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Sushil Sukhwani  | Answer  |Ask -

Study Abroad Expert - Answered on Sep 30, 2023

Sushil Sukhwani is the founding director of the overseas education consultant firm, Edwise International. He has 31 years of experience in counselling students who have opted to study abroad in various countries, including the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. He is part of the board of directors at the American International Recruitment Council and an honorary committee member of the Australian Alumni Association. Sukhwani is an MBA graduate from Bond University, Australia. ... more
Rakhi Question by Rakhi on Sep 28, 2023Hindi
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Career

Dear Sir My daughter is currently in 2nd year of BCA . She wants to pursue her Masters from Germany public university I need to ask two questions Requirement of any English language Test Cost of living in Germany as I had seen no tution fee or very nominal fees is of that course

Ans: Hello Rakhi,

First and foremost, thank you for contacting us. I am extremely excited to hear that your daughter intends to pursue her Master's from Germany after the completion of her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Application. As as answer to both your queries, consider the following:

1. Prerequisites for English Language Test: Considering your query pertaining to any English language test requirement, I would like to inform you that Master's degree courses are offered in English by the majority of German universities. To secure admission to these programs, students are required to prove their English language competency. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the English language tests that are commonly accepted. Remember that each university and program has its unique score criteria. The particular programs and universities of your daughter’s choosing may have varying prerequisites for language proficiency, and thus, I recommend that you visit each university’s official website and look into the admission criteria.

2. Living Expenses in Germany: With regards to your second question pertaining to the cost of living in Germany, I would like to tell you that although international students are offered either tuition-free or very low cost of education by a number of German universities, it’s crucial to take into account the living expenses. Based on your daughter's way of life and the city she lives in, the living costs can differ. Some estimated monthly expenditures, however, are mentioned as under:

Cost of meals: Your daughter can expect to pay between €150 to €300 as the monthly expenses for groceries and meals.

Cost of Textbooks and Study Resources: I recommend that your daughter would need to keep aside €30 - €50 each month for the same.

Housing Costs: On deciding to study abroad, I feel that accommodation costs can be one of the most expensive charges. Based on the city, the rent per month for a shared flat or student dormitory can cost roughly between €300 to €600 on average.

Travel Costs: The cost of public transport can differ from city to city. Your daughter may need to pay monthly charges ranging from €30 to €80 for the same.

Medical Insurance: To study in Germany, obtaining a medical insurance is a necessity. Although the cost can differ, the typical monthly charges for students ranges from €80 to €100.

Other Expenditures: Other expenditures that your daughter may need to spend for include purchasing personal belongings, recreational activities, and any other unexpected costs. For the same, I recommend that she keep aside an extra €50 to €100 per month.

Based on the student’s lifestyle and the city he/she resides in, the total cost of living in Germany per month can typically range from €600 - €1,200. Please remember that these are just estimated values, the actual costs however, may differ. To help alleviate the high costs of studying in Germany, I recommend that you daughter looks into the available scholarship possibilities or part-time employment prospects. Since the costs of living can greatly differ between different German cities, I suggest that your daughter conducts an extensive study on the costs of studying in the city of her choosing.

For more information, you can visit our website.
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Dr Dipankar

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Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
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Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

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