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author
Mariia Guleva
Mariia
Guleva
faculty
Filozofická fakulta
academic year of the stay
2021/2022
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author
Mariia
faculty
Filozofická fakulta
academic year of the stay
2021/2022
Heidelberg University
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Mariia rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
Heidelberg University is a great place to exchange ideas and experience with fellow students and with professors and lecturers of various subjects. The variety of courses from which one can select is quite wide, with multiple courses by permanent and visiting professors and guest speakers, seminars, conferences, workshops, and other short- and long-term events taking place. It is just a matter of getting to know about them and finding the time to attend everything. The University's library is a treasure house (along with the magically long opening hours of lending desks and study rooms), along with the databases for which the University is signed up. As a doctoral student, I found the academic life in Heidelberg very engaging and stimulating.
The University has several campuses; the two where I happened to be at are in the older part of town, in atmospheric historical buildings, but with very well equipped classrooms (except for the absence of air ventilation, which in July turned difficult).
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
The spring (summer) semester began a month later that the one at Charles University and ended in August, which proved a rather unusual timing, both because the weather in July was rather un-classroom-friendly and because the whole arrangement left me with noticeably less time to conclude my year obligations for my annual report here at Charles University (normally I would have lecture-free July, August and September to do so, but this year I had classes both in the beginning of semester at my home department and then at Heidelberg University, so from late February to early August).
Enrolment for classes at Heidelberg University is peculiar: the equivalent of SIS there does not always allow one to enrol by clicking a button on the website, but rather requires each student to email the relevant professor and then wait for the answer. I did not have any problems with that process as the professors whom I contacted replied very quickly and positively, but other students seemed to struggle with the procedure.
The way different administrative and teaching bodies within Heidelberg University interact is often hard to comprehend. Mostly, it seems that each student is expected to carry every piece of paper to the relevant member of staff individually, as if emails and unified electronic databases are still a thing of the future. Moreover, most of documentation (especially police and tax-related) in Germany is necessarily delivered by paper mail, which slows things down and leads to anxiety over the fate of needed documents. For me, as a non-EU national, the whole procedure of obtaining permission to study in Germany in addition to my residence permit in the Czech Republic took almost as long as my actual study period at Heidelberg University.
None of the above, however, spoilt the wonderful experience of studying at Heidelberg University for me, so of course I strongly recommend other students to go there, especially for those who deal with Asian studies. Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies is indeed worth its name.
What is student life like at university?
The university has a wide assortment of facilities, there are many groups and communities depending of the study level and interests of people. The German language course was offered and I attended it happily, it was a good chance to systematise my grammar and speaking skills. The university also provided a range of tours in the city and beyond, some free of charge, some paid. I attended several and they were a nice opportunity to socialise with other international students and learn about the area. I did not have much time to explore many of the extracurricular activities organised by the university, but there are certainly things like sport events, choirs, amateur theatre, and a variety of other options. There is also a number of faculty unions, so one can engage in whatever they feel like. Information about events and groups was given during the orientation week, so one could easily join.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
The courses which I enrolled into were mostly in English; I attended two or three events in German, but my level does not allow me to follow academic discussions in it yet. I also enrolled in the German language class, which was quite useful. As far as I know, Heidelberg University's requirement is the functional knowledge of English.
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
Heidelberg is a very beautiful city with a very rich history. Exploring it is fun. The city is also quite walkable, if one lives not too far from the centre. There are castles, hills, river, museums, easily reachable cities in the vicinity, etc. The only problem is the accessibility of accommodation (lack of rentable rooms and flats and their gigantic prices), but as students from the 4EU+ university we get priority in booking places at dormitories, which for me was really a life-saving thing with the modest scholarship provided.
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
I received 600 Euro per month; the official minimal income required if one has to apply for a residence permit is a little over 800 Euro. Accommodation is hardly ever less than 300 Euro (dormitory in my case was 290 Euro). For non-EU nationals there is also an obligatory medical insurance which costs around 50 Euros a month. The remaining amount of my stipend was enough to cover the most basic food (mostly vegetarian options) and necessities. I managed to stay within my money limit by eating very little and not buying any clothes, but if a person has any unavoidable expenses, the stipend is not at all enough. Anything like books, working tools (e.g. computers or computer parts), not to mention participation in academic events is to be funded from elsewhere, as if that is not part of being a Ph.D. student.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
Watch out for discounted prices, have lunches at student cafeteria, buy food at Aldi and similar.
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about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
Thanks to being a 4EU+ student, I managed to get a place at Heidelberg University dormitories. The room was single, with kitchen and bathroom shared with 10-11 other students. Such dormitories are the cheapest option (280+ Euro / month), they tend to be okay (functional furniture, no need to buy too much kitchenware as it is shared in the kitchen, no fees for electricity or water). Neighbours can be fun, but sometimes noisy -- depends on what kind of people you end up with and what you are like yourself. Cleanliness is very questionable, no illusions about that. If you have money to spare, search flatshares. Heidelberg is very overcrowded, so the flat hunt is a difficult affair, be warned. Many live in neighbouring cities like Mannheim and commute.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
The study period was definitely a good chance to see Heidelberg and some of the areas around it. I did not have time and resources to travel much, but I did explore the city as much as I could and I attended a number of tours suggested by the University (half-day hikes in the hills around the city and a visit to Neckarelz concentration camp memorial). Some of my classmates went to the more distant areas of Germany and to France, as those are all easy to reach by bus and train from Heidelberg.
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
I studied in English but also learnt German. The stay was certainly very useful for practicing German both in the classroom and in shops and offices, I now feel more at ease when seeing texts in German.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
I will simply repeat what I wrote in the first answer:
Heidelberg University is a great place to exchange ideas and experience with fellow students and with professors and lecturers of various subjects. The variety of courses from which one can select is quite wide, with multiple courses by permanent and visiting professors and guest speakers, seminars, conferences, workshops, and other short- and long-term events taking place. It is just a matter of getting to know about them and finding the time to attend everything. The University's library is a treasure house (along with the magically long opening hours of lending desks and study rooms), along with the databases for which the University is signed up. As a doctoral student, I found the academic life in Heidelberg very engaging and stimulating.
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
What surprised me most was that...
The hardest thing for me was...
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