Applying for German University

Ems2027

Is As level enough to apply for a university in Germany or I have to do A2 as well

Original post by Ems2027

Is As level enough to apply for a university in Germany or I have to do A2 as well

Do you mean to get into the university or in German - I would say if you can already speak German then you would probably still need your a-levels to be at A2 (school leaving standard) and if you mean an AS level in German to learn subjects in uni in German then no your German is unlikely to be good enough and you would probably struggle but I'm not 100 on what your question is asking if you could explain more I could probably give a better reply :smile:

Reply 2

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Ems2027

Is As level enough to apply for a university in Germany or I have to do A2 as well

You need a degree which is equal to the highest in Germany (Abitur) to move to a German University. And those are the A levels. And even if you passed the A levels, I am not sure how your A levels are equated and thus rated for your applying. The German education system is different to the British with different marks. Despite this, your language skills in German have to be at level B2, even if Germans are well known to understand and speak good English. In everyday life, a lot people exist who can't.

Reply 3

Realitysreflexx

Original post by Kallisto

A levels would box you in for Germany University, meaning you can only apply for those subject's you have taken at A level. They are however equivalent to Abitur. But that's really no different then the way it is in the UK.

On the level of German you need to speak in Germany. You can get by day to day in most cities speaking only English. What you will not survive is written cw assignments in Germany.. You need a degree/near native ability to read assignments and complete coursework, if you plan to score highly. I guess maybe in engineering you could get by with less, but in social sciences...forget it.

I'm a German/American amd though i speak and read German natively i feared my lack of writing ability would hinder me as I study business management. So i decided to come to the UK/looked at Netherlands.

If you want an international experience apply to Dutch universities, they offer way more in English and learning the language is more optional. Germany can be tough to live in, if you can't speak German... Socially, Academically, culturally.

Reply 4

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Realitysreflexx

Thanks for your experiences, it is really helpful. Germany has also some studies which are offered in English language, but in comparison to the Netherlands, they are just a few. In general it is better to speak the Citizen's native language as I said.

The fact that A levels are optional is the main problem in my opinion, if a British tries to apply in Germany. This country has more compulsory subjects at school than the British. Compared British education with the German, my impression anyway is that the German is more standardized: German, English and Mathematics are mandatory up to high grades, till the Abitur. In addition to these, a second foreign language, a natural science and social science are compulsory, while I think the subjects do not matter in that degree in Britain. That is why it is hard to compare German and British education.

Reply 5

Realitysreflexx

Original post by Kallisto

It's more complicated than that unfortunately, if you purely look at A levels as the only route to university in comparison to the German system of Abitur..surely it's more comprehensive and thorough. But then take other routes to gain university access such the 2nd "bildungs route". It gets alot more diluted. I personally think the British system makes more sense, I'm a firm believer that once you have decided what you want to learn, just learn that.

And finally, if you compare the inefficiency of German uni's.. Best shown in still wasting two year's of student's lives to get a master's degree that takes one in the Netherlands and one in England (same ECTS)...., the super high dropout rates... Like 33% for subjects like business! I would be weary of German higher education, and am.

It's hardly wise to say that Abitur prepares student's better.

Reply 6

teilchen

Original post by Kallisto

They are still technically equivilant though as though you only learn three in england they are really in depth and quite difficult. I don't know about German but that is why in the US as they have standarized education (i.e. english and maths compulsary) when they get to uni they have to study for longer to obtain any degree (four years not three) and for things like law and medcine they have to study much longer because when they reached university they arn't as specialised in their subject as they had o learn other things that don't apply. In the UK students get really good at their three alevels which are harder than the six subjects you take for IB (the standardized equvilant in the UK) because they are more in depth but there is less so like on weighing scale metaphorically it would equal out.