University of Cologne - UZK (reviews)

Studying at the university of Cologne enables you to experience many things in many different places.
Being one of the oldest universities in the entire world there are many student paths to choose from – like education, psychology, various languages, and even archaeology.
The university of Cologne is a recommendable place to continue or start your studies. The possibilities are vast!

I spent a semester at the Universität zu Köln as an exchange student in the winter semester of 2015/2016. I was impressed by the very wide academic of the University of Cologne and by its high-quality, modern facilities. Not only are the courses very well organised, but the teaching staff is always ready to help you. I can’t but recommend this university.

The math program is comparably difficult in comparison to other subjects one can study in universities. And I wasn’t as passionate about the field as one probably should be. The classes took place at the worst time imaginable for students. Early at 8 o’clock. The lectures required quite a lot of perpetration in terms of learning the definitions towards being able to follow everything that was discussed in classes. The classes were followed by homework that usually took up a whole day if one wants to solve them by oneself. In parts, because they to some extent ask you stuff that wasn’t discussed in the previous lectures. The issue I see in that kind of task is that they require you to not just be present at the lectures but to google certain topics for hours. You can also ask professors a lot of questions and they tend to be nice and friendly about questions, the same is true for the tutors. The biggest shortcoming I see is that the lectures tend to cover too much information in too short a time and that the tasks eat up a lot of time too. If math is not your biggest passion in life do not study it my conclusion would be, because if you study it, you will need to spend a lot of time only with math and nothing else. If you are somebody who can read the Analysis 1 and 2 book from the library or loves to solve mathematical riddles for hours or days then go for it. If not then look for something else to study.

Hello!
My name is Álvaro and I studied one year of Erasmus at the University of Cologne.

Cologne is an open city, with a lot of nature and very comfortable to live in. The university also offers good accommodation for students who need it and at a ridiculous price.

My experience was limited to the subjects taught in English. The teaching method there is very modern. They usually have few hours of class per subject and these hours are focused on the dialogue between the teacher and the students on certain topics. Participation is fundamental and an integration in the university environment is sought, allowing students to expose topics and openly discuss opinions.

All the professors were charmingly supportive and always helped me with administrative problems. They even went so far as to adapt my subjects so that I could validate them within my study plan. In general, with a few exceptions, there are no exams and the subjects are very affordable. A normal student can easily pass without having to spend a lot of time studying.
In addition, the university has a magnificent dining room with good prices and quality, a paradise for students with special dietary needs (such as vegetarians).

Finally, the city of Cologne has probably the friendliest people in Germany. During the day it is a quiet and modern city. In the evenings students fill the main street and its hundreds of pubs.

Cologne also offers students free access to public transportation by subway, bus and even on all trains in the region along with their tuition fees. As a student I could not have felt more supported in all aspects, of course, a highly recommendable experience.

The University of Cologne offers really great chances to their students. All in all, It’s a great university with a great Programme. You can decide between many subjects for your major. The university offers a great network to its students too.

Overall the experience of the Universiy of Cologne is great – the city is friendly and fun, the competence among professors is high and there’s a good student community. In my subject which is sociology, it is the highest-ranked university in Germany according to Shanghai-Ranking. I really feel this in the quality of the classes. And, of course, this reputation is a big benefit when searching for jobs after completing the studies.

There is some advice I would like to give prospective students, especially if they like me are international students with no previous experience of the German university system or the German language:

– Book an appointment with the student service for help with your study planning in the beginning of your studies, the system is complex and more than once my plans have not worked out because I was unaware of certain rules.

– The system in which registration for courses and examinations take place is super complicated and – to be honest – really bad. Be sure to keep track of dates for registrations for examinations for your courses, if you miss it there’s no way to fix it after.

– The housing market in Cologne is tricky, be prepared for that. Make sure to sign up online for Studierendenwerk housing, first semester internationals are prioritized. But it’s more likely you’ll end up in a WG which is great for getting to know new people.

Other than that, just enjoy being in a place of high quality learning. And make use of the Mensa, for ca 3 € you get a really filling meal. Make sure to really experience the city of Cologne, it has great culture, the beautiful river and a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

I study Biology. There’s a lot of fun, especially if one loves experiments and practicals. But then the practicals, classes, and exercises are usually a lot and quite time-consuming. There’s also a lot of reading involved. The Slides for most courses are also quite bulky as well. So yeah studying requires hard work, time, and a little bit of luck.

I am currently in the second/last year of my MA program at the University of Cologne, my overall experience with the Professors and actual course content has been great. However, online courses are not for everyone; it can feel overwhelming, repetitive, and stressful. Nonetheless, I was provided with an ample amount of support from my professors, tutors, and classmates. Somehow we managed to build an online community made up of random strangers, turned classmates, turned support systems. I do believe that the international office could have done a bit more in terms of reaching out to students and making sure we were not lost-especially to those who spoke little to no German but given the magnitude of the pandemic and the number of students the university has I can imagine how difficult it must have been.