Erasmus Experience in Tübingen, Germany by Carmen

Why did you choose to go to Tübingen, Germany?

I chose Tübingen because it's the city with the youngest average population in the whole of Germany, since the majority of the population are students.

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

The grant from the European Union was for 5 months for €1, 250 and I also got a grant from the Andalusian council was for €1, 962 for nine months. Being that Tübingen is considered a university city, there's a housing fund from the German government called "wohngeld", and how much you get depends on how much you pay for your housing and what you get from your other grants, I got €107 a month until July.

What is the student lifestyle like in Tübingen?

It's great, of the 70, 000 inhabitants that Tübingen has, approximately 22, 000 of them are university students.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Tübingen to other students?

Without a doubt, the university is very prestigious, especially for sciences.

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What is the food like there?

It's good, Spanish food is better of course, but I thought that the food would've been worse. There are traditional dishes, like ham knuckle, maultaschen, spetzel, schnitzel... and everything with potatoes in it.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Tübingen?

The university helps you with an application form on its website to find a place in a residence, the best and the biggest is the WHO (Waldhäuser Ost). In general, flats are hard to find.

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How much does it cost to live in Tübingen?

The residence costs between €237 and €300 a month, depending on the kind of room you get. I had a sink in my room, a shared bathroom and shower with two other girls and a kitchen shared between 5 more people and I paid €252 a month.

If you're not buying fish, the supermarket isn't expensive, its prices are average and the menu at the Mensa, the university cafeteria, costs €2. 85 for a main dish, side, salad and soup. The cheapest bar is the Kuckuck and the transport, if you're a student, costs €78 for the whole semester, which includes access to all of the buses in Tübingen plus the trains and buses in three more cities. On average, going on trips, going out and stuff like that, I spend €600 a month, if you're more strict you can get it down to €450/500.

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

Everyone speaks English here, I didn't know any German when I arrived, the university offers free 1 hour courses every week and there's a pretty good private academy called Vivat Lingua, which costs €250 for a semester for 3 hours a week, it's good to have some kind of level and then to improve it while you're here.

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

The closest airport is Stuttgart airport, but it's expensive because Ryanair doesn't fly from there, the cheapest way to go is flying from Karlsruhe (Baden-Baden), Memmingen or even further to Frankfurt Hahn.

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Tübingen?

For everyday, the bar in the residence: Kuckuck, there are student parties on Wednesdays at Top10, on Thursdays at ClubHaus or there's a Latin party at Asmara and weekends at Schwartzes Schaf (black sheep), Butterbretzel, Epple Haus, Blauer Turm, Club27 or SudHaus. There are also a lot of beer places for a more laid-back drink.

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

There are a lot of takeaway food places and you can eat next to the river, there are a lot of international restaurants and restaurants for traditional food of the Neckarmüller region and some restaurants in the city centre that are all great.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The Neckar river banks have ducks, swans and little colourful houses with pointy roofs, there's a lake in front of the bus station, the centre is very typically German with some very interesting streets and you have to visit the castle, you can see the whole city from there.

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Do you have any advice for students coming to Tübingen in the future?

Don't feel overwhelmed by the language; enjoy this experience, you'll only get to do it once. There are a lot of Spanish people here so you have to try not to just hang around with them and to stay open to being in an international group. Make the most of being able to travel a lot by plane, bus or BlaBlacar, as they all run very well here and if it's your last year of your degree, make some contacts to stay here, as there are a lot of job opportunities and life is very nice here :) Don't hesitate to ask me about anything!