German Unity Day is celebrated on 3rd October 🇩🇪. To mark the occasion, two LLCE English students on exchange at the University of Bonn in Germany, shared their experiences with us.

"I've been in Germany for about a month now and I'm absolutely delighted with everything I see. From the university, to the city centre, to monuments like the Drachenfels, there are so many things to do and see in Bonn. The separation between the calm of Bonn and the hustle and bustle of Cologne also makes this region a unique context in which to study.

The course has now been running for around four weeks, and the content, although relatively different from that in France, is still affordable and in a fairly similar field. The teachers are always positive towards international students and always try to accommodate them. One very big difference between France and Germany for me would be the grading system, which took me a while to understand (between 1 and 4 means passing and 5 means failing). 

Finally, I have no homesickness to report as it's so easy to feel at home in Bonn."

- Lucas

"I arrived at the University of Bonn in September as part of the intensive language course, but my main course didn't start until October. The choice of courses is varied, quick and easy. The university administration is quite understanding of our situation as Erasmus students and is always on hand to help us. The main difference between courses in Germany and France is the actual time spent in class. On average, we have 13 to 14 hours of lessons a week (lessons are often shortened by the teacher), but the amount of personal work required is substantial.

As far as organising and preparing for your arrival in Germany is concerned, it's difficult to find reasonably-priced student accommodation in Germany, particularly in the north-west, but also, more simply, to find accommodation at all. The rest of everyday life is fairly similar to that of a French student, so culture shock is limited. I hope you find these first impressions useful."

- Titouan