Technische Univerisitaet Darmstadt is what in United States would be called
an institute of technology (ex. MIT). TUD is a very big school numbering almost
sixteen thousand students spanning most if not all engineering disciplines.
The most prestigeous major is architecture and you will quickly find out that
at TUD this is also the most popular one.
University life in Germany is very different than at UIUC. Most classes you
will be taking, will not have any homework assignments and you will have only
one exam. In germany you do not register for courses. Just show up for
lectures and sign up for the final exam. The grade you will receive will
singly determine the note you'll earn. Also know that it is common for exams
to be oral. You will have twenty to thirty minutes to show the profesor and
his assistant that you have mastered subject matter. Expect to be asked to
discuss and contrast implementations and techniques you have learned in class.
There won't be any multiple choice questions and either you'll seem like
you know what you are talking about, or you'll fail. Length of lectures will
suprise you at first. At TUD most lectures are two hours long without breaks.
All the classes I've taken were taught in german. Don't worry, all profesors
know english so you won't have problems asking for the exam to be administered
in english.
Over 16% of TUD students are from other countries, therefore
people are used to and willing to help foreign students. Don't be afraid to ask questions
and participate. If you arrive few weeks before the beginning of
school year, you will have the opportunity to participate in a two week long
integration program organized by IDEA. Everday for two weeks, you'll have
a two hour discussion section followed by numerous excursions, get togethers,
and weekend trips. It is very fun, you'll meet people from just about every
european country and some from further away. Most of the people you will
get to know while in Germany are likely to be other exchange students.TUD has many opportunities to participate in sports, from Judo to Soccer or learning to hike. At Audiomax you can get a booklet listing all activities offered.
Above all, get involved, don't be afraid, and go to your lectures.