Hi everyone! I am very happy that I will be finally moving to Germany. I recently got 2 admits, thus the confusion.

1. University of Koblenz-Landau (Web and Data Science)
2. OVGU Magdeburg (Data and Knowledge Engineering)

Now both universities are offering similar courses and both are young universities formed after re-unification of Germany although OVGU Magdeburg has a better [CHE Ranking](https://ranking.zeit.de/che/en/rankingunion/show?&left_f1=693&left_f2=458&left_f3=459&left_f4=465&left_f5=34&left_f6=36&order=alpha&esb=1&ab=4&hstyp=1#&left_f1=693&left_f2=458&left_f3=459&left_f4=465&left_f5=34&left_f6=36&favs=400162&favs=400194&order=alpha&subfach=undefined) and Ratings.

[CHE comparison between Uni Koblenz(1stColumn) and Uni Magdeburg(2nd Column)](https://preview.redd.it/dagop96iyu681.png?width=1296&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ca95bb418be6da7390fd2d0b006364861f73dae)

Now since the curriculum is same for both the universities, I will have to decide based on other factors important to me.

* I definitely want a part time job to show money in my blocked account for 2nd year and get visa extension (Preferable if in IT Sector since I have relevant 2 year work experience).
* Although it’s a 99% chance that I will not face racism in Germany but still I want to keep that angle in mind, a place that will be a bit more accepting to a dark skinned Indian.
* I have started learning German but due to my current commitments(job, family), I’ll only be able to reach A1 proficiency by the time I am on a flight to Germany in April 2022. So a place with a bit more English opportunities would be better.
* Although most Germans don’t give much clout to University Name, still in case if any University has a bad name, I would like to avoid that.

I’m leaning a bit towards Koblenz given it’s close proximity with Bonn, Cologne and Frankfurt which means more opportunity according to me. Also I read that a lot of people visit Koblenz due to it’s beauty so more tourists generally mean more English speaking opportunities according to me. I also have relatives living in Darmstadt. (All in 120km radius with Koblenz), whereas in case of Magdeburg only Berlin is close and I honestly wouldn’t call 150 km close or reachable in daily life. But this just what I’ve learned from YouTube.

I am still waiting for other results and hopefully if I get in TU Dortmund (Data Science), all this debate will be over and I will join there, but with my Visa Appointment date coming close, I need to decide between the two only for now.

What would you have done if you were given the same choices?

10 comments

  1. My cousin studies in Koblenz, and she says she would never go there again. It seems unorganized and she cannot rake the courses she wants to at the time she wants.
    Jowever she does study sth completley different.

  2. I’m from Koblenz and although i can’t say anything about the University other that it is two minutes from my parent’s house, I would not move to Magdeburg or anywhere else in Eastern Germany as visible minority

  3. CHE rankings and ratings are absolutely pointless in Germany and only used as a marketing tool to lure clueless foreigners in.

    That said: Regarding the racism comment, Magdeburg is in the former GDR in East Germany, with a higher number of xenophobic incidents than in the West. I’ve never really been to Magdeburg – passing through at best with a short stopover – so can’t give you a personal account there. But having been to Koblenz several times, it’s a nice place with overall friendly atmosphere. In your place I would opt for Koblenz.

    Another point is that the dialect spoken in Magdeburg is fairly strong. While Koblenz does have a local dialect as well, it’s nowhere near as pronounced/dominant and would give you a clear advantage. Eastern dialects are commonly ridiculed in the rest of the country, I might add.

    And please don’t bother about Dortmund. The city is an ugly Moloch.

  4. Living in Magdeburg is fairly cheap compared to probably every other significant University town. And even though it seems remote, you‘re well connected to Berlin and Hanover. I‘d give it a shot, the uni is well equipped.

  5. I really liked my time at the university in Magdeburg. While I did not study Data Science, I had some classes at the IT department and they were really good. One thing is also that a lot of people are coming to the university from out of town, therefore you can stay in your uni bubble without trouble. And friends had all kind of student jobs, from call centers to working at the university and everything in between, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

  6. Based upon all the data you posted, Magdeburg is definitely the better university.

    You’ll also spend less money in Magdeburg, rents are relatively low and the housing market is on the relaxed side. Your chances of getting into student housing in Magdeburg are not bad at all. The low rents influence prices as well.

    [https://www.studentenwerk-magdeburg.de/wohnen/faq/](https://www.studentenwerk-magdeburg.de/wohnen/faq/)

    Magdeburg also gives you money for moving there.

    https://www.magdeburg.de/Start/Wissenschaft-Bildung/Studieren/Rund-ums-Studium/B%C3%BCrgerservice-f%C3%BCr-Studenten

    In regards to jobs, with a degree in IT you won’t lack offers in either city.

    >given it’s close proximity with Bonn, Cologne and Frankfurt which means more opportunity according to me.

    Unless you are working remotely, it won’t be feasible to study in Koblenz and work in Bonn, Cologne or Frankfurt. I just checked, the Semesterticket for Koblenz does not cover Bonn, Cologne or Frankfurt, so you’d be forced to pay for the ticket. Add in travelling times (45 min to Bonn, 1 h 45 min to Frankfurt a.M.) and working in these cities while you live in Koblenz becomes unattractive.

    [https://www.studierendenwerk-koblenz.de/de/services/semesterticket/semesterticket-koblenz](https://www.studierendenwerk-koblenz.de/de/services/semesterticket/semesterticket-koblenz)

    So the “proximity” to these cities should not be a factor. If you are working remotely, you might as well live in cheaper Magdeburg.

    I’ll give you the proximity to your relatives in Darmstadt, but please keep in mind that the area around Koblenz has lots of hills. So what looks like an hour of travelling time as the crow flies easily becomes a 2 hour trip simply bc train and bus cannot travel in a straight line.

  7. Studying in Koblenz for the same course. Almost done with my masters. Currently making my proposal for my master’s thesis. Study wise, most of the people around me are lazy af. Some of the ‘indians’ have been here for 4 years for a 2 year course since they take the studies far too lightly. But i think i will finish the course in time with a good grade(currently my grade is 1.9 with only 36 ects left before my master’s thesis). But since idk about Magdeburg can’t tell you which one to choose. Had admit from TU Dortmund too but didn’t go. Just make sure if you go to TU Dortmund, you have affinity for data science maths or you’ll struggle. Maths is pretty less in Koblenz uni.

    Also don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have relevant work experience, you will find part time technical job based on that. Know few people who have been data scientists but got Werkstudent much later than me who has no work experience. I just made projects. It seems German companies want employees who have passion for the field. Remember if you’re getting paid for it, then you don’t have that much passion for it. If you’re making projects for the field in your free time, that could count as passion.

    Also don’t count me as racist. I’m an Indian too. What I mean by the phrase ‘lazy indians’ is that majority do not focus on studies rather they want to be one with the environment by roaming around in the first six months and then waste time required for studies and projects. Once the cycle of bad grades start, they try to focus but then they want part time jobs too. Since they didn’t put in work for language and projects, finding Werkstudent gets hard too. So, most are bitter due to that for Koblenz. But it’s not the uni’s fault that most students are wasting time initially which is hard to buy back later. Seen many-many of these cases. On of the other hand when I see people from other asian/non-asian countries, they take the language part seriously and try to upskill themselves along with having ‘fun’. So, the next time some one tells you the uni is bad, ask them how many modules they have done in the time they are in Koblenz Uni, and if their answer says they are in Koblenz for more than 2 years, paint that source as credible at your own risk…

  9. I‘ll make a case for Koblenz:

    – Somewhat international, you won‘t stand out as a non-white person

    – Very central in Germany: If you want to see some of the country‘s major cities, they‘re all well-connected from there. Also plenty of nice tourist attractions close to the city.

    – Better economy: If you want to stay in Germany afterwards, Koblenz has plenty of companies nearby, whereras Magdeburg and surroundings barely have any larger companies.

    – Vibes: Koblenz has 20% students and therefore plenty of student lifestyle offers.

    Housing might be slightly more expensive in Koblenz, but both cities are fairly cheap.

  10. I live in Koblenz due to work. Tho not long enough to make a fair comparison but there are so many things i miss dearly in Magdeburg that i don’t have here. The public transport for one thing is just way better and cheaper in Magdeburg. I go to work by bus before home office was routine, almost every day was a disaster. Bus got canceled for no reason, delays, rude and somewhat racist bus drivers (not towards me), traffic jams during rush hours, you name it. And for that i had to pay 75 euros per month. I can’t say i had that often similar exp in Magdeburg or maybe i was just lucky for straight 5+ years.

    So far i have unfortunately failed to have any social connections outside of work, which currently feels even more impossible under the circumstances. I don’t see how it could get better in the near future. I had similar struggles in Magdeburg in the early years but eventually ended up with a few good local German friends thanks to which i also got my dream job here. We talk regularly and share stories almost on a daily basis which made my study and now work a lot easier. For that alone I’m grateful to Magdeburg.

    I am aware that my personal experience was the way it is possibly had a lot to do with the pandemic situation. So don’t take every word too seriously.

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