Applying to English speaking universities (U.K., Ireland,  USA)?

 Of course if you are studying in Germany, you get a lot of information about different courses and possibilities at BIZ.  They also have information about funding for studying abroad!

Do you know the terms UCAS, CAO or Common App?   These abbreviations are the main portals for starting to study in Britain (UCAS), Ireland (CAO) and the US (CommonApp).

The sites differ in appearance, but you need to three main aspects. 1) A referee - a teacher from Schiller Gymnasium who is prepared to write you a reference and if necessary upload predicted grades or reports. That teacher needs to provide their Email address.  2) you need to present your academic history (either in the form of uploaded reports in pdf format - CommonApp or in predicted grades for UCAS. Here, your teachers predict which grades you are likely to get in the Abitur. You fill out a sheet and get it signed by the PäKo. 3) Personal statement. Here you write a short essay outlining why you find a certain  area of study particularly interesting, and why you are motivated to learn more about it. UCAS and CommonApp have a lot of material about how to write a personal statement.

You can find out more about which universities come into question from Higher Education Fairs organised by the British Council or from Studyworld.

Universities cost money, usually from 10,000€ upwards a year in the UK and USA. Ireland is cheaper at about 2500€ a year. In addition you need to pay rent, utilities, food and recreation.  You can find out about different kinds of stipends: For the UK the student loan company is responsible. For the US you can get more information at FAFSA or the graduates hotline.  The AuslandsBafög is also a possible source of financial relief. You can also search for scholarships.

At the moment there is debate happening in Britain whether college dormitories would need to be isolated in case of a corona lockdown. Many universities around the world are offering home-schooling so that social distancing is preserved. 

It might be worth thinking about studying in Germany for your undergraduate degree e.g. Bachelors and arranging exchanges via Erasmus or other programmes through the university. You could then do a postgraduate degree in an English speaking country. It is usually easier to find funding if you are a postgraduate student.

If you have more questions, please contact Dr. Baker