My overall experience at RWTH Aachen has been nothing short of exceptional!! The research opportunities, amazing faculty, and a diverse international community enriched my academic journey. No to mention the support from the student bodies during the difficult times, especially the pandemic. In a nutshell, my time there has been transformative, and I am grateful for the invaluable experiences and friendships I've gained.
Course Curriculum :
The course syllabus is regularly updated. The university added new subjects like Artificial Neural Networks in mechanical engineering! The industrial exposure is limited, unless a student is willing to take up a research work and connect to an external institution.
Exams :
Requirements: 1 year of work experience, GRE: 160 (Quant), 145 (Verbal), 3 (writing), bachelor degree. My scores: GRE: 162 (Quant), 156 (Verbal), 4 (writing) - 2018 TOEFL: 119/120 - 2018 B.Tech - 9.522/10 (India) - 2018 I had to submit SOP, LOR, and CV. I got my LOR from my bachelor university professors. For SOP, I wrote a simple and crisp letter of less than 500 words and within 1 page. My CV was also 1 page. My suggestion is to keep things clear and neat, and not repeat things on the SOP which you have already mentioned in your CV. Furthermore, keep the letter easily readable, especially when applying to countries like Germany where English is not the first language.
Placement :
There is no placement concept here. A student will have to reach out to apply for job and research. However, there are company-student bonding events that occur around twice a year where companies erect stalls and students can go and enquire (Check out bonding-studenteninitiative e.V.)
Internship :
I interned at Liebherr MCC-tec Rostock GmbH in the structural analysis department for 5 months, followed by another 5 months for master thesis. The process is straightforward like any other internship - Cover letter, CV, your university certificates. You will have an interview once you pass the first filtering stage. For all mechanical engineering domains, I advise to apply in German.
Fees :
18000 euros
Scholarship :
No, I did not receive a scholarship. However, I did apply for one. For that, you need to write a SOP on why you deserved the scholarship. The university will also assess your projects, grades, and any extra curricular work.
Faculty :
The faculty to student ratio depends on each individual subjects. For example, courses like CFD has more than 150 students participating, the ratio will therefore be worse. Professors like Dr. Mikhail Itskov and Dr. Markus Stoffel left a positive impact on me.
Campus Life :
There are many clubs, ranging from competitive racing, sporting, and language clubs! There is always some sort of extracurricular activity going on at least every week, and I am certain that a newly admitted student will get overwhelmed! Like any other university, there are excellent libraries, study rooms, WiFi, gym and other sporting like tennis (sport facilities are not free).
Hostel :
Finding accommodation is hard and is advisable for the student to start searching at least 6 months in advance. For the student dorms in the university, apply at least 1 year in advance! Depending on budget, you can search for shared and personal accommodation. Shared accommodation generally costs at least 300 euros (including all costs like electricity and heating).
