Through the University of Houston / Universität Leipzig Exchange, one student from UH is given the opportunity to attend the Universitat Leipzig (Germany) each fall semester.
The competition for the Leipzig
scholarship
is open to students from all disciplines but participants will need to
demonstrate a solid foundation in the
German language since
they will enroll in regular classes at the
University of Leipzig. We
require a minimum of two years of college German or equivalent and
prefer applicants who have successfully completed some advanced German
course work.
Prior to the beginning of the Fall
semester (which starts in mid-October), the scholarship recipient will
participate in a three-week
orientation course
for
international students organized by the Herder-Institut Leipzig.
The
course is free except for material costs (approximately 75.00 Euro).
This
course is offered from mid-September to early October at the Herder
Institut
Leipzig. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in
excursions
organized by the Herder-Institut.
At the Universität Leipzig, students can enroll
in German language, literature, and culture courses offered
specifically for international students but are also encouraged to
enroll in regular university courses in their major or other area of
interest.
While attending the Universität Leipzig, students will also be
enrolled at the University of Houston and will pay UH tuition for the
fall semester. Prior to their departure, students need to work with
their advisor to complete a course equivalency form (available at the
Office of International Studies and Programs) to ensure that their
Leipzig coursework transfers to UH. Students will have to arrange for
health insurance coverage while abroad and provide proof of coverage in
order to be accepted by the Universität Leipzig.
While in Leipzig, students can reside in university
dormitories or seek housing on their own. The recipient of the
Houston-Leipzig exchange scholarship will receive a monthly stipend
(through the DAAD "German Academic Exchange
Program") of approximately 450.00 Euro. This
scholarship covers rent and basic living costs (including meals in the
cafeteria and public
transportation). Tuition at the Universität
Leipzig is free but students will have to pay semester fees
(approximately 70.00 Euro). To cover travel expenses, we strongly
recommend that students apply
for additional financial aid through the "International
Education Fee
Scholarship for Study Abroad" program. Check the OSIP website for
more information.
FOR DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT:
Here some first-hand accounts
of students who have studied
in Leipzig:
| Cody Hanson (Fall 2006) |
| Jeremy Barnes (Fall 2005) |
| The
UH/Leipzig exchange program snuck up behind me and grabbed me before I
could think twice. My German Professor at the time, Frau Reitz,
had been trying to convince me to apply for what at the time seemed
like far fetched exchange program in some remote part of Germany that
I'd never heard of. “Leipzig? Where's that?” I
thought to myself. But I decided it was worth a shot, even if it
was a bit of paperwork. Like always, I finished everything at the
last minute (don't follow my example, es lohnt sich nicht) and I forgot
about the whole thing. So a couple months later [we are not that slow, couldn't have been more that two weeks, definitely in time to apply for the ISF scholarship - the search committee] one of my German Professors gives me a letter, and having forgot all about the whole exchange program, I was sure it was something bad. But, I was pretty sure I hadn't done so bad on the last test that I would get a letter about it, so I opened it without too much worry. Long story short, I started looking for a winter coat. Fast forward: You arrive in Leipzig after a 22 hour journey having missed 2 planes because Murphy's Law had to kick in eventually. But now you're here and the only thing you want to do is sleep. You booked a night in a hostel, now all you have to do is get there. No problem, hop on the train, go to the Hauptbahnhof. You arrive at the Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) and you realize you've never seen anything like it. It's a mix between a train station, a mall, with several restaurants and 2 supermarkets thrown in. It's then that you realize, you're not home anymore, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. The first weeks are a blur, but very important. I highly suggest you take part in the Orientierungskurs. This 3 week orientation before the semester actually starts is extremely helpful in several ways. First off, it only costs a 100 euros or so and is worth German credit. Second, you have a large amount of your university paperwork out of the way before the semester even starts. And the third and probably most important reason is that you MEET PEOPLE. People who are in the same situation as you. Making friends early makes sure that your first weeks are more bearable. You can go and get things done together, practice your German without any embarrassment, and generally avoid being too lonely. I personally made many, many good friends whom I look forward to seeing again in the future. Another resource all exchange students in Leipzig should look into, though it should be pretty unavoidable, is WILMA or WillkommensIniziative für in Leipzig Mitstudierende Ausländer, quite a mouthful, hence the abbreviation. This organization is there to give you both a crash course in German culture first hand, by organizing cheap trips throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, AND to organize the biggest international parties in Leipzig. This organization is run almost entirely by volunteer German students, so have no fear that the parties are just 5 people standing around in a room with punch and cookies. They rent out large places, fill it with people, music, and fun. And if parties aren't your thing, WILMA also organizes many cultural experiences, from a student theatre that gives plays to concerts. When the semester starts, you'll have already familiarized yourself with Leipzig and its University. The University is in a process of remodeling right now, so it's not in the most eye-pleasing state at the moment. By this time, your German should be improving ( if not, don't worry, there's still plenty of time) and you'll be interested in getting to know Leipzig a little deeper. If you travel around Europe a little, you'll begin to notice how Leipzig is a little different than other European cities. Leipzig is a cheap city! Living is cheap because of an overabundance of empty apartments, the availability of pre-furnished rooms due to students leaving them free for their own exchange programs, and several other factors. That means that getting a furnished room in a WG with 2-4 more students will only require a little patience, an interview with the current roommates, and a rent that shouldn't run more than 200 euros. If you prefer to do things the sure way, and have a place to live set up before you get there, you can apply for one of the Studentenwohnheim that are spread throughout Leipzig. But be forewarned, there are always problems the first couple of days and you may have to resort to staying in a hostel nonetheless. Food in Leipzig is also quite cheap. Aldi is the cheapest option, but quality is not the main selling point, so be aware of that. There are several markets throughout the year usually centered right in the middle of the city, often right in front of the University. These are great places to get lots of cheap, fresh fruit, meat, and vegetables and try lots of food that you can't get here in the states. There's not as large a selection of fast food places in Leipzig (not necessarily a bad thing), but there is the ever present and always welcome Döner. A Döner is like a super gyro, but on different bread, and its cheap! One euro is cheap enough to get you hooked. If you prefer to eat out at nice restaurants, there are any number of medium to higher scale restaurants to choose from; from Indian food to Sushi, from Spanish Tapa bars to German traditional. Then there's the beer to go with the food. I don't refer to beer in the traditional drunken frat-boy sense, but rather as part of the culture. It's cheap and it's locally brewed, which means it's better than anything you've ever had here. Once again, even non-beer drinkers will have to give it a chance. If you don't like the normal Pilz, try my personal favorite, the Leipziger Gose, brewed only in Leipzig!! If this small sample of what Leipzig had to offer me isn't enough to peak your interest, then keep in mind that this was just my personal experience. Yours can be what you make it out to be. Many people I knew were more interested in studying than I was, and they were able to gain a large amount of college credit, albeit through the European system. I also knew people who were able to travel more than me, though I did my share as well. It just depends on what you want to get out of your experience abroad. But no matter what you decide, you'll come back with a different outlook on life. Give it a try, you wont regret it!! -Jeremy Barnes 05/06 Leipzig Exchange Student |
| Phillip Terrell (Fall 2004- Spring 2005) |
| If
you are considering the Houston/Leipzig exchange program, hear this one
simple evaluation of my year there: going to Leipzig changed me as a
person to a great extent and made me focus on things in my life that I
hadn’t before held as priorities in it – and made me realize I want to
go back to Europe somehow more than anything! It would be
appropriate I suppose to start at the very beginning and tell about me
before going into the details of the program. My academic career
at UH started out in Biochemistry, and placement test scores in German
led me to add it as a second major altogether. Classes were fun,
and I had always succeeded in German in high school. But I still
felt frustrated with my overall abilities, trapped by my limits of
expression (which manifested itself in many misunderstandings in
classes or my not saying anything at all sometimes). Going abroad
had always seemed a possibility, but one never wholly (financially)
feasible. The Leipzig program was attractive, and I first really
became interested upon attending the 2003 CLASS awards ceremony and
seeing all the benefits the exchange and scholarship offered:
round-trip airfare for the semester, a DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer
Austauschdienst) stipend for the duration and an opportunity to study
in an historic gem of a city at its nearly 600-year-old
university. So I applied for the program in January 2004, and after the entire process was completed was thrilled to know I had been chosen to represent UH at Leipzig for the Fall 2004 semester. My knowledge of the city was limited – I knew only that Bach had worked there, as well as Mendelssohn, Mahler and Schumann, and that Wagner had actually been born there. I also knew that it lay in the former East Germany and had a cursory understanding of its role during the 1989 “Peaceful Revolution” that led to the “end” of the DDR as the world knew it (how the Berlin Wall itself was quite suddenly opened up for travel between the East and West is a great story on its own). Arriving in mid-September for the orientation program for incoming international students, my impressions of the city were immediately of its bristling energy that seemed to fill every aspect, from the public transportation to those moving through downtown and the many events filling the social and cultural scenes’ schedules nightly. It was also quite comfortably cool, becoming eventually cold and staying that way for some time. These things called “seasons” were a welcome surprise! The orientation program began in the oldest building of the university, at the corner of Goethestraße and Ritterstraße, a space that impressed me beyond description. Statues of Lebniz and Goethe flanked the entrance to a room bedecked with gold accents, and huge windows with a grand piano at the front. The opening ceremony began with a student’s (at the Mendelssohn Hochschule für Musik und Theater) rendition of one of Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte and concluded with the directors remarks, among them that the program would be valuable for the special friends we would make and undoubtedly keep for the duration of our stay. Thinking back to that sentiment, it could not have been any more keenly accurate. The orientation program introduced me to people I would eventually live with and be with for my entire time in Leipzig, and it also brought me into the body of students known as the “Erasmus” group (Europeans exchange under the auspices of the ERASMUS program, and we Americans were just by default among them). Be careful, however, not to remain with this group unceasingly: your German will not improve (as I saw with many who clang to its safety). One of the most important things I can emphasize in regards to success in this program would be the amount of input and effort from its participant. If one expects to better his/her abilities and learn more about the culture they are in, they must integrate into it and be bold, putting oneself in the position to be with native speakers in a practical environment. Many exchange students tended to remain with fellow native speakers and for it their German saw almost no improvement. Some enjoy being “exotic” and the appeal it may carry, but it is equally appealing to be somewhere and complemented for ones proper use and skill with the language. Being found out as a foreigner is unavoidable, but I always strived to “not” be found out, which forced me to better my German all the time. Orientation program material was centered on teaching the cultural history and importance of Leipzig, introducing participants to the city and the university and all both had to offer, as well as preparing us for the German university experience itself. One is much more independent and free to study whatever may appeal to them, and costs (at the time – policy has changed in Germany effective Winter 2004) were minimal – a simple 60-Euro contribution once a semester. The program offers of course all the opportunities one would expect from a study abroad in Germany. Cheap trips to various cities in Germany are best had by joining up with WILMA (Wilkommensinitiative für in Leipzig Mitstudierende Ausländer), which offers weekend excursions using group ticket rates. The railroad system is incredible, and usually cost-effective, but it can become expensive very quickly. Other options are carpooling (organized efficiently online) and various discount airlines (RyanAir, EasyJet, etc.) to reach destinations in the EU and beyond. The cost of living in Leipzig is minimal in comparison to almost any other city in Germany. New apartments in wonderful old buildings are coming up for rent all the time, and one can easily find a comfortable room for under 200 Euro per month (with all expenses paid), oftentimes furnished by a student wishing to leave their room during an absence for study abroad or an internship. Transportation is brilliantly organized, with students paying 54 Euro a semester for an all-inclusive ticket for streetcars and buses, and it may be in ones best interest to purchase a low-cost used bicycle. Infrastructure for bike riders is omnipresent; one sees almost as many bike riders as car drivers! Supermarkets are abundant, as are many bakeries, flower shops, optometrists, Asian takeout, and Döner joints. A Döner is beyond description, so the best way I can introduce one would be to imagine a gyro and then think about it being even bigger and better. Not wanting to forsake my cello for a year, I personally decided to audition for membership with the 50-year-old Akademisches Orchester, once a part of the university but now a freestanding organization. Renting a cello was an adventure on its own but introduced me to an incredible luthier who had quite a story to tell (from his cello-playing past at the Mendelssohn and Liszt schools). Having prepared the Popper Ungarische Rhapsodie, I was a nervous wreck at the audition, but the conductor (who had taught at the Eisler school in Berlin and now lived there as a freelance musician/conductor/musicologist) was very nice and eager to have another member in the strings. Our season opened in September with the Feierliche Immatrikulation (formal opening of the school year) for the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (another university in Leipzig) in the Gewandhaus. The home of the Gewandhausorchester, this building from the outside is totally DDR, but is an acoustic gem and incredibly beautiful filled with a sold-out audience. My concert season included works from Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Ponchielli, Mozart, Chopin, Bruch, Bizet, Mahler (Symphony No. 4!), Gershwin and Shostakovich (among many others, including a native Leipziger who had written a jazz triple concerto for the orchestra). We went on a concert tour to Spain in May, with the principal performance being in Zaragoza and the Bruch Violin Concerto with a Spanish student at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik. Coming home in August to finish my last year at UH, I missed the opportunity to travel to Oslo, Norway for the production of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. Christmastime is as beautiful as one might expect in Europe, and offers just as many according ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Glühwein is a great way to warm up (I may try to attempt it here this year if I can get the spices right!), and one discovers wonderful new ways to enjoy baguettes and waffles. Beware bringing home too much loot; it becomes heavy rather quickly. The time there also gives one the chance (perhaps by the distance from home and possible pressures there) to truly consider the importance of certain aspects of life, as well as the true significance of ones home culture and its perception in other cultures. What one may have been taught (either directly or passively) or believe to know about ones nation is tested and brought to valuable new lights. One begins to truly cherish diversity for its entire flavor, and see where improvements can be made at home and in land abroad (besides importing real vanilla extract and all-purpose flour – both lacking in German supermarkets). Life – and love – across the ocean is an enriching discovery that you will never forget. Be brave! |
| Phillip
Terrell's Leipzig Photo Journal: |
  LEFT: Me (was taken for a BASF newsletter) infront of Gewandhaus and the MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) Hochhaus, which used to be the university's and actually is said to resemble an open book, but became too expensive too quickly. RIGHT: In front of the Thomaskirche, where Bach was choirmaster and is buried today. Mendelssohn, who served as Gewandhausorchester director, was responsible for rediscovering much of Bach's work, essentially giving him fame posthumously.  Der Weihnachtsmarkt was replete with Glühwein, gebratene Mandeln, and Feuerzangebowlen, which I sadly never got to try out.  A mouth-water tub of Leipziger Lerchen, an incredible almond/marzipan-like (but *not* marzipan) cake that I'm going to try to learn to make eventually. SOOOO good.  Giant advent calendar downtown, with a symbol from most countries around the world in each.   LEFT: From a trip to Weimar in November, the original Thüringer Bratwurst in all its glory. RIGHT: Most people are familiar with this shot, but it's still great. Goethe's words atop beautiful DDR Plattenbau....   LEFT: Roommate Luca (Bologna, IT) and his friend (Laura, Florence) who visited for a weekend making noodles, which turned out so well! RIGHT: Back in Weimar, who wouldn't take this picture? [Goethe and Schiller in front of the opera house]  Leipzig has a couple of watering holes that people frequent in summer (and winter if you just want to see water again). FKK is everywhere, so be prepared for *everything*. This is a shot of the biggest lake, the Cospudener See. |
| Erick Petersen (Fall 2001- Spring 2002) |
| "I applied for the Semester in Leipzig program almost
on a whim, mostly
because I had always been interested in studying abroad in general and
in Germany particularly. Needless to say, I'm glad I did- below
are some of the reasons why and some of the experiences I've had along
the way. For the first, toughest part of my semester, when my German was barely passable (directions to the local supermarket sounded like a garble of particles and prepositions- I nodded dumbly and found my way, I think, to some museum) and I was adjusting to Life Not In America, there was the lifesaving Language and Orientation course at the Herder Institut. For three weeks before college courses began, I was with about 90 international students. Almost like a family, we learned the ropes of living in Leipzig, studied (the night life) dilligently, and prepared for living and going to school here. Many of the friends I made during that time I still see today. Through the institut we toured Weimar (Goethe's residence, Buchenwald) and those who didn't sleep in toured Dresden. My Italian friends introduced me both to Italian coffee and the reason why they won't drink it from anywhere else. With Spanish students I ate a typical Spanish dinner (that is, started at 9pm) and we watched BBC just as the war was breaking out. I danced in one of the largest student clubs in Europe, conveniently right outside the University. I can say 'princess' in Polish now. Well, you get my drift- the experience is broader than simply Germany. And Germany is broad enough. I saw the world famous Christmas Market in Nuremburg with a German friend of mine, and we spend most of the day avoiding it. There we toured medieval dungeons (unpleasant in any language) and climbed the cobblestone streets up the rising city to the castle. It was sunset by then and from the ramparts the city looked dunked in golden light- so exotic it could have been Damascus. In Munich we walked through the English Gardens even though it was overcast, drank the famous beer in the famous Hoffbräuhaus out of the famous one-liter 'Mass' and watched someone surfing in the river rapids beneath a bridge. We went through the art building that Hitler had built to store the artworks of the conquered world. We drank honey wine and bought dried papayas in the Viktuellenmarkt. Dresden was plenty of museums, but beautful enough to be an attraction itself. For $100 US I bought tickets too and from Prague, where I stayed with English speaking friends at the home of an ambassador. Right across the street from the embassy residence was the Iraqi residence and, perhaps as ominous and covered with more flags, the main office of McDonalds in Europe. We listened to jazzmen on the Charles Bridge with its 30 statues, heard a classical conzert in a 300 year old church. After a weekend in Amsterdam, where I stayed with an eccentric, ravingly anti-semitic old Dutch woman married to a very quiet Jewish man (and where this was one of the sanest things around), my English friend asked me what three words I would use to describe Amsterdam. I chose 'Is this real?'. And of course Leipzig is amazing as well, where I study at the same Uni as Goethe and Leibniz, see the world famous Thomanerchor, for $1 US in the church where Bach worked as is buried. The benefits of such a program speak for themselves. I would add at the end that Leipzig has an incredible student life about it and is historically, socially and culturally important, great for everyday living, and situated excellently for travel in and out of Germany. As for studying, well, there is that too- as a lit student I learned of an entire world of authors not readily available in English. I would wish the experience on anyone. But, I've said too much, and there is snow on the ground, and the market waits with enough Glühwein to kill a herd of alcoholic elephants and enough cakes, cookies, 1/2 meter sausages, smoked meats and marzipan potatoes to feed an army of, well, me, so I'm off." |
| Jay Hrivnatz (Fall 1996) |
| "Mein
Leipzig
lob ich mir", Goethe once said while describing the years he spent in
Leipzig. I could not sum up my experience in Leipzig more succinctly.
She is a city that leaves her visitors in complete adoration of her.
Leipzig is a cultural capital of Europe where numerous historical
figures such as Bach, Humbolt, Leibnitz and Goethe have cultivated
their trade. Countless other visitors including myself have left this
city both inspired and informed. I consider myself very fortunate to have studies a semester at the University of Leipzig (September 1996 through January 1997). This time abroad was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I benefited from my semester in Leipzig culturally and intellectually. But most of all I benefited from a semester abroad in my abilityy to speak German. During the three week summer course at the Herder-Institut Leipzig, I was immmersed with other students of German from around the world. In this situation, German became a lingua franca and was spoken constantly since not everyone had as good a grasp on English as they did German. Also at this time I became acquainted with German students at the University of Leipzig. I was able to arrange living accommodations with them for the following semester, at first in a Studentenwohngemeinschaft, then, for the remainder of the semester, in a small house two Germans, another American student from the summer program and I rented in the outskirts of town. The opportunity to live with Germans and speak German in every context from grocery shopping to exchanging views around the kitchen table was crucial to my spoken ability of German. During my actual time in class I was exposed to several new ideas and, of course, the vocabulary that goes with it. I had the opportunity to enroll in a diverse spectrum of courses which pertained to my interests. The courses for foreign students of German were most beneficial. These included phonetics, syntax and grammar. It greatly helped my confiidence in speaking German to takecourses with other foreign studetns and to learn that the problems I had in learning German were common and correctable. I attribute my being awarded "Excellence Award in Stylistics" upon my return to the University of Houston to such courses. In addition to the German for foreign students courses I was able to take classes in English linguistics and an introduction to Czech course. My listening skills and lexicon were greatly improved by enrolling in classes that stimulated my inerest. The Herder-Institut and The University of Leipzig were incredibly helpful in making every foreign student's stay as enriching as possible. They arranged tours to Dresden and Weimar and events such as concerts and theater productions for us to take part in. They facilitated interaction with foreign and domestic students alike. I have maintained the friendships I made in Leipzig and have even had my former roommates visit me in Houston. I encourage any student of German to strive to study a semester abroad, most particularly in Leipzig. It is an enchaning city with a wonderful universitgy that will leave you forever enriched. |
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