TU Dresden was the most informed decision i have taken in my career and it proved to be right. The experience, both academic and personal was the best I have come across in my life with great support from well knowledge staffs and world class research facilities. Culturally, Dresden is a rich place with a lot of opportunities to indulge yourself in various activities. Personally, I loved living in such a city. After my course, I received PhD offers from University of Auckland (New Zealand), University of Vienna (Austria), Cranfield University (UK), and KU Leuven (Belgium) with generous salary. The position at KU Leuven was a Marie Curie Fellowship which offered me 2.6 crore INR for 3 years.
Course Curriculum :
The majority component of my course was research only. I had many industrial visits and visits to other research institutes to learn the application level of the material I was developing the lab and also to get exposed to the world class technological developments in polymer science.
Exams :
No tests, as the language of instruction at my previous colleges were English. I have a C1 level English proficiency. There wasn't any specific interviews. I had to submit a Research Proposal defining the plan of research i will be pursuing there. Based on the Research Proposal, CV, and Recommendations letters from my 2 professors, a Scientist/professor at TU Dresden agreed to admit me under her supervision for the master's thesis. The most important thing to take care whole writing a proposal or a SOP is that there should be a relevant story from the start till the end. Also the motivation should be evident in every paragraph that you write. Try to conclude it in maximum one and a half A4 page. I didn't have any interview. My selection was based on the research proposal, SOP, CV, and LOR. After selection, my supervisor asked me to have video calls to discuss about the research proposal.
Placement :
There is no such things like a campus placement in Germany. The University will conduct a Job Fair, where the companies will setup their stalls. Students can participate and network with the company representatives and work together for a prospective opportunity with them.
Internship :
I didn't opt for any internships. As my program was purely research based, I was getting good exposure toward my field of interest and research.
Fees :
Tuition fee per semester was €291. In this amount students will get a semester ticket with which the students can freely use the public transport including buses, trains, and trams. Even students will get access to rental cycles for free using the semester ticket. Also students can get discounted meals from the University canteen.
Scholarship :
Yes, I received DAAD scholarship, which is €934/month. There was a round trip flight ticket allowance of €1050, one-time research allowance of €266, fully covered sponsored health insurance for the duration of study by DAAD included wit the scholarship package. After a professor agreed to supervise me for my master's thesis, they provide me with an invitation letter to TU Dresden. With this letter and other documents such as SOP, LOR, transcripts, and research proposal, I applied for the DAAD scholarship.
Faculty :
Faculty student ratio for my program was the best, which was 1:4. They are the most approachable academic team I have ever come across in my career. In terms of their knowledge and experience, it is unmatchable. Dr. Ulrike Staudinger was a great influence of my career. She was my supervisor.
Campus Life :
I should mention 'best in class'. There is nothing the University left to provide the students with. The sports facilities are awesome with Olympic sized stadiums and courts. Students can easily access all these facilities at a very minimal fee. Wifi was available all across the campus, to say, all across the city since the campus was spread all over the city with different departments.
Hostel :
I was staying in a single room in a dorm building. It was a ruly international experience. The room was fully furnished with all the necessary facilities including wifi and heating. The kitchen and bathroom was common with regular cleaning and maintenance. For me, the accommodation cost including wifi was €290 per month. This doesn't include the food expense. For food, I used to cook mostly and it came to be around €200 per month with occasional dine outs.
