Germany
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn
A letter from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn
by Barbora Míková (2014)
Dear schoolmates and teachers,
my name is Bára Míková and I'm currently spending a semester in Bonn. As I have already been here for over a month, I would like to share my impressions with you.
Although Bonn used to be the capital of Germany, it is quite small and I find it really nice to live in. The dominant feature of the city is the main building of the University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) which was founded in 1818 and today is one of the most prominent universities in Germany. It consists of many faculties and there is no proper university campus as the university buildings are spread around the city. I study at the Department of English, American and Celtic studies and luckily it is located in one wing of the main building approximately 100 meters from the river Rhine.
The amount of courses you can choose from is really big and I'm satisfied with my choices. Some of the courses are very narrowly focused, such as 'Shakespeare's villains' or 'Canterbury Tales' so it gives you the chance to study it really in the depth.
Bonn is an ideal place for people who like cycling and bicycles are frequently used by students to get quickly from one place to another. I found it useless to buy a bike for the upcoming winter, so I don't use it. The way from my dormitory to school is quite short and easy for me as there is a tram stop right in front of my place. We also got a student ticket valid for the whole semester at the beginning of our stay which we can use for all buses, trams, trains and underground in Bonn and we can travel to the neighbouring cities as well. It cost 250 euro and it was a mandatory city fee.
The only problem, however, is here with the accommodation. The capacity of the dormitories provided by Studentenwerk is insufficient, so there are many people who live in private shared flats and houses. People even apply for a room a year in advance. I was lucky to get a room in one of the dormitories, I have my own room with a bathroom and a small kitchen. I pay 220 euro, which is a reasonable price I think.
The semester here starts at the beginning of October and officially ends at the end of March. There are two exam periods. Some of the courses are ended by a test and some of them by a term paper. I think there are no oral exams at all. The level of English at the university is very good, too.
Bonn is also a good choice if you want to improve your German, there are several German courses you can choose from and some of them are even for free.
There are many interesting events and trips organized by Erasmus Student Network every week and I highly recommend taking part in the welcome week organized by the university. It really helps to find your feet when you get here :)
To sum up, so far I can recommend coming and studying in Bonn and if you have any questions or are interested in spending a semester here, feel free to contact me.
Bára Míková
Photos by Barbora Míková
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Barbora Míková. Some rights reserved.
A letter from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn
by Martina Palášková (2014)
Remember, remember, the fifth of November (2014)… I would like to remember the date with this „letter“ sending you from Bonn :-). My name is Martina Palášková and I have just fulfilled one of my dreams – I am studying abroad thanks to the Erasmus programme. I am here for the winter semester, which (has) started at the beginning of October and will come to an end in February. It is my fifth semester which means the worst time of my bachelor programme – next semester I am hopefully going to graduate. So besides studying at this university, I am in touch with my colleagues from Prague University and do homework for my home department in addition I write my bachelor thesis. As if this is not enough – I attend a German course twice a week. Do you think I am crazy? Maybe, but I like challenges and this is one of them! [read more...]
Photo by Martina Palášková
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Martina Palášková. Some rights reserved.