Planning bachelor’s in Germany through Studienkolleg. Am I underestimating this?
So yeah, I’ve been planning to study in Germany for the past 2 months or so and I’m currently learning German. My goal is to do my bachelor’s there through the Studienkolleg route. I know I’ll need at least B1 (preferably B2) for applications and the Aufnahmeprüfung, so I’ve been focusing a lot on the language recently.
Academically, I think I can handle rigor pretty well. I scored 95% in my state boards, and I genuinely enjoy studying, especially technical subjects. My long term goal is to eventually do a master’s at a top university somewhere like ETH Zürich, Harvard, TU Delft, etc. That’s a story for another time though 😭
Right now I’m mostly having an existential crisis about whether this whole plan actually makes sense.
A few things I wanted to ask people who are already studying there:
- How intense is the academic rigor really? Like “you’ll survive if you work consistently” intense or “say goodbye to your mental stability” intense?
- If I go to places like TUM, RWTH Aachen, or TU Berlin after FSP, will that make my academic journey significantly harder?
- Should I consider smaller town universities instead? And if yes, would that affect my chances for top master’s programs later?
- Are there technical part time jobs/internships available for undergrad students from around 2nd–4th semester onwards, assuming decent German (maybe C1 by then)?
- I have around 7–8 months before applications. Realistically, is that enough time to reach B2? How many hours per day did you guys study to get there?
I know some of these answers are subjective, but I’d really appreciate honest opinions from people already going through this route.