German Exchange Scholarship
Every year, the German Department chooses at least one student for the German Exchange Scholarship. The scholarship is sponsored by the Federation of German-American Clubs (Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs). The Oberlin students receive a stipend to cover many of the expenses of studying in Germany. In exchange, a German student receives a scholarship to study at Oberlin as a German Language Teaching Assistant.
See also general advice about Studying in Germany and Studying Abroad. And be sure to check out reports by former exchange students in the Study Abroad Office.
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[edit] The Scholarship
- If you are chosen for the scholarship, you can name a preference for particular cities or regions of the country. There is no guarantee you will get assigned to your preferred city, particularly if it is Berlin, Munich, or Heidelberg.
- Each student receives help obtaining a residence permit or Aufenthaltsgenehmigung, enrolling in the university of their assigned city, and enrolling in German health insurance (required by German immigration law).
- You get a stipend, usually about EUR 500 per month. This is not enough to cover living expenses in Germany, which tend to run between EUR 700-800 per month, depending on your location. The scholarship also does not cover the cost of your plane ticket.
- Housing: the situation varies a lot by location, but you should not be required to find your own housing. Most clubs have a particular room in a Wohngemeinschaft, a dorm, or a house, which they always rent for the exchange student. It will be some form of housing typical for students in Germany. Some local clubs pay part or all of the rent, others don't.
- The scholarship also pays for a Bahncard 50, which will save you a lot of money on travel!
- Also the scholarship includes about five "Seminars," where you meet with the other exchange students in various cities throughout Germany and attend miscellaneous cultural and educational events. They require you to pay EUR 5 per day and refund you the cost of the train ticket. Food and housing are paid for.
[edit] The FGAC/VDAC
- The VDAC is really a federation of individual clubs, each of which has a somewhat different structure, culture and set of activities. Most of the clubs were founded shortly after WWII as an outreach of the American military -- Captain Merle A. Potter founded the first club in 1946, although it was against the non-fraternization policy of the U.S. military. That policy was later changed by General Lucius D. Clay, who was also responsible for the Berlin airlift. The ties to the military are still strong today, with one of the important annual events being the award of the Lucius D. Clay Medal each year to an individual whose work has helped to strengthen German-American relations.
- Most of the member clubs are solely women's clubs, made up mainly of older wealthy German society Damen (who for the most part are lovely people). There usually aren't many younger or American members, although in some clubs there are a few wives of soldiers (or soldiers) who join. Aside from sponsoring the exchange, they also organize a variety of social activities and contribute to a lot of charitable causes, especially ones with an American connection. For instance, one club contributed money to a center that provided financial support and nutritional and educational resources to young American mothers on the local military base.
[edit] Specific Cities/Experiences
Heidelberg: A beautiful city. The university (see also the University of Heidelberg home page) is the oldest in Germany and is also home to Germany's oldest library. The Damen from the local Club were lovely and I was taken good care of. Housing: a small room in a WG on the Neckar river. You can just see the Heidelberg Castle out the window. The university has some 30,000 students, 10% of whom are foreign -- from all over the EU and around the world. The Universität Heidelberg is especially well known for medicine, law, molecular biology, and Germanistik. They also have a Jewish Studies school and a Department of Computer Linguistics.
[edit] Recent Oberlin German Exchange Scholars
- Jacob Teter (2001-2002 Mainz(?))
- Robin Ellis (2002-2003 Berlin)
- Brian Koplow (2002-2003 Ehrfurt)
- Susannah Burrows (2003-2004 Heidelberg)
- Chris Dykas (2004-2005 Hamburg)
