About Germany
Located in the heart
of Northern Europe, Germany has the 3rd largest economy in the world.
Germany’s economic miracle is, in part, due to creative marketing
strategies that linked social phenomena to commercial products—owning a
VW Beetle meant you were fun and free spirited and parking a Mercedes
out front signaled that you had made it financially. However, part of
its success is due to a strong work ethic and belief in the importance
of education. Germany has made significant contributions to the arts.
Many of its famous composers—Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner—have
defined musical periods, and film directors such as Wim Wenders and
Wolfgang Peterson continue to influence Hollywood. The diversity of arts
in Germany can be traced back in history. Unlike in France and England,
cultural life was not confined to a few capital cities, but was spread
instead across a wide range of cities patronized by rulers of
independent German states. This caused the arts to flourish on a wider
scale than in other parts of Europe. Today, you can find 4000 museums,
60 opera houses, 300 theaters, and 150 major orchestras in Germany.
Visitors to Germany will find many cultural and social similarities, yet
numerous differences abound. As one former study abroad participant
humorously notes, you know you are in Germany when:
• Everybody wears a scarf all year long, indoors and outdoors
• You have to pay extra for ketchup at McDonalds, but can buy good
German beer there
• People find you are really strange when you ask for tap water in a
restaurant
• Soft drinks come in small glasses with one ice cube, at the most
• In a restaurant you wait forever for your bill because it is
considered polite for the waitress to wait until you ask for it
• People bump into you and say nothing
• An old lady will physically assault you to get on the bus, and you
find yourself actually fighting back (same thing at winter and summer
sale tables)
• People walk home because it’s only a 30 minute walk
• If your roommates don’t like your sweater they will say so if you ask
their opinions
• All doors are closed and you need to knock every time you want to talk
to someone
• You need at least 6 different garbage cans in your kitchen for all the
recycling
• You are hungry all weekend because the grocery store closed before you
got up on Saturday and isn’t open Sunday
• When the sun comes out you see lots of very pale male legs with dark
socks and sandals
(courtesy of the University Studies Abroad Consortium)
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German
Educational System Students in Germany begin school at age 6. After spending four years
in primary school, they either choose to enter the Gymnasium, a
nine-year preparatory school for the university, or they may choose to
attend a Realschule or Hauptschule. If they choose the Realschule or
Hauptschule, after 5-6 years they may combine their school with work, or
enter a technical school. At the university level, German students are
expected to do a lot of independent reading, prepare oral reports and
papers, and attend lectures and small group discussions. They use a 1-5
grading scale (with 1 being the highest grade). The academic year
typically runs October to July, and is divided into two semesters.
Emphasis is put on equipping students for life after their education,
which is why technical training is provided early in the German
educational system, to give the experience of real working conditions.
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