Motivation
I wanted to gain a better global perspective by immersing myself in a new culture, experiencing new ways of living, new people and new ideas.
Personal Development
During my time in Munich, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people who became like family to me. We would regularly have dinners and coffee together, and we even travelled around Europe together. Through these experiences, I gained friendships that span the globe and continue to enrich my life today. I also joined a German water polo team during my time in Munich, which was a great way to immerse myself in the local culture and learn more about the language and way of life. The members of the team were incredibly welcoming and supportive, and I feel grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much from them. Overall, I think that my experiences in Munich helped me to become a more open-minded and adaptable person. Meeting people from all walks of life and learning about their unique perspectives helped me to become less rigid in my ways and more accepting of new ideas. I feel that my time in Munich was a transformative experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Academic Development
My academic experience in Munich was really enjoyable and eye-opening. One thing I loved was the more relaxed approach to learning content. Unlike at UQ, where we had tutorials and pracs to accompany lectures, in Germany we mostly had lectures and would follow examples in class to solidify our understanding. I found this approach to be really effective and enjoyed being able to focus on the lecture material. Another aspect of the academic system in Munich that I appreciated was the regular guest lecturers who specialized in the content. This gave a practical insight to the content and kept things interesting with real-life examples. It was a great way to learn about the material from experts in the field. The lack of compulsory assignments during the semester was also an interesting approach that I enjoyed. Instead, some courses had optional assignments that would boost your grade after the final exam if you passed. This was different from UQ, where assignments are typically mandatory and make up a significant portion of your final grade. The workload in Munich was generally similar to UQ, but the lack of mandatory assignments meant that I had more free time to go traveling and explore Germany and German culture, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I loved the academic approach that Munich had.
Professional Development
One of the most significant changes I noticed in myself was my newfound openness to new ideas. By meeting people from all over the world and experiencing different cultures, I gained a broader perspective that has helped me understand how different ideas and approaches may sit with different communities. I also developed was communication better communication and confidence. By meeting so many new people and being in a foreign country, I was forced to step out of my comfort zone and communicate more effectively. This has made me more confident in my ability to interact with people from different backgrounds and in different situations. Another important skill that I developed during my time in Germany was time management. While it was great to have a lot of social opportunities and the chance to explore a new country, I also had to manage my academic workload. I found it challenging to juggle my studies with my social life, but I was able to overcome this challenge by becoming strict with myself about my time management and prioritising my study.
Costs
I didn't use a budgeting techniques which was not the best idea. Luckily, I had enough money to last my entire trip but I think this was mostly due to me getting stress at the later part of my exchange about running out of money. Accommodation was about 450 euro per month, insurance was about 130-euro, transport was 200 euro for the semester. I would recommend other students develop a budgeting technique that allows them x amount of money per month with an additional pool that they can use for travel or experiences.
Funding
I mostly used the funding to cover my travel prior to exchange. This was a highlight of my trip as I got to visit over ten countries, meet amazing people, eat some of the best food and really settle into Europe before uni started.
Accommodation
The university organised our accommodation for us which I was very grateful for. The apartments we had were a lot cheaper than anywhere else in the city and had the best location. We stayed in the Olympic park which was quite central and also meant we were super close to all the sporting facilities. The rooms themselves were small and I found it hard to make homely but I got to live in the same building as some of my closest friends which made it worth it. I would recommend students investing in their apartment to make it feel like home - it's where you will spend a lot of time and there is nothing worse than disliking where you live.
Highlight
I think my highlight was all my friends I made. We got to go to Octoberfest together, go out dancing, travelled together, and they made all those experiences some of my favourite ever. I don't think Germany would have been nearly as fun without the group of friends I made.
Advice/Top Tips
Budget well and do your best to meet people. This might be by going to events set up by the uni or by going out yourself but no matter what you do, a good group of friends will make everything so much more fun.
