Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Fall Semester 2017

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1 Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Fall Semester 2017 Frankfurt A versatile city with a lot to offer! Frankfurt is a lovely and vibrant business city by the Main river in the state of Hessen in south-western Germany. It combines historical architecture and traditional German culture with modern skyscrapers and a busy big city -feeling. Frankfurt is, with its citizens, a proper city, but small enough for you to reach different places quickly by train, bus or even bicycle. During the day Frankfurt becomes a Million City, with around commuters, who travel to the city every day for work. Frankfurt has a few bigger higher education institutions. The biggest public university is Goethe Universität, which has a beautiful big campus (Campus Westend) near the new campus of Frankfurt School (A great place to go for a cheap lunch or to study if you need a change of environment!). Another big university is the University of Applied sciences, also located quite near FS. Many parties (also Erasmus Events) take place either at the University of Applied sciences, or Goethe Uni. Frankfurt School of Finance and Management was previously located in the area of Ostend, next to the European Central Bank. At the end of 2017 all operations and lectures were moved to the new campus, located in the north of the city, in the area of Nordend. Nordend is a lovely and calm area, with a lot of students and families. Some parts of Nordend, and the areas around it are even quite expensive, but for a student it is quite easy to find accommodation through the university even near the uni. Accomodation Talking about accommodation, Frankfurt School has boarding houses in two areas. A few houses are located right next to the school, at Adickesallee. These are great, since you literally have to walk twenty meters and from your home to the campus. I lived in House A at Adickesallee, and was very happy with my choice. The rooms are quite small, but very cosy and recently renovated. You have your own small room with a bathroom, and you normally share the kitchen with around 7 other people. If you move to a student dorm, be aware of possible parties and noise, any time, any day of the week. If you are looking for a more quiet room, I would recommend you to move to the Offenbach dorms (if they still are in use, apparently the contract for this boarding house is ending in 2018), or at least avoid House A. For a social person, who doesn t mind a bit of noise, the Frankfurt Dorms are great. Of course every flat is different and some may be very quiet. In my opinion, if you want to get to know new people and socialize, living in a student dorm is a great option! Remember to apply for accommodation in good time when you find out you have been accepted to Frankfurt School! Studying in Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Frankfurt School is a great school (one of the best business schools in Germany), with different study possibilities and good quality of teaching. Especially for students who major in

2 Finance or in Management, it is a great option. If you are more interested in marketing, it might be more difficult to find applicable courses in FS. I especially recommend the course Logics and Lessons of Leadership, if you are interested in more theoretical approaches. The new campus is shining new and offers great study areas for students, a silent library or group rooms around the building. There is also a Mensa - a lunch canteen, and a café that offers small snacks and drinks. For 5-6 (40-50SEK) you get a proper lunch, and the selection differs from day to day. The professors are in general very competent. A good quality of teaching is or course one characteristic of a private school, since the students there pay to get quality education (for Erasmus students studying is free). FS also has great connections to companies. Every week you see men and women in suits, taking part in business events in the campus lobby area. In the 2017 Career Day you could mingle with the representatives of companies such as Volvo, Adidas, Allianz, BMW Group, Commerzbank, Goldman Sachs and many more. Having Frankfurt School in your CV is a great advantage, especially if you are looking for jobs in Germany, or Frankfurt. Learning German & life in Germany If you wish to start learning German, or wish to improve existing skills, I recommend you to apply for a language course in FS. It is free, and levels range from A1.1 to C1.2. You also get credits for these courses (6ECT). The experiences I have heard about these courses vary, but the German courses are a great place to learn at least the basics of German! I took German B2.2 and I was very happy with it! You get an opportunity to speak German and also learn valuable lessons about German culture and customs! If you are looking for more challenge, getting paid lessons in a language school outside FS is also an option. If you are at B2 or even C1 -level in German, you are able to choose courses held completely in German at FS. For this you have to provide a proof of your language level (I asked for example for a certificate from the German department at SU, since I had studied German there before my echange. Thus, if you are a global Management student with German as your language, getting a language certificate should not be a problem). Speaking of the language, even though Frankfurt is a very international city, knowing at least some German becomes very handy in many situations. In daily life German is often preferred, since many Germans are not as comfortable speaking English. If they see you are making an effort to speak German, they are usually very impressed and happy. Thus, in daily errands German is not a must, but when dealing with officials, you sometimes need someone with German knowledge to help you if you don t yourself speak German. Going to for example to Bürgeramt (an office where you register your stay in Germany) or to Ausländerbehörde (office for citizens from outside of EU) without any German knowledge can cause some stress. However, usually the situation clears out eventually in any case. Just be prepared for occasional upset looks, if you ask Do you speak English?, and remember is not your fault, Germans just very much enjoy their own language One other thing good to know about Germany is that in this land, cash is king. EVERYTIME you go out, prepare yourself with enough cash! Many restaurants and bars do not accept

3 cards (especially if it is not a German card), or sometimes there is a minimum amount of purchase for you to be able to pay with a card (for example 10 euros). In grocery stores and clothing stores there should no problems with card payments should occur. But cash is always a safe choice! Germans just love cash. The costs of living in Germany in general are relatively low. Frankfurt is not the cheapest city of Germany, but food and beverages are cheaper than for example in Stockholm. Living (rent) is maybe not as expensive as in Stockholm, but also not the cheapest. A 12sq student room in the FS dorms costs euros per month. In general prices for student accommodation vary from euros per month depending on size and location. Student life in Frankfurt You can have a very active student life in Frankfurt, but you have to see some effort. As said, by living in the dorms, you have more opportunities to socialize, and take part in parties and different events. During my exchange semester, all exchange students created a WhatsApp - group, where different plans and even study tips were shared. There you could easily look for company to go to the movies or for a dinner, or share your idea about having a party in the weekend. If you start as an exchange student in FS, and don t yet have this kind of group, I recommend you to do one! In FS you might easily find yourself spending most of your time with other exchange students. This is common since all exchange students are in the same situation a new country, new friends. Most of the time other exchange students are also the best companions to get the most out of your exchange, since many of them are interested in travelling, exploring the city or socializing otherwise. If you wish to connect with more locals, and for example practice your German with some German students, take initiative and go talk to different people! Germans may seem a bit held back at first, but are very kind and open to meet new people! If you want to take part in bigger Erasmus -events and parties, you have to be active in looking for them (maybe find a Facebook -group for Erasmus -students in Frankfurt). FS has some events it provides for students and for new international students, but these are limited only to a few during the first couple of weeks. Be active yourself, if you wish to participate more! FS also has many student initiatives, where I believe every student will find something of their own interest, whether it d be sports, art or finance. Tips for your exchange Travel, enjoy, stay curious! One tip that will really able you to get everything out of your experience (actually no matter the destination of your exchange), is to travel. Frankfurt is a big city located in central Europe, with great connections to the neighbouring countries. EU4You organizes some great day trips to the countries nearby. For 50 euros you can get to Amsterdam, Brussels, Neuschwanstein castle, Strasbourg or Zürich. Great with these trips is that you don t have to spend time planning yourself so much, because the trips include a guided tour to the most important attractions in the destination. You will be informed about the EU4You trips by your school, and you can register for them at the FS campus. In addition to this, if you wish to do a trip just on your own terms, rent a car with friends, or look for cheap flights!

4 If you don t have time to go far, but wish to for example explore cities nearby, with the RMV ticket you can travel in all of the state of Hessen for free! My own recommendation is to take the train to Marburg, a beautiful small student town one hour north of Frankfurt. Wiesbaden, the capital of Hessen, is also beautiful city worth a visit! Check also Flixbus for cheap trips around Germany and other European countries! With Flixbus, be prepared to have delays. In Germany a Stau (=traffic jam) is a very common phenomenon If you are very interested in the business world of Frankfurt, I recommend you to organize tours for a bigger group to the European Central Bank, or the Stock Exchange. Around 30 people get a guided tour for free and get to see the buildings and learn about the daily operations of these institutions. Of course, both are still working institutions, so especially in ECB you will not be able to see the actual working spaces live. But in any case, it could be a nice experience to feel the atmosphere! You can apply for the tours on ECB s and the Stock Exchanges website. A view to the Main river. Frankfurt is often called Mainhattan, referring to its skyline, which is said to resemble New York s Manhattan. On the left behind the trees on the Museumsufer, you will find multiple museums to fill your cravings for culture! Frankfurt has in general many great cultural experiences to offer, from music to theatre and art. During warm days, sitting by the river and having a picnic or a drink with friends is great! The river runs through Frankfurt, and separates the northern and the southern parts of the city.

5 During the orientation week, this restaurant in the area of Sachsenhausen (South from river Main) will most likely become familiar to you.. If not, make sure to check it out with friends and order a glass (or a jug!) of Apfelwein and eat Handkäs mit Musik. The new, modern campus of FS! Classrooms are built in three floors around the open hallway, which goes through the building.

6 Looking for a quick getaway? Take the U3 towards Oberursel/Hohemark all the way to the terminus, and hike up a hill in the beautiful Taunus nature park to enjoy these views! Remember to prepare with a bottle of water, snacks and good shoes (!). Taunus is the second largest nature park in the state of Hessen. Looking for something to do on a Saturday? Take a stroll by the Schaumainkai and check out what the beautiful flea market has to offer! The street is closed completely just for the market, which is open from nine to two o clock in the afternoon. Every other Saturday you will find the flea market here at Mainufer, on the other Saturdays the flea market takes place at Lindleystraße, on the other side of the river.