Great for developing overall intercultural competence and networking opportunities.
Course Curriculum :
I found the course syllabus to be extremely vast and one can be spoilt for choices. Students have complete freedom to design their curriculum and even their exam schedule. The curriculum subjects were excellent for those who want to pursue industrial research in biotechnology. I found that there were fewer basic research subjects and more applied subjects. It was updated too, in that the professors would teach from their own areas of research, hence always providing up-to-date knowledge and research application of the topics. I was unfortunately unable to gain any industrial exposure or research experience since I was there during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exams :
-My score: IELTS 8.0, Goethe Zertifikat C1 (German language test score); Class minimum score: IELTS 6.5, Native German speaker or Goethe Zertifikat C1. -The German language requirement of C1 was there since this was a German-taught program. For non-German taught programs, B1 level German proficiency is more than enough.. There was no interview for me because I scored more than the set number of points for CV, SOP and curricular analysis. -CV: I mentioned my academic subjects in my 12th grade and integrated Masters in Biotechnology, my English and German language proficiency, the research projects I had undertaken, including thesis and summer internships. -SOP: I mentioned why I wanted to undertake the course in the first place. My research interests, given that the university was a research university. -Curricular analysis: I had to mention which courses I had in university, the credit hours for each and the GPA I had scored in each, in each of the semesters. -No LoR was required. -Interview round: There was no interview for me since I passed the point system based on curricular analysis, SOP and CV. I did, however, have a condition on my admit letter to take an additional course in my first year for my admission to be confirmed. It's called a conditional admit. I advise prospective students to write this exam as early as possible to get the admission confirmed.
Placement :
There are no placement opportunities offered by the university. Students need to find jobs on their own. However, there are job boards and student groups that circulate information about any open positions within the university and external companies. Research opportunities are in plenty at the university, ranging from part-time research assistant positions to thesis positions to full-time positions. One just needs to write to one's desired professor or lab for the same. The salary can vary from 10-20 euros per hour at first for part time jobs. It's even higher for full time jobs.
Internship :
I did not intern at any company.
Fees :
In the year 2020-21, my semester tuition fee was nil, and there was a semester contribution of around 145 euros. This included the Student Union costs and a semester ticket for free travel in public transport (buses, trams and trains) on weekends in the Munich travel network. However, non-EU (international) students enrolled in winter 2024-25 sessions and onwards will have a tuition fee of 2000 to 3000 euros per semester.
Scholarship :
No, I did not receive any scholarship.
Faculty :
The faculty to student ratio is about 1:40 to 1:120 even. So it really depends on the courses you opt for. The professors are researchers at the university itself, and are hence highly knowledgeable about the subject they teach. They are usually less approachable since they are busy with their research. However, it is always possible to book a prior appointment with them during their meeting hours and speak with them. I found my bioinformatics professor, Prof. Dr. Dmitrij Frischman, to be quite approachable. He even had a tutor working with him who would be available to clear our doubts and difficulties.
Campus Life :
Just excellent! I found myself bewildered looking at the abundance of extracurricular activities at TUM. There was always some or the other event going on. The student community is very active. There are various clubs such as Studentische Verein for student politics and ESN TUMi for foreign students. They organise regular trips and treks; language meets, food and movie fests etc. so one never feels alone in a foreign country. The Gym membership and sports facilities at ZHS were accessible and affordable. The library was very well organised too.
Hostel :
Student dorms are available on a first come, first serve basis with the Studentenwerk Munich. You need to apply for it on the given dates for your semester. These can be single occupancy rooms in a shared dormitory or single occupancy studio apartments. Rentals range from 270 euros to 750 euros. The infrastructure at these student dormitories is well-maintained and the costs include all overhead costs of heating, electricity and WiFi. One can even take up private accommodation in shared apartments called WG (Wohngemeinshaft) that one can easily find on online Facebook groups or websites like wg-gesucht.de .
