I recently got a mail from an employee of The Economic Times, asking me to fill a short questionnaire about my study plan of Germany. Moreover, she asked me to compare it with the UK education!
Well it took quite some dear time to write a response to her questions, and now I neither have the energy nor time to re-tailor it for this blog, so I am just going to post it here as-it-is.
Hope you acknowledge with most of the points I have put down here.
1. Why did you choose Germany for your higher education? How does it compare with UK?
I chose Germany primarily because of two reasons. One being that for the field I am working in (sustainable technologies) has a profound research and development environment in Europe; and Germany is one of the leaders given its current economic backing. Second major reason is the low cost of education here.
I don't know much about the UK education system, but what I can say, it has multifold drawbacks. Firstly, the education there is very expensive, and with that, the job scenario for the immigrants in the UK is really gloomy. Second reason for leaving out UK is that the masters course in the UK are of one year only. They might be very rigorous in the course work, but I personally believe that you need to be in a University for at least eighteen to twenty four months during your masters if you are to really get a clear picture of your future, especially if your want to pursue research. No doubt that historically UK have been one of the preferred choices of Indian students for education, but I feel that the image of "German Engineering" is playing a major role in shifting this trend away from the UK.
I read your article "Guten Tag and beyond". You are quite right to note that the German governments really wants to improve its image as a preferred study destination for international students. But while UK looks at international students merely as a source of income, Germany wants to promote is exemplary education quality. It is already quite famous among the "serious" Erasmus students who flock to different countries in the Europe for basically enjoying a semester or two as exchange students. The ones who come to Germany from neighboring European countries, are not primarily here for travelling, but to study, learn German and possibly get a job here, considering the poor economic status of their home countries.
One more thing, about the possible "IT entrepreneurship hub" at Frankfurt you mentioned about in your article, I think if at all any hub comes up here, it would be very far from an IT hub, primarily because the man power is so costly here, and Germany normally focuses on the manufacturing and core engineering sectors!
2. Please share the details of your course? (she put a "?" after this "line"! LOL)
I am pursuing a Masters course in "Air Quality Control, Solid Waste and Waste Water Process Engineering" which is also fondly know as the WASTE Program!
Apparently this is quite a famous program and the students from all over the world, mostly from the developing countries apply to this course.
The coursework deals with the process engineering aspects of all types of pollution, and methods to measure and control them.
Lots of scholarships are also provided by the German government for students coming to WASTE from developing or under- developed countries.
The institute has exemplary facilities including its own power plant and a waste water treatment plant, along with Max-Plank and Fraunhofer Institutes.
3. Are you likely to remain in Germany after your studies for work?
Primarily I am here to learn the state of the art technologies being deployed in the areas of pollution control and treatment, so that I can go back to India and work for the improvement of pathetic condition of our environment and the corresponding state of human health. So, after I am done with my course, and possibly after getting a short international work experience, I am definitely going to come back to India possibly to start a venture in the waste treatment sector!
