem with finding accommodation in time. The waiting periods of dorms are about 6-8 months, even more. But depending on the budget, the dorms can be of a single room with shared washroom and kitchen (can be shared for about 17 students (low budget) to about 5/3 students (high budgets). There are also dorms with rooms with attached washroom and a kitchen. If dorms are not available, private apartments must be searched.
Exams
Just needed proof of English. GRE was not mandatory. Hence, TOEFL 103; Reading 24, Listening 28, Speaking 26, Writing 25. Documents I submitted for Life Science Informatics: - Transcripts - Secondary school leaving certificate (with grades) - TOEFL test - Statement of purpose - Copy of passport - 2 Letter of Recommendation SOP writing tips: I addressed few main questions. Such as, what are my long term goals in scientific career? What are my academic career achievements so far? My extra curricular activities in my undergrad. Research experience and skills gained. Publications. Which professor am I particularly interested to work with within the department? Why Germany? Why Uni Bonn? Why this particular program?
Fees
Tuition fee is zero. But there is semester fee, contribution fee of about 325 euro/semester. This includes public transport fee for entire state.
