Tori's Ersti-Blog

Let me begin in order…

When I came to Germany two years ago, I first got to know the city of Dresden, then I visited Munich and Berlin. Clean streets, architecture reminiscent of my hometown, and numerous accessible cultural events welcomed me in Germany.

The joy of seeing signs in German fuelled my emotions. This is the same feeling when you see a celebrity in person: you've been reading about someone in books for many years, and now it's time to meet them face-to-face.

In my mind, Darmstadt as a city of science was strict and probably monochromatic, but I was wrong! The city is adorned with bright building facades, old but well-preserved walls of the TU, and green, spacious parks. And there are a wide range of offers for students, from quiet study spaces to lively nightlife options.

By the way, we have a separate article on the topic of nightlife in Darmstadt. Stop by and discover the places #studentsofTUdarmstadt recommend!

Enrolment at the sought-after university is imminent. The city provided great joy. What's missing?

Housing!

Around 40,000 students are among the approximately 160,000 inhabitants. Be aware that finding an apartment can be tedious, so you should take care of it in advance. My search for an apartment took me four months.

For four months, I was both disappointed and delighted with the apartments. The ratio of quality to price did not always meet my expectations. In Darmstadt, I looked at shared flats and one-room apartments. Most of the time, there was at least one significant drawback. Although I liked the apartment in terms of equipment and price category, I was not satisfied with the location.

For me, the focus was not on centrally located apartments but on apartments within the city limits of Darmstadt. Although Darmstadt offers affordable transport connections, I would prefer to utilize the time I spend on the road for studying or going for walks with friends.

My apartment search took a long time, and I discovered more tricks for myself with each new month. In addition to the apartment viewing:

• Print copies of identity documents
• Bring your enrolment
• Create a graphic with a short biography

If you are on your own but want to consult with your parents, ask the landlord if you can take photos of the apartment or room. The landlord is likely to welcome your request rather than deny it.

When I managed to find an apartment a few months before the start of lectures at the Studienkolleg of the TU Darmstadt that was cheap in terms of price, location, and equipment, I moved immediately. I still had a month and a half to get to know the city and discover places I would love to visit with future friends. In any case, I liked Darmstadt immediately: sunny July, green Herrngarten, and many TU students browsing through learning materials on the lawn. This motivated me so much at that moment that I wanted to start a new learning routine as soon as possible!

As a first-year student at TU Darmstadt, I know how important it is to discover the university from all angles and learn new things. When the central student advisory service at TU Darmstadt organised the “100 days of studying” event in January, I immediately decided to take part in order to better understand what kind of support I can receive from the university and what opportunities there are still for me to explore.

During “100 days of studying”, I was shown that doubts are a natural phenomenon of newly arrived students at the beginning and that like-minded people can support me at any time.

In the first two months of my degree programme, I asked myself whether I had made the right choice. I found the answers to all my questions together with Studierendenwerk Darmstadt, who not only helped me with my personal problems and conflicts, but also supported me with my studies.

In addition to the new information, all participants had the opportunity to take part in an interactive activity organised by betterTUgether and treat themselves to sugar-free, protein-rich snacks.

I pay a lot of attention to my health as part of my studies and thanks to the betterTUgether workshops, I have learnt how to prepare a nutritious and vegan diet.

Now I would like to look back four months and reminisce with you about how I developed our first draft with my irreplaceable project partner and now very close friend.

Working in a team always means disagreements and disagreements of ideas on both sides. Moreover, thanks to the mutual support within our group of two, the doubts faded away: now I am more than sure that I made the right decision by choosing architecture as my specialisation and that I can bring my design ideas and construction skills together!

I stayed at the university until late in the evening drawing the A1 format plans and making models. I looked after my wellbeing by preparing my food at home and taking it to university with the help of advice from betterTUgether.

Don't neglect your mental and physical health during your studies and the exam period! Visit the Studierendenwerk website and don't be afraid to seek support if you have any worries or doubts about your choice of study programme.

Our mindset is directly linked to our physical well-being. BetterTUgether will prove to you that staying active and eating a balanced diet is not difficult at all. Quite the opposite: it fits easily into your daily study routine and serves as a source of energy for the body!

My big tip: keep up to date with the latest university events and join in! Nothing adds more colour to your everyday study life than your own initiative.

Dear blog readers, I am delighted to welcome you to the new year 2024! Here we are after the first half of the winter semester 23/24. For me, it was the first winter break at TU Darmstadt since I graduated from Studienkolleg.

I decided to spend my first winter vacation at TU Darmstadt abroad and at the same time recreate the atmosphere of my childhood. My choice was undoubtedly the Czech Republic, namely Prague, where I went with a friend of mine.

After three months of studying architecture at the Technical University of Darmstadt, I saw the luxurious buildings, churches and cathedrals of Prague from a different perspective. How great it is to broaden your horizons and observe in real life what was shown on slides by lecturers during history lectures; to walk along Charles Bridge and understand the principle behind the statues on it.

For me, a change of scenery is part of relaxation and I try to spend each of my days off in a new place. You get distracted by new impressions and it helps you to relax. Now I'm ready to get back into the learning routine and face new challenges!

I always start with the most difficult and unpleasant tasks. Once I've completed the difficult tasks, the others are just a piece of cake. It keeps me motivated all day long!

I don't cook at times when I'm particularly stressed. Grocery shopping and the cooking themselves take up a lot of time. The Studierendenwerk Mensa takes care of these time-consuming activities for you! If you don't have much time and live near the Mensa, then I definitely recommend you pay them a visit to save time and eat well at a reasonable price.

The Mensa has a daily changing selection of dishes that are freshly prepared for you on site. Be sure to download the Mensa app from the stores. You can use the app to see which dishes are available that day and you can also keep an eye on your Athene card balance at all times.