JOIN USYoungsters from various backgrounds flocked to the Indo-German Urban Mela to be a part of the ‘Youth University’ activity at Palace Grounds recently.
As part of the programme, a series of lectures and talks was held by S Sadagopan, the director of the Indian Institute for Information Technology in Bangalore; Gabriele Diewald, the vice president of the University of Hanover in Germany; Timothy Gonsalves, the director of Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi and Subroto Bagchi, the chairman of MindTree.
The programme drew not only a huge crowd of students, but several interested professionals as well. People walked into the activity with a lot of curiosity, hoping to tap into the opportunities that Germany has to offer. Youngsters from various areas like science, management and business gathered to familiarise themselves with and get an insight into the educational institutions in Germany.
The speakers focussed on providing crucial information about German universities, like how to get admission, learn about the course syllabus, listen to experiences from entrepreneurs and German research. The audience appeared to have a mixed response to the experience.
Kamran Shahid, an employee of Mercedes Benz India who plans to pursue a master degree specialising in the automotive sector, says, “The talks didn’t really help me. Most of the speakers were from the IT sector and I could not relate to it. In fact, I knew most of the information because everything is available on various websites.”
Contradicting Kamran, another working professional found the talks very informative and inspiring. “I have already written entrance exams and applied for a master in the mechanical field. I hope to hear from them soon,” explains Nivin Murli.
For many students who are planning to study abroad, it was the perfect place that provided a lot of information.
Sridhar Kulkarni, a student, says he wants to go to Germany because it is a hub for the auto sector.
“This activity was very helpful. I was confused about how to go about it and this session has given me more than enough information about not just the course that I’m interested in, but also the culture and environment of Germany,” admits Tanya Tiwari, a second-year student of M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology.
George Mathew has just finished his degree and plans to go to Germany for not just studies, but also for its culture. “I want to learn all about breweries and beer. I have already done a two-month course in bartending and hope to learn more on those lines,” he exclaims.