Syrian students face difficulties in Germany. Any optimism in the air?

The available opportunities and encouragement the Syrian students receive from their surroundings in Germany, help them to overcome the difficulties they face, and make them believe that they will succeed. In turn, the attempts of a large number of them fail, yet, their common thread is being optimistic about the future as well as the desire  to continue.

After an exhausting journey , through which risks were taken, overland and by sea, Muhammad Haskoto (28 years) arrived in Germany in 2013. Once he arrived, he learnt German, which is considered the key that will enable him to accomplish his dream of studying medicine.

Muhammad’s rate was accepted to enter the faculty of medicine, he sent his request to /32/ different universities and was rejected, then sent his request of studying pharmacy to /22/universities , which was also rejected, because of the increase in the numbers of foreign students.

“I had to give up on my dream of studying medicine and I registered in the college of  Medical Engineering, and I am now in the fourth semester,” says Muhamad.

The German universities law allows the students to resubmit each subject they  failed in, three times, in return of passing all of the remaining subjects, before moving to the fourth semester. This misstep forced Haskoto to move to another university to complete the same branch, yet, he was surprised by the different laws in the new college that took him back to third semester.

Khaled Al-Bawab, 25 years old, from Lattakia, who arrived in Germany in 2015, also failed to get a seat in the medical school, although he was a student at the Faculty of Medicine in Syria and dreamed about completing his studies.

“I could finally register in the College of Medical Engineering in the university of Munster city, said Al-Bawab.

Other students, who went to study in Germany, tried to modify their certificates, but the university admission rate did not help them in most cases.

According to Kawa Ibash, 21 years, his rate forced him to study a preparatory year, before studying in the university. Nevertheless, he managed to secure a seat in the Political Science Department, although he had to bear his university expenses for several months.

“I was able to overcome all the problems that stood between me and  my completion of university study and, successfully, I completed the first semester,” he said, explaining that the number of Syrian students in this branch are not more than four students.

Barfin Habash (28 years), suffered from the difficulty of the language, that , at first, turned to a barrier in front of her ability to continue, but she was motivated again, because of the care she received from her university professors.

Habash, who is now finishing the third semester in the College of Architecture Engineering, says: “I will do my best to finish my bachelor’s and start the study of Masters “.

The number of Syrian students in some German universities has reached “the second place” in terms of the number of foreign students, such as the University of Bochum, where the number of students were estimated to 289 Syrian students , and this number is increasing every year.