International Student Mentoring Program
TUM Informatics welcomes over 200 exchange students and international degree students from all over the world each semester. To help students feel at home as soon as they arrive in Munich (in bavarian: MINGA), the mentoring program MINGA (Mentors for International & Guest Students from Abroad) matches international students with current TUM students, providing the chance to connect with a peer who can answer questions and offer assistance.
- A Win-Win situation - What is the program about?
Mentors will not only help international students with practical matters such as registering for courses but they can also show them the beautiful beer gardens in Munich, take them to a sports match, or accompany them on a scenic hike. A mentor’s function is not to serve as full-time support, but to ease the international student's transition to life at TUM and to provide advice and assistance during the semester if necessary. The advantages for mentors are obvious: You can extend your international network, polish up your foreign language skills and gain intercultural competences. A MINGA mentorship can be a good preparation for a later stay abroad.
- MINGA Event Program during semester
As part of the MINGA Program frequent events and excursions for mentees and mentors are organised. These include visiting an opera performance in the national theatre, guided tours of some of the many museum in Munich, such as the NS Documentation Centre, excursions to the Bavarian Alps or a trip to the famous Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg. Concrete information about the organised events will be communicated to the participants via the messenger Slack. After a successful application or registration the mentees and mentors will receive an invitation to the Slack group. If you have been matched successfully for the new semester but have not received an invitation to Slack until after the beginning of the semester, please contact us via minga-mentoring(at)in.tum.de.
- Any further questions?
More information about the MINGA Mentoring Program is available via our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
You can also reach us on Instagram! Visit our profile: https://www.instagram.com/mingamentoring/
MINGA Registration
The MINGA program will connect each mentor with a mentee via email before the new semester begins. We 'match' mentors and mentees usually in July/August and September for the coming winter semester and January and March for the following summer semester.
Students can apply until Sunday, September 22th, 2024, 23:59h (CET) for the winter semester 2024. The matching round for mentors and mentees will take place in the week thereafter, you will be notified by e-mail. The links for the registration are available now and can be found below.
Important: To join the program, you always apply for the upcoming semester the current call is about - applications from past semesters are not considered (this applies to both mentees and mentors)!
The MINGA mentoring program is a great opportunity for students who would like to volunteer to be mentors! Mentors will make international contacts and friends, practice their foreign language skills and gain valuable cross-cultural communication skills.
The subject area of Informatics as well as the university offer events with all important information for international students coming to TUM. The role of a mentor is to complement this offer by being one of the first contact persons here in Munich. Before the arrival, a mentor can already answer first questions and in Munich, a mentor can assist their mentee in university matters as well as spending their free time together. Being a mentor should not be seen as a full-time commitment but it should simply facilitate the mentee's arrival in a new country.
If you would like to become a mentor for up to three international students, please register using our Mentor Registration form.
Usually the mentoring starts via email contact before your arrival. In order for this mentoring to be successful, both, mentee and mentor, have to do their bits. Don't wait for your mentor to contact you. Take the initiative and write them with your questions about TUM and Munich.
Upon your arrival in Munich you can meet for a coffee and get to know each other in person. Your mentor will be interested in your country, your way of life, your university and your studies. You can meet to cook dishes from your hometown, exchange ideas and experiences, discover new styles of life or learn a new language.
When being in Munich invite them for a meeting or ask them to go hiking with you. There are several places to discover in and around Munich. You are very sportive and are looking for a football group to join? Perhaps your mentor just knows the right place to go. You love to sing? Take your mentor to one of the bars that offer a karaoke. Be creative!
To sign up with the MINGA Mentoring Program as a mentee, please use our Mentee Registration Form.
If you have any further questions, you can contact us via minga-mentoring(at)in.tum.de.
We are looking forward to having you at TUM!
The MINGA program relies on the active support of students in the Informatics department and we really appreciate your engagement. At the end of your mentorship, we can gladly provide you with a certificate of your engagement. Please fill out our MINGA confirmation form to receive a certificate. You can add information about up to six mentees which you have mentored as part of your engagement. If you have been a mentor for more than six students, please contact us directly via minga-mentoring(at)in.tum.de.