LEYLA from IRAN
My name is Leyla. I am 29 years old and I was born in Iran. Since 1999 I have been studying computer engineering (master studies) in Aachen. Currently I am finishing my final thesis. During my studies I have faced various difficulties, because many important issues, like exam regulations, have not been explained to me. Due to these circumstances I lost a big portion of time.
The high ratio of male to female students in the technical studies departments was a big surprise to me. Because there is a majority of male students it has been a problem for a female student like me to find some female friends/fellow females. Entering a masters program means starting relationship building from scratch. Without being a member of work groups or student organisations one has to manage the studies all on one’s own.
I would like to share an important experience with other international students who have plans to come to Germany: Germany is not at all a country with hostility against foreigners. The main reason why Germans are hesitant to get acquainted with international students is that they need a relatively long time to be open-minded to the 'new' or 'unknown'. In general I have seen no evidence to suggest, nor do I believe, that Germans would not like foreigners. You should just give them a bit more time to get used to the 'foreign' aspects and to build trust.