Is studying Engineering VERY HARD in Germany?

[deft falcon]

Hi
If I come to Germany to study engineering ( bachelor level) will I have some free time or is it as brutal as everyone says? I heard students saying they study 24/7 just to pass

I’m not the kind of person who wants to party 24/7 and so but I don’t wanna study that much as well )) want a balance in everything. Would appreciate the honesty.
Thanks

ping me when you answer. Thanks

[fresh flint]

It's impossible to predict, as it is highly dependent on your motivation, efficiency and fore-knowledge + talent.

Are you generally a quick learner and quick at homeworks? Then you probably will have to study less than someone who needs to pore over everything for awhile and works slowly.
I have not studied engineering, but in the subjects I have studied, it's been a rare phenomenon that the students studied too much. 😂

[deft falcon]

That’s what I’ve heard.. that engineering in Germany is brutal

especially at top unis like TUM or so

[upper vapor]

well the good thing about germany is that you have i believe 6 years to finish your bachelors.

afterwards renewing visa can be hard

unless youre a genius if you go to a high rated engineering university and you dont study seriously then you can expect to reach 6 years or more

you dont need to study all day everyday

but probably need to do 4 hours of self studying per day

so its jsut about having a schedule

it depends from uni to uni but in general universities are usually like this for engineering

i would suggest look into hochschule for easier studies. you still have to study but mabe half as hard

althought some hochschule are also high rated and hard

but finding an easy one is morel ikely

look into the passing % of first year students and decide

gotta take those % and analyze tho cause 30% at TUM is alot harder than 30% at a random hochschule

cause most people who go to TUM are smart and hard working.

from the advice i heard from friends, if youre not a hard student, its best to find an easy university.

working less as hard and finishing your degree 3 years earlier might be more beneficial than a higher valued degree 3 years later.

everyone sort of knows themselves and what they can manage

doesnt mean that hochschule will be easy either. I have people who already left the uni during the first semester here.

@deft falcon

[deft falcon]

@upper vapor I plan studying at a normal uni but not so “well known”. I’m not a masochist 🤣

Why study 24/7 at TUM when in Germany, all unis have the same value more or less

It’s not like in the US where ranking matters

So no point to graduate with white hair but to have a TUM diploma

Right?

[upper vapor]

ahhh well if its relevent my relative hires people in IT and he told me it does matter

so im not gonna sit here and lie

someone from TUM or other unis will get preferred over someone from a random university

but to make yourself compete with them you can do small projects on your own or certificates

join the racing team if your uni has one

etc etc

so if someone is capable of doing it they should do it

but if youre asking this question im assuming youre not willing to put in the effort required for these universities.

[deft falcon]

I am willing to put the effort but again, only if it is worth it. Of course, maybe someone from TUM is “seen” a little better but I wanted to highlight the fact that the difference between a well known german uni and a normal one isn’t as big as it is in the US.

You can easily “beat someone in the race” if you have graduated a normal uni and the competitor graduated TUM or other prestigious university

So why stress that much just for a little more advantage? Because the level of hard work at those unis are very high

[upper vapor]

well then like i said, it does matter.

if you want the best chances of getting a good job after your bachelors, go to a big name uni.

and get good grades

[deft falcon]

Really good grades at TUM is really 24/7 studying 😆

[fresh flint]

Is it really such a huge difference in difficulty?

[sterile cloak]

I do not think it matters as much as you're making it out to be. Most people I know literally just apply to the best uni in their general vicinity, but it's not like going to, say, KIT will put you at a huge disadvantage in comparison to TUM.

[fresh flint]

Okay but tbf, KIT is a very good uni, particularly in certain fields 😂

[upper vapor]

obviously not. kit is just as good as tum

im saying some random no name uni

[upper vapor]

i havent studied in multiple universities but idk. i compared the exam i have to an exam from other unis and i can admit that ours is half as hard

[deft falcon]

I believe so.

Many foreigns especially apply to TUM and other “prestigious” universities thinking that ranking is everything. TUM has a loot of students. Of course they will easily select them by making the first exams brutal. I’ve heard that the drop out rate at TUM is 70% or so

[sterile cloak]

The heavily funded Bavarian unis, especially the ones in Munich, are known to be pretty challenging overall, though I don't know if there's a comparative scale for this.

[deft falcon]

What do you study?

[sterile cloak]

Most public unis are fine.

[fresh flint]

yeah i guess it's possible. I haven't known anyone who studied engineering at TUM, just a few who studied CS, and they were not necessarily the smartest/most talented people I've met. But yeah, depends on the person. If you're a high achiever, it's definitely doable.

[upper vapor]

computer sci

[upper vapor]

didnt say they arent. i just think a big name uni will allow you to get a good job faster

i study in a no name uni

hochschule in fact xD

and im completely fine with it

[sterile cloak]

Hochschule != university. You cannot put them on the same scale.

[deft falcon]

I was not talking like those random name unis. Also good ones, but not the “best”

[sterile cloak]

As someone who has taught in unis, I can tell you that the repute of the uni has nothing to do with the quality of students you end up teaching. It's all just elitist garbage. 90% of students in every course I've ever taught have very little aspiration to do well. xD

[upper vapor]

im aware.

[deft falcon]

Let’s be real now, it matters, but just a little. Like really low %

[upper vapor]

2.5 %

hahahaha

[deft falcon]

Nah

More like 2.75

[sterile cloak]

Realistically, that's like 1 more student. xD

[deft falcon]

))

[upper vapor]

it sounds like you already made up your mind and trying to rationalise it

[fresh flint]

yes, this is my experience as a student and tutor as well. But I haven't bin on the TUM or really even any so-called "elite" German uni.

[upper vapor]

nothing wrong with choosing a random uni or whatever bro

as long as you like the subjects

go for it

[cosmic ledge]

hmm, I heard that graduates of tus will reach higher positions compared to fachhochschule graduates, is it true

[fresh flint]

That's also why I kinda have to laugh at the initial question. "Do you have to study 24/7?" Whether you should or not, it's practically a guarantee that most of the students are not studying that much.

[deft falcon]

I will either study civil engineering or mechanical engineering 🤔

Still debating between the 2

[upper vapor]

didnt really need a study to figure this out

did they compare the same person going to TUM and also going to another hochschule instead in an alternative universe

[cosmic ledge]

??

[upper vapor]

the study pool effects the result

[sterile cloak]

I've taught at one of the Munich ones in Math, which is supposed to have the 'brightest' people. So much for that.

[upper vapor]

come to my hochschule you ll think the one in munich are geniuses

[cosmic ledge]

Tbh I'm looking at fachhochschule cause it generally seems more like my thing. I've always been good academically so there's a voice at the back of my head going why don't you go to the more difficult school lol

[deft falcon]

Guys do you think it is worth studying in a student city? Like a smaller one?

[upper vapor]

take these terms with a grain of salt

[cosmic ledge]

Yea

[fresh flint]

what do you mean 'worth it'?

[deft falcon]

Or I should go towards Munchen, Berlin, Stuttgart etc

[upper vapor]

fachhochschule technically means university

[sterile cloak]

Yep, can be good, but depends on which place you go to. If it's a random town in the middle of nowhere, things can get hard.

[fresh flint]

I definitely wouldn't want to go to Stuttgart as an international. And München is hella expensive jsyk.

[cosmic ledge]

Yeah, but they're a different type

[deft falcon]

If overall it is a right decision

[upper vapor]

can you specify whats different about them? cause i definitely couldnt even after long time of searching

[sterile cloak]

That's up to you, though

[upper vapor]

alot of these are just names now

[deft falcon]

Why not Stuttgart?

[fresh flint]

you pay extra student fees in BW as an international student. Like over a thousand euros

[cosmic ledge]

Fachhochschulen are more Practical

[sterile cloak]

No, it's trade school. The logic of the courses is generally meant to be more hands-on.

[fresh flint]

For me, personally, that could never be worth it.

[deft falcon]

Even if I’m from EU?

[fresh flint]

oh no, then i think you're fine

[upper vapor]

hochschule is more practical

fachhochschule is basically university

[cosmic ledge]

??

Hochschule is the General term for all types of universities in germany

[upper vapor]

no

[cosmic ledge]

Then there's fachhochschule, Universität etc

[fresh flint]

kinda sorta but no. A 'Hochschule' is a more practical secondary education. As opposed to a Universität

[upper vapor]

???

[deft falcon]

yes.

[upper vapor]

hoschule is the pracical one youre talking about

[cosmic ledge]

No

They are fachhochschule

They just call themselves hochschule

[fresh flint]

It's technically true that it is a general umbrella term, but in practice if somewhere has 'Hochschule' in the name, it is not the same as a University.

[cosmic ledge]

Yea

Hochschule xyz = Fachhochschule

[deft falcon]

ok so anyways as a conclusion: Engineering at a non “elite” university is not “that” brutal yes?

[cosmic ledge]

I guess

[upper vapor]

habibi

just cause its not elite doesnt mean its easy or not brutal

[deft falcon]

I want to enjoy uni life as well

🥹

[cosmic ledge]

All the videos I've seen have said fachhochschule are less difficult

[deft falcon]

I don’t want fachhochschule

[upper vapor]

fh aachen entered the chat

[cosmic ledge]

Fh aachen is a university

Not fachhochschule

They just didn't change their name

[upper vapor]

haahahaahahaha

[cosmic ledge]

Then it'll still be the same difficulty lol

[upper vapor]

so hochschule is fachhochschule and fachhoschschule is university

whats university

[deft falcon]

.-.

[cosmic ledge]

Fachhochschule is a hochschule

University is a hochschule

Fachhochschule call themselves Hochschule

But Hochschule = Fachhochschule and University

[deft falcon]

yes

[upper vapor]

rares. decide if you want to study in a hochschule or uni system. after that decide look for ones on daad and look at the curriculum. some offer options in the 4th and 5th semester. and decide.

look at the passing rate too

[cosmic ledge]

Compared to somewhere like kit I guess the difficulty won't be so much

[upper vapor]

u cant realize if a uni or hochschule is easy or hard based on a ranking system

[cosmic ledge]

But engineering is difficult, always

[upper vapor]

some unis are really easy

i heard people saying the one in bonn is easy

probably easier than some hochschule

but overall the difficulty level in normal unis or hochschule is normal

you can enjoy life

some people only study on weekends

i skipped like 3 months this semester and i am passing most exams

[deft falcon]

[deft falcon]

and you study CS?

[fresh flint]

isn't Bonn the uni with the most famously difficult math program in Germany?

Or ist that Bochum?

[upper vapor]

dont really know. i think the bochum one is good

[fresh flint]

No it's Bonn I believe that has the math program which is rumored to be extraordinarily difficult.

[upper vapor]

dk about math im talking about computer science

[deft falcon]

Ye but you’re at a fachhochschule

[upper vapor]

true

people dont take studying seriously in uni and pass too

you really think most people are studying serious?

everyone just tries to keep up and then a month before the exam studies

[sterile cloak]

Yep, because they have 2 Fields medalists.

[deft falcon]

In a german engineering school, most of them yes

[upper vapor]

oh well

everyone i know doesnt

[deft falcon]

[upper vapor]

in unis.

[deft falcon]

Engineering?

[upper vapor]

informatik, elektrotechnik, mechatronik

[deft falcon]

interesting

[upper vapor]

but like i said it depends on the university

[upper vapor]

some unis give you weekly work that is graded

and usually a part of the requirement to be allowed to take the exam

if you go to a uni that 2 or 3 subjects of that give you that

then ye youre obviously fucked

thats why i said go look at the curriculum

what do you want to study @deft falcon

[deft falcon]

Civil engineering or mechanical engineering

Didn’t decide yet

and it is getting late ik..

[deft falcon]

I don’t really understand how to do it ))

[upper vapor]

did you try?

[deft falcon]

yes. I don’t even know exactly where to look. I went through 30 websites that all redirected me to other websites and pdfs and so on

[fresh flint]

[Uni-Name] [Fach] Modulhandbuch

Modulplan

Studienverlaufspläne

[upper vapor]

id deifnitely take notes with the application deadline if you like something

[deft falcon]

You can apply at every uni until 15th of July

[deft falcon]

Ok thanks and what to look for exactly. There are a lot of pages

[fresh flint]

es müsste eine PDF-Datei geben, wo die ganzen Kurse aufgelistet und beschrieben werden

[deft falcon]

Ja, aber es sind 450 Seiten

.-.

[fresh flint]

für einen Studiengang?? 😂

[upper vapor]

didnt you say youre from europe?

the deadline is different for some unis with some conditions

[fresh flint]

naja, dann mindestens die Pflichtmodule prüfen

[upper vapor]

but ye its probably later than the 15th of july not earlier

[fresh flint]

idk I'd check to be safe.

[deft falcon]

Yes

[deft falcon]

Ja

[deft falcon]

I can’t apply anyways early because I need the diploma of my country equivalent Abitur

and it comes in June

[deft falcon]

Dann habe ich anstatt 450 Seiten, 400

[upper vapor]

bro theres a page with the subjects for the studies

not detailed

just the name of it

thats what you need to find

click on every link you ll see and you ll find it

[deft falcon]

😐

Let’s search for example civil engineering at TUM.

Can’t see anything

Only the 450 pages

[upper vapor]

https://www.cit.tum.de/cit/studium/studiengaenge/bachelor-informatik/studienplan/#c10087

[deft falcon]

and what to look here for?

[upper vapor]

i gave you an example for tum and informatik

you said its hard to find

i found it in 1 min

read the subject names

if you expect to analyse the subject content then you ll finish comparing unis after you finish your degree

look into the wahlpflichtmodul and look into the pflicht ones

just read the names

every uni offers different subjects for study

you dont even know what you want to study so maybe figure that out and then look here

its definitely late

[deft falcon]

👍