Aachen, an International... All

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Why did you choose to go to Aachen, Germany?

I always wanted to go to Germany to do my Erasmus year, and my university gave me 4 options in Germany.

I wanted a destination where I could use the English language, because I didn't know much german.

After this criterium, I chose Aachen because of its university (RWTH - Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule) that is one of the best technical university in Europe, and the location of Aachen.

It is good to be in the center of Europe, with nearby airports (Maastritcht, Düsseldorf, Weeze, Charleroi, Eindhoven), and with Belgium and Holland so close.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I'm here 9 months and I receive around 800€ from Universidad de León and the Spanish Ministerio de educación.

What is the student lifestyle like in Aachen?

It's a vibrant lifestyle. There are parties for students and for Erasmus students almost every week, there are a lot of libraries too (but all full in exam time! )...

Would you recommend the city and the University of Aachen to other students?

Of course, it's the best choice I could do.

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What is the food like?

Ehmmm... Not an easy question. You have the "Mensa", a student cantine with very low prices. The quality of the food is not bad.

Then you have a lot of restaurants in town center, not as cheap as Mensa, but cheap too. All kinds of food there: Italian, Indian, Mexican, Spanish...

The best option is cook for yourself, I think.

How did you find your accommodation?

Normally, the university offers you a room in a students residence. The best thing to do is to say yes; it's not easy to find home in september, when you arrive.

In case you have no offer, the best is the web page wg-gesucht, actualised every day.

What are the accommodation prices like? What are prices like for other things in general?

Depending on the situation of the flat. The center: not less than 300€/month. A normal location or a Studentenwohnheim around 200€/month, all included.

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Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

German language is not easy at all. If you have a good level by the time you arrive in aachen (more than B1) it's easy to get comfortable with it. If you have lower level... Well, the best thing to do is choosing the english lessons.

There are 3 options for language courses:

• University courses
• Volkshochschule
• Sprachenakademie

The last is the best level, but the most expensive. The RWTH courses are not the best level.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Aachen from your city?

From León (Spain) I have an airport in Valladolid.

With Ryanair, the cheapest way for flights, I can reach Düsseldorf-Weeze(not in Düsseldorf, 80km from, but good public transport connections) or Charleroi (Brussels).

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Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Aachen?

Almost all nightlife is in the main street, Pontstrasse. Sowiso, Café Madrid, Apollo...

Out of this street: Musikbunker, B9, Tanzpalast, Aoxomoxoa, Die Kiste...

For directions and further details: Google Maps :P

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Aachen?

Cheapest way: Mensa.

For the night VielHarmonie (Pontstrasse), Chicken Pont, any kebab.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

In Aachen: der Dom (cathedral), das Rathaus (townhall), Elisenbrunnen, Puppenbrunnen.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Aachen in the future?

For Aachen and for Germany in general: great care with the office timetables and dates for registration in exams, exercise groups, lessons...

Go to Aachen having home, always.