When I first came to Germany thirteen years ago, I was a nineteen year old college sophomore on my first trip outside North America. Five years ago, I returned to study for my master's degree at the University of Siegen. For much of the time since, I've thought about...
The GW Expat Blog
Author
Jay
Eight Essential Life Skills Learned through Studying in Germany
A few months ago, a list published by former Stanford dean Julie Lythcott-Haims started making the rounds on social media. In it, she expounds on her list of the basic skills everyone should have by age 18. Reading it, I realized that it wasn't until I started...
Going to the Cinema in Cologne for English-Speaking Expats
Even if you've been living in German for 30 years and haven't spoken a word of English in 20, it still feels good to catch a non-dubbed version of a recent release in the theater. Last summer, during a 3 week holiday to Berlin, I spent about half of my time in the...
Getting Ready for your Bachelor’s Degree in Germany
For many high school students in the United States, the college process begins in middle school, and all college-bound students need to get serious by the time they reach their junior year. For American students interested in continuing their studies in Germany,...
Breaking down the barriers to studying in Germany
Most Americans who decide to apply to study in Germany are drawn by the low (or free) tuition, but another aspect of the system that is equally, if not more, appealing is the simplified admissions process. Unlike the holistic approach of the American system, which...
Döner Kebab and Deutschland
While on a recent college visit with some students from the US, the topic of German food came up. We'd already experienced many culinary delicacies on our way, and they wanted to know what my favorite was. One mainstay came quickly to mind: Döner Kebab. This got quite...
Who am I, really? Talking Identity with German Freshmen
I've been living in Germany for 4 years now, three of which I'm spent teaching first year students at a private university in Cologne. More than anything else, this experience has taught me humility; I realize now just how thankful I should be that I'm not 19 anymore....
Schäl Sick: Life on the Wrong Side of the Rhine
Here in Cologne, people tend to scrunch up their faces a bit when I tell them I live on the "other" side of the Rhine. And not in Deutz, close to the river and the city, but Kalk, deep into the hinterlands of the Falsche Seite. Kalk is a neighborhood with a reputation...
Airbnb in Germany: The Debate Continues
Every year, millions of tourists flock to Germany, a number that has been increasing year over year for over a decade. Most choose to stay in traditional forms of accommodation, but an increasing number are renting rooms directly from locals through websites like...
How much does it cost to study in Germany, really?
When I speak to students and parents about the prospect of completing a degree in Germany, the question that invariably comes up is,"Ok, there's no tuition, but how much does it really cost?" The answer is a bit complicated, but it largely depends on where you study...
US Women Destroy Germany’s World Cup Dreams
The headline in today's Bild online says it all: US-Girls zerstören unseren WM-Traum. In a contest between the top two teams in the world last night, the United States came out on top 2-0 in a surprisingly dominant performance, outlasting a loaded German side in the...
12 Cities, 12 Fates: Germany Looks Back on the Eve of the 70th Anniversary of World War Two
Horror on an unprecedented scale engulfed Europe in the 1940s, but it was only after the smoke had cleared that the true scope of the brutality came into focus. Millions across the continent were dead, tens of millions displaced, and whole nations found themselves on...
Resist the Ramen: Financing your Student Life in Germany
So you've heard the good news: you can get your university degree for free in Germany. It almost seems too good to be true, an education from a highly-respected institution of higher learning, the opportunity to learn and grow without the stress of thousands of...
Four reasons to live in a WG in Germany
I’ve spent approximately four years of my life in Germany all told, and (almost) everywhere I’ve lived has been incredible. In Berlin, I lived in a massive Kreuzberg loft, with 5 meter tall ceilings and a common room big enough to stage operas, which a few friends of...
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