My experience in Darmstadt

Why did you choose to go to Darmstadt?

It wasn't one of my choices, at my faculty you ask for the Erasmus scholarship first and then they give it to you, the destination is chosen based on the priorities you have, regarding valid credits, etc. When it was my turn to choose, it was between France, Turkey and Germany. I didn't even think about it, I chose Germany for the language (they are bilingual in English) and because the majority of the laboratories (I study biology).

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

My scholarship was for 9 months and they gave me €350 a month. It's a small help, so I have come here under my own personal funding. I say "have come" because I'm still here until the 25th of August, due to the academic system here dividing the year into semestres and not into quatrimesters like in Spain. Meaning I had to extend my stay by 2 months more than my friends in France and I don't think I got any more funding for it.

What is the student lifestyle like in Darmstadt?

There's a good student life there, there are too many Spanish people, so if you don't make the effort to learn German, you'll go back to Spain knowing only a few words. All of the classes are in German, but you can take the exams in English. You'll make a lot of friends with people who will translate the texts for you when it comes to studying!

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

It's a unique Erasmus experience. So I would definitely recommend Darmstadt. If you study industrial engineering, automotive engineering or computer engineering. Technische Universität Darmstadt is a very prestigious university in these fields. You can even change the direction of your future by getting involved in European Space Agency projects.

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What is the food like?

I never eat better than when I'm in Spain. They're big fans of spicy sauces, everything has paprika in it. They don't have fishmongers or butchers, everything is frozen or prepackaged for self-service. They don't have fried tomato, or tinned fish... well, these are little things you forget about when you're in Spain, but when you get here, you'll miss them.

How did you find accommodation?

I found it independently. I live in Karlshof, which is a "university residence" that is great for Erasmus students. The chaos might be a bit intimidating in the early days, but you'll get used to it. I say "university residence", because in reality it's a kind of housing development with 3 blocks of individual flats, with 4, 5, 6 and 13 rooms that only students live in, so parties and barbecues happen pretty regularly!

How much does the accommodation cost? What are the prices like there in general?

If you're one of the lucky people that has the university to look for their accommodation for them, you'll get an Erasmus contract, with which you'll pay approximately €260 a month and they'll tell you that you don't have to pay for July and August. Nothing in life is free, I have a German contract and I pay €220 a month, meaning that with the Erasmus contract, you do pay for the two "free" months. There are other university residence in Darmstadt that have a really good atmosphere, too.

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

I got here without knowing any German, and I only had a basic level of English. My English got infinitely better, although it still could be better as I spend all day speaking Spanish. The university puts on free courses in every language you could imagine. In September, you'll take a test to determine your level of German and they'll put you on the right course, they go for level 0 to advanced. Don't worry if you don't know any German, put your Name and your Vorname and send it in with the rest blank (the majority of us were in the same situation).

What's the most economical way to travel to Darmstadt from your city?

What a strange question... the cheapest way, I guess, is to hitchhike to get there, you'll definitely get there safe. You need to fly. If you live in Extremadura, flying from Madrid to Frankfurt is the best option. There are two airports in Frankfurt, Frankfurt International and Frankfurt Hahn. The big companies fly into the first one: Iberia, Spanair, Lufthansa, AirBerlin etc. and budget airlines, like Ryanair, fly into the second one, and this airport has very bad connection to get to Darmstadt.

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

There are good ones thrown in the residence. There are a few clubs/pubs, like A5, Stella, Krone, AnSibin, Schloss, 603qm. That last one is the club/cafeteria associated with the university. It's a space that measures 603 metres squared that they offer up to the young people at the university, for having parties, putting on plays, lie music, etc.

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And to eat in Darmstadt? What are some of your favourite places?

When you get you have your Semester ticket, you'll have to pay approximately €180 a semester to register at the TU-Darmstadt and to use the Darmstadt and Hessen public transport, apart from the Kassel area. With this card, you'll get discounts at many places. At the Italian restaurant Panino there are offers for university students, you can get a meal for €5. 20. At Havanna there are offers on every day, Mondays is pizza day and you can get one for €3. The Hobbit is a bar where as well as having some beers you can eat for very little (no student discount). You can also eat in the cafeteria or dining room of the university, they're called Mensa (dining room) and Bistro (cafeteria), for little money, they'll give you a rechargeable card to pay there with (you can also pay with cash but it costs 30 cents extra).

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Darmstadt is a city with some interesting things but not very many: Matilde Höhe, the Woog, Herrngarten, Luisenplatz, and various parks and gardens... I recommend that you travel as much as possible. You'll be in the middle of Europe, there are a lot of deals for train travel (www.bahn.de). Aside from which you have two airports less than 1 hour away. I recommend you go to Munich, Dresden, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg... take advantage of your Semester ticket and get to know the Hessen region (the one Darmstadt and Frankfurt are in).

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

It's hard in the beginning and even more so if you come alone (like I did). It's a unique experience, on which you'll meet people from every corner of the world. Make the most of the weather and don't despair when it starts to get dark at 15:15 in the winter. You'll get more good out of it than bad, everything in life is a lesson.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me: [email protected]