Universität Augsburg

If you prefer to live in Halls of Residence then try your hardest to get into UniViertel. Otherwise, i would suggest moving into a shared flat where you can live with other German students. Halls of Residence do not provide such a good opportunity for mixing with the native speakers, as they keep to themselves.

There is no international airport in Augsburg and the last trains leave Munich at about midnight so it is best to arrive early. Be sure to have all relevant documents as the local authorities will not give much leeway on that front. get a bank account as soon as possible.

Travel as much as you can but be sure to save money. People are friendly so fitting in should not be a problem. City has great activities and excellent public transport system.

When I arrived in Munich I had problems telling the taxi-driver where to take me. This did not last long though - the rest of the international students did not speak English and so German became our lingua franca. My studying linguistics also helped immensly in that I was able to see the similarities between German and English very quickly. By the end of the year I was able to read Die Welt without a dictionary. I found the Germans very helpful and patient in dealing with students who did not have a good understanding of German.

Buy yourself a good tourbook before you leave and a few rolls of film + camera. Make the most of it! Eat at the local bakeries and experience German clubs (the music is much better than in North America!!).