Sevval Çiğ is an incoming exchange student at Esslingen University. She is in her 3rd year of studies. In her home university she studies bioengineering, but she is taking classes from different departments here.
My semester abroad in five words…
Adventure, experience, entertainment, instructional, exciting
Deciding for Esslingen…
There were 2 universities that my school and department had contracted with, and both were in Germany. As a result of my research, I thought that Esslingen was the right choice for me and it was the right decision. Esslingen University has amazing international student programs and they are really good at technical education.
Studying at Esslingen University…
Unfortunately, in my home university, our program is extremely busy and intense. I think the thing that surprised me the most in Esslingen was registering for exams, not classes. Because for us, you register for the courses at the beginning of the year. At the same time, no courses you take should conflict with each other because attendance is mandatory. What I liked the most in my lessons here is that there is more interaction between the instructor and the students. It makes it easier for me to follow lessons without losing my focus.
My biggest worries about coming to Germany and how it all passed…
My semester abroad is the first time for me to go abroad. I’m happy to have started by coming to Esslingen, Germany. This is definitely a great experience for me. Being here now, away from both my family and friends, made me very nervous at first. I wondered if I could get used to it, will I be able to succeed on my own, will I be alone, will my English be sufficient, whether I will be able to communicate with people and I also chose my courses from fields that I did not know. However, after coming here, meeting people and classes, I can say that it all passed. When I have a problem in the first place, I can easily reach my school counsellor, the international office, and my instructress.
Unfortunately, I couldn't make much progress with learning German because it is very different from my own language. Especially der die das is my nightmare. Fortunately, most people I've encountered so far either knew English or Turkish, so I had no problems with communication.
My free time in Germany…
I travel in my free time. So far I have been to Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and France. Apart from that, I have been to many different cities in Germany (Munich -Würzburg- Heidelberg- Augsburg- Ulm- Stuttgart). Me and my friends mark the places we want to go on the map, arrange our trips and create amazing memories. At the same time, we attend parties like every university student ????.
If I could ask the German students around me to do one thing for me…
…I would ask them about public transport. Every time I try to get on the train there is always a delay or cancellation. I am very fortunate to have come to Esslingen. However, I think the universe is trying to balance my luck with delays in here :)
What I also want to say (to future incoming students at Esslingen University)...
I can definitely recommend this place to students who are considering coming in the future. They can come here and join the family. Especially for me it was hard to come by (the paperwork is a bit long) but it is definitely worth it, and they won't regret it.
