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Tuesday, 5 September 2017

Apply for 2017 German Fully Funded International Scholarships at UDE for BSc & MSc Degrees

Deadline: September 29, 2017.

University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is pleased to offer UDE-Scholarships to pursue Bachelor and Master degree program for winter 2017/2018 and summer 2018. International students are eligible to apply for this scholarship program.

The aim of the scholarship is to provide financial help to international students to study in Germany.

With over 43,000 students, the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is one of the ten largest in the Federal Republic. Their wide range of subjects ranges from the humanities, society and education sciences to economics, engineering, natural sciences, and medicine. Since its foundation in 2003, UDE has developed into a universally recognized research university.

Course Level: Scholarships are available to pursue Bachelor and Master degree program.

Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded to learn any of the courses offered by the university.

Scholarship Award: The UDE-Scholarship is part of the Deutschlandstipendium and awards excellent students studying at the University of Duisburg-Essen with 300 € per month for an entire academic year.

Number of Scholarships: In 2016/2017 we were happy to provide 334 scholarships.

Scholarship can be taken in Germany

Eligibility: The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for the scholarship:
  • ·         All students who are properly enrolled at the University of Duisburg-Essen and are within their regular course duration
  • ·         Everyone who intends to study at the University of Duisburg-Essen in the winter semester 2016/17 beginning in October (matriculation status will be checked at the beginning of the semester – matriculation at the time of application is not necessary)
  • ·         Unfortunately, PhD students or students of degree courses liable to fees (e.g. Educational Media) cannot apply for a UDE-scholarship in general.

Nationality: International students are eligible to apply for this scholarship program.

College Admission Requirement

Entrance Requirements: All students who are properly enrolled at the University of Duisburg-Essen and are within their regular course duration.

English Language Requirements: Applicants whose first language is not English are usually required to provide evidence of proficiency in English at the higher level required by the University.

How to Apply: The mode of application is online.

Which data is required?
  • ·         Personal data (name, address etc.)
  • ·         Information regarding other scholarships and BAföG
  • ·         Information regarding your (planned) course of studies and average grades, ECTS-points, and grade of graduation (e.g. Abitur)
  • ·         Curriculum vitae on your development (education, internships etc.) and, if applicable, on possible volunteer work (please note that you might have to enter contact information for a verification of your entries)
  • ·         Letter of motivation (2.000 characters maximum)
  • ·         Optional information on your personal background (Can be to your advantage in the selection process)
  • ·         Handing in any documents in paper form is not necessary unless we will ask you to provide documents later on during the selection process
  • https://www.uni-due.de/de/marketing/students.php
Application Deadline: The application period for the UDE-Scholarship in winter 2017/2018 and summer 2018 will start next week: From August 29th, 2017, until September 29th, 2017.
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Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Maximize Space in Your College Dorm Room

Save Space in Your Dorm Room

It’s a tough transition to move from your nice, comfy room at home to the tight quarters of a dorm room at college.
Not only are the rooms small, but freshmen are typically doubled, which means they have another person, a roommate, living with them in the same room. However, colleges are now accepting so many more students that if you don’t send in your acceptance letters by a specific deadline, you’re probably going to be tripled! Yes, that means you now have two roommates squeezed in with you instead of one.
Either way, whether you’ve got one roommate or two, you’re going to need to know the best ways to save space in your cramped college dorm room.

Space Saver #1

Under the bed storage is going to be your best bet when it comes to saving space. Before you even move in, check with the school to see if bed risers are allowed in rooms. If they’re not, ask if the beds can manually be elevated to the height of your preference. Normally, the bed can be raised up and down between two distinct heights.
Now that your bed is at your desired height, you should have oodles of space to put stackable tubs underneath. The clothes that don’t fit into your closet are going to have to be put into the tubs under the bed. Food, blankets, shoes, and laundry baskets will also all have a perfect little storage place under your bed.

Space Saver #2

Storing clothes in the teeny, tiny dorm room closets is always a major ordeal, especially for the students that overpack. Everyone has clothes that have to be hung up, so make sure you invest in space-saving hangers that have multiple rows. This allows you to hang pants, jeans, skirts, and scarves, all on one hanger. The more pieces of clothing that you can get onto one hanger, the better!
For girls with lots of small accessories, you can also buy jewelry organizers that can hang in your closet so that you have extra desk or dresser space.

Space Saver #3

Another good idea to consider is putting your toiletries (and makeup, for girls) in a small, desk-sized 3-drawer organizer. These are the perfect size to fit your deodorant, hair products, perfume/ cologne, makeup, and other necessities in an organized, compact space.
Then you can stack another 3 drawer organizer on top that is filled with pens, pencils, sharpies, note cards, post-its, and other office supplies. These little organizers are a great way to maximize the small amount of desk and counter space you’re going to have in your room.

Space Saver #4

If you’re planning on having a TV in your room, it’s really practical to get a tall, open TV stand. You can put the TV, DVD player, and iHome on top, along with DVDs and CDs. Below, you can place your microwave, refrigerator, toaster, and any other devices you may have brought with you. This is a great way to situate multiple products in one small area. And because these items will constitute most of your electric needs, having them all in one place will ensure that you don’t have extension cords running across your room in every direction.

Space Saver #5

The most important space-saving tip I can offer you is to communicate with your roommate before move in day! If you don’t talk about who is bringing what, then you could both end up bringing the same exact items. And dorm rooms are much too small for two mini fridges.
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Don’t Let Your Computer Eat Your Homework . . . Again!

“The dog ate my homework” has long been replaced by “my computer failed me” as the #1 excuse used by students who fail to have their coursework done on time. Of course, it’s more than just a lame excuse—it really does happen. Thus, many professors wisely display this disclaimer in or near their offices: “Lack of planning on your part will not constitute an emergency on my part.” Ouch. But we all know that even when technology does fail, there’s something we could have done to protect ourselves from losing all our valuable research, writing, design, or other project work. What can—and should—you do to be prepared?


1. Save, save, save, and save again!

First, make sure to manually save any document or file once you begin working on it. Name it in a way that makes sense to you, and place it in a file folder. (I’d recommend having a file folder for each class, per semester, at the very least. Perhaps you could save a shortcut to the current semester’s folder on your desktop.) Even if you have an auto-save function enabled, make sure to manually save your work regularly, especially after you’ve just input a lot of work into the project.

2. Back up your files!

This is definitely one of those times when you don’t want to be like most people: More than half of us fail to back up files regularly, and a surprising 32% of Americans back up their data only once per year, if that. When you’re investing hours in a huge project that will determine your grade for a semester-long class, you can’t afford to take risks. One way to back up your files is to use a thumb drive, also called a USB flash drive. These devices are available at discount prices, and they can attach conveniently to your keychain, lanyard, backpack, or other item that you tend to keep with you.
In addition, flash drives come in a wide variety of sizes, from 2GB to 64GB. As far as quality goes, one significant designation is speed; you should look for a device that has more than 3 Mb per second, in order to ensure that your drive has a lifespan of cycles long enough to save and delete many files.

3. Back up your files, again!

Saving your files in a second location is a good idea, but regularly backing up your entire computer is best. Because most of us are just plain forgetful, it’s best to sign up for a highly rated online backup service such as Crashplan and Mozy. If you’re Apple obsessed, then upgrade your iCloud backup to one of their larger fee based plans to ensure you have enough backup capacity. You can sign up for automatic backups that securely save your files online weekly, daily, or even more often than that. Some services will allow you to access all backed-up files from any mobile device.
In the world of technology, malfunctions are pretty much as constant as upgrades and new innovations. Plan for it, and you won’t have to grovel, hoping for mercy at the red-pen-wielding hands of your professors.
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3 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Study Habits

What is studying, anyway? Maybe you’d never actually ask that question out loud: After all, you’re not a freshman, anymore. But the further you burrow into higher education, the more painfully you may realize the inadequacies of your study skills.
While you don’t necessarily have to be sitting upright at a desk in a quiet room in order to study properly, there are definitely a few key characteristics of good studying.


Is your mind actively engaged?

Staring absently at your class notes or listening to recorded lectures while rehearsing the argument you had with your bestie last week will do you about as much good as sleeping on your text book. Maybe you can study where there’s background noise—or maybe you can’t. Maybe you can focus on class material while hanging out with a friend—or maybe you can’t. There’s really not a right-or-wrong posture or setting for effective studying to take place, but there is probably a situation that works best for you—and many that don’t.
You’re an individual, and you need to get to know your own propensities and limitations. Then, you need to be honest with yourself about your ideal study setting and make it happen.

Are you properly motivated?

The whole self-discipline thing is hard enough, when you’re motivated to achieve. But if you aren’t, the cards are stacked against you. Will an “A” in the class secure your place on the dean’s list? Will it help you qualify for a scholarship, grant, or other financial aid? Maybe that kind of over-arching motivation just isn’t enough. I once heard it said that “an adult is one who parents himself.” Part of parenting includes doling out punishments and rewards. If you don’t study well for the 2-hour block you’ve carved out, will you still let yourself go watch the basketball game tonight? If you really work hard, will you earn a latte after the game?
You need to find something that works for you, again combining self-awareness and self-discipline. If you’re not up to honing those two skills, then you’re lacking more than study skills— you’re miles from maturity.

Can you rehearse the material, blind?

Do you remember your first keyboarding or computer class, where you learned to type? Once you learned where all the keys were and which fingers to use for which keys, you probably had to take “blind typing tests.” The idea was that if you could type without looking at the keys, you had a mastery of your newly found skill. The same is true with any material. If you really know it, you should be able to rehearse it mentally, without prompts. You could make up flash cards or have a friend who’s in the same class (or has taken it before) ask you about general topics, but until you can go over the information in your head, you really haven’t quite studied enough.
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How to Graduate Ahead of the Game

Graduating college is going to be one of the most exciting times of your life because unlike high school, you made a choice to go to college, and it was your dedication and hard work that earned your degree. Too often, however, panic sets in immediately after graduation because students realize that they don’t have a plan. Many of these students hoped that the future would simply fall into place for them, but, unfortunately, without planning and hard work, this is rarely the case. Don’t fall victim to this sad situation.
Instead, follow these tips while you’re still in school to ensure that graduation is followed by you moving up in the world, not moving back into your parents’ basement.

Use career planning resources.

If your college is like most schools, then it probably offers some great career planning assistance. Often staffed at least in part by recent graduates, your school’s career planning resources can provide some extremely valuable services that are utilized by far too few students. These services are usually free and can help you with everything from practicing your interviewing skills and dressing professionally, to creating the perfect resume (which is arguably your best weapon for securing a job after graduation). Career services departments also often have access to job posting databases that are otherwise available only to users who maintain a paid subscription. It’s never too early to see what you can do to start planning for your future, so visit your career services center today to ask how they can help you prepare for the working world.

Get an internship.

Many college students apply for internships only because they are a necessary component of their department’s graduation requirements, but internships are an often overlooked resource. Many companies offer full time positions to their interns, provided the intern has performed adequately, so even if your major doesn’t require you to get an internship, consider doing so anyway. Even if you have already completed your internship and were not offered a job, you should still inquire after vacant positions, regardless of how long ago your internship ended. Employers often give priority to former interns because the individual is already familiarized with the workings of the company.
Finally, although some internships are, in fact, unpaid, you should not turn them down for this reason alone. Consider these unpaid internships an investment in your future. Not only will it reward you in the form of necessary job experience, but the boost it provides to your resume could also result in a huge increase in the salary you receive after graduation.

Attend job fairs.

If you think this tip seems like common sense, you’re right, but the sad fact is, very few students take the time to attend job fairs. They may intend to, but then more immediate concerns like homework or socialization take precedence, and job fairs are left forgotten. This is incredibly unfortunate, because attending job fairs is an extremely effective way to help secure a position for after graduation. It’s a very basic arrangement: Employers in need of new hires set up a stand at a job fair, and interested parties (usually college students) attend the fair to make connections with these employers and discuss the requirements of the job.
These employers would not be present at the fair if they weren’t in need of new employees, but many of these vacant positions are advertised exclusively at job fairs, meaning these opportunities are limited only to the fair’s attendees. Furthermore, these job fairs are rarely cheap, but, as a college student, the cost of your attendance is covered by your school. If you wait until after graduation to attend job fairs, you probably won’t have the luxury of attending for free.
Using career planning services, applying for internships, and attending job fairs are all great ways to ensure that your future is well planned for. It may not seem necessary to begin planning today, but the earlier you start, the less post-graduation anxiety you’ll experience. By taking advantage of these resources, you’ll be well ahead of the game by the time you graduate.
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