Practical information
From EESwiki
We try to make the information on this page as accurate as possible, but we recommend that you check for yourself before coming to Munich.
Contents |
Kreisverwaltungsreferat
- Also known as the KVR: this is the place where you will need to register your address, obtain your residency permit, and get your tax card (if planning on working).
- To find more specific information about these topics, click Kreisverwaltungsreferat.
- If you speak German, feel free to go to website for the City of Munich for further information, here
Bank Account
This is probably the easiest step in the bureaucratic process because all you need is your passport and you can chose almost any bank in Munich. Sometimes you may need an appointment, but you can just make it the first time you visit the bank. I recommend picking a bank that is close to your home for easy access. It is essential to have a bank account in Munich because you either have to pay with cash or by bank transfer for almost everything (housing, insurance, school etc). Click here for more info Bank Account.
Health Insurance
The easiest place to get insurance is at Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)[1]. Check here for some info in English link. The rest of the website is in German.
TK provides insurance to students for around 58 Euros per month. It costs 15 Euros to see any doctor and you can see another doctor within three months without paying the 15 Euro fee again (Plan all of your appointments so they are near each other). When going to the pharmacy you only have to pay 10 Euros regardless of the type of medication. One of the TK offices is located at the main Mensa (cafeteria) of the University. The address is: Leopoldstraße 13a, München. Click here link for map.
I just went directly to the office and the people there spoke English and were very helpful. You need to bring a Passport and Bank Account information. You can set up a monthly withdraw or pay the total for the whole year at once. When you finally enroll with the University you need to bring your proof of matriculation back to the TK office so that you are ensured the student price.
If you are older than 30 years old there are different rules for health insurance.
Check the University website for more information about Health Insurance. link
Housing
For information about housing in Munich, have a look at this information from the university
The "Studentenwerk" offers some housing for foreign students. You can sign up (until the 31st of July) here:
http://www.studentenwerk.mhn.de/wohnen/auslaendische_studierende/anmeldeformular/
There is no guarantee that you will get it, but it is worth a try.
If you would like to live at biking distance from the Biozentrum, you should ask to be placed in the Heiglhofstraße, Sauerbruchstraße or Stiftsbogen.
If you arrive before your room is available or you need a place to stay while you are looking for a room you can stay in the guest room at the Biozentrum (Biology Building). Please contact Pleuni Pennings for more information regarding the sign-up. In 2007 the cost was 21 Euros per night.
To have a look at more websites for searching for a room, click housing websites.
Enrollment
- Once you are accepted to the program, have found housing, and are in Munich, you will need to enroll at the university (LMU).
- For specific information on this in English, click on Enrollment. For information on this en Espanol, click spanish version.
Activities for international students
A group of active students, called "TutoRIA" work for the LMU international office to arranging events and excursions for international and German students. see: http://www.tutoria-lmu.de
Link to the international office of the LMU: http://www.en.uni-muenchen.de/institutions/admin/intaffairs/index.html
Volvox is the network of PhD students in Evolution, Ecology and Systematics. They organize social meeting, workshops and they invite researchers from elsewhere to give a talk in Munich. Master students are welcome at their activities. Have a look at their website.
Public transport in München: MVV
How to get a season ticket
visit the MVV website (available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Turkish and Japanese)
===Locations and Directions=== under construction
- KVR
- Banks: Stadtsparkasse
- Health Insurance: TK
- Housing: Studentenwerk
- LMU Campus locations: Biozentrum, International Office
- MVV
German Courses
- DKFA: I strongly recommend DKFA, it is through LMU. I took an intensive course with them for 3 months and could speak basic German afterwards DKFA site They also offer affordable during the term classes in the evenings, which is a nice option if you want to learn German during the semester. Matriculated students also get a 25% discount on DKFA courses.
DKFA 2009 see media:survivalGerman2009.pdf and media:Germancourses.pdf
- Goete Institute: Very good, but expensive and better suited to students who are staying in Germany to learn German. Most courses are intensive and housing is included in the pricing Goete site
- IUCM: The LMU international club has a special summer language course each year for the month of August IUCM site They also take the group on outings and other social activities are arranged. This is a nice way to get to know Munich and German if you are in the city before the semester start.
- DAF: If your German is already at a high level and you would like to take academic German than the LMU faculty of languages is the way to go DAF site
- DUO: This is an online option for learning German DUO site
- TIP: Regarding private institutions, these can be nice as they have more variable and flexible schedules and may offer smaller class size. However, the quality is extremely variable! Just be careful.
General
Have a look at this info package by the Studentenwerk.
http://www.wegweiser-muenchen.de/english/10.0.html
The Munich Summer University offers a German course and other activities
