Pre-departure Information

Transcription

1 University of Stuttgart Office of International Affairs Pre-departure Information Winter Semester 2010/2011

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 Academic calendar The city of Stuttgart (including climate and 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: As early as possible: Apply for a student visa at the German embassy of your homecountry with your Letter of Admission. 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. Make sure that it is a student visa you apply for, not a tourist visa! As early as possible: Register for the Welcoming Service including pick-up service and/or help with authorities and/or host-partner-program during the first months of your stay (see page 5 of this information). After having registered, exact arrival dates must be communicated to the Welcoming Service at least three weeks of the planned arrival date in Stuttgart. Until June 30 respectively July 31: If you wish to rent a single dormitory room in one of student halls on campus from September 1 respectively October 1, please contact the INFOTECH office. To reserve a room, a deposit and part of first month s rent (EUR 600) must have arrived on the bank account given to you by the INFOTECH office by June 30 respectively July 31. We strongly advise to reserve a dormitory room. To find a room in Stuttgart on the private market is extremely difficult and considerably more expensive than a dormitory room. The following papers and documents have to be brought with you to Germany: Letter of Admission Your passport with the entrance visa (see above). 6 passport photos Proof of sufficient financial resources, e.g. 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 insurance company of your home country. Students FROM NON-EU-COUNTRIES ONLY: we urgently ask you to purchase a travel health insurance from the beginning of your travel until September 30, From October 1 on you have to purchase German statutory health insurance in case you are below 30 years old. If you are older than 30 years of age, please contact the Office of International Affairs for information on private health insurance. Items of practical use: Make sure that you have enough cash available, e.g. you will need about EUR 5 for the S- Bahn ticket from the airport to the Vaihingen campus. (Ticket machines accept small EURO notes.) You will also need some cash to buy food and drink in the first few days. Do not forget to bring your sleeping bag. If available, it is possible to buy bed linen and coverlets from the Hausmeister for EUR 35. 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 approx. EURO 720 a month (in addition to EUR 613 tuition and student administration fee per semester). First steps after your arrival in Stuttgart Moving into your dormitory room: If you have booked a dormitory room in one of the student dormitories and have paid the deposit and part of first month s rent in time (EUR 3

4 600), please pick up the reservation letter and key for your dorm room from the INFOTECH office. The first day you can move into your dormitory room is September 1 respectively October 1. With the reservation letter go to the Hausmeister s (building manager s) office of your student dormitory during his office hours. Please check the reservation letter to find out the office hours of the Hausmeister. At the Hausmeister s you will receive the rental contract, which you need to sign. You will also have to fill out a direct debit authorization after having opened a bank account in Germany. First check-in day in September: First check-in day in October: Wednesday, September 1, 2009 Friday, October 1, 2009 On these check-in days the Hausmeister s offices are usually open from 7.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. In case you have registered for the Welcoming Service/pick-up service (see the enclosed registration form), your host-partner will pick up the key to your room beforehand, meet you at the Stuttgart airport or railway station, and will directly take you to your dormitory room. In case you arrive before the first check-in day, we suggest you to stay at one of the youth hostels (addresses see page 7). 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. Unpack and relax! Go to Ms. Raphaela Diel at the Office of International Affairs (address and office hours see below). She will inform you about the next steps which you need to take. Office of International Affairs, International Education Services Campus Vaihingen Internationales Zentrum (IZ) Ms. Raphaela Diel Tel (0) , Fax: ++49 (0) diel@ia.uni-stuttgart.de Regular office hours Mon - Fri a.m. Mon/Wed p.m. There will be additional office hours in the first week of September, which will be announced in time. The Welcoming Service The first step is always the most difficult. This is true, too, when you start your studies at the University of Stuttgart: a foreign culture, a new language and a different study system. 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.) and the organisation of your studies. If you wish, one of our students will offer you 4

5 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 download the registration form from the following website and send or fax it back to the address mentioned on the form as soon as possible. Please do not forget to communicate the exact date and time of your arrival three weeks before you come to Stuttgart. The Intensive German Course The Intensive German Course is designed specifically for the needs of Master s students and is taught by the staff of the department Interkultureller Unterricht of the Office of International Affairs. The course starts on September 2, 2010 with a mandatory placement test and runs until October 15, You will be informed about the exact time and place of the placement test through by the department Interkultureller Unterricht. Academic calendar with current dates Wednesday, September 1 Thursday, September 2 Friday, September 3 On appointment (see INFOTECH Web pages for dates) Friday, October 16, 6 p.m Students arrival Mandatory Placement Test for the Intensive German Course Welcome Session of the Intensive German Course Individual counselling session with theinfotech Advisors on the course of your studies for your first term Welcome Reception organized by INFOTECH Winter Semester 2010/2011 Classes start October 18, 2010 Classes end: February 12, 2011 Christmas holidays December 23, 2010 to January 6, 2011 Summer Semester 2011 Classes start: April 26, 2011 Classes end: July 30, 2011 Whit sun holidays June 14 to June 17, 2011 (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.) 5

6 The city of Stuttgart Stuttgart, which is the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, has a population of about Stuttgart lies in a basin. The lowest point is the River Neckar, which is about 200 metres above sea-level, and the highest is at Vaihingen at approx. 550 metres. Stuttgart is the cultural centre of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a wide range of theatres, cinemas and concert halls. It is also the home of a world-famous ballet and there are museums and art-galleries as well as academies of music and art and music halls. Every year, thousands of people form near and far come to enjoy the Cannstatter Volksfest, a public festival with a huge amusement park which takes place at the end of September. Since the nineties of the last century Stuttgart has become the centre for German Hip Hop. Numerous discos and music clubs are spread all over the city. Many of the most renowned companies like DaimlerChrysler, Bosch, Hewlett Packard, and Alcatel have their headquarters or important branches in Stuttgart. In addition, there are numerous smaller companies involved in the production of machine tools, precision instruments, food and luxury items. There are also companies that specialise in woodworking, leather processing and making shoes or musical instruments as well as a number of large breweries. There is also a small paper and chemical industry. Over 300 publishing houses and a highly developed graphic industry has given Stuttgart the reputation of being Germany's "Book Town" No 1. Lately, many software firms have settled in Stuttgart. The climate in Stuttgart is moderate and the average annual temperature is 10 C. The relatively warm summers and mild winters are characteristic of the Stuttgart climate. However, it is quite possible that the temperature in winter will go far below the freezing-point which makes it necessary to have winter clothes as well as rainproof clothing. 6

7 Temporary accommodation for young people 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 pf nights at one of the youth hostels or hotels. The address of the Youth Hostel in Stuttgart is: Jugendherberge Stuttgart Haussmannstr. 27 Phone: , Fax info@jugendherberge-stuttgart.de, Charge for members over 27 year of age EURO for the first night and EURO for each following night. Under 27-years-old pay EUR for the first night and EURO for each following night. The price is for a bed in a shared room with a number of others and includes breakfast. The Youth Hostel is very nice and very conveniently located (approx. 10 min. on foot from main sattion). You can reach the Youth Hostel by taking the U-Bahn from the stop called Arnulf-Klett-Platz located beneath the main station or Hauptbahnhof at the (follow the sign with a white U on a blue background). Buy a ticket at one of the orange ticket machines: 1 zone. Take U 15 travelling in the direction of Heumaden and get off at the stop marked Eugensplatz. Walk down Kernerstrasse (downhill) and follow the youth hostel sign. The address of a private hostel in Stuttgart is: Alex 30 Hostel Alexanderstr. 30 Phone: , Fax: info@alex30-hostel.de, Prices range from EUR per night per person. Single rooms, double and 3-bed-rooms are available, breakfast costs EUR 6. From Hauptbahnhof take street car U 5 in the direction of Leinfelden, U 7 or U 8 in the direction of Nellingen and get off at Olgaeck. You will find the hostel right across the stop. The address of a low-budget hotel run by the Studentenwerk Stuttgart is: Internationales Studentenhotel Neckarstr. 172 Phone: , Fax: studi-hotel@sws-internet.de Rooms can be rented by students or visiting lecturers for one or several nights or up to six months. The price for short-term rent is between EUR and 63 per night (breakfast included), for long-term rent between EUR 305 and 325 per months. At the main station take U 9 in the direction of Hedelfingen or U 14 in the direction of Remseck and get off at Stöckach. Walk for about 200 m in the direction of travel along Neckarstraße, you will see the hotel on the right hand side. Addresses of further hotels and hostels in Stuttgart can be found at: 7

8 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. 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 Office of 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 Office of 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