Pre-departure Information for new INFOTECH students

Transcription

1 University of Stuttgart International Affairs Pre-departure Information for new INFOTECH students Winter Semester 2014/2015

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 Welcoming Service The Intensive German Course The INFOTECH Office Academic calendar The city of Stuttgart (including temporary accommodation) 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 from INFOTECH. 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 student dormitory room in one of student halls of the Studentenwerk Stuttgart (=owner of the student halls) you have to file an application to the Studentenwerk Stuttgart online. Please follow the instructions in the manual available on the post-acceptance website of INFOTECH. After having applied successfully you will receive a room offer by the Studentenwerk Stuttgart by . In order to accept the offer you must transfer a deposit and part of first month s rent of EURO 600 which must on the bank account of Studentenwerk Stuttgart until the date mentioned in the offer. Please note that the number of rooms is limited and that rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only single rooms are available in the student halls, accommodation for couples or families is not offered. If you want to find accommodation on the private sector please check the following webpage for further useful hints: Since it is very difficult to find accommodation on the private market, we strongly advise you to apply for a student dormitory room. As early as possible: Register for the Welcoming Service (see page 5 of this information). After having registered, exact arrival dates must be communicated to the Welcoming Service at least four weeks of the planned arrival date in Stuttgart. The following papers and documents have to be brought with you to Germany: Letter of Admission from INFOTECH All original certificates (e.g. B.Sc. degree certificate, transcript, school leaving or university entrance certificate, language certificates (IELTS/TOEFL,...) Your passport (with the entrance visa if necessary 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.uni-stuttgart.de) Students from EU-COUNTRIES ONLY: European health insurance card (EHIC) for the proof of your health insurance, available at the health institution 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 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, please contact International Affairs for more information on a private health insurance upon arrival. Items of practical use: Make sure that you have enough cash available. You will need about 150 EUR for food and drink in the first few days, another 150 EUR for the semester fee to be transferred to the university before enrolment and some small change (5 EUR) for the S-Bahn ticket from the airport/train station to your accommodation. 3

4 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. INFOTECH is a fulltime study program and the study load is very high. Moreover, jobs are hard to find especially if someone does not speak German. First steps after your arrival in Stuttgart First information immediately upon arrival at the train station/airport In case you should need help immediately upon your arrival in Stuttgart you can go the following places to ask for directions etc. - Tourist Information Stuttgart Airport, arrivals level at Terminal 3 Stuttgart - Tourist information i-punkt, across the street from the above-level entrance of the main train station, on Stuttgart s main shopping street, Königstr. 1 A If you wish to make a call from a public phone cabin, please make sure to have some coins ready. Moving into your dormitory room If you have successfully booked a dormitory room, go to the Hausmeister s (=building manager s) office of your student dormitory during his office hours with the two printed out version of your room offer (=tenancy agreement). Only if you have paid the deposit in time you will receive an with the contact details and office hours of your Hausmeister. You have to present 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 September: Monday, September 1, 2014 First check-in day for students arriving in October: Wednesday, October 1, 2014 On these check-in days the Hausmeister s offices are open from 8.00 a.m p.m. In case you have registered for the Welcoming Service/pick-up service, your hostpartner will meet you at the Stuttgart airport or railway station, and take you to your dormitory room. In case you arrive before October 1, we suggest that you to stay in one of the youth hostels (addresses see page 7) until you can move into your student dorm room. In case you have registered for the Welcoming Service/pick-up-service it might be possible to move into your dormitory room a couple of days earlier depending on the availability of the room. Please contact your host-partner about this approx. one week before your arrival. 4

5 First information upon arrival at the University of Stuttgart Go to the International Centre (address and office hours see below). You will be handed out a Welcome Package which contains a checklist of formalities to be completed during the first few days. You may also register for further information sessions (formalities, studying & living in Stuttgart, guided campus tours etc.) there. International Centre (IZ) Campus Vaihingen Ms Raphaela Diel (contact person for INFOTECH students) Tel (0) , Fax: +49 (0) diel@ia.uni-stuttgart.de Office hours Mon - Fri a.m. Mon/Wed p.m. The Welcoming Service With our Welcoming Service you will be given the help with initial difficulties like completing the necessary formalities (residence registration, foreign registration, enrolment at university etc.). If you wish, one of our senior students will offer you assistance. You will be contacted before your departure and if you arrive between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. met at the Stuttgart airport or railway station and taken to your accommodation. Your host-partner will also show your way around the campus and Stuttgart, too. Participation is free of charge. Please apply online as soon as possible. Please do not forget to communicate the exact date and time of your arrival four weeks before you come to Stuttgart. Otherwise we cannot process your application! 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) Ground floor, room no. 345 Dr. Emna Eitel (course director) Tel (0) Fax + 49 (0) service.infotech@f05.uni-stuttgart.de 5

6 Academic calendar with current dates Monday, September 1 Tuesday, September 2 From October 1-10 Thursday, October 9 Friday, October 10 Students arrival in September Beginning of the Intensive German Course Student s arrival in October Welcome Reception INFOTECH office Last day of the Intensive German Course Winter Semester 2014/15 Classes start: October 13, 2014 Classes end: February 14, 2015 Christmas holidays: December 22, 2014 until January 6, 2015 Summer Semester 2015 Classes start: April 13, 2015 Classes end: July 25, 2015 Whitsun holidays: May 26 until May 30, 2015 Classes do not usually take place from mid Feb. to mid April and from mid July to mid Oct. However, many examinations and block courses take place during these periods. The city of Stuttgart Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, is with about 600,000 inhabitants the sixthlargest 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. 6

7 Temporary accommodation for young people Should you come to Stuttgart at a time when you can not move into accommodation immediately, you can stay at one of the youth hostels or low-budget hotels. 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 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 Vaihingen or Flughafen. Get off at the stop marked Universität. Take the exit Universitätszentrum. See the map of Vaihingen on page 9 for further assistance. 7

8 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 A 8 to Stuttgarter Kreuz. Then, follow the sign to the City Centre Zentrum/Vaihingen via the A 831/B 14 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 A 81/A 831 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 A 6/A 81 till you reach Autobahndreieck Leonberg. Then take the motorway A 8 in the direction of Munich until you reach the Stuttgarter Kreuz. Follow the sign to the City Centre Zentrum/Vaihingen via the A 831/B 14 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. How to get to the International Affairs (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 International Affairs, Internationales Zentrum, Pfaffenwaldring 60 INFOTECH Office Pfaffenwaldring 47 Ground floor, room

10 Map of the City Centre Hauptbahnhof Main train station Office of Admission (Enrollment) Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 24 ground floor 10