Administrative Preparation
Which administrative steps need to be taken before a semester abroad? The most important steps of an application are explained here:
1. Agreeing on the study program
All courses to be attended during the stay abroad must be approved by the International Affairs Delegate as described in the chapter on recognition issues. This is an important key point for your project! Of course, you have already been to a consultation with Martina von Imhoff.
Please note that we expect our outgoing exchange students to have a serious study plan, which should include at least 20 subject-related ECTS credits plus language courses or intercultural events per semester.
The motivation letter is the centerpiece of your application. Here you can describe why exactly you are the right person for the program. The academic project should be the focus. Of course, your personal motivation is also crucial.
Here, you can find informative links:
- The English Writing Center of TUM's Language Center provides information, a personal check and further links to motivation letters and CV's.
- Another interesting website is the Purdue Online Writing Lab of Purdue University, Indiana/USA.
In general, it is important that you always ask for a letter of recommendation in time, not last minute. You should contact the professor/lecturer/research assistant/teacher 6 to 8 weeks before the application deadline at the latest, earlier if possible.
First of all, you should find out beforehand how many letters of recommendation you need for your application(s) and whether they all have to be furnished by a professor or whether a letter of recommendation from a lecturer or research assistant are sufficient. For Erasmus+, you do not need a letter of recommendation from a professor!
If you are applying for several programs, bundle your request. The structure of a letter of recommendation is the same for almost all programs, only the respective templates may differ (e.g. as with TUMexchange, Fulbright, etc.). The professor or research assistant will certainly be grateful, i.e. more sympathetic, if you do not ask for letters of recommendation several times within a short period of time.
After you have selected the person you would like to write your letter of recommendation according to certain criteria (good grade in the lecture, personally known, etc.), it is best to contact them by email. Make it clear that you will of course still attend the professor's consultation hours. Of course, you should make it clear that you will come to the professor's/academic assistant's office hours to present your project in person if requested.
Give a precise but not too short outline of your project. You should include the following documents as attachments: a current, tabular CV, TUMonline transcript of records as a PDF and the form for letters of recommendation (if required by the program).
When you are at the beginning of your studies or also because of the size of our department, you may not yet know the professors personally. This is not an obstacle, proceed as described above and simply get to know the professors. Many fellow students feel the same way.
For applications to the USA or Canada in particular, the TOEFL and often also the GRE test is a prerequisite. Language tests and general knowledge tests are also often part of a complete application for other destinations.
Please find out whether you can submit the TOEFL or GRE after the application deadline. This is possible for some programs such as Fulbright or DAAD one-year scholarships (no guarantee). On the one hand, these tests require conscientious preparation, on the other hand, the fees are relatively high.
However, if you are thinking of applying for a place to study in the USA or Canada, the TOEFL is a must, and in some cases also the GRE! If taken seriously, these tests are very feasible. Many before you have already done it!
You should find out in good time about the different expectations of the ERASMUS+ program at TUM CIT Informatics and TUMExchange regarding the respective language certificates at the time of application.
Please print out your TUMonline transcript of records as a certificate or transcript of records. This is sufficient for all exchange programs of TUM, unless otherwise stated. All courses are listed in German and English.
For other exchange programs (e.g. Fulbright, Gostralia) or for self-organized stays abroad, you can have your Transcript of Records signed and stamped by Martina von Imhoff.
In TUMonline, you will find a list of all Informatics/Computer Science courses, including descriptions and ECTS credits, in German and English, if module descriptions are required.
Remember to also include transcripts of records from previous studies in your application, especially if you are studying in a TUM Master's degree and obtained your Bachelor's degree at another university