Practical studies, friends from all over the world & a thrilling experience
written by Maliha Kehar, international student from the U.A.E.
A university is so much more than just classrooms built in buildings. It gives a glimpse of what awaits for stu-dents in the future. My name is Maliha Kehar and I am 24 years old. I am currently studying Business and Engineering in the 5th semester at FHWS in Germany. I come from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
Saying not only goodbye to my friends and family, but also to the place I was born and raised in, was the most difficult experience of my life. I was excited and a bit sca-red of what awaited me. Germany has been a whole new adventure and I must say, I absolutely love it here. People surprised me. Back home I always heard that German people are very cold, but they were completely wrong. From the moment my plane landed, people have been nothing but kind and helpful to me.
In the very beginning, I had some difficulties dealing with life here. I always knew that there would be a language barrier. However, at FHWS there is help for international students in the International Office. They help with everything a student needs, from how to come to Germany, to getting all the bureaucratic paper work completed. Once lectures started, I met other new international students and before I knew it, we were friends. We all know how it feels to be so far away from home and dealing with a new independent life.
Studying here has been a great experience for me. The atmosphere has been very open minded and supportive. The professors are great and very patient. Moreover they always give us a practical understanding of a topic, which helps us understand a little better, the working of the real world. We also do projects with companies, to learn how they function in Germany. The university offers German language courses, to help us improve our German. English is my stronger language and throughout my stay here in Germany, my goal is not just working towards my degree, but also strengthening my German skills. I have classes in German and in English, so it is a challenge. For two semesters, the university has asked me to tutor an electrical engineering course. The university always tries to help the students. I really appreciate this opportunity to teach and help other students.
In conclusion, I have gained a lot of knowledge studying here at FHWS. Not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical. I am looking forward to taking the skills I have gained and applying them in my future. I always knew that university life would not be anything like school life, so I had no expectations. As it turns out, it has been the most interesting and thrilling experience of my life so far.
