University of Stuttgart International Affairs Pre-departure Information for new INFOTECH students Winter Semester 2012/2013
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) 3 4 5 5 5 6 6 How to find your way 8 8 Map of Campus Vaihingen Map of City Centre 9 10 2
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. 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 (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. 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 Students from NON-EU-countries who do NOT need an ENTRANCE VISA: Proof of sufficient financial resources, e.g. scholarship letter, bank statement or savings book at a German bank. 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, 2012. 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 700 a month (in addition to EUR 118 student administration fee per semester). 3
First steps after your arrival in Stuttgart First check-in day in September: First check-in day in October: Monday, September 3, 2012 Monday, October 1, 2012 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 can 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 International Affairs (address and office hours see below). She will inform you about the next steps which you need to take. International Affairs International Education Services Campus Vaihingen Internationales Zentrum (IZ) Ms Raphaela Diel Tel. ++ 49 (0) 711 685-68545, Fax: ++49 (0) 711 685-68600 e-mail: diel@ia.uni-stuttgart.de Office hours Mon - Fri 10.00 12.00 a.m. Mon/Wed 1.30 4.00 p.m. 4
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.). If you wish, one of our 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. www.ia.uni-stuttgart.de/internat/studierende/services/welcoming/index.en.html Please do not forget to communicate the exact date and time of your arrival three weeks before you come to Stuttgart. Otherwise we cannot process your application! 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 International Affairs. Classes from level A 1 to B 2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages are offered. The course starts on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 with an official welcome and ends on Friday, October 12. The obligatory placement test will take place on Wednesday, September 5. You will be informed about the exact time and place of official welcome and the placement test through e-mail by the department Interkultureller Unterricht. Please note: if you do not participate in the obligatory placement test (even if you are complete beginner, you have to take this test), you cannot participate in this course. The INFOTECH Office INFOTECH Office Campus Vaihingen Pfaffenwaldring 47 (ETI 2) Ground floor, room no. 345 Dr. Manfred Wizgall Tel. + 49 (0) 711 685-67820 Fax + 49 (0) 711 685-67821 E-mail: manfred.wizgall@f05.uni-stuttgart.de 5
Academic calendar with current dates Thursday, September 3 Tuesday, September 4 Wednesday, September 5 Friday, September 7 Friday, October 12, evening Students arrival Official welcome of the Intensive German Course Obligatory Placement Test for the Intensive German Course Information session on Living and Studying in Stuttgart Welcome Reception organized by INFOTECH Winter Semester 2012/13 Classes start October 15, 2012 Classes end: February 09, 2013 Christmas holidays December 24, 2012 to January 6, 2013 Summer Semester 2013 Classes start: April 10, 2013 Classes end: July 20, 2013 Whitsun holidays May 20 to May 26, 2012 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 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. 6
Stuttgart hosts every year top-level sporting events and Stuttgarts major football club VfB Stuttgart is one of the top German teams and won the German football championship in 2007. Stuttgart experienced an unforgettable sporting world event in the summer of 2006 - 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 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. Jugendherberge Stuttgart Haussmannstr. 27 Phone: ++49 711 664 74 70 E-mail: info@jugendherberge-stuttgart.de www.jugendherberge-stuttgart.de Jugendherberge Stuttgart Neckarpark (Bad Cannstatt) Elwertstr. 2 Phone: ++49 711 664 74 70 E-Mail: info@jugendherberge-stuttgart-neckarpark.de www.jugendherberge-stuttgart-neckarpark.de Alex 30 Hostel Alexanderstr. 30 Phone: ++ 49 711 83 88 95-0 E-mail: info@alex30-hostel.de www.alex30-hostel.de Inter-Hostel Paulinenstr 16 Phone: ++ 49 711 66 48 27 97 E-Mail: info@inter-hostel.com www.inter-hostel.com Internationales Studentenhotel Neckarstr. 172 Phone: ++49 711-41 43 00 E-mail:studi-hotel@sws-internet.de www.studentenwerk-stuttgart.de/wohnen/internationales-studentenhotel 7
Addresses of further hotels and hostels in Stuttgart can be found at: www.stuttgart-tourist.de 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 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 8
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. 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 0.345 10
Map of the City Centre Hauptbahnhof Main train station Office of Admission (Enrollment) Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 24 ground floor 11