A Few Small Notes on Applying to Master's Programs in Germany

Schools/programs I applied to:

1. University of Bonn (Uni Bonn) → Geodetic Engineering MSc

2. Technical University of Munich (TUM) → Geodesy and Geoinformation

3. University of Stuttgart (Uni Stuttgart) → Geomatics Engineering (GEOENGINE)

4. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) → MSc Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics

Required documents:

1. CV, Motivation, passport copy, transcript, grade conversion system, English proof

2. CV, Motivation, passport copy, transcript, grade conversion system, English proof

3. CV, transcript, grade conversion system, English proof

4. Transcript, grade conversion system, English proof

Background:

Education: National Cheng Kung University, Department of Geomatics

Graduation GPA: 3.0/4.0

IELTS: 6.5 (L: 6.0 / R: 7.5 / W: 6.5 / S: 6.5)

Why I went abroad and how I chose my field:

Studying abroad is definitely not that easy for an ordinary student. My foreign-language skills were never great growing up, and my family never gave me any ideas about it, so the thought of studying abroad took root in me later than in most people my age. At first, Germany wasn't even the country I most wanted to study in.

I've always loved soccer and I speak some Spanish, so I was more interested in studying in Spain. But even in the first semester of my senior year I still wasn't sure about my direction, so I also took the graduate school entrance exams in Taiwan.

In the end I chose Germany because it has quite a few more English-taught master's programs than Spain. On top of that, German public universities are almost all tuition-free, except the ones in Baden-Württemberg. On my tight budget, that meant I could save money and spend it on watching soccer, so I went with Germany, which has just as strong a soccer culture.

*Heads-up, though: TUM will start charging tuition too. This year's 23/24 winter intake is the last lucky tuition-free batch*

Application timeline:

September 2021: took care of military service

After graduating in 2021, I did my military service first instead of jumping straight into my study-abroad plans. My thinking was to get military service out of the way, take my time planning, and figure out whether I really wanted to go abroad or would be fine studying in Taiwan.

July 2022: started preparing for IELTS

My English had never been great, so after my service I decided to go to an IELTS prep school for an English makeover (?

I did two months of intensive classes starting in July, up to my test on December 17 (the World Cup final was the next day!). I was afraid I wouldn't pass the English test on the first try and would waste money, so I spent a long time preparing. Luckily I scraped through~~

December 2022: finished researching possible schools and programs

Huge thanks to a junior from my department for her help (?

Since I took two gap years, the class below me had actually already started studying in Germany, so I got to benefit from my direct junior and had some relevant programs to apply to early on. After that, I used the DAAD website to search for TU9 or elite universities, or schools close to Leverkusen.

While I was applying, though, my podcast partners (all studying in Germany) explained to me that German universities don't actually care that much about world rankings, so it's up to you~~

I care a bit about rankings myself, so I went with a compromise: a school with a big soccer club nearby, a world ranking a little higher than my home university, and good transportation~~

February 2023: started writing my CV, Motivation and other application documents

Preparing a CV for the first time is a bit hard, but there are plenty of examples online. Combine the courses you took, your coursework projects and your experience (people in the same year usually don't have anything mind-blowing, so relax a little), and you're done.

The motivation letter is more of a hassle, but you can have one general template and then work in each school's specific features.

May 2023: applied through Uni assist

*This was the most annoying part of applying I've ever dealt with*

Actually, of the four schools I applied to, only TUM required Uni assist. But TUM's application period ended on 5/31, and I realized I was already cutting it close (I submitted the Uni assist form on 5/13), so it wasn't until almost 6/20 that I could send TUM all my documents.

You don't need to worry about this, though. Every university seems to know what Uni assist is like, so as long as you email the school that your documents may be late, they'll allow it (TUM extended my deadline from 5/31 to 7/15)

Uni assist basically takes more than a month and a half, so heads-up if you're applying~~

July 2023: all decisions out

Waited forever, sob

Results → 3/4

(rejected) University of Bonn (Uni Bonn) → Geodetic Engineering MSc

(Admitted) Technical University of Munich (TUM) → Geodesy and Geoinformation

(Admitted) University of Stuttgart (Uni Stuttgart) → Geomatics Engineering (GEOENGINE)

(Admitted) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) → MSc Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics

My ranking: Bonn🔜TUM🔜KIT 🔜Stuttgart

As I said, a big reason I went to Germany was soccer! So Bonn, close to North Rhine-Westphalia, naturally became my first choice (only a 45-minute drive to Leverkusen). Not getting into Bonn was really upsetting.

The reason in the rejection letter left me a bit speechless: most of the courses I took in college didn't meet the department's requirements. But the other schools had similar course requirements, and I have no idea why Bonn just said no...

Stuttgart was the first school to get back to me. I submitted on 3/15 and had a result around the end of March. Not having to deal with a motivation letter made applying a lot easier😞

I originally considered this one because a lot of seniors from my department are in Stuttgart, most of my department's internship placements are in Stuttgart, and my podcast partners were also at schools in Baden-Württemberg, so I seriously thought about it for a while.

But there was the pressure of tuition, plus living costs in Stuttgart, down in the south, are on the high side. Stuttgart also required an extra two-month intensive German course, so I gave it up in the end.

As for KIT, I passed because of the skewed gender ratio (just kidding). KIT actually appealed to me a lot at first: it's a college town, transportation is convenient (close to both Frankfurt and Stuttgart), and its international ranking is very high. All big pluses.

Too bad the city's team is in the 2. Bundesliga, and compared with other cities there isn't much special to explore, so once I had Munich, I turned down KIT's offer without hesitation.

Thoughts and advice on applying:

1. Language skills

I think language skills are really important, and the earlier you prepare the better. Personally, if you're only applying to schools in Germany, I think passing before January is fine. After that, you'll have to juggle language tests and application documents at the same time, which gets a bit exhausting.

2. Should you use a study-abroad agency?

I think it depends on the person. If you're on the busy side or not much of a planner, I'd pretty much recommend having an agency remind you of every deadline.

But I had more time (I did take two gap years), so I decided to do it myself. If you go it alone, as long as you have friends helping or you're willing to ask, I don't think there's anything you can't get through!

Of course, it really depends on the person. There's no absolute good or bad.

3. Submit to Uni assist early!

It really is an expensive and slow system, but if we want to apply, we have to use it. If you're worried about time, I'd recommend submitting two months before the school's deadline~~

4. Does GPA matter when applying‼️

This is just my personal opinion, but I think what matters most is how well your courses match the program (Bonn: ?). My grades in college were actually terrible! When I applied to TUM, my grade after German conversion was only 2.3, and lots of schools don't accept applicants below 2.5, so I was really nervous at the time.

But judging by the results, many schools don't weigh GPA that heavily. Take TUM: my below-average GPA didn't even hurt my first-stage score (you need to reach the 70-point threshold), so I got admitted directly without a second-stage interview~~

So when people ask whether GPA really matters, I'd say yes (?, but mainly because it's the cutoff at some schools. A high GPA definitely helps, but a lower one can be made up for with course match, your CV and your motivation letter.

5. A small CV tip (?

I didn't actually take part in many projects related to my major in college, and I never even finished my capstone project.

But one thing that helped was writing up the projects I did inside my courses.

For example, I organized and showcased the results of some practicum and lab courses, so I didn't have to worry about having less experience than others.

The annoying one was TUM. During my two gap years I was doing work exchanges, working as a housekeeper, writing articles or recording podcasts. I figured that wasn't important and left it out, but they sent my CV back because of it.

I was wondering what the problem was, and then they told me I had to add my experience from those two years before I could submit. Looks like they care a lot about what students were thinking during those two years🥲

Right now my biggest worry is probably the academic pressure. I spent two years not studying, devoting them to soccer and work exchanges, so going back to school makes me a bit nervous. Hearing that German exams are really hard and people often fail makes me even more nervous, sob. Also, I'm moving onto the turf of Bayern, a team I'm not too fond of, so I may get a little annoyed (?. I'll be running to Spain a lot to cheer for Atlético Madrid😌

Finally, special thanks to everyone who helped me: the junior from my department, the underclassman who applied with me, and my podcast partners, who kept reviewing my documents and cheering me on.

And of course, most important of all, my parents~~ You went from not supporting me at first to backing me 100% to go see Germany. Thank you for letting your soccer-loving son go watch the Euros (?

I really love you, Mom and Dad.

Enough said. Off to practice German and hunt for a place in Munich, sob. If anyone has a place they're not living in, DM me😁

If you have questions about applying, I'll do my best to answer. After all, I got in with other people's help, and I hope I can be the one helping someone someday.

Last of all, please support Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Thanks for your help, everyone.