Preliminary considerations

At the latest when I started my master’s degree at the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt, it was clear to me: a semester abroad is compulsory this time, after I unfortunately did not use the opportunity in the bachelor’s degree.

My destination was Asia: a continent that I only knew from reports and the numerous, mostly positive, economic reports. This first impression should be confirmed in my semester abroad in Bangkok.

University search

Since my university does not have any partner universities in Thailand or Singapore, I started looking for a suitable university in Asia on the Internet. That’s when I came across the offer from MicroEDU. My first questions about the course of study, general conditions, such as the language test and the beginning of the semester, were answered immediately. You always had the feeling that you had a contact person who was available to answer any questions. You don’t have to pay anything for this service!

Application

In the end I decided on Bangkok and Mahidol University, which always scores very well in numerous rankings in Thailand and even Asia. If you tell people in Bangkok, sometimes all over Thailand, where you study, almost everyone will know Mahidol University. Alongside the Chualalankorn, it is the most famous university and one of the elite universities in Thailand. To apply you need a TOEFL language test and a current grade certificate. The application runs smoothly and you get an answer quite quickly.

Flight, visa, vaccinations

We recommend vaccinations against hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis and, in any case, rabies (there are a lot of street dogs running around in Bangkok). Depending on the health insurance company, you have to pay for the vaccinations yourself. Just look for the cheapest flight at skyscanner. . . I paid around 600 myself for a return flight. The visa can be applied for at the responsible Thai embassy (Berlin, Munich, Dresden). You will usually receive it within 24 hours. It costs 120 euros and is valid for one year (but you have to leave Thailand once every 90 days, e. g. to Cambodia, Singapore or Vietnam). This type of visa is called Non Immigrant “O”.

Studies and courses

There is a trimester system at MU, so my studies began in mid-September to around mid-December. As a rule, you take 3 courses, but you can also choose 2 or 4, depending on your goals abroad. The lecturers all speak good English and there is a very nice and always helpful contact person at the university(Chanistha). She is there for every concern and answers your inquiries within a few minutes (even at 10 p. m. ;)). Since most of the Thai students work, the lectures are always in the evening (6 pm-9pm) and on weekends from 9 am-12pm and 1. 30pm to 4. 30pm. The classes have a maximum of 30 students and are mostly made up of exchange students or Thais, that is completely different. There is a small cafeteria where Thai dishes are available for less than one euro. In general, Thailand is extremely cheap for Europeans. For example, I always took a taxi to the university (40 baht – about 1 euro). Another plus point: The Mahidol College of Management is practically in downtown Bangkok in a high-rise building. The Salaya main campus is far outside, so luck for all business students. Each course has 3 Thai credits, which corresponds to about 6 ECTS, if you want something to be recognized. You will receive the course descriptions by email from Chanistha upon request. In my opinion, the workload is a little higher than at German universities. Each grade includes homework, participation, group work, presentations AND an exam, and sometimes a midterm exam. On the other hand, the level is rather below that of German universities. Nevertheless, you could take a lot with you and the nice lecturers don’t want to give you bad grades either. If you try hard, you can take very good grades home with you.

Accommodation

Make sure you look for an apartment first on site. Everyone who did this from Germany had found rather modest living solutions. You just have to see the location, facilities, etc. on site. Sukhumvit is probably the liveliest area. Siam the shopping district. The college is in Phaya Thai. I lived in the urban district of Dindaeng with some other German exchange students who also studied at MU which stands for Mahidol University according to abbreviationfinder.

Accordingly, I can definitely recommend the apartment house “Casa Condo”. It is 10 minutes from the university, is quite close to Sukhumvit, has a pool, sauna, small fitness room and reception and cost around 350 euros with all the trimmings. In addition, the apartment was fully furnished. If you are interested, just go to the gate of the Casa Condo Asoke-Dindaeng and ask for “Narat”.

Leisure and excursion possibilities

Bangkok is one of the most fascinating and spectacular cities I have ever seen. I can only say that you have to experience Bangkok yourself. In addition, it is a central traffic junction in Southeast Asia, so that you can fly to Vietnam, Singapore or Hong Kong very cheaply. It’s not just the city, the whole of Thailand and all of the surrounding countries have an impressive culture, so I prefer to come to an end now, because I could go on and on about the country and people who are always nice and friendly: Go to Bangkok! It was a hell of a time!