Normally, if Indian students want to know more about studying in Germany they'll surf the web. On 18 February they simply had to stop by at Hyatt Regency Hotel to meet the representatives of 18 German universities at the Study & Research Expo.

The first day of the German Study and Research Expo 2012 got off to an early and exciting start. Representatives from various German universities and organizers of the event had already arrived at 8:00 am in the cold, foggy morning of Delhi at the venue and stands for the universities had already been set up. As Alice Jordan from DAAD informed us, there were already 500 pre-registrations for the event, and the universities took their places at the respective stands to welcome the huge numbers. They were not disappointed. The fair kicked off at 9:00 am and already by 9:30 the spacious ballroom where the event was taking place was overrun by enthusiastic students, working professionals, and parents – all interested in knowing more about studying in Germany.

Many good reasons for Germany

Enlarge image Representatives of 18 German universities were present at the expo. (© DAAD) Typically, Indian students tend to focus on Anglophone countries for higher education and a great part of the reason is the fluency most educated Indians already have in the English language. However, in the last few years the numbers of Indian scholars and researchers studying and working in Germany has seen a steady increase, the language and cultural barrier not withstanding. A majority of the visitors at the fair were students interested in pursuing pure sciences, particularly technology-related fields at German universities, but at the same time there were also a significant number of scholars from the Humanities. Take for instance Arvind Yadav, a Masters student in Geography from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE) who came to the fair with three other students. Yadav explained that his interest in Germany was first sparked after interacting with one of his professors who had been to Germany for a research project, indicative of the many successful research ventures undertaken by German universities in collaboration with Indian researchers. Another reason Yadav cited was that as a young scholar, international experience is a must and in an increasingly connected world, the ability to work in different cultures is not simply an asset anymore but a fundamental requirement. The final and equally important reason Yadav mentions, is the support provided by German universities to foreign scholars in terms of funding and research opportunities. On all accounts, Yadav is right on the dot and is representative of the young, enthusiastic, informed visitor at the Research Expo.

Increasing number of English courses

One of the main concerns of the students regarding the language requirements were soothed by the Universities, the DAAD office in the centre of the plenary and the Goethe Institute. Not only can interested students learn German in India before departure, but are also offered support and language classes organized by the Universities upon arrival. Dr. Axel Sikora from Hochschule Offenburg explained that typically the university is looking for postgrad students, given that most of the undergraduate (Bachelor) programmes are in German. More and more Master courses are being offered entirely or partially in English, increasing the intake of foreign students. For instance, the English language M. Sc in Communications and Media Engineering offered by Offenburg ranks amongst the Top Ten International Masters Programmes in Germany in 2008.

A German Destiny

Overall the students seemed very enthusiastic and extremely committed to studying in Germany – as B. Tech student Rahul Katyal puts it, “Germany has always been my destiny” and given his determination, there is no doubt that he will make the necessary efforts to find a place in higher education in the Land of Ideas.

by Sayalee Karkare