Pre-departure Information

Transcription

1 University of Stuttgart International Affairs Pre-departure Information for new INFOTECH students Winter Semester 2015/2016

2 This brochure will inform you about the following: page What you need to think of prior to coming to Stuttgart First steps after your arrival in Stuttgart The INFOTECH office Academic calendar The city of Stuttgart (including climate and temporary accommodation) The Intensive How to find your way 8 8 Map of Campus Vaihingen Map of City Centre

3 What you need to think of prior to coming to Stuttgart What you have to do before coming to Stuttgart: Immediately: Apply for a student visa at the German embassy of your home-country with your Letter of Admission. In some countries, the visa application process can take three months or even more! If not already done, contact the German embassy immediately to find out all requirements for the visa process and immediately arrange an appointment. Make sure, that all your documents are ready, when you have your first appointment at the embassy! Make sure that it is a student visa you apply for, not a tourist visa! If you are a citizen of an EU-country, of the USA, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand, you do NOT need a visa to enter Germany. Until June 15 at the very latest: If you wish to rent a single dormitory room in one of student halls of the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart (owner of the student halls) you have to file an application online. Please follow the instructions in the manual enclosed. Also inform your course director that you have applied. We strongly advise to reserve a dormitory room. After having applied until June 15 at the latest, you will receive a room offer by the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart by . In order to accept the offer you have to transfer a deposit and part of first month s rent of EURO 600 which must arrive on the bank account of Studierendenwerk Stuttgart until the date mentioned in the offer from the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart. If you want to find accommodation on the private sector, please note that the housing situation in Stuttgart is extremely difficult and that privately owned rooms and apartments are very expensive! Also you need to be careful with phoney rental ads in the internet. Never pay any deposit without having seen the room and the landlord/landlady in person. Thus we strongly suggest staying in a student dorm at least for the first 6 months. Please check the following webpage for further useful hints: The following papers and documents have to be brought with you to Germany: Letter of Admission All original certificates (e.g. B.Sc. degree certificate, transcript, university entrance certificate, language certificates (IELTS/TOEFL,...) Your passport with the entrance visa (see above). 6 passport photos Students from NON-EU-COUNTRIES who do NOT need an ENTRANCE VISA: Proof of sufficient financial resources, e.g. scholarship letter, bank statement (a form for a bank statement is available at the Office of International Affairs: incoming@ia.unistuttgart.de) Students from EU-COUNTRIES ONLY: European health insurance card (EHIC) for the proof of your health insurance, available at the health insurance company of your home country. Students from NON-EU-COUNTRIES ONLY: we urgently ask you to purchase a private travel health insurance before travelling to Stuttgart. This insurance should be valid from the beginning of your journey until the beginning of October From October 1st on, you have to purchase German statutory health insurance (approx. 80 EUR/month) in case you are less than 30 years of age. If you are older than 30 years of age, you will have to take out a private health insurance based in Germany. Please contact International Affairs for more information upon arrival. 3

4 Items of practical use: Make sure that you have enough cash available, e.g. you will need about 150 EUR for food and drink in the first few days, you need some small change (5 EUR) for the S-Bahn ticket from the airport to the Vaihingen campus and you will also need about 170 EUR for the semester fees to be transferred to the university before enrolment. Usually this is done from a bank account you will open here in Stuttgart after your arrival. Do not forget to bring your sleeping bag. Bed linen and coverlets are not included in the rooms but are available at low cost in department stores or at the building manager s office of your student dorm. Also bring clothing for rainy and cold weather and any medicine you might regularly need to take. For all electrical appliances you will need a 220 Volt adapter Please note: Living expenses including rent for a dormitory room amount to min. 700 EUR/month. Do not come to Germany expecting to be able to finance your whole studies by working. MSc INFOTECH is a 4 semester fulltime study program and the study load is very high. Moreover, jobs are hard to find especially if you do not speak German. First steps after your arrival in Stuttgart Arrival Support of the International Tutoring Program: Upon arrival at either Stuttgart airport or main train station experienced students from the International Tutoring Program of the University of Stuttgart will welcome you and help you find your way to your dorm room. They will also support you on site to move into your dorm room, to comply with formalities such as citizen s and foreign registration, enrolling at the university, etc. Please check the homepage of the International Tutoring Program regularly to find out more on the support offered: Moving into your dormitory room: If you have successfully booked a dormitory room in one of the student dormitories, go to the Hausmeister s (building manager s) office of your student dormitory during his office hours. Please check the room offer that you have received by by the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart to find out the office hours of the Hausmeister. You have to present this offer and a receipt of having paid the EUR 600 in order to receive the key for your dorm room. Please note that you can only move into your dorm room from Mondays to Fridays, not on Saturday, Sundays or bank holidays. First check-in day for students arriving in October: Thursday, October 1, 2015 On these check-in days the Hausmeister s offices are usually open all day from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. In case you arrive before the first check-in date (September 1 or October 1), we suggest that you to book a bed in one of the youth hostels (addresses see page 7). Advice on Formalities: 4

5 At the Internationales Zentrum/International Centre (IZ) on Campus Vaihingen you will receive your Welcoming Package. Make sure to attend one of the group sessions which will inform you on the steps to take in order to get settled at our university and in the city of Stuttgart. Internationales Zentrum/International Centre (IZ) Pfaffenwaldring 60 Campus Vaihingen Contact person for international MSc students: Ms Raphaela Diel Tel. +49 (0) , Fax: +49 (0) Office hours Mon - Thu a.m. Mon/Wed p.m. The INFOTECH Office Please visit the INFOTECH office after having received your student ID card by the Office of Admission. You will be offered course information and course counselling there: INFOTECH Office Campus Vaihingen Pfaffenwaldring 47 (ETI 2) 2 nd floor, room no Dr. Emna Eitel (course director) Tel (0) Fax + 49 (0) service.infotech@f05.uni-stuttgart.de 5

6 Academic calendar with current dates Thursday, October 1 Thursday, October 8 Students arrival Welcome Reception Winter Semester 2015/16 Classes start: October 12, 2015 Classes end: February 14, 2015 Christmas holidays: December 23, 2015 until January 6, 2016 Classes do not usually take place from mid February to mid April and from mid July to mid October. However, all examinations take place during these periods! So please reserve these periods for your studies as well! The City of Stuttgart Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, is with about 600,000 inhabitants the sixth-largest city in Germany. The metropolitan Stuttgart region has a population of about 2.7 million people. Situated in the valley of the Neckar river, between the hilly environments of the Swabian Alb and the Black Forest, it is often called "the city between forest and vineyards". Being one of the most prosperous centres of industry in Europe, many renowned companies such as Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, IBM, have their factories in the greater Stuttgart area. In addition, numerous smaller companies which produce machine tools, textiles, precision instruments and luxury items are also situated in and around Stuttgart. Stuttgart offers a large variety of cultural highlights including the state opera, ballet, theatres, concert and musical halls, art galleries, the Mercedes-Benz Museum with an exhibition of 160 fascinating vehicles, the Porsche museum, museums of ethnology, natural history and viticulture. Stuttgart hosts the Wilhelma, the largest zoological and botanic garden of Europe, and mineral bathes famous for their medicinal effects. The Weissenhofsiedlung which was erected in Stuttgart in 1927 is one of the most significant landmarks left by the movement known as Neues Bauen and the Fernsehturm is the world's first TV tower built from concrete. For those who prefer peace and tranquillity, the extensive parks offer the ideal opportunity for walks and relaxation. Stuttgart hosts every year top-level sporting events and Stuttgart s major football club VfB Stuttgart is one of the top German teams and won the German football championship in Stuttgart experienced an unforgettable sporting world event in the summer of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. For four weeks millions of fans from all over the world celebrated a happy, gripping and unforgettable football festival. The state capital also welcomes thousands of visitors to its annual festivals - the elegant Summer Festival, the convivial Stuttgart Wine Village, the traditional Cannstatt Beer Festival and the nostalgic Stuttgart Christmas Market. The magnificent castles and palaces, historic towns and splendid vineyards in the Stuttgart region entice visitors to enjoy wonderful walks, cycle tours and boat trips on the River Neckar and the many idyllic lakes. Temporary accommodation for young people 6

7 Should you come to Stuttgart at a time when you can not move into your dorm room in one of the student halls immediately, you can stay a couple of nights at one of the youth hostels or low-budget hotels. Some hostels might mix male and female guest in case of a shared room. So if it is important for you not to share a room with the other sex, please ask the hostel about details before your booking. Jugendherberge Stuttgart Haussmannstr. 27 Phone: info@jugendherberge-stuttgart.de Jugendherberge Stuttgart Neckarpark (Bad Cannstatt) Elwertstr. 2 Phone: info@jugendherberge-stuttgart-neckarpark.de Alex 30 Hostel Alexanderstr. 30 Phone: info@alex30-hostel.de Inter-Hostel Paulinenstr 16 Phone: info@inter-hostel.com Internationales Studentenhotel Neckarstr. 172 Phone: studi-hotel@sws-internet.de Jugendgästehaus Stuttgart Richard-Wagner-Str. 2-4a, Phone: , Fax: jgh-stuttgart.@internationaler-bund.de, Addresses of further hotels and hostels in Stuttgart can be found at: How to find your way 7

8 How to get to the dormitories in Vaihingen By train: You will arrive at the Central Railway Station in Stuttgart called Hauptbahnhof. Buy a ticket at one of the orange ticket machines: 2 zones. Go to the S-Bahn station which is on the bottom floor. Take the S-Bahn S1 travelling in the direction of Herrenberg or the S2 or S3 travelling in the direction of Filderstadt or Flughafen. Get off at the stop marked Universität. Take the exit Universitätszentrum. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further assistance. By plane: In the Arrival Hall at Stuttgart Airport you will see the sign directing you to the S-Bahn. It is a white S on a green background. Buy a ticket at one of the orange ticket machines: 2 zones (EUR 2,45). Go to the S-Bahn station which is on the bottom floor. Take the S-Bahn S2 going in the direction of Schorndorf or the S3 travelling in the direction of Backnang. Get off at the stop marked Universität. Take the exit Universitätszentrum. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further assistance. By car: If you are arriving from Munich or Karlsruhe, take the motorway A8 to Stuttgarter Kreuz. Then, follow the sign to the City Centre Zentrum/Vaihingen via the A831 / B14 till the exit showing Universität. Turn left at the first traffic light and you are now in the Universitätsstrasse. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further details. If you are arriving from Zurich/Singen, take the A81 / A831 till the exit Universität. Turn left at the first traffic light and you are now in the Universitätsstrasse. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further details. If you are arriving from Mannheim/Heilbronn, take the A6 / A81 till you reach Autobahndreieck Leonberg. Then take the motorway A8 in the direction of Munich until you reach the Stuttgarter Kreuz. Follow the sign to the City Centre Zentrum/Vaihingen via the A831 / B14 until the exit showing Universität. Turn left at the first traffic light and you are now in the Universitätsstrasse. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further details. How to get to the Internationales Zentrum/International Centre (IZ) (Internationales Zentrum, Campus Vaihingen) By train: From the S-Bahn station Universität: When you leave the S-Bahn take the exit Universitätszentrum. When you get out of the underground station walk towards Pfaffenwaldring (look out for the signs where the directions are indicated!). You will see a small pond and stairs to its left. Cross the street and walk up the stairs. Then go over the shaky bridge in front of you. Once you have crossed the bridge you will see a building on your left hand side, this is the Internationales Zentrum (Pfaffenwaldring 60). Enter the building and go to the second floor where you will find the department International Education Services. See also page 9 for directions. 8

9 Map of Campus Vaihingen Student dormitories Allmandring Student dormitories Pfaffenhof Student Dormitories Straußäcker Internationales Zentrum (IZ) Pfaffenwaldring 60 PHYSICS Office Pfaffenwaldring 57 2 nd floor, room 2/153 (opposite of the blue elevator) 9

10 Map of the City Centre Hauptbahnhof Main train station Office of Admission (Enrollment) Geschwister-Scholl- Str. 24, ground floor Emergency contact infomation In case you should need help immediately upon your arrival in Stuttgart you can go the following places to go: - The Tourist Information Stuttgart airport, Arrivals level at Stuttgart Airport's Terminal 3 - The Tourist information i-punkt, near the main station, on Stuttgart s main shopping street, Königstr. 1 A 10