We are students of the EMMIR program. This blog is meant to be a creative outlet for us during our studies, as well as a guide to future EMMIR students worried about navigating the next few years as an Erasmus Mundus student.
EMMIR is the European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations. It is the first African-European Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Migration Studies. The first cohort set out to study in September 2011; since 2013 the programme is fully accredited by the national agencies as part of the European pilot project JOQAR.
For more information about EMMIR, please check out the EMMIR website here.
We’re the few who get to travel around the world studying Migration and Intercultural Relations. With every semester in a different country, and plenty of options to chose from, every student gets an individual and personalized education experience. However, it’s a lot of responsibility to make these choices, and it’s especially scary to show up in Oldenburg, Germany for the first semester and not know very much about what the future holds. Fortunately, we all created strong bonds over the first few weeks of our program and have each other to rely on when the Intensive Phase month gets tough!
This blog is run by Gabriella Mikiewicz but all of us have contributed in one way or another. If you have any questions about EMMIR, please see if they’re answered below in our FAQ. If not, feel free to contact Gabriella at gabriella.mikiewicz@gmail.com or find any one of us on Facebook!
We represent 22 different countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, The Gambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Interested in applying to the EMMIR program? Here are some questions that we have received from interested prospective students:
Questions from prospective student, answers by Renata and Avantee, our class representatives:
- How is the structure of EMMIR? (For example September – January Oldenburg, March to July Norway…so how long are the phases in each country and therefore how much time is in between for moving and maybe working?) How many days per week do you attend classes?
– Renata: In September there is the Intensive Phase. Classes every day, during most of the day. A final group paper. Lots of reading. October – December – we have two modules: one in theory and one in methods. Plus, we have some guest lectures and some electives to choose from a group. There is also an elective trip to Berlin or the Czech Republic (if you don’t go, you have to do more electives in Oldenburg. I recommend going, I really enjoyed de Czech Rep one). MANY student presentations (most of the classes are just that), a response paper, a book review, and a group research project. Classes finished in mid-December in Oldenburg and restarted mid-January in Stavanger. Many of us went home in this period. Although we still have two papers due – so it wasn’t a month free, just we didn’t have classes. In Stavanger, we have two sets of classes. One that lasts through-out the semester with teachers from Stavanger. And another with teachers from Slovenia (partner uni). The Slovenia modules are 3 sets of intensive classes – for instance a module in Gender and Migration. Each module is 7-10 days of classes, every day. The Norwegian module (mostly about Migration in the Nordic countries) is twice a week for the 5 months – but we don’t have classes with them when there are Slovenian weeks. Altogether 4 papers and some response papers. In both Stavanger and Oldenburg, there are some weeks free with no classes at all for us to focus on papers.
– Avantee: Semesters 1-3 are about 4 months in duration i.e. you would be required to be physically present in each country for only 4 months. There is ample of time in between semesters to move about. To work in another city/country – you have a better shot to do this between Semester 2 and 3, and then during your thesis writing period i.e. Semester 4 (of course depending on what you have planned for your thesis). During the semesters, as Renata mentioned, you will have some time off (anywhere between 10 days in Oldenburg to about 20 days for Easter in Stavanger; for 3rd semester, it is different for each partner). This is good enough for you to take up shorter work assignments if you will. The first month in Oldenburg (the IP) is pretty packed, but thereafter you could also find time to work post lectures, say in the evening. I was working remotely for my organization back in Delhi throughout the 1st semester – if you plan your time well, this is possible and not necessarily stressful. In Stavanger, you can easily manage a job on the side during the semester. There is ample time. For the 3rd semester – it would be different for each partner but I can say the number of contact hours are very less through them all. So I’m guessing, even then, you should be able to find the time to work. Do note that for Semester 2, we choose 3 electives out of 6, so the ays where there are parallel/overlapping sessions you are either in one of those batches. - How does the selection process for the partner universities for Semester 3 work?
– Renata: For us, we each choose our host university from the 6 possible ones. Stavanger does not host for the 3rd Semester. No one applied for Ahfad (Sudan) this year because they ceased to offer internships next semester (it should return next year) and because of so, their module had a very awkward timing. We are all going to go to our chosen university. For us it wasn’t clear, so I tell you – not all the modules that they describe on the website are offered. They MIGHT be offered. Wits (South Africa) for instance will only run 1 of 3 modules (only the health one, not labour or human rights). This change of curriculum might change at any of the unis.
– Avantee: This is mostly down to us. In the IP at Oldenburg, each partner will give a presentation about Semester 3 in their respective universities. You would usually align your choice with your thesis research interests, and based on modules offered. WITS is the only university where module availability is subject to the number of WITS students opting for and staff availability. The WITS coordinator Jo would be able to give you an indication of what will be offered around February (when you are in Stavanger) so for those interested, it would be good to keep in touch with her. Apart from this, it is important to know that there is usually an 8 student limit for each partner university, i.e. they all have a normal capacity of taking in 8 students each. However, should there be any major deviations in this norm (e.g. 20 students interested to go to Slovenia), two things can happen. Either partner university will say they have the capacity to take 20 OR partner university will say they have the capacity to take lesser students, in which case some of you may be asked to reconsider and see if there is a second option you would like to opt for. You would have to communicate your decision to the UOL coordinator by March (when in Stavanger - Does the program support the students with finding apartments in the partner countries?
– Renata: No and Yes. It is the student responsibility to find accommodation. However, in Oldenburg and Stavanger we got to apply for the student housing. I still don’t know about the partner unis. In Oldenburg, just the students who applied very soon got the house (they are cheap and close to the uni. BUT you have to pay 6 months upfront – even if EMMIR students only live there for 4 months). In Stavanger, I believed that everyone who applied got an offer. But many of us chose to go to the private market and many of us (including me) live with other EMMIR friends.
– Avantee: It is as Renata said. Universities will facilitate your application for university accommodation. That’s the minimum. Usually the coordinators are very helpful and they also recommend good online portals to find accommodation in the private market. From our experience, apply for university accommodation at Oldenburg as soon as you accept your place on the programme (don’t wait till July – it’s all gone). In Stavanger, Mona ensured we all got an offer from the student dorms. Additionally, keep in touch with outgoing Cohorts (we’ll be there for you :)) who could give you leads. - How would you judge the chances on the job market after the program?
– Renata: To be honest, I don’t know. I like the idea of conducting a practice-based internship within the program, most programs do not have that. However, I feel that EMMIR lacks contact with the market. It is not a well-known program and we don’t have much contact with people working in the field (for instance, I suggested we have guest speakers that work in the area). So networking is weak. Despite that, many EMMIR graduates seem to be acting in the field. In December, there will be a conference in Oldenburg and many alumni will be present.
– Avantee: We attended Cohort 5’s graduation ceremony in September in Oldenburg (you will attend Cohort 6’s). On the day, I remember quite a few of them already had offers. Some who did not, found offers/PhDs soon after. So I would say your chances are pretty good. EMMIR is a superb opportunity in the sense that it gives you the chance to study and work in some pretty different contexts. Coming from India, I know it would be super difficult to get my foot in the door even for an internship in a refugee camp in Uganda – but this I have through EMMIR. Additionally, the alumni is a great resource you have access through and they can point you to good organizations, etc. It’s definitely a good bet in my opinion – of course depending on how much you are willing to give, perform and work on yourself. - Most importantly: Do you enjoy the program?
– Renata: That is very very very personal and I can only answer with my experience. I do enjoy it, but I am a little disappointed. I was expecting a more practical-oriented, up-to-date study on Migration and the current reality of migration. However, as this is a multi-disciplinary masters (with students and professors from all fields you can imagine) I have the sense we have a patchwork of information and knowledge in class that can be hard to add up. The good thing is that we have the freedom to research our interests in all the many papers we write, so we can shape the program the way we want. I also enjoy the contact with classmates from around the globe and to learn from their experiences. Last but not least, the opportunity to live in different countries is great and it is an excellent tool to think about migration in a first-hand perspective.
– Avantee: YES, TIME IS FLYING TOO FAST!
Gabriella got this message from a hopeful prospective EMMIR student on LinkedIn and tries to answer the questions to the best of her knowledge!
Hi Gabriella. I would like know about the master program European on Migration and Intercultural Relations – EMMIR? I’m starting to research the program, and I’m in love with it. So I’m looking for more information. I intend to apply for a scholarship in 2019. I would like to know how was your experience in the master’s degree, what are the disadvantages and advantages that the course has? Is it a difficult masters degree in relation to content or is it a lighter masters degree? Can you tell me if the scholarship is too hard to get? What is the general profile of the students who apply? How many scholarships are offered per year?
- How was your experience in the masters degree and what are the disadvantages and advantages that the course has?
I’m currently about to finish my second semester, so I can say that the first half of the program has been great so far. I think the main advantage of the course is that we’re such a diverse group, so I’ve made some really amazing friends from all over the world and really expanded my horizons. However, it’s a double-edged sword, and this diversity can also be seen as a disadvantage. There are often miscommunications and conflicting wishes and actions due to our cultures (in my opinion, of course). I think that if you want to work in an international field in the future, this program provides invaluable opportunity to get to know how to work with people from all over the world. Another advantage is the diversity of our education: we have professors and lecturers from Germany, Slovenia, Norway, and in the future I’ll be taught by people in Uganda and South Africa in my 2nd year. Because of this, you’re really taken out of your bubble and have an opportunity to learn so much more. My American background really narrowed my academic knowledge mostly to American and Western-European perspectives and I have the chance to hear so many different voices now. - Is it a difficult masters degree in relation to content, or is it a lighter masters degree?
This is my first masters degree so I can’t really compare it to anything. It’s a really personal question because we’re such a diverse group, we all have different backgrounds. For example, there were times when we had to read Foucault and I had no idea what the f**k he was saying while other students were able to understand and comment on it, while some other students have never even heard of Foucault! On top of that, we get to chose some of our electives and we are always having different professors and lecturers so there are always different expectations and standards. In conclusion: it’s not an easy masters. There’s a lot of readings, the expectation is that you’re a critical thinker and able to follow the lectures. However, if you’re willing to put in some work, you’ll definitely still have time to have fun, travel, be social, and learn about the world outside of the classroom too. - Can you tell me if the scholarship is too hard to get?
I did not apply for the scholarship because I applied too late, past the deadline. - What is the general profile of the students who apply?
Because our cohort is the biggest so far in EMMIR, and because of the multi-disciplinary background of the program, we have a really varied profile of applicants. Personally, I studied my undergraduate degree in Journalism with a minor in Arabic language, and had an internship at a refugee agency in Chicago before I applied. Some students have never worked with migrants before while some have had actual careers working with refugees and in integration centres around the world before applying. Some of us have experience with doing social scientific research (qualitative and/or quantitative), either in a research institution, for a bachelors thesis, or just from classes in a previous program. A few people even have a previous masters degree. Our ages vary from 21 to early-30s. - How many scholarships are offered per year?
It changes every year depending on how much the EMMIR program is offered by the EU for funding. I think it is anywhere between 10-20 depending on the year.
3rd Semester at Wits University, Johannesburg Q&A
When planning our third semester in Johannesburg, we asked Cohort 6 student Erika for some advice. Here’s what she had to say to us!
Hi Gabriella,
Below you’ll find some answers to your questions! Sorry for the long email, I warned you in advance! Don’t hesitate if you have any other questions, I’m happy to help 🙂
1. Where did you chose to live? I’ve looked at uni accommodation but it doesn’t seem very nice, or maybe it seems very strict or something. Would you recommend renting an apartment near campus instead?
4. If we do rent an apartment (because we figured that it’s best to live with people we know who we can go to uni and back with every day), which neighborhoods would you recommend?
I’ll answer these two questions together since they’re both about housing. I actually lived in three different places/neighbourhoods during my 4 months in Joburg, since it ended up being cheaper that way! I chose not to stay in uni residences, because the ones that were available over the summer were expensive. I did meet an international friend who stayed in a residence and she said it was basic, but nice, safe and easy to get to campus (there was a shuttle bus). The first month I stayed at an Airbnb house (an artists’ house) in Kensington. It’s generally a nice and safe neighbourhood, and I really enjoyed living in the house (the landlord and roommates were super nice). But it took me an hour by public transportation to get to Wits, using the Rea Vaya bus system, and I had to switch buses. The second month I stayed in Jo’s place actually, because she left on vacation to the UK and was looking for someone to keep her cat! She lives in Auckland Park, which I would highly recommend since it’s only a 10 minute mini-bus or Rea Vaya bus to campus. The last two months, I stayed at an ACMS student’s flat (I had the entire flat to myself), since she was looking for someone to sublet it. It was in Brixton and I would also recommend living there, but only the part that is close to Auckland Park, which is safe and also 10 min by mini-bus. I also had a few friends who lived in Braamfontein, which is the neighbourhood where Wits university is located. Although it is becoming quite a “hipster” neighbourhood, there are some parts that are safer than others, especially at night (during the day it’s fine).
Although I moved around a bit, I got to know different neighbourhoods which was nice! Nora, also from my cohort who came to Joburg for her internship, stayed at a house mostly for international students in Auckland Park. There were 4 rooms and the rent was between 4500R-5500R. It was a nice place, but from what I heard from Nora and other residents, the landlord (a white South African) is known to be quite racist. If you find no other place or are interested in the rooms anyways, Nora can put you in touch with her.
To sum up, here are the neighbourhoods I recommend: Auckland Park, Melville, northern part of Brixton, some parts of Braamfontein, Rosebank, Maboneng and Kensington (these last three are kind of far from Wits though by public transport).
Average price I paid for rent: 3600R (in Brixton) to 5400R (in Kensington), in South African rands.
Where to look for housing: I was told to look at Facebook groups ‘I love Melville‘ or ‘I love Westdene’ (Westdene is the neighbourhood close to Melville, though I think Melville is safer). However, I think finding a flat mostly works through contacts. I found it helpful that Jo emailed all the ACMS students saying I was looking for a flat and many students replied saying they had a room to rent. Maybe you can look into getting an Airbnb for the first weeks and finding more long-term accommodation through students at the ACMS.
2. How were classes with Jo (Vearey, professor of the health module)?
Although I did not take her class, she was my internship supervisor and she was very nice, patient, and helpful. I found that she is a very critical scholar (which I think is important!) and she likes to challenge and engage with her students, which I very much appreciated. She is now the interim co-director of the ACMS, with Jean-Pierre, and she is a very busy person, so you cannot expect her to provide extensive supervision. However, I found that she always took time to meet with me, at least once a week, whenever she was in the office and I’m glad I also had a lot of flexibility during my internship to do things I wanted to do, like attend conferences at WiSER (which I highly recommend) and go to interesting events related to my internship. I didn’t take her course on Health & Migration, because I was more interested in the other elective course offered (Labour & Migration with Zaheera Jinnah – which was awesome), so I can’t speak to how she is as a teacher.
3. Did you have an internship with ACMS? Or did you do anything else while you were there?
Yes, I did both my internship and focus module at the ACMS. My internship went from end of May to end of September and at the same time, I took the focus module course which ran from end of July to end of August (1 month). My final assignment was due in October, but I submitted it online when I came back home. I chose the ACMS for my internship because I had heard of it before starting EMMIR, as they are one of the leading research centers in migration on the African continent. I really enjoyed my experience there and I learned a lot about the MoVE projects, which use arts-based, participatory methodologies in research. I mostly worked at the ACMS offices, but I also went around Joburg to conduct interviews. I would only recommend this internship if you are interested in research and are a highly independent worker, ready to take initiative and lead your own research project with basic support from the ACMS (they also have many concrete research themes/questions that you can work on). The ACMS also has partners/contacts in the field where you can do internships that are less research-based. If you are able to, I would recommend staying longer than 4 months in Joburg, since that’s quite a short period of time!
5. Medical procedures – did you get your shots and vaccines in Norway? Does our insurance cover it? Any other information regarding medical tests and vaccines you’d recommend?
Since I went directly from Norway to South Africa, I had to apply for the visa in Norway. The visa required health and radiological exams (at least for Canadian citizens). I tried to go to a public clinic in Stavanger, but because I didn’t have a Norwegian security number or something, it didn’t work and I had to pay for the health and radiological exams at this private clinic (1090 NOK + 1700 NOK). The EMMIR insurance didn’t cover those fees since it was for visa purposes. If you are able to return to your home country to apply for the visa, it might be easier and cheaper (if you have access to medical exams for free). Also, the South African embassy in Norway only accepted applications in person (at least in 2017), so I had to travel to Oslo to submit the visa, which meant paying for transportation from Stavanger and accommodation in Oslo. It was an expensive visa procedure, but at least I got the visa back pretty quickly in the mail a week later. In terms of vaccines, I already had my vaccines up to date so I didn’t have to get any in Norway. I think only the regular ones are recommended (Hepatitis A & B). Yellow fever vaccine is only required for those who are coming from countries where there is yellow fever. However, I would recommend to double check any visa or health/vaccines requirements with your own government’s travel requirements for South Africa.
Also, random suggestion, but if you got the tetanus shot as a child, I would recommend to make sure your shot is up to date and if not, to get the vaccine! Unfortunately, I got bitten by a friend’s dog in Joburg and although I didn’t need to get the rabies shot (since the dog was vaccinated) I had to get a booster of the tetanus shot (mine wasn’t up to date). At least those costs of the shot and my visit to the clinic were covered by the EMMIR insurance. FYI, I recommend the Meldene Clinic on Main Road in Melville (+27 11 482 2291), which Jo recommended me. Wits University has a clinic too, but it can be a bit complicated as an international student, unless you have an emergency.
Do you have any other recommendations/comments/questions/concerns/advice for us?
There are so many things to do and see in Joburg and South Africa!
- In Joburg, the hipster markets are worth a visit (you can critique the fact that they are gentrified/elitist spaces after you go ;), especially the Neighbourgoods market in Braamfontein (on Saturdays), the Arts on Main market in Maboneng (on Sundays), the Newtown market at 1 Fox street (Fridays-Sundays).
- Some museums I recommend in Joburg: Wits Art Museum, Constitution Hill, Apartheid Museum, Hector Pieterson Museum & Nelson Mandela House in Soweto, Cradle of Humankind Museum and caves (around 1 hour from Joburg)
- Take the time to travel the country, I really enjoyed Cape Town and Durban. If you absolutely need to go on a safari, you can go to Pilanesburg for cheap one-day safaris (compared to the more expensive/popular Kruger Park) – you can still see lions at Pilanesburg! Also, for some hiking away from the big cities, Drakensburg was great.
- For transportation in Joburg, during the day, you can use the Rea Vaya bus system if there’s a bus line near you or just take the regular mini-buses, but you need to know where you are going! At night, you can get Ubers or Taxify (the latter is cheaper) practically anywhere at anytime.
- Soak in the culture & art scene that Joburg has to offer! Go to art exhibitions, theaters, musicals, etc. There are also free walking tours from Park station if you want to get to know the city when you arrive.
- Join clubs and committees on campus! If you arrive at the end of May, it will be the “winter” break for Wits students, but classes start again at the end of July and there are many clubs to join. I volunteered with Inala, an environmental/food sovereignty group that manage a garden on campus and the food goes to the student food bank.
Q&A: Questions to Cohort 7
from Cohort 8!
Welcome to EMMIR, friends! My name is Gabriella, and I’m in Cohort 7. I stalked a little bit and found Cohort 8’s email addresses online and decided to send a little welcome email, since people will start arriving in Oldenburg in just a few weeks.
Greetings from Johannesburg, where I’m currently spending my 3rd semester. I was just thinking today that I can’t believe a new cohort of EMMIR-ians is starting to arrive in Oldenburg and in just a few weeks you’ll be starting the Intensive Phase. Good luck, seriously… Anyway, we’re all super excited to meet you guys this December during our thesis proposal colloquium. I’m excited to procrastinate everything we’re supposed to be doing by answering all your questions and giving advice 🙂
I’ve gotten a lot of questions from Cohort 8 students who are anxiously awaiting the start of the Intensive Phase in September… here are my answers to the best of my knowledge:
- Is the Intensive Phase really intensive?
yes, it’s intense. start reading now. seriously, read as much as you can. Only one person in our cohort read all of the readings (Emilio). on the other hand, things didn’t get that much easier after IP ended… the first semester was kind of intense.
because it’s a multi-disciplinary program, it’s hard to have teach a group of people who have backgrounds in business, journalism, international relations, people who are professors in their home countries and people who have literally never worked with migrants, all in one class. I think we all kind of felt overwhelmed because we just jumped right in with things we’re supposed to know, without kind of having that ‘introductory powerpoint’ that is like “ok here’s migration”. as academics, we have to complain a ton about everything, always criticize, always problematize, and we did our fair share of that as a cohort. Now that the first year is done, things kind of make more sense and I feel like I have enough knowledge to write a thesis (although of course there’s things I wish we had either left out or included, etc) - I have a question regarding housing options during the first semester in Oldenburg. Where can I find information on housing at the university? Is there an area in the city that is more common for students living off campus? What is the procedure for accommodation for students during their first semester?
Regarding housing… I was in student accommodation in Oldenburg, but I rented it from a student who was leaving for the semester, not through the uni. I found it through WG-Gesucht, which is the best site for this kind of stuff, and a lot of EMMIR people use it. A few people in my cohort also went directly through the Uni of Oldenburg for housing and I believe they were happy as well, since it’s cheap but not very ‘cozy’ in terms of nice furniture or anything. We were all spread out over the city, but I’d recommend living somewhere near Uni or right in the city centre. Uni is about 10-15 minutes from the city centre by bike. Everyone bikes so I’d really recommend that as the best way to get around. The guy I was sub-leasing from left his bike while he studied abroad for the semester, so I used his. The Uni also has options for bike rentals. - Did you enjoy Norway? Was it really cold?
Norway wasn’t too cold for us, and I actually found that the weather was better (sunnier) than Oldenburg, where it rained a lot. People from Stavanger said we got really lucky with an early, warm spring. My recommendation is just to have good, warm boots that are rain/snow-proof and always wear layers. Stavanger is in the South, on the water, so it didn’t snow much and when it did, it melted quickly. The snow was actually nice because it made the cold worth it. Norway was great. As academics, I think we all criticize and problematize things a lot, and a few people in my cohort hated the Norwegian semester and a lot of people complained about a lot of things. Yes it’s a different country and different culture, of course, and I enjoyed it. I chose to go to events, meet locals (I hung out with Norwegians more than with EMMIR people), go to bars, go hiking, I found the places that have beer for 3 euro, and I really enjoyed Norway. Sounds cheesy to say but it’s kind of what you make of it
Katja, AKA ‘The Beast’, on a snowy adventure in Norway. Don’t worry – this isn’t Stavanger! - How did you find Norway in terms of pricing?
Yes, Norway is expensive. It’s not that expensive that you’ll go broke there, as long as you’re smart. I would recommend not paying more than 400 euro/month for rent. Other expenses include 30 euro/month for the bus pass. Groceries aren’t super cheap either. My #1 recommendation for saving money is to stock up on alcohol at the duty free when you enter, because a bottle of wine is minimum 11 euro at the wine monopoly in Stavanger! There are a few options for going out for cheap, though, such as some bars having student discount nights (around 3 euro for a beer), and the student bar has happy hour on Thursdays. Eating out isn’t really an option, but I did treat myself to coffee and a snack when I was out studying at a cafe. People in my cohort still had money to do fun things like roadtrips and traveling around Norway. Just be smart and you will be fine 🙂 - What has been your experience with the amount of the scholarship on each country?? Are the 1000 euros enough to cover all basic expenses? (especially in Stavanger…which I have read is really expensive) Or have you guys had to invest money of your own?
I don’t have the scholarship and I’m a self-funded student. I did get some scholarships from Uni of Oldenburg after I arrived (Erasmus+ and Mobility Grant). Of course, Stavanger is expensive. It’s not that expensive though, if you’re smart with your money you’ll be fine. Scholarship people had enough money to travel around the area too and do some hikes, etc. - How is the academic level of the program?
I briefly answered this question in a previous Q&A post. It’s hard to say because I haven’t done a Master’s degree before and this is such a multi-disciplinary program. There are things that it seemed everyone else knew already but I had never heard about, and vice versa. Of course, it wasn’t super easy – we were challenged from different angles and professors in different ways. I think if you do all the readings (or as many as possible), ask questions in class and participate in discussions with fellow students, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about the academic level… everyone is kind of in the same boat with you and you’ll get the hang of it. Just start strong. - I read that there’s a written test in Oldenburg. Is it very difficult?
I believe you’re talking about the English academic writing test? It’s not really a test, but more of a placement run to see if you need extra tutoring for academic writing. There’s no pressure and Uta (the woman who runs it and the tutoring) is really helpful, so definitely seek out her help! - Are there scholarships available for those who didn’t receive the EMMIR scholarship?
Yes, definitely go to the financial aid and international student offices in Oldenburg to ask about scholarships. I got the mobility grant and Erasmus+ for my Stavanger semester. Definitely look into these, a lot of non-scholarship people relied on this help during the second semester! Also, a few students were able to get jobs in Stavanger, and maybe you can also find a part-time job in Oldenburg too?
QUESTIONS FROM A PROSPECTIVE EMMIR STUDENT (PART 3):
From Nataly: Hi, Gabriella! I found your page through the EMMIR website and decided to send you a message) I have read your posts in your blog on EMMIR, enjoyed them so much and would like to ask you some questions on the program, if you don’t mind) I intend to apply for EMMIR this year and would be really thankful if you could answer some of my questions regarding the application process
1. I’m from Russia, have recently graduated from the Higher School of Economics (BA in International Relations) and looking forward to apply for a Master degree) It’s interesting for me to know whether my degree in International Relations will be applicable to the program. On the website it’s written you can have a degree in social studies, are there some students who had their first degree in IR?
I believe there are one or two people who have a background in international relations or something similar, but we’re soooooo diverse in our backgrounds! I have a degree in journalism, and even one person has a degree in law and another in business. I think that as long as you can somehow say that it’s relevant to the program in any way, you should be fine. For example, I wrote in my Statement of Purpose in the application that I learned to do research and writing during journalism and wrote several articles about migrants.
2. What do you think is the most important for the admissions committee during the assessment of applications? For example, I have quite a big GPA and also did a research on the German response to the European refugee crisis. I have several published articles, two of them in German, and also participated in a workcamp with refugees this summer. Still I don’t have a substantial work experience in this area, only in the analytical centre, so what do you think, would that be applicable?
I have NO idea what the committee looks for, but I can say this… I wrote a few articles about migration during my undergraduate degree, I speak a few languages, and I had an internship at a refugee centre. That’s the only relevant experience I had. I even had a year that I took off between and worked in hostels and stuff while I backpacked through Europe, so in my letter of motivation / statement of purpose (whatever you call it), I just said what I’ve learned from all the experiences and how I’ve been touched at every level in my life by migration. There’s one girl in my program who never worked with refugees/migrants but had a journalism background! For EMMIR, research is really important, so I’d make sure to highlight your research.
3. What’s the average score for IELTS for those who got scholarships, what do you think? If I have 8 for IELTS Academic, is it okey?
I’m a native English speaker, so I didn’t do IELTS.
4. Could you tell me something more about your experience of applying? Something about making your CV and which additional documents you sent them in your portfolio?
So, I will tell you just what I personally did, not that this is correct or recommended… My CV was 3 pages, then I sent a 1.5 page letter of motivation, 2 journalistic articles I wrote related to migration, 1 research paper I wrote related to economic disparity in Chicago (where I did my BA). In my CV I separated things by “Relevant Experience” where I put the most details, and then on the last page I put “Other Experience” where I just put the jobs and no details… Also, I volunteered at an animal shelter so I put that too so they saw I liked to volunteer hahah 😉
5. Did you use the Europass template or make your own?
I made my own!
6. Did you send some the certificates/diplomas to prove your activities? for example, I have several projects related to migration and I include them in the CV, but am I obliged to send all the proof as well?
I don’t think I sent any ‘proof’ but I’m sure some nice certifications could only improve your application…
7. What are your general impressions about the first year?)
The program has been really cool. It has a lot of positives and negatives, as with any program. I think the biggest problem has been with communication between the different partner universities (which to some extent is understandable, as we’re so far and have different ways of working, etc). It is annoying as we’re sometimes given conflicting information, but we’re all making it work. Another difficult thing is constantly moving around. What sounded to me like the opportunity of a lifetime a year ago, now makes me cringe and think “ok, 2 months here, then I need to pack up a suitcase again, and then go to my internship for 2 months, then idk where I’ll be for Christmas – home is too far, so I’ll have to stay in Europe, and then I need to spend 6 months writing my thesis somewhere……” it’s exhausting… but on the other hand I’m very very lucky! Of course, as students and academics, we’re all very critical of everything. we’ve just been criticizing so much during the first year, but now that it’s over, everything kind of makes sense. One of the highlights of my year was just having people sing happy birthday to me in like 15 languages! so cool I’ve learned so much about intercultural relations just by living with people from all over the world and having different people in my class.
8. The program must be really wonderful! Now I’m always thinking that travelling is cool, but I can imagine how it is, when you’re constantly moving( but intercultural communication is really worth it:)) Will you stay in South Africa for the whole next year? Or for the 4th semester you also have to change uni?
I’ll only be in South Africa for the 3rd semester, then do my internship with the Felsberger Institut in Germany September-December 2018, and then we get to chose where we want to write our thesis. I think there are some limitations for scholarship holders on where you can be, but I’m planning on staying somewhere in Europe where I can meet with my thesis supervisor if necessary. Otherwise, we’ll probably do Skype meetings!
Cohort 7 