Daniel Dempster – Level 3 – Business Management with Finance
Kempten University of Applied Sciences, Germany
My Experience in Deutschland (Kempten)
My time is Germany (Kempten, Allgau) was a major eye-opener.
Being someone who hasn’t really travelled much most of my life and never travelled abroad outside of the UK this trip was truly life-changing and awe-inspiring beyond belief. It was like nothing I ever expected, yet better than anticipated.
Before departing to head to Germany
I had lots to prepare such as preparing exchange forms, paying for student accommodation and other expenses. I was lucky enough to have my company in the UK (a major international car-rental company) transfer my position to Germany, so I had the opportunity to gain international management experience and a quick opportunity to work.
I wasn’t originally considered a prime candidate for this exchange, but Laura and Gemma took a chance on me (to which I succeeded!) and it was one of the best experiences of my life. There were some time-consuming things to consider at the start and many things I found rather confusing such as the health insurance requirements, and some fees I wasn’t originally made aware of such as a semester fee, (I think was about €125).
Nonetheless, packed up my things, booked my flights, and off I was!
University, Classes and Community
The university (Hochschule Kempten) was very nice. The campus was quite confusing to begin with and some of the processes, such as having to load cash onto a student ID card for the cafeteria for example, but honestly you get used to it rather quickly. I consider myself to be very introverted but that wasn’t very long lasting! The first two weeks is hugely community and international exchange student focused. Having a meet and greet with all the other exchange students, school events such as hiking, going to food parties, visiting the local area such as town centre, and many other events most of which take place throughout the year. Most students and people were extremely polite and helpful.
The classes were exceptionally rigorous, it’s different than the UK. For example, I was studying International Business in Kempten, some classes run from 11am – 7pm, and typically classes would be 4 – 5 days a week. Much different than the classes in Scotland where you maybe have 2-days of classes for 5 – 6 hours a day. I can’t complain though, I enjoyed it a lot and it was a huge challenge. The learning experience was much different than in the UK as most university assignments I’ve had include reports, assignments, or practical means of testing understanding. Whereas in Germany it was highly exams focused and I only had two presentations of having completed about 6-modules. And Germany had 4-semesters in a year whereas we only have two, so those modules also tend to be much farther condensed. I also had to take A1 Deutsch as a mandatory part of your course as it is apart of the exchange scheme; I used online apps for awhile to learn German, however it was a major eye-opener as it was my second language and only learned A1 it was a challenge!
I also did the summer school program (not an actual summer school). I applied early into the year, and you couldn’t opt out after you were enrolled onto it. That was a major challenge, but it was a huge learning experience. Its not the a-typical summer school you would think, but a business simulation programme where you have to spend two to three weeks with 3 – 4 other students including exchange students from China and compete in a business simulation with other companies. It was pretty fun, but it was extremely stressful, and the expectations were really high.
Most of the teachers were absolutely amazing and very caring. Many of them actually had been a part of building highly successful companies and really wanted to transfer their skills and experiences to the next generation. The community focus was amazing, and the people were very considerate.
When you arrive, the university does offer you the ability to join with a “buddy”, who we spoke some German to each other. She was super kind, and we went doing things I’d never expect I’d have ever done in my life. Such as skiing in Austria! (I fell many times, but we won’t talk about that!) The entire atmosphere of culture, community and friendship amongst people was just insane and like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life. I had met friends from Germany in the past, I knew much about Europe but experiencing it was just something so different than what you’re typically told or see.
Student Accommodation
The student accommodation was very outdated and when I arrived, I had to clean it. although it was very cheap (Around €400 PCM), bills included. You also only had 1-washing machine shared with around 20 other students in the block, which was really difficult to get around at times, and only one kitchen (which you also had to get a key for). The rooms did have cooking hobs, fridge, and freezer though. It became very difficult to try to cook or prepare food, so I’d often find it more practical to just eat food while I’m out or order it for delivery. The food is Germany is really amazing as well, it’s easier ordering healthier food than in the UK.
Nonetheless, the rooms weren’t too bad and for the price, I had my own en-suite and the students also have a large-shared communal room to get together in with games, etc. and there was also an underground parking garage to store my bike in which was more convenient too. At the time I was working for the rental car company so I could also use the street for parking a car when I came home on the weekends. I know that there was another block of accommodation nearer the university which was far more modernized though! One pro of the accommodation I lived in, was its proximity to the city centre (about 10-minute walk) to all the major shops, restaurants, food, cafes, etc. it was pretty convenient.
Transport and Getting Around
The entire city looks amazing, highly clean and maintained and there were always things to do. Honestly, I have to say when I started travelling, I was very worried about getting lost but when you start to download the apps for travelling in Germany (i.e., Deutsch Bahn) it really isn’t all that bad. The transport system was really good, although often you’d get delays with trains due to other trains crossing tracks or weather conditions. There were a few times the trains were cancelled due to storms causing flooding and I’d have to phone my company and get a taxi into work, so they can be unpredictable but rather good in most situations.
Often when trains do have problems, they sometimes schedule busses from the stops to the next station too. The transport system is amazingly cheap, a bus pass in the UK would be about £52 for an adult pass in the Lothians alone, in Germany you can get a student pass (Deutschland ticket) for about €24 covering slower trains, (not bullet trains, etc), and the busses. This could get you into the border of another country as well before having to pay anything. I would avoid getting taxis though, they cost a fortune! Like, a LOT. If you need a car somewhere, considering renting.
Financial Support
Upon going to Germany, I already had some cashflow in the bank, however I did take a lot of belongings with me and so expenses were much higher than I could have guessed. The taxi from Munich to Kempten was €400 on its own. There were some fees and expenses I wasn’t told about beforehand such as the semester fee, however it wasn’t that severe. I also got given a grant from the Santander fund which helped. I will say Kempten and Munich however are the more expensive part of Germany. Going to a café for food for example could be about €35 on the moderate end for food, depending on where you go.
The opportunity to get work-experience in Germany is highly recommended and something I learned from quite a bit. Some extra income is also great, I unfortunately lost out on some things such as my bonuses I’d have got back home and, in my experience, tax can be quite harsh when you account for expenses such as health insurance. You can save money by eating at the student cafeteria too as its priced much cheaper.
I did travel a little bit, I went to Austria on two occasions including by the Swiss border, Munich, Augsburg (another major town outside of Munich), Ingolstadt, I did have plans to visit France and the Netherlands, but other commitments took over. I will definitely return in the future I think to do a tour of Europe, it is such an amazing place and so much culture and things to take from the whole experience.
Friends, Experiences and The Goodbyes…
Honestly, it was difficult to say goodbye to some of the people I met on my journey, I absolutely loved the experiences I had, and I met so many amazing people with different life experiences, backgrounds, and journeys from all over the world. I had gone from being someone who never really bothered to travel much, to skiing in Austria, going on castle hiking trips in Munich, or tree climbing in Kempten (with zip-lines). I was going to go jet-skiing for the first time, but I didn’t really have time as it was close to my return home. I met so many people and the whole experience of school there was seriously such a weird experience to begin with. I came from a home-schooled situation in the UK when I was younger so maybe that had an influential part on that experience.
When leaving and departing many of our friend groups all slowly split away from each other nearer the end of the semester. For many there were tears, there was happiness, there was a mix of emotions for most of us. I have to say, it was like nothing I ever expected, and I will always hold onto this experience for the rest of my life. I loved the entire trip and everything about it, there were many pitfalls but there were many amazing things I took from this whole experience; I just wish I had time to experience it a little longer.
But in the end, it was worth it, and the experiences were something I will never forget, and in the words of Dr Seuss “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”.
My final words…
The whole entire experience was like nothing I could ever imagined it would be, there were many downsides but there were more upsides and honestly when I first got to Germany, I was quite stressed about being in a very different situation, however I was really excited. If Gemma and Laura had not given me this opportunity, I could of never have experienced it and so I’m ever grateful to them both. This whole experience really opened my eyes up to many things within the wider world, and I honestly think that schools should encourage students do three-month paid trips to countries in Europe or Asia, it would be an absolute eye-opener for many and an experience for all. And thank you to Santander for funding this and making it possible!
Also, Nadine from the German International student team for the opportunity to come to Kempten. It was absolutely insane to believe that out of approximately 65-other exchange students; I was the only one from the UK! I really enjoyed the whole trip and experience with the university, I would of regret never doing the exchange trip, and I’ll never regret looking back.
