Yaroslav Slyavin is a Master student of Heat-and-Mass Exchange Processes and Installations, IPEEP.
He studied in Germany in frames of a joint program between MPEI and Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg and this is what he’s about to say:
A semester of study in Brandenburg Technical University is probably one of the most significant periods of my education.
Remarkable professors, good campuses, excellent atmosphere, low tuition fees are not all of the advantages of this program.
Outer look of the Universitätsstraße 10 Campus
The Campus is just a 2 minute walk away from the main lecture hall and administrative building and includes a library, large sports hall, stadium, gym, two cafes and a canteen. You can sign in for sports, varying from volleyball and badminton to mountaineering and capoeira. The sessions are once a week (the fee for one sport is 10 euro per semester). For sure, it is a good way of making friends and have a good leisure time.
Sports hall
A good opportunity to work with German language is given by the courses of any speaking level that are free and available for all the students of BTU. A sudden advantage is that you could get the teacher of German that would speak Russian fluently, right as I did because some difficult moments are obviously easier to deal with in Russian.
A1 German courses
It would be a loss not to mention the library. It is 6-storeyed where you could find books on any topic. Vast public workspace with PC and personal space that can be cheaply loaned, allow to study with no disturbance, as well as to get help from the staff.
Library
The rooms of Study Campus are very well equipped and often are next to the research laboratories, BTU has plenty of them.
The joint program grants the opportunity to study in the field of “Thermal and Electrical Engineering”. It could rather be called the most international, as the group unites about 50 people from different countries: Egypt, India, China, Austria, USA, Russia and other countries. Every student can choose the subjects in modules that he would like to study. At the end of every module an exam is given. All the study process is carried out in English, which eases the education for those who do not speak German.
Group of Power Plant Technology 1
A pleasant feature of the University is organizing series of events for students: Wednesday night dances, international parties where you can try and taste the cultures and cuisines, tours to nearby towns, theatrical performances, learning courses and workshops. By taking the Power Plant Technology 1 Module – Thermal and Electric Facilities – you can take the opportunity to visit Jänschwalde Electric Power Plant.
Now let’s say a few words about the admission process. It all starts with your desire, if you have it, then there are already about 30 percent of the whole thing that has been done. Next, you need to get in touch with the coordinators of this program at MPEI and BTU and to prepare documents, including the Nomination Letter from the Moscow University, and then upload them to the portal of the BTU admissions committee. If you meet all the criteria, then you receive a letter about accepting you to the university - Letter of Admission - as a student. Further, following the procedure, it is necessary to prepare an individual curriculum together with the program curator at MPEI and coordinate it with the educational department so you can register at the DAAD Representative Office
in Moscow to apply for a visa. I would advise you to do this in advance, since the opening hours in DAAD could be scheduled for several months. It is worth noting that to obtain the visa you must provide information about your future place of residence, which is also better to be booked 2-3 months before the planned arrival time. Personally, I would advise you to look for hostels for BTU students, and specifically those located on Universitätsstraße 1-16. On this site, you can book accommodation, but be prepared to transfer immediately a deposit of 300 euros. Also, in order to receive the keys to your room, you must arrive no later than 16:00 on a weekday at Studentenwerk Frankfurt-Oder, otherwise you will have to look for additional housing until the office opens again.
Exchange training is an excellent chance to join a multilateral culture, to study the educational system of another country from the inside, to find good friends, to discover many new things, both in technical knowledge and your personality, to see opportunities for development and gain aspiration. The main thing is not to be afraid to take a step towards the unknown.
I would like to express sincere gratitude to the program coordinator, Ekaterina Zhigulina, and to my scientific adviser, Vlasenko Galina Pavlovna, for all-round assistance and timely support.