بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم |
Assalamu'alaikum
Hallo, Lieblings!
I hope despite the current struggle of adapting to the new normal, y'all won't ever forget to light up and recharge that energy tank! 💥 Yesterday I've posted one brief disclaimer regarding Aufnahmeprüfung (ANP) or the entrance exam to the Studienkolleg. But this time, I'd like to actually confess about how ignorant (or rather stupid) I was before and some hacks that might be useful for y'all whether you are planning to go to Germany or if you are already in Germany. Hope you guys will find this post useful, feel free to ask me if you still have unanswered questions in your mind 😄
ANP Confessions
So, once upon a time...
The thing is, kids, ANP isn’t really that hard. As the materials being tested aren't as complicated as SBMPTN in Indonesia.
The wrong thing that I did was, I belittled ANP.
That time, I thought my effort was good enough. Forgetting something I learned recently from the anime Haikyuu!! I'm paraphrasing Coach Ukai on the first day of the high school tournament. OooOo I'm feeling so sentimental. 😚
No one that participates in this competition wants to lose. They all want to win! Every time we give our best in our exercises and training, others also do the exact same thing. No matter how strong or weak the opponent is, everyone that wants to win, will fight for it!
I wish I've watched Haikyuu!! days before the ANP smh.
And guess what? I've failed two from three of my ANP acceptance letter (Zulassung). For those who don't know, we can only take tests in places we've already received an acceptance letter (Zulassung) from. There's no guarantee every Uni you've applied to will give you the letter. In my case, I've got only three damn chances. If I fail 'em all, I need to apply again for the next semester.
Read my experience throughout ANP here: The First Footsteps: ANP Drama + Important Travel Tips!
But I regret nothing. Those failures are my staircases to the place where I belong today. Without those setbacks, I might always be the ignorant one. They all teach me golden lessons I wouldn't be able to experience otherways. I remember how heartbreakingly sad I was when I received rejection from Studienkolleg Marburg. Won't show it to anyone though, but deep inside I was hurt. Knowing I kind of fail... purposely.
On the next exam in Uni Halle, I remember tried even harder. This time I won't ever let myself down. I've been through that hole and would never want to feel the same again. It was tough indeed, as so materials need to be memorized. Especially in a language, I still feel so alien to. I remembered the sleepless nights and tired eyes learning Biology, Physics, and Chemistry in the city public library. Lol. On the day of the exam, I've never felt so confident about entering an exam hall. But this time, I was concentrated mainly in the science subjects as it looks so challenging. That one pal, makes my German... okay it was sad. In a nutshell, I failed and got rejection once again.
And there it was, my last chance. Uni Heidelberg Studienkolleg. Literally, almost EVERYone said that entering it is hard, and inside, harder. It has gotten in my nerves, tbh, but I'm thankful it wasn't for such a long time. I'm proud that I've beaten my fear of Studienkolleg Heidelberg with the fear of failing again. The fear of disappointing both of my parents and my friends, again. The fear of being called on the phone and answered, oh sorry not yet, again.
On the process, I wasn't actually hoping so much. I only did the best thing I could and leave it all to God. As it's my third shot, now I knew what kind of study sessions that I prefer and how long. What kind of entertainment that doesn't decrease my productivity level. What kind of activities I need to do to stay energized. I learned to understand myself more. And that, kids, is important. The outcome might be simple, but the journey into realizing the outcome? That one is priceless. Rather than thinking God might punish you for failing you, maybe we all can shift our perspective into thinking... What does God actually want me to learn and understand?
The day of the ANP in Uni Heidelberg wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I felt reassured knowing I've given my best and the thought that God is with me. He is Al 'Adl (العدل), The Just. He sees how hard I've been fighting for this particular day. Tbh I felt calmer this time, knowing something that has been decreed for me will never ever go wrong. And Alhamdulillah, all praises to Allah, I received, finally, my acceptance letter. 😊
Why do I think ANP isn't hard
Well, it ain't that hard. But that doesn't mean you can belittle them.
Let's look at this from the eyes of Indonesian highschoolers.
If you are science students from highschool (re: anak IPA) and are taking science courses in the Studienkolleg (M-Kurs or T-Kurs) you would probably think the same. Science isn’t gonna change, regardless of your nationality. It’s just the depth of the materials, the level. The redox reactions that I learned in Indonesia for example, isn’t going to change to some kind of random reaction in Germany. It stays the same.
On the other hand, I talked with my friend from the social realm (re: anak IPS) that took G-Kurs in the Studienkolleg. She said it was rather challenging as it’s not an exact knowledge like Biology or Physics. Many factors could affect the materials, as different countries have lotsa variety of cultural aspects along with some touch of different geographical and historical perspectives. For example, in History, she learned more about World War 2 from the perspective of Europe, mainly Germany, and of course not VOC lol.
Long story short, the problem in writing ANP isn’t really about the level of subjects, but rather the language and the competitive environment. Imagine, so many people from different parts of the world are fighting for limited seats in the Studienkolleg. When I took ANP in Heidelberg, the test-takers are as many as 2 big halls. Meanwhile, the quote of acceptance is only around 20ish people for each course (M/T/W/G/S-Kurs). Remember, this differs from each university and depends on the semester. Sometimes, the Studienkolleg MIGHT even accept more people in the winter semester. With that being said, still, I can’t guarantee that though. Just.. try your best.
On the other hand, I talked with my friend from the social realm (re: anak IPS) that took G-Kurs in the Studienkolleg. She said it was rather challenging as it’s not an exact knowledge like Biology or Physics. Many factors could affect the materials, as different countries have lotsa variety of cultural aspects along with some touch of different geographical and historical perspectives. For example, in History, she learned more about World War 2 from the perspective of Europe, mainly Germany, and of course not VOC lol.
For more tea spills about the courses in Studienkolleg, feel free to read my post about Studienkolleg in General!
Long story short, the problem in writing ANP isn’t really about the level of subjects, but rather the language and the competitive environment. Imagine, so many people from different parts of the world are fighting for limited seats in the Studienkolleg. When I took ANP in Heidelberg, the test-takers are as many as 2 big halls. Meanwhile, the quote of acceptance is only around 20ish people for each course (M/T/W/G/S-Kurs). Remember, this differs from each university and depends on the semester. Sometimes, the Studienkolleg MIGHT even accept more people in the winter semester. With that being said, still, I can’t guarantee that though. Just.. try your best.
But no worries, as long as you prepare for it, there are no obstacles you can’t overcome. It is not easy, but hard doesn’t mean impossible anyway. Have faith in yourself! You are stronger and more capable than you think you are. As long as you try, you've come out of that exam hall as a fighter. 💪
Here, let me give you some hacks and stuff I wish I would've known waaaaay before I even arrive in Germany. I realized I've wasted so much time... How foolish smh. I really hope you guys could see these tips as useful. Please don't do the same mistakes as I did! I divided the tips into two categories, when in Indo and when in Germany to make it easier to read.
When In Indo
What did I do wrong:I wasted time not trying as hard as I could to study. I took it too easy, thinking that I'll still have enough time to study 'em all once I arrived in Germany. Bad time management, I suppose. Spent too much time hanging out with the gang.
The reality:
Well, I do have plenty of time once I arrived in Germany, but there are tons of other things I must do too. Like, to adapt there, explore (ugh don't do this, kid), do some bureaucracy paperwork, and homework from the language school in Heidelberg. If we have the privilege of extra time to study for ANP... The gap time between receiving a B1 level certificate and your date of the flight to Germany is the golden time to prepare. 👍
Tips:
- Download every sample exam questions from every Studienkolleg you could find. The name of the school doesn’t matter, what counts is the amount of the actual exercise you are putting time and effort for.
- Write essays and ask your teacher, seniors, or friends to actually mark it. This way, you can learn from your mistakes.
- Practice your communication skill with your gang, form group discussions!
- Find some people from Germany to actually talk. Like tandem partners. Some people know each other due to similar interests. For example, BTS fandom could actually found other ARMY from the other part of the globe easily.
- Join online classes. Especially when you came from Indo or could actually speak Indo, IWKZ Berlin is actually giving free online classes for ANP preparations!
- Never stop to do research, ask people, make some relations with people from certain cities you are aiming to go to. Stay active in PPI Jerman's Facebook group for example!
- Memorize Grammatik and consume as many vocabularies as you can. Use apps like Quizlet to hep you make Karteikarten/flash cards.
- Use apps (in Play Store, think it's available in others too) to help you, like Beelinguapp in Play Store and Deutsche Welle. I'll give the full list of my recommended apps another time!
When In German
What did I do wrong:
- I was frequently distracted by new places to explore and the blessing of having free time with no one watching. I took too much time to learn to self-discipline myself.
- As I've said before, I belittled my first ANP, which is something you could never EVER do.
- I was too scared to ask and seek help from the teachers too as I was lacking self-esteem back then. I thought I need to be perfect just to speak German.
- Stressed out. Distancing from everyone, thinking I can solve my problem myself.
- I joined IWKZ Berlin free online ANP tutorials but I wasn't consistently showing up to the class. Oopssss. I regret this so so much as some of my friends that joined have already accepted in Studienkollegs, while all I got was rejection. Heu.
The truth:
No one actually cares about you, sweetheart. Most people are already too busy with their own life. Painful huh? That's the perks of living alone abroad surrounded with ppl from different cultures, I guess?
Your teachers won't be able to know your difficulties IF you don't ask. Your friends won't know if you need support IF you don't tell them your concern. You will never be fluent in German or excel in ANP IF you've never tried and braced yourself to face failures. You are the one responsible for your well being, physically AND mentally. Know when to stand by yourself and your boundaries to finally seek help. You can't wish everything will resolve by itself. Never stay still, MOVE.
Tips:
- Be proactive in your language classes. Have courage, break your boundaries, explore!
- Be brave, have courage. You've got all the facilities and all the chances to ask questions and to seek help from the pros. Don't waste it!
- Don’t be distracted with things that aren’t your priority. Going and travel to places may be such a golden chance, but at this particular time, it is really really important to constantly remind ourselves of our purpose of coming all the way to the other side of the globe.
- Make relations, be adaptive, ASK if you don’t know.
- Constantly practicing. Ask people that have already done the same entrance exam from the same Studienkolleg. There is a very big chance that the Studienkolleg don’t change the exam questions completely a.k.a making the questions similar each year.
- Tirelessly learning vocabulary and grammar. Mastered B1? Then take B2 courses. Mastered B2 courses? Start to learn the C1!
- Participate in online classes like free online tutorials from IWKZ Berlin or even register to classes for ANP preparation in German-Indo Professionals (GIP).
I'll explain German-Indo Professionals (GIP) briefly. It's an offline language school or in my opinion, tutorial institution for ANP preparation located in Berlin, Germany. Some of my friends went there too. The teachers are all Indonesian and are known to teach the students very intensively. If you guys know Inten in Indonesia by any chance, I think they both are alike. I've heard, they are good in teaching math and other science subjects too. They frequently hold offline ANP tryouts that might be useful for preparing ANP even without joining.
However, if your problem is in your German, I think you should think twice before joining. As far as I know, the students there learn to practice grammar, writing, listening, and answer ANP questions but not to actually communicate with native. (More information: https://www.mein-gip.com/)
ANP is actually machbar -- possible without taking extra classes or tutorials IF you have good self-discipline. But we can't generalize others by looking at the cover tho. I went to German by an education agency, therefore I've got plenty of friends and resources already. If you are planning to go here alone, maybe taking extra courses is the right choice for you. You guys know yourselves better though. Just remember, you are all indeed strong, but know when to seek help from the right people. Just don't be lazy to do your research and choose wisely! 💪
Recommended resources for German tests
These books are the must-have starter pack for ANP test takers. You could actually buy these books through Amazon or even the Kindle App, the e-book reader from Amazon. Orrr you can actually nitip to people that balik kampong from German to Indo. Not recommending you the illegal ways tho *winks.
 | Title: Mut zur Lücke! B1 Writer: Maya-Christina Helmich Content:
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 | Title: Mut zur Lücke #2 Writer: Maya Christina Helmich Content:
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 | Title: Übungsgrammatik fuer die Grundstufe Writer: Friedrich Clamer & Erhard G. Heilmann Publisher: Verlag Liebaug-Dartmann Content:
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 | Title: Übungen zum Wortschatz der deutschen Schriftsprache Writer: Ursula Turtur Publisher: Verlag Liebaug-Dartmann Content:
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Epilogue
So that you guys will remember it better, let me summarize and share the final hacks!- The competition is very real, despite the easier exam questions (compared with Indo level).
- The faster you got accepted into Studienkolleg, the better. That way, there wouldn't be any problem at the time when you are required to renew your visa.
- NO ONE that participates in the exam wanted to fail. They tried their best to get in, you have to, too.
- Quality over quantity, though both are important.
- Prioritize, have good time management.
- Don’t panic, it ruined everything.
- Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
- Have the courage to ask if you don't understand something. Even every little thing people thought it's stupid to ask. We are learners anyway and everyone is a beginner at some point.
- Know when to seek help from the right people.
- Never ever see any chance of ANP as a ‘test drive’ where we aren’t actually doing our best thinking that we might have a chance on another shot.
- DON’T WASTE EVERY SINGLE CHANCE YOU’VE GOT!!!! 💣
I hope in whatever adversity you are facing right now, may your heart always be filled with warmth and kindness. Despite the tons of work, don't forget to love yourself and spend time with others too! Reward yourself for working hard 😉
I hope you guys find this post useful. Please, please be wise on choosing which tips to take and which to throw away lol. These are all my opinions, not facts, based on my real experience. Our situations and conditions might differ. Most importantly, have fun and stay determined out there, warriors!
Love and light,
Sintya👀
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