An Ode to Startkurs

One of the rights of passage of any UMass Amherst student studying abroad in Tübingen is to participate in Startkurs, a three week long preparatory course designed to help international students get adjusted to their lives in Germany. Participating in Startkurs is one of the best things anyone moving to Tübingen as an international student can do. Without Startkurs, my transition into life in Tübingen would not have gone as smoothly as it did.

One of the most useful aspects of Startkurs was the support and guidance I received relating to the bureaucratic aspects of moving abroad to Germany. As those who study abroad in Tübingen (or, really, anywhere else in Germany) will learn, the process of completing all of the necessary steps to apply for a Residence Permit can be an exhaustive and overwhelming process. There are so many forms to fill out that need to be brought to the Bürgeramt (the city’s administrative office) in order to legally stay in Germany and the city. As an American student who had only ever lived at home with my parents or in the dorms at UMass, a lot of what this process entailed would not have even crossed my mind.

The teachers in the Startkurs Program are complete experts when it comes to this process. I was impressed as the teachers handed everyone all of the government forms required and then went through, section by section, guiding through the process of filling out all of these forms. These documents included the application for the Resident Permit and the form acknowledging our residence in Tübingen itself. This process would have been very overwhelming and impossible seeming if not for the assistance of those in the Startkurs program.

Once the initial administrative and bureaucratic aspect is completed in Startkurs, the rest of course consists of a language course. I have studied German since I was in the 9^th grade and at the beginning of my exchange experience I was able to converse in German, but I had not paid much attention to the language since the semester ended in May. After I’d arrived in Germany, the language aspect of being abroad was somewhat overwhelming at times. However, the intensive language teaching aspect of Startkurs enabled me to regain knowledge of German that had slipped my mind while on summer break in addition to learning university specific vocabulary that has become very useful over past few months.

My favorite aspect of Startkurs is the opportunity to make friends. The majority of my friends here in Tübingen are other international students I met as a result of Startkurs. While when deciding to study abroad in Germany I expected to meet many Germans, I did not anticipate meeting as many international students as I did. I have found it to be extremely gratifying to meet people from all over the world. Not only did Startkurs provide me with the opportunity to have an easier transition into life in Tübingen, it most importantly provided me with lifelong friendships