Blog | Staytoo Apartments

Learning means laboriously slogging through the subject matter? Fortunately not! Every person is different, and that also applies to learning. Science has found out that there are different learning types. We’ll show you which learning types there are, how you can find your learning type and which learning methods suit you best.

Tip: Click on the individual learning methods to read more information about each method.

#1 Auditory learning type

If you are an auditory learner, then you remember information particularly well by listening. You absorb knowledge from lectures, webinars and audio books like a sponge, and you also benefit from this effect when you read notes to yourself.

These learning methods suit you

#2 Visual learning type

Learning content is memorized particularly well when you can see it. You learn particularly quickly and effectively when you read texts; diagrams such as mind maps or infographics also help you to store knowledge permanently. As a visual learner, pictures that you visualize in your mind’s eye also work well.

These learning methods suit you

#3 Motor or haptic learning type

The motor or haptic type of learner learns with his whole body, i.e. he has to move physically while learning. This is of course difficult in the academic, theory-heavy field, but movement also means writing with your hand. If you are a motoric-haptic type of learner, it is therefore important that you work a lot with your hands in order to store knowledge.

With learning methods such as learning by flashcards, you can also move around the room to promote the learning effect.

These learning methods suit you

#4 Communicative learning type

For communicative learning types, conversation is the learning form par excellence. They retain knowledge by discussing it with others, illuminating the material from different perspectives and repeating it. Linguistic links in one’s own head (mnemonic bridges) are also stored well by the communicative learner type.

These learning methods suit you

#5 Cognitive-intellectual learning type

The cognitive-intellectual learner memorizes the material through understanding. In this case, learning works by reflecting on the content, i.e. by critically and independently examining the subject matter. If the information is logically comprehensible for the cognitive-intellectual learning type, it is much easier for them to remember it.

These learning methods suit you

How to find your learning type

You are unsure which learning type you are? Find out with a learning type test! We can recommend the following three tests:

Tip: In reality, there are hardly any pure learning types. Most people belong to a primary learning type, but also combine characteristics of other learning types. So feel free to try out other learning methods that do not match your primary learning type!

Instructions & tips for cooking asparagus

This delicious spring vegetable is delicious and packed with healthy nutrients. With the following instructions and our tips, you’ll cook top-notch asparagus.

You will need these ingredients for 4 servings of asparagus

2 kg asparagus (fresh)
1 tablespoon butter (or cooking oil)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp lemon juice (fresh)
1 tsp sugar

Instructions for cooking asparagus

You have a choice of green, purple or white asparagus. Green and purple asparagus is harvested above ground and comes in contact with sunlight, whereupon it turns color. White asparagus is stung underground and is therefore pale in color; it must be peeled, unlike green or purple asparagus.

#1 Peel asparagus

This step only occurs if you’re using white asparagus.

Here’s how to peel asparagus: Take each asparagus spear individually in your hand so that one side of the asparagus is facing you. Now, using an asparagus peeler, peel the asparagus spear from the top of the asparagus spear down to the end of the asparagus spear in an up-down motion.

Now carefully turn the asparagus in your hand until a new, unpeeled side of the asparagus is facing your direction, which you will now peel. Repeat until the asparagus is completely peeled.

When you have peeled all the spears, cut off the ends of the asparagus spears (about 2-3 inches) as they are usually dried out and woody.

#2 Put the asparagus in boiling water

Heat water in a pot until it begins to simmer. Important: Don’t add too much water to the pot, just enough to wet the asparagus spears with hot water. Add butter, sugar, lemon juice and salt and now carefully add the spears to the pot. If the spears are too long for the pot, you can also cut them into pieces.

#3 Cook the asparagus for 10-15 minutes

Close the lid of the pot and let the asparagus simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Lower the stovetop temperature to a minimum while you do this so that the asparagus is gently cooked and not overcooked.

Then, using two spoons, lift the asparagus spears out of the pot one spear at a time, let them drain briefly over the open pot, and then place them on a plate. The asparagus is now ready to serve.

Tips for buying asparagus and cooking asparagus

To make your asparagus dinner a pleasure, we’ve put together these tips:

You can recognize fresh asparagus by the fact that the spears look juicy and plump. White asparagus shines beautifully, while the colors of green or purple asparagus are vibrant.
You can recognize old asparagus by the fact that it has cracks and open heads. In this case, you should look elsewhere for fresh asparagus.
Store asparagus in the refrigerator for as short a time as possible. Ideally, you should cook and eat it the day you buy it. If you do want to store it, wrap it in a damp tea towel and store it in the crisper to keep it fresh for up to three days longer.
You can also roast asparagus, depending on the variety of asparagus (white, green or purple) it will take different amounts of time, but on average 10 to 12 minutes. Use butter or a high-quality oil for this and remember to peel white asparagus first!
You can wrap cooked or roasted asparagus stalks in aluminum foil and keep them warm in a mini-oven at 100 degrees until the other ingredients such as cutlets or potatoes are ready.
A perfect accompaniment to asparagus is hollandaise sauce or béarnaise sauce, two butter sauces that you can make yourself or buy ready-made.
You can easily make a delicious asparagus soup from the asparagus water. For this, sweat butter in a hot pot and add flour to make a so-called roux. Then add the asparagus water and cream until you have a creamy soup. Refine the soup with nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Enjoy your meal!

Now let’s move on to the cutlet dishes, asparagus and potatoes are perfect healthy side dishes for all of them. We recommend that you peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water before preparing asparagus and schnitzel, as they take the longest to cook.

#1 Schnitzel (classic)

There are two classic types of schnitzel: veal schnitzel (expensive) and pork schnitzel (inexpensive). Chicken schnitzel is also a popular variation. All types of schnitzel can be prepared in the same way, we will show you how.

Ingredients

4 cutlets of veal or pork (from leg or rump, the highest quality is the so-called veal topside)
2 eggs
1 lemon
125 g breadcrumbs (best from the bakery)
100 g flour
100 ml oil (vegetable)
3 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Prepare three bowls or deep plates:

1x with flour
1x with breadcrumbs
1x for the freshly beaten eggs (later)

1. Place schnitzel between two cling films and pound the meat. If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, you can also use a pan or a pot for this purpose and pound the schnitzel with the underside of the pan or pot.

Why pound? Pounding ensures that the schnitzel is nice and flat and the meat is tender. The cling film prevents the fine meat fibers from being destroyed in the process, plus it makes for better hygiene.

2. Beat eggs in the bowl or deep plate, season with salt and pepper.

3. Take beaten meat and press it firmly into the flour from both sides.

4. Briefly place the meat in the beaten egg mixture and turn it over until it is covered on both sides.

5. Place meat in breadcrumbs, but do not press. Instead, gently turn and keep dredging the breadcrumbs over the meat until the surfaces are evenly coated with them.

6. Put plenty of oil and clarified butter in a frying pan and heat pan.

7. Add schnitzel to pan one at a time, when it sizzles, the oil and clarified butter mixture is hot enough. Fry each Schnitzel for about 2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan and serve.

#2 Vegetarian Schnitzel

On the table, the vegetarian schnitzel comes in a version made from celery. Ingeniously simple to make and so delicious!

Ingredients

1 celery or kohlrabi tuber
2 eggs
1 lemon
125 g breadcrumbs (preferably from the bakery)
100 g flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Prepare three bowls or deep plates:

1x with flour
1x with breadcrumbs
1x for the freshly beaten eggs (later)

1. Peel celery or kohlrabi bulb and cut into slices (about 1 cm thick).

2. Beat eggs in the bowl or deep dish, season with salt and pepper, pull celery or kohlrabi slices through the egg mixture.

3. Press the slices, wetted with egg, firmly into the flour on both sides.

4. Then pull the slices through the breadcrumbs.

5. Heat the pan and fry the vegetable slices until golden brown.

Tip: If you blanch the celery or kohlrabi slices in hot water shortly before frying, they will cook faster.

#3 Vegan Schnitzel

Ready for a delicious oatmeal schnitzel that will make your mouth water? Then get to know the perfect recipe here!

Ingredients

150 g oatmeal
50 g flour
150 ml vegetable broth
50 g breadcrumbs (best from the bakery)
20g sesame seeds
50 ml oil (vegetable)
1 clove of garlic
1 shallot
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika powder (sweet)

Preparation

Preparation time: 15 minutes

1. Put oatmeal in a blender and grind to a fine powder. If you don’t have a blender, you can alternatively buy oatmeal powder.

2. Finely chop the garlic and onion and add them to the oatmeal powder along with the spices.

3. Add vegetable broth and mix well.

4. Arrange plates with breadcrumbs.

5. Take a handful of the oatmeal-spice mixture and flatten mixture into breadcrumbs, turning until vegan cutlet is completely covered with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over cutlets and lightly press into breading.

6. Heat oil in pan and fry cutlets in it, turning, until breading has turned a golden brown color.

Nutri-Score

The Nutri-Score tells you how valuable a food is for your body. The Nutri-Score is calculated from the energy content and the quality of the ingredients.

In general, the higher the energy content and the healthier the ingredients, the higher the Nutri-Score. However, the Nutri-Score also has weaknesses, as you can read below under the section Problems with the Nutri-Score.

These ingredients make for a good Nutri-Score:

Vegetables
Fruits
Dietary Fiber
Proteins
Nuts
Walnut, olive and canola oil

These ingredients make for a poor Nutri-Score:

High total energy
Sugar
Salt
Saturated fatty acids

The Nutri-Score goes over an alphabetical scale from the letters A to E, we briefly explain each score level.

Nutri-Score A

You can buy foods with this Nutri-Score without hesitation and consume them daily.

Nutri-Score B

If you see the “B” on a package, this food is also considered high quality and is basically suitable for daily consumption.

Nutri-Score C

In the case of Nutri-Score C, the yellow background color is striking. This is to indicate that the food has “good” ingredients in the sense of the Nutri-Score, but also so many substances of concern that the food is considered unbalanced.

Nutri-Score D

The orange Nutri-Score D expresses that this is clearly an unbalanced food that you should not consume on a daily basis.

Nutri-Score E

The red and final level of the Nutri Score warns of foods that may be harmful to the body and should therefore be omitted from the diet.

Problems with the Nutri-Score

The Nutri-Score was introduced in Germany in 2020 to help consumers quickly and easily distinguish healthy from unhealthy food when shopping.

But there are contradictions: Cheese, for example, regularly gets a Nutri-Score D or E because it contains a lot of fat. At the same time, however, cheese also contains a lot of calcium and magnesium – substances that our bodies urgently need. The same phenomenon occurs with butter.

Bio-Butter-Nutri-Score — The fact that it is a high-quality organic butter with many valuable ingredients such as vitamins K2, A and D does not matter for the Nutri-Score.

In other words, the Nutri-Score leaves out important, healthy nutrients from the calculation.

Consumer advocates also criticize the fact that the Nutri-Score is a voluntary statement. Manufacturers of questionable foods can therefore omit it, which means that the Nutri-Score has not (yet) become a standard for foods in Germany.

What the Nutri-Score helps you with – and what not

The Nutri-Score can help you with this: The Nutri-Score can make it easier for you to make an initial, superficial assessment when buying packaged foods.

The Nutri-Score does not help you: Unfortunately, the Nutri-Score does not relieve you of the task of actively and consciously dealing with healthy nutrition, as it fails with some products by leaving essential substances out of the calculation. However, the score is constantly being developed and refined.

Haltungsformen (Types of Farming)

The 4 types of farming in Germany describe how animals were kept and fed. You can recognize the farming methods as numbers on the packaging of meat products.

Bio-Fleisch-Haltungsformen — The husbandry types indicate in figures which standards were taken into account in animal husbandry.

Haltungsform 1: Stallhaltung

Here, the absolute minimum requirements for keeping animals apply. Here, the animals are kept cramped in a few square meters, often without daylight and without fresh air. Often the animals are also tethered and get feed with genetic engineering.

Haltungsform 2: StallhaltungPlus

Here, the conditions are somewhat better than in stall husbandry: a little more space and so-called occupational material such as straw make the animals’ existence slightly easier. Fresh air and daylight are not standard at this level either, and GM food is also used.

Haltungsform 3: Außenklima

This type of housing obliges animal owners to provide their animals with access to fresh air. This can be ensured, for example, by a covered run or by a barn with an open side. In addition, the feed must be free of genetic engineering.

Haltungsform 4: Premium

The highest form of husbandry allows the animals to roam outdoors (pigs permanently, cattle approx. 200 days per year, turkeys and broilers for at least 1/3 of their lifetime) and also, as in form of husbandry 3, feed without genetic engineering. In addition, at least 20% of the feed must come from the own region. In addition, bedding such as sand, peat or straw for occupation is part of the standard inventory in the barn.

Where the Haltungsform helps you – and where not

The label of the farming method helps you: The label of the farming method allows you to buy meat, where you are informed with high probability about the conditions under which the animals were kept and fed.

The indication of the farming method does not help you: Unfortunately, the indication of the farming method does not reveal anything about the transport, the slaughter and the health of the animals. Thus, as a consumer, you cannot be sure that the animals have not been crammed together for mass transport, for example, simply by stating the type of farming.

Umweltsiegel

Eco-labels help consumers identify whether a product has been produced in an ecologically sustainable manner.

Article tip: Living sustainably as a student: 8 tips for everyday life

You’ll find the following eco-labels on food products with corresponding standards. We explain what the seals mean.

Bio-Seal

The organic seal tells you that this food – be it animal or vegetable – has been produced according to organic standards. Among other things, this means that animals have been fed only organically produced feed without the addition of antibiotics or so-called performance enhancers. Performance enhancers provide improved nutrient absorption in the digestive organs of animals, causing them to gain weight faster while saving feed.

In agriculture, the Bio seal stands for organic farming, i.e. the avoidance of pesticides; furthermore, no chemical fertilizers and no genetic engineering are used.

The organic seal is a voluntary label that organic producers can use as long as they can prove that they meet the standards.

EU Bio logo

Unlike the organic label, the EU organic logo is mandatory for pre-packaged organic foods that meet EU organic standards. Furthermore, the control number of the organic inspection body must be clearly displayed together with the logo. The EU organic logo guarantees that the product is free of genetic engineering and that no synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides have been used in agriculture. In the case of animal products, the EU organic logo stands for animal welfare.

Bio-Butter-Siegel — As here on the organic butter, the organic seal and the EU organic logo are often found on organic products.

Vegetarian & Vegan

For those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, it is important to be able to check food for these criteria. These internationally known seals help with this. They ensure that products are free of animal ingredients such as gelatine. This also applies to any additives.

Fair Trade

The Fair Trade seal stands for the fact that food has been produced under fair conditions. Fair conditions are among other things the renunciation of child labor as well as humane regulated working conditions. The fair trade seal thus shows that the food is harvested or produced and delivered without exploitation.

More seals

There are many other seals to help you with your purchase decision, including the “Ohne Gentechnik” seal, the “FÜR MEHR TIERSCHUTZ” seal or “NEULAND”. These are voluntarily applicable by the industry.

What the seals help you with – and what not

The seals help you to do this: Similar to the Nutri-Score, the seals give you an orientation when buying food. In particular, the EU organic logo and the organic seal indicate that the producer of the food has been regularly checked for strict standards.

However, the seals do not help you: Critics complain that the criteria for the seals are too lax. Particularly in the case of animal husbandry, the conditions would in fact hardly differ from those of factory farming. They also criticize the fact that factors such as the length of time animals are transported or the exact origin of the products cannot be determined beyond doubt.

In the case of the Fair Trade label, the term “fair” is a major point of criticism, as it is neither protected nor clearly defined. For example, the prices paid to coffee and cocoa farmers would be nowhere near enough to lift them out of poverty.

Many other seals are voluntary and serve partly pure advertising purposes. So seals do not give you a 100% guarantee that the food has actually been produced in an ecologically sustainable and fair way.

Eating sustainably: Include multiple factors

If you want to eat healthily and sustainably, you have to deal with the subject intensively, actively and consciously. That’s the “bad” news. The good news is that you can maximize your chances of sustainable, healthy consumption by taking the various factors into account in aggregate:

Nutri-Score
Farming Method Statement
Organic & fair trade label
Press reports or reports
Reports on the website of the Verbraucherzentrale

Here’s another tip: If you want to be sure to buy ecologically sustainable food, avoid supermarkets and buy food regionally and seasonally from farmers in your area. You can also order fruit and vegetable boxes from many of them. In this way, you can buy fairly produced and healthy food even in an unmanageable, globalized industry. We wish you lots of fun and enjoyment!

Recipes for omnivores

When it comes to meat and fish, class applies instead of mass. In the following dishes, you can therefore combine them with other, filling ingredients.

Recipe #1: Turkey cutlets with spaetzle

This dish is super tasty and quickly ready on the table. Geschnetzeltes satiates nice and long, without lying like a stone in the stomach, and is therefore ideal as a full lunch or as an evening meal.

Ingredients

500 g turkey breast fillet
250 g mushrooms
500 ml vegetable broth
1 onion
1 cup crème fraîche
1 clove of garlic
500 ml vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 tsp flour
paprika hot
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Tip: Commercially available spaetzle, but also rice or noodles go well with this dish.

1. Heat pan and add olive oil. Cut turkey breast fillet into pieces and add to pan over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast meat in skillet for about 2 minutes, then turn and roast other side, but do not cook through. When both sides are browned, transfer meat to plate.

2. Skin and chop garlic clove, dice onion, clean and slice mushrooms. Again add a little oil to the pan, add mushrooms. Season mushrooms lightly, add garlic, diced onion and mushrooms to hot pan and sauté until translucent, dust with flour and paprika powder and sauté briefly.

3. Add broth, bring to a boil briefly, stir in crème fraîche. Put the pan on low heat, add the cut meat to the sauce and heat gently for about 3-4 minutes, do not boil.

4. Arrange the meat with the sauce and vegetables on plates, chop the parsley and sprinkle over the portions.

Recipe #2: Rice Noodles with Beef

Fresh, light and healthy, this Asian dish is ideal if you want to study or go to the gym in the afternoon. The beef provides you with B12 and protein, and the vegetables give you a fresh kick.

Ingredients

400 g beef (flat iron from beef shoulder)
100 g rice noodles
100 ml vegetable broth
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger
1 onion
1 bell bell pepper
1 piece of leek
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek (or similar chili paste)

Preparation

Preparation time: 20 minutes

1. put rice noodles in a pot and pour hot water over them. Let stand for about 6 minutes or according to package directions. Place noodles in colander to drain.

2. rinse meat, pat dry and cut into strips. Dice shallot, garlic cloves, ginger and onion. Cut bell bell pepper and cilantro into strips, leek into fine rings.

3. heat pan, add meat strips over high heat and fry vigorously for about 3 minutes, turning several times. Meanwhile, add pepper and salt. Remove meat from pan and sauté vegetables in drippings.

4. Add the meat and mix with the vegetables and fresh coriander. Add soy sauce and sambal oelek and mix well. Let stand briefly and then serve together with the rice noodles.

Recipe #3: Herring salad with potatoes

Grandma’s classic is quickly made and simply delicious. The hearty herring salad provides you with valuable minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc as well as important omega-3 fatty acids. Potatoes provide long-chain carbohydrates that keep you satiated for a long time.

Ingredients

350 g potatoes (firm boiled)
4 Bismarck herrings
1 onion
1 apple
1 cup of cream
5 pickles
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar)
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Steeping time in the refrigerator: 3 hours

1. Peel, dice and boil potatoes until cooked. Meanwhile, dice herring, pickles, apple and onion.

2. mix herring, diced pickles, apple and onion together in a large bowl, add cream, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.

3. Mix in warm potato pieces, mix everything together vigorously and let it sit in the refrigerator for three hours. Then serve the herring salad cold.

Recipes for vegetarians

For healthy, nutrient-rich vegetables, we recommend going to the farmer’s market or to the frozen section of the supermarket. Vegetables that have already been in the display of discounters for several days should not be the first choice, as nutrients have already been lost as a result.

Recipe #1: Fusilli with sun-dried tomatoes, green asparagus & arugula

Pasta always goes. Even more so with this light dish that provides plenty of vitamin C and beta-carotene thanks to the asparagus. Arugula provides other vitamins, potassium and mustard oils that are precious for the body.

Ingredients

500 g fusilli
200 g green asparagus
125 g dried tomatoes
1 bunch of arugula
2 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons cheese (Parmesan or Emmental)
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 20 minutes

1. Add a teaspoon of salt to the pasta water and bring to the boil. Add the fusilli to the boiling water. Drain the pasta together with the pasta water through a sieve and let the pasta rest in it.

2. Cut off the ends of the asparagus (about 3 centimeters). Heat large pan with olive oil and add asparagus. Cut dried tomatoes into quarters and add to asparagus in pan. Sauté vegetables, seasoning with pepper and salt. Turn heat to low, dice garlic cloves and sauté briefly in same pan until translucent.

3. Place asparagus separately on a plate. Add pasta, arugula and oil to pan, mix everything well with the sauteed dried tomatoes and garlic. Serve pasta-vegetable mixture on plates and garnish with asparagus spears. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the pasta.

Recipe #2: Wrap rolls with tomatoes and spring onions

This recipe is optimal as a healthy, filling snack for parties and game nights. Best of all, the wraps are totally easy to make!

Ingredients

6 wholemeal wraps
150 g dried tomatoes
1 cucumber
300 g herb cream cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1 bunch of spring onions
2 cloves of garlic

Preparation

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Steeping time in the refrigerator: 2 hours

1. Put the garlic cloves in a garlic press, mix the pressed garlic thoroughly with the cream cheese and the lemon juice.

2. Spread the wraps evenly with the garlic-herb cream cheese.

3. Dice the tomatoes and cucumber and cut the spring onion into fine rings. Put everything together on the wraps.

4. Roll the wraps tightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. After the wraps are done with the ingredients, take them out of the refrigerator and cut them into evenly thick slices. Arrange the wrap slices on plates and serve as finger food.

Recipe #3: Shakshuka

In Israel and northern Africa, shakshuka has a firm place in the menu. The dish is easy to whip up, tastes fantastic and keeps you full for a long time.

Ingredients

6 eggs
2 red peppers
2 onions
2 cans of tomatoes (whole or peeled)
200 g goat or sheep cheese
1 teaspoon of paprika powder, sweet
1 tsp cumin
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch coriander
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 30 minutes

1. Skin and dice the onions. Peel garlic and, depending on preference, chop finely, slice thinly or crush cloves whole.

2. Add oil to pan and sauté diced onion over medium heat until translucent.

3. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, making sure garlic does not brown.

4. Add paprika powder, cumin, salt and pepper, mix everything and simmer for another 30 seconds.

5. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Once that happens, lower the temperature to a minimum and let the shakshuka gently simmer.

6. Once the mixture has become creamy, use the curved side of a spoon to make cavities in the mixture for the eggs.

7. Now beat the eggs and let them run into the cavities. Now spoon the creamy sauce lightly over the edges of the egg whites to speed up the cooking of the eggs.

8. Put lid on the pan and cook the shakshuka on low heat until cooked through. After 5 minutes, check the firmness of the eggs with your thumb for the first time, repeat this step until they reach the desired firmness.

9. Remove pan from heat and allow shakshuka to continue cooking on a heatproof surface with the lid open. Chop the cilantro, dice the cheese and sprinkle the shakshuka with both.

Recipes for vegans

The industry offers numerous products for vegans, but they are often artificially produced and expensive. Here, certain meat substitute products in particular stand out, which are supposed to have the greatest possible resemblance to schnitzel & co. with many additives. With the following recipes you enjoy healthier vegan dishes cheap and tasty.

Recipe #1: Vegetable fritters with paprika dip

The roasted flavors make the fritters an irresistible meal, while the fresh and fiery dip adds an extra kick of flavor.

Ingredients

Vegetable fritters:

150 g millet
300 ml vegetable broth
1 carrot (large)
2 spring onions
2 dried tomatoes
1 small bunch of parsley
2 tablespoons oat flakes
2 tablespoons flax or chia seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. paprika powder rose hot
salt
pepper

Paprika dip:

250 g pointed peppers (red)
50 ml vegetable broth
1 chili
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 30 minutes

1. Put broth in pot and bring to boil. Add millet and lower temperature, allowing millet to simmer in broth for 10 minutes.

2. Rinse carrots thoroughly, cut off ends and grate carrots finely.

3. Finely chop the spring onion, dried tomatoes and parsley. Be sure to save the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, this will be added to the frying mixture in a moment.

4. Turn off the stove. Mix all the ingredients together with the oil of the dried tomatoes with the millet in the pot, including the sunflower seeds, spices, etc. 5.

5. Blend the ingredients with a hand blender until creamy. 6.

6. Allow the mixture to cool.

7. Wash and chop the bell bell pepper and chili. Chop peeled garlic into fine pieces.

8. Heat olive oil in pan, add peppers and chili and roast. When the peppers are lightly browned, add garlic to the pan, roast briefly and deglaze everything with a dash of broth. Chop the herbs, add them together with 6 tablespoons of water and let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes, then puree it and let it cool down in a bowl.

9. Now remove the cooled vegetable-millet mixture from the pot and form into patties. Fry the patties with a little oil in the pan in which the vegetables for the dip were previously fried until crispy, which gives them an additional great flavor. Serve the hot patties with the dip.

Recipe #2: Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese

The classic from Italy tastes great with this lentil bolognese. And it’s a snap to make, too!

Ingredients

500 g spaghetti (durum wheat semolina or wholemeal)
450 ml vegetable broth
250 g red lentils
200 g mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
700 g tomatoes (chunky)
2 onions
2 carrots
1 medium celery stalk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tsp Italian herbs
2 tsp. cane sugar
1 bay leaf
1 nutmeg (optional nutmeg powder)
salt
pepper

Preparation

Preparation time: 45 minutes

1. Put two tablespoons of oil in large saucepan and heat over medium heat with lid on. Dice onions and add to pot.

2. Finely chop garlic and add. Saute onions and garlic until translucent.

3. Dice carrots and add to pot.

4. Separate celery stalks from leaves, saving leaves for later. Slice stalks and add to pot. Stir and steam the diced vegetables until the pieces are soft (takes about 5-7 minutes).

5. Add chunky tomatoes, add a little water to the cans, this will bind the tomato liquid in the water, next add to the pot.

6. Add tomato paste, Italian herbs to the pot, break bay leaf in the middle to release the aroma and add both halves of the leaves. Add a pinch of nutmeg powder.

7. Stir Vegan Bolognese and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Stir every now and then in between.

8. In parallel, heat water in another pot and add pasta when the water boils. Once the spaghetti is cooked, it can be served hot together with the bolognese. Add the celery leaves as a topping. Vegan parmesan is excellent for refinement.

Recipe #3: Summer rolls

Summer rolls are cool, crunchy and fresh. They can be super rolled together and topped individually. We present our favorite summer rolls, you can of course fill them with seitan and any vegetables, cabbage, etc. that you like.

Ingredients

16 x rice paper for summer rolls
200 rice noodles
50 grams of bean sprouts
1 cucumber
2 carrots
Soy (smoked or plain)
Picked lettuce
bell bell pepper
mint leaves
1 bunch cilantro
Thai basil
soy sauce
tamarind sauce
mango chutney

Preparation

Preparation time: 35 minutes

1. Cut the vegetables into long strips and arrange them with the other ingredients on boards or bowls.

2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Put a rice paper in it for a few seconds so that it is completely covered with the warm water. Important here: the water must not be too hot, otherwise the rice paper will clump together into a sticky mass.

3. Remove the rice paper from the warm water and fill it on a board or plate like a wrap with your favorite ingredients, herbs and sauces, form a roll and enjoy.

Tip: Fresh, tangy dips with lime or lemon go well with summer rolls. These can be easily mixed with lime or lemon juice and vegan yogurt in any ratio.

Becoming self-employed as a student: still atypical

For most students, the path is still: first complete your studies and then take a job. In fact, there is another way – to become self-employed as a student.

Often, however, panic arises at the mere thought of self-employment as a student. Questions arise like:

What should I do as a self-employed person?
How and where do I register my self-employment?
Will my self-employment affect my BAföG entitlement?

It’s a good thing you came across this article, because it tells you how to become self-employed as a student.

Please note: As soon as you earn money with your activities, you must be registered as self-employed with the tax office. In step #2 you will learn how to do that.

Instructions: Step by step self-employment as a student

With the following instructions you can become self-employed as a student – at your own pace.

Step 1: Try out different activities

Self-employment is always about trying things out and experimenting. This is how you find out which activities suit you and which do not. One of the biggest challenges of self-employment as a student is the question of what you want to start your own business with. Many students are overwhelmed by this question and the numerous possibilities that present themselves.

That’s why it’s a good idea to try out different activities. Ask family or friends if you can help out or get a taste of their work. Also check out web portals that offer student jobs. Search specifically for self-employed activities for students.

Work in the office
Writing / translating text
Programming
Gardening
Promotion Jobs
Social Work (e.g. Nursing)

If you don’t know your way around an area yet, ask for assistance. This will help you learn and figure out what you want to be self-employed with as a student.

Step 2: Register for self-employment

Once you have figured out what you want to be self-employed with as a student, you need to register your self-employment.

Tip small business regulation: If you become self-employed as a student, it is worthwhile to take advantage of the small business regulation. This exempts you from VAT if your annual turnover does not exceed 50,000 euros and your previous year’s turnover was less than 22,000 euros. You must register for the small business regulation in the questionnaire for tax registration.

Let’s move on to the registration of your self-employment. In Germany, there are two types of self-employed persons:

Freiberufler

The category of Freiberufler includes all persons whose self-employed activities fall under the so-called catalog professions and the catalog-like professions.

Examples of Freiberufler:

Translator
Copywriter
Yoga Teacher
Designer

A detailed list of Freiberufler professions can be found here, for example. Freiberufler have several advantages over other self-employed persons, among other things they are exempt from trade tax, have simplified accounting with the EÜR and do not have to become a member of the IHK.

Apply for Freiberufler status: Complete the tax registration questionnaire. You will then receive a tax number in the mail, which you will use for your freelance activity. You can find the questionnaire in digital form in the ELSTER portal, for which you must register.

Excursus: Is a Freiberufler the same as a freelancer?

Sometimes both terms are used synonymously, but this is not correct.

The difference between freelancer and Freiberufler is that freelance activities do not belong to catalog or catalog-like professions. This therefore includes all other activities, for example consultants or coaches. Freelancers do not benefit from the advantages of Freiberuflichkeit, but must register their self-employment as a business. You can find out how to do this in the next section.

Gewerbetreibender

In short, Gewerbetreibende are self-employed persons who carry out a trade. Or to put it another way: any economic activity that does not belong to the liberal professions (Freiberufler) is classified as a Gewerbetreibender.

Examples of Gewerbetreibender:

Consultants
Coaches
Craftsmen
Entrepreneurs

Another classic case for a trade is also when you start a business.

As a Gewerbetreibender, you are obliged to fill out the questionnaire for tax registration, just like the freelancer. In addition, you must register your business at the trade office in your city/region. Search the web for “register a trade online” and click through to the registration page of your local trade office.

As a trader, you also pay trade tax, which is based on the so-called trade tax rate, which varies from municipality to municipality.

Step 3: Find clients/customers

Once you have fought your way through the bureaucratic hurdles, the next challenge awaits you: You want to find clients or customers for your self-employment as a student. But where? There are several ways to do this:

Online job boards

Freelancing platforms are excellent places to apply for jobs. For this purpose, there are established and grown job boards like Freelance.de (DE), Jobruf (DE), Junico (DE), Upwork or Fiverr. Also check out comparatively young platforms like Freelancermap.

Personal contacts

Inform your circle of relatives and friends that you are self-employed and want to do jobs. It is important that your friends know what exactly you do, so that they can recommend you or approach you with an inquiry. Acquiring clients through personal relationships is one of the most promising ways of all to build long-term clients or customers.

Networking Events

Networking events are held regularly in every major and minor city where entrepreneurs, decision makers and other self-employed people meet. As a self-employed person, it is immensely important to build a strong network and to be present at such events. The more business people know your name, the higher the chances of generating orders from contacts. You can find networking events on the website of your local Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as on social networks such as LinkedIn, Xing and Facebook.

Step 4: Developing independence

Improving your own offer, customer service, taxes: As a self-employed person, there is always something to learn and improve.

You have two major advantages when you start your own business as a student:

You can already take important learning steps as a young person
You have a lot of energy and therefore also the power to push forward your self-employment.

Maybe you will become completely self-employed when your studies end? Or maybe you will become self-employed as a student in order to have an attractive sideline?

Whatever you decide: The paths to self-employment are diverse, exciting and a real adventure in which you must always develop yourself further!

Can I receive BAföG while being self-employed?

In principle, yes.

The extent to which your self-employment affects your entitlement to BAföG depends on how much you earn. There is a monthly allowance of € 290 as well as an allowance for income-related expenses of € 1,200 (for the year 2022, in 2023 it is even € 1,230), which you deduct from your annual income.

Advertising costs are costs that you incur in order to gain customers in the course of your self-employment as a student. Advertising costs can include the maintenance of your own business website, printing of business cards, etc.

In addition, there is the social security lump sum of 21.3%. of 21.3%, which you also deduct from your annual income. If the income calculated from this exceeds the tax-free amount, the excess amount is deducted from your income based on the calculation.

Example calculation:

In 2022, you earned a total of 7,000 euros from your self-employment as a student (earnings = income). From this, you can deduct the lump sum for advertising expenses of 1,230 euros, leaving 5,770 euros for the BAföG calculation. From the 5,770 euros, you deduct the social security lump sum of 21.3%. H. v. 21.3 % from the 5,770 euros.

You divide the result, €4,540.99, by 12 to determine the average monthly earnings, which is €378.42 rounded to the decimal place. You thus exceed the tax-free amount of € 290 by € 88.42, which will be deducted from your BAföG.

Self-employed as a student and with health insurance: This is what you should keep in mind

In addition to the tax office and the BAföG office, there is another important institution: health insurance. As a student, you are usually covered by your parents’ health insurance until the age of 25. Or you pay into a student health insurance. Whichever case applies to you: If you become self-employed as a student, you must inform your health insurance company.

The health insurance company will then check the extent of your self-employment. If they come to the conclusion that your self-employment is part-time, the so-called working student privilege applies: You are then exempt from health insurance, unemployment insurance and nursing care insurance. The requirement for this is that you spend a maximum of 20 hours on your self-employment alongside your studies. If you invest more time and/or your income is significantly higher than with a traditional part-time job, you should consult with your health insurance company about what to do.

Inspiration: Ideas for self-employment alongside your studies

Tip: There are coaches who specialize in the topic of self-employment during studies or self-employment alongside studies. They can help you find the right idea for you.

If you want to become self-employed as a student, in many cases you can do this from the comfort of your own home, so you can work flexibly alongside your studies. We present the most popular business ideas for self-employment:

Social Media Manager
Copywriter
Translator
Web Developer
Virtual Assistant
Coach
Computer Trainer
Tutor

You will certainly find something that interests you among the ideas mentioned. We wish you good luck for your self-employment!

International Women’s Day 2023

International World Women’s Day 2023 will take place under the theme #EmbraceEquity. Women from around the world are advocating for a gender-just, prejudice-free world where discrimination is stopped and diversity is celebrated.

Under the hashtags #EmbraceEquity, #WorldWomensDay and #IWD, women post pictures of themselves embracing diversity – for an inclusive world where we all have an equal place. You too can join in under the hashtag and support this year’s movement!

Things to know about International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day was first officially celebrated on March 19, 1911 in the United States, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria. But years before that, women’s labor movements around the world were advocating for a day to strengthen women’s rights. One achievement of these efforts included the right to vote, which was not allowed for women in Germany until 1918.

To this day, women demonstrate for equal rights on International Women’s Day and campaign against discrimination. One of the most important issues is equal rights for women in all areas of society, from the right to equal pay to equal rights in raising children (e.g. paid leave for fathers and childcare options that meet their needs).

Article tip: Receiving child benefit while studying: Important facts

By the way, since 2019, International Women’s Day has been an official holiday in Berlin, as well as in entire countries, including Armenia, Cuba, Laos, Uganda and Vietnam.

Now let’s move on to historical women who had a significant impact on our history.

#1 Cleopatra

January 69 B.C. – August 30 B.C.

kleopatra-weltfrauentag — Bust of Cleopatra VII – Altes Museum – Berlin – Germany 2017/ Author: José Luiz / Jbribeiro1 / Wikimedia

Many myths surround this Egyptian ruler, who was described as beautiful and highly intelligent. She was the last female pharaoh and spoke nine languages, including Egyptian, Arabic, Syriac and Ethiopian. Cleopatra is famous to this day because she managed to maintain Egypt’s independence from the then powerful Roman Empire. This was thanks to her clever rule, which also included skillful dealings with Caesar.

Book tip: Cleopatra. The Queen Who Challenged Rome and Won Eternal Glory (Alberto Angela).

#2 Joan of Arc

probably 1412 – May 30, 1431

jeanne-d-arc-weltfrauentag — Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France / Pascal Bernardon / Unsplash

Joan of Arc was a French national heroine and has also gone down in history under the names Joan of Arc or Maid of Orleans. During the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, which, contrary to its name, lasted in phases from 1337 to 1453, Joan of Arc, in 1429, at the age of only 17 and with a small army, successfully recaptured the city of Orléans, important to France, from the English. Her bravery encouraged the soldiers at her side.

In another battle, she was captured by the Burgundians – allies of England – and handed over to the English. She was accused of being a heretic and burned alive at the age of only 19. Centuries later, she was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1920.

Book tip: Joan of Arc (Gerd Krumeich)

#3 Marie Curie

November 7, 1867 – July 4, 1934

marie-curie-weltfrauentag — Marie Curie / Author: Henri Manuel / Wikimedia

Marie Curie was one of the most important chemists and physicists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in Poland, she moved to Paris as a young woman to study at the Sorbonne University. She is considered the founder of radiochemistry and was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of radioactivity. She was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of the elements polonium and radium and for the ionization of radium. Polonium is used, among other things, in space travel as a heat source in satellites, and radium was used until the 1960s for luminous dials on watches and alarm clocks, until its radiation effects, which are hazardous to health, became known.

Book tip: Marie Curie: The first woman of science | The eventful life of the first Nobel Prize winner – biography (Barbara Goldsmith)

#4 Maria Montessori

August 31, 1870 – May 6, 1952

maria-montessori-weltfrauentag — Marie Montessori / Author: Unbekannt / Creative Commons Lizenz / Wikimedia

You probably know Montessori schools or have even been to one yourself. Maria Montessori, who gave her name to the school, developed an educational method that literally became popular as Montessori education.

Montessori education focuses on the independence of the child and adolescent. The child becomes the “master builder of his or her self,” as the concept is often described. In open lessons, the child is taught to help himself. This is combined with free work, where the child can develop and learn independently.

Unlike the reward-and-punishment system on which classical education is based, Maria Montessori believed in the child’s natural inherent motivation, which must be awakened and encouraged by attentive teachers. Learning is individualized to the child, his or her learning pace, gifts and talents.

Montessori education has been used in Montessori schools worldwide since 1907.

Book tip: Maria Montessori: Little People, Big Dreams. (María Isabel Sánchez Vegara)

#5 Rosa Luxemburg

March 5, 1871 – January 15, 1919

rosa-luxemburg-weltfrauentag — Rosa Luxemburg / Source: Henri Manuel / Creative Commons Lizenz / Wikimedia

Rosa Luxemburg is considered one of the most influential fighters of the labor movement and for political equality. The democratic socialist and SPD supporter went down in history as a convincing and courageous critic of war and capitalism. Luxemburg’s resistance to brutalization and militarism earned her several prison terms, including for “lèse majesté,” “incitement to class struggle” and “high treason.”

She paid the highest price with her life: Rosa Luxemburg was murdered in January 1919 by political enemies who later sympathized with the NSDAP. Whether and to what extent Luxemburg’s work was democratically oriented is still disputed today; she is mainly revered by representatives of left-wing movements.

Book tip: Rosa Luxemburg: A Life (Ernst Piper)

#6 Frida Kahlo

July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954

Frida Kahlo / Author: Guillermo Kahlo / Wikimedia

The Mexican Frida Kahlo, whose full name was Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón, is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. Her works are mainly located in Surrealism, with which, however, she did not identify herself throughout her life.

This is exactly what is so special about her: According to art connoisseurs, Frida Kahlo created her own style, which is composed of naturalistic and typically Mexican elements. Frida Kahlo’s sense of fashion was also striking; she staged herself in self-portraits with colorful clothing and jewelry. To this day, the beautiful woman with the remarkable eyebrow is considered a role model for female self-determination, creativity and autonomy.

Book tip: Kahlo (Andrea Kettenmann)

#7 Simone de Beauvoir

January 9, 1908 – April 14, 1986

Simone de Beauvoir / Author: Moshe Milner / Wikimedia (Link: https://bit.ly/3ZHPYpz)

She is considered one of the most famous and successful writers, feminists and philosophers: Simone de Beauvoir created a life’s work that strengthened the women’s movement worldwide. Her book “The Other Sex,” published in 1949, is considered a milestone of modern feminism; even then, it led to admiration, but also to resistance.

In 1970, she founded the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes, a feminist movement that still campaigns for equal rights for women today. Simone de Beauvoir was also a famous author, writing novels, essays, novellas and memoirs. In her private life, she was involved with the successful multitalented Jean-Paul Sartre.

Book tip: Simone de Beauvoir: A Modern Life | The first comprehensive biography of the great philosopher (Kate Kirkpatrick)

#8 Marilyn Monroe

June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962

marilyn-monroe-weltfrauentag — Marilyn Monroe / Author: MARIOLA GROBELSKA / Unsplash

The U.S. film actress thrilled millions of viewers beyond the borders of the United States. Marilyn Monroe began her dazzling career as a photo model and extra. Smaller film roles followed until she celebrated her first successes as an actress in the early 1950s. Her star shone so brightly in Hollywood that film studios began to court the blonde beauty.

But Monroe’s life also had dark shadows: Three failed marriages, several miscarriages, addiction to pills. The film industry, on the other hand, liked to see her as the naive blonde, which was abhorrent to the strong woman, as Monroe showed in a clear, feminist stance. She is thus considered a woman who knew how to assert herself in the film industry despite the male-dominated, sexist image of women at the time, which continues to inspire today.

Book tip: My Story (Marilyn Monroe)

#9 Anne Frank

June 12, 1929 – March 1945

anne-frank-weltfrauentag — Anne Frank lacht naar de schoolfotograaf / Author: Unbekannt / Wikimedia

Annelies Marie Frank, her full name, was a girl of Jewish descent who was murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Anne’s family had tried to escape the Nazi terror in Germany by fleeing to the Netherlands. Here Anne Frank lived with her parents and sister Margot in a hiding place in Amsterdam. For more than two years they were not allowed to leave the hiding place, had to be quiet, lived like ghosts.

It was an almost unbearable situation, which – contrary to the hopes of the time – led to a bad end. After the Gestapo learned about the hiding place, Anne Frank, her mother and her sister were sent to several concentration camps, where they suffered from catastrophic hygienic conditions. Finally, they died in 1945 due to the brutal, inhumane treatment of the Nazis.

As the sole survivor of the family, father Otto Frank preserved Anne Frank’s diary and shared it with the public. In it, Anne wrote about her time in hiding in the Netherlands.

Book tip: Diary (Anne Frank)

#10 Michelle Obama

January 17, 1964

michelle-obama-weltfrauentag — Michelle Obama / Author: Joyce N. Boghosian, White House Photographer / Wikimedia (Link: https://bit.ly/3mveGvb)

Michelle Obama is known to most people as the wife of former President Barack Obama. But this role alone does not do her justice. As First Lady, she presided over numerous charitable organizations, helped out in soup kitchens in the USA and was always committed to the weakest in society. In addition, she remains committed to the education of women and girls to this day, for example with the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

After her time as First Lady of the United States, she wrote her memoirs, which sold over 10 million copies worldwide. She gained further notoriety with the Netflix documentaries Becoming and American Factory. In addition, Michelle Obama is considered a fashion icon who also advocates the importance of healthy eating. A real power woman who still has a positive influence on world affairs today!

Book tip: BECOMING: My Story (Michelle Obama)

A warm greeting to the women of the present day

International Women’s Day is meant for every woman on this planet. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to send a warm greeting to you, dear women. We wish you all the best and us all a future in which gender equality has become a matter of course – not only on Women’s Day, but also on every other day of the year. In keeping with this year’s motto: #EmbraceEquity!

Tip: Want to support International Women’s Day on social media? Then remember to use the hashtags #EmbraceEquity, #WorldWomensDay and #IWD in your posts!

Therefore you should be careful when using ChatGPT in teaching and research

Every time you hand in a written paper, you confirm that this paper is your own work. Or in other words: You assure the university/technical college that it is a research work done by you, a text written by you and not plagiarism.

However, the likelihood is, when using ChatGPT, that if your text is submitted, there will be copyright infringement that you won’t even notice.

ChatGPT creates texts based on existing texts

ChatGPT has a gigantic pool of existing texts and learned from them how natural language works, according to the developers. Nevertheless, already existing texts written by humans remain the basis from which ChatGPT makes use of. This is because ChatGPT is an AI model and actually not a creative artificial intelligence.

Dr. Max Greger, specialist lawyer for IT law, writes about the question of copyright of the alleged artificial intelligence on his website:

However, it is also the case that ChatGPT does not always create the texts completely generically. After all, the AI is not intelligent in the truest sense, but reproduces the answers based on previously viewed documents.

So it is not excluded that the AI either reproduces existing text structures or excerpts from texts that are only slightly modified. In both cases, this would constitute a reproduction under § 16 UrhG. If you then upload these texts to your website, this would also be a public disclosure according to § 19a UrhG.

ChatGPT texts belong to the company OpenAI

Problem No. 2: When asked where the copyrights of a text of ChatGPT are, the bot itself answers:

So even if you manage to have a ChatGPT text created that stands up to the now very thorough Plagscan software out there, you are committing copyright infringement. As a further warning, powerful AI text recognition software already exists for schools and other educational institutions such as universities, even developed by the ChatGPT inventors themselves. It is called “AI Text Classifier”, and it is already in use and under continuous development.

Further problems with the use of ChatGPT in schools, colleges and universities

Copyright is only one pitfall in using ChatGPT in studies. Here are other pitfalls if you’re toying with the idea of having AI write texts for you.

Outdated knowledge

According to the developers, ChatGPT is at a knowledge level of the end of 2021, so the chatbot is not aware of developments that took place in 2022. ChatGPT cannot therefore tell you what developments have taken place in society and research in the last year, which is particularly unhelpful for texts that refer to current events.

Incorrect information

The 2021 knowledge level is not the only problem. In several experiments, ChatGPT has spit out nonsensical or even incorrect answers to technical questions. From incorrect equations in mathematics to incorrect factual information in content, there have been several such phenomena documented on the web. The problem: If you rely on ChatGPT to answer the questions, how are you going to distinguish correct from incorrect information?

You can use ChatGPT sensibly in teaching and research

Is ChatGPT completely unsuitable for studying because of the problems mentioned above? No! There are absolutely useful applications for ChatGPT. However, since it is a new technology with so far unresolved legal issues, we would like to point out that the use of ChatGTP for your studies is always at your own risk. Now let’s get to the useful application possibilities!

For research: ChatGPT is a good helper if you want to find exciting aspects and relevant information for a topic. The tool recognizes meaningful connections and clusters that belong to a topic complex. On this basis you can also let ChatGPT spit out exciting research questions by entering the command “Find research questions on the topic …” or “Tell me research areas on …”.

For text drafts: Using ChatGPT to generate text drafts can help you find inspiration for the structure of your own texts. However, it is very important that you write your own texts and not just modify the ChatGPT drafts. Otherwise you run the risk of plagiarism. Of course, this also applies if you use ChatGPT to create codes in another department such as computer science.

For proofreading and editing: ChatGPT detects grammatical and stylistic errors in existing texts. To do this, enter the command “Check this text for spelling and grammar errors:”, copy the text into the input field and then let ChatGPT find these errors for you. By the way, ChatGPT is also able to find synonyms for terms in your texts with the command “Find synonyms for …”. to find synonyms for terms in your texts. This is useful for example if you don’t always want to write “employees” or similar in your texts.

For learning: With ChatGPT you can create your own quiz and thus create your individual exam. Give the command “Create me a quiz on the topic …” and test yourself!

More info about chances and risks of ChatGPT in studies

The success of ChatGPT came as a surprise; accordingly, schools, colleges, and universities have yet to learn how to use ChatGPT. But it is very likely that educational institutions will make extensive use of AI recognition tools such as OpenAI’s “AI Text Classifier” to recognize AI-generated texts.

However, it does not look like ChatGPT will be banned in schools and colleges for the time being. In the meantime, there are numerous media reports in which teachers, lecturers, principals, etc. have their say. The tone is similar throughout: A ban on the technology for university teaching does not make sense or is almost impossible to implement. It is much more important to teach students the meaning of their own work on the material.

Let’s be honest: You study for yourself in order to acquire qualifications. So if you study, work hard and use ChatGPT to support you, you have a tool that will help you in your studies. We wish you good luck with it!

Fasching vs. Carnival

Whether it’s called Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval depends in Germany on the region. In Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Fasching is celebrated; i. a. in northern Germany and the Rhineland, the festive season is called Karneval; in Hesse, Saarland and many other regions, Fastnacht. What is meant, however, is the same thing: the foolish season that begins on 11.11. at 11:11 a.m. and culminates with parades and festive meetings in February of the following year.

Note: For the sake of readability, we mainly use the term Fasching in this article, friends of carnival may forgive us.

Important Fasching terms

Are you ready to go to your first Fasching and celebrate with other people? Then you should know the following terms and their meanings:

Weiberfastnacht: Weiberfastnacht refers to the transition from the session Fasching to the street Fasching. So it is celebrated in costume in the streets, bars and pubs of the cities. In the past, the night was dedicated to women, but today this custom has loosened and all genders celebrate Weiberfastnacht. Depending on the region, the celebrating women are also called Möhnen. Caution, however, still to the well-dressed gentlemen: on Weiberfastnacht, men’s ties are cut off if they wear one.

Fastnacht: Fastnacht is not to be confused with the women’s carnival. The term Fastnacht is instead a regionally different term for Fasching or carnival. Alternatively, Fastnacht is also referred to and pronounced as “Fasnacht” or “Fassenacht”.

Rosenmontag: Especially in Rheinhessen and the Rhineland, Rosenmontag is a highlight that is celebrated with the Rosenmontag parade. A special feature is that Rosenmontag in the Fasching strongholds is a de facto holiday, but not a public holiday. So it is actually a normal weekday, but one on which people celebrate exuberantly.

Aschermittwoch: Aschermittwoch heralds the end of Fasching and the beginning of Lent, which lasts until Easter. In the Christian religious context, Aschermittwoch is meant to remind us of those days Jesus spent praying and fasting in the desert.

Lent: Aschermittwoch heralds the beginning of Lent. Lent lasts until Good Friday and also has a religious origin. In the past, people abstained from eating during Lent, but nowadays they fast in different ways, for example by not smoking, not drinking alcohol or abstaining from social media during Lent. So today, many people choose for themselves which vice they want to give up during Lent.

Funken-/Tanzmariechen: The term goes back to the so-called sutlers. These were women who had already accompanied soldiers in the Middle Ages and provided them with various services and goods. Among other things, the sutlers had also danced and were called in this context “Funken-” or “Tanzmariechen”. Today Tanzmariechen are the representatives of the local Fasching clubs and have to apply for this position.

Jeck/Narr: Jeck is another word for fool in the Rhineland. Both mean any person who actively participates in Carnival or Fasching, but is not organized in a corresponding club.

Narrenruf: greeting call of the Jecken among themselves, which differ regionally. From “Kölle Alaaf” (Cologne) to “Helau” (Düsseldorf, Koblenz, Mainz), “Ahoi” (Baden area) and even “Wau Wau” (in the Bayreuth area, among others), there are also battle cries such as “Alleh hopp” in Saarland and “Schelle, Schelle, Schell au!” in Wangen in Allgäu.

Session: Another term for the Fasching, carnical or Fastnacht season.

Umzug: Primarily floats, masquerade and dance groups that parade through the streets in costume, often making political-satirical jokes. Sweets, flowers, etc. are thrown into the crowd from so-called parade floats.

Popular carnival strongholds

In Germany, there are popular carnival strongholds where you can see great parades and join in the celebrations. At the carnival, the Rhineland in particular stands out as a carnival stronghold with Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf.

Cologne

In Cologne, the carnival parades begin on Shrove Monday at 6 p.m. at the Alter Markt. From there, the huge carnival parade with kilometers of floats continues through the city center. This year the carnival parade is something very special: after 200 years it will take place with a new route and in a new form. Alaaf!

Mainz

Mainz is world-famous for its Rotenmontagsumzug and Youth Mask Parade on carnival. Carnival event highlights include the Meenzer Fassenacht (Feb. 16), the Büttendance Open-Air (Feb. 10 / 6:11 p.m.), the Altweiber Party (Feb. 16 / 7:11 p.m.) and the Prinzengardeball (Feb. 18 / 8:11 p.m.) as well as DER BALL – Die Nacht der Narren (Feb. 18 / 7:33 p.m.).

Duesseldorf

In Duesseldorf the Weiberfastnacht and the Karnevalssonntag belong to the carnival high points. Traditionally on carnival, the so-called Möhnen – an older word for women – storm Düsseldorf City Hall in the Altweiberfastnacht at 11:11 a.m. sharp and imprison the mayor. What sounds dramatic is a long-held, harmless carnival custom accompanied by lots of fun and colorful costumes.

Other carnival strongholds

Other carnival strongholds in the country can be found in Aachen, Bremen and Marne. Check the city websites for exact parade routes and start dates for carnival!

Popular Fasching hotspots

Of course, we don’t want to deprive you of Germany’s Fasching hotspots either:

Munich

Bavaria’s capital city offers lively festivities for Fasching fans. The Munich Dance Night (11.02.), the Children’s Fasching (12.02.), the Ball of the Stars (17.02.) and the Jamboree Ball (19.02.) are known far beyond the state borders.

Nuremberg

The linchpin of the Nuremberg Fasching is the Fasching procession, which starts at 1 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the corner of Bayreuther Strasse and Pirkheimerstrasse. One of the top events, however, is the children’s Fasching procession on Rosenmontag, also at 1 p.m. at the Lorenzkirche, from where the procession heads toward the city center.

Berlin

Admittedly, Berlin cannot compete with the traditional strongholds of Fasching and carnival in Germany. Nevertheless, over the years a Fasching culture has developed in the German capital under the cry “Berlin Heijo!”. The Berlin Fasching parade has, among other things, as highlights the bus tour Weiberfastnacht (16.02.), the Fidelen Rixdorfer Fasching (18.02.) and the train of the “Fröhlichen Leute” with a trip to Cottbus (19.02.) to offer.

Other Fasching strongholds

Fasching also takes place in Würzburg, and the term is also used in Saxony, as well as in parts of Austria. You can find the dates for Fasching events on the websites of your region.

Tips for your Fasching costume

Of course, the fifth season is most fun in the right costume. We have collected a few tips for the ideal Fasching costume:

Feel comfortable in your costume. This is probably the most important tip when it comes to choosing a costume. Choose your costume according to whether you feel comfortable in it, only then you will have fun at Fasching or carnival. Slip into several costumes to find the right one for you.
It can be colorful and flashy! Fasching is all about standing out. Not an easy task with so many people around you who are also wearing costumes. Therefore, choose bold colors, these days are made for extroverts!
Humorous and funny, but be careful: Fasching or carnival has always been an opportunity to make fun of politics and social grievances. Beware of overly cynical or culturally offensive depictions, however, or unwanted discussions could await you instead of fun.
Dress warmly enough: February is a cold, often wet month in Germany. So if you want to avoid catching a cold, don’t venture too freely among the revelers.
Topicality wins: Of course, the easiest way is to don the old theme party costume in a Spiderman or cowgirl look. However, it is much better to wear a costume that is contemporary, such as the Joker from Batman or Wednesday Addams. You’ll definitely score points with that at the next parade.
Full body costumes are practical: Full body costumes are super easy to put on, are a complete outfit without much preparation, fun, and depending on the fabric, keep you nice and warm. Highly recommended for beginners!
Embellish purchased costumes yourself: Use different patterns and accessories to spice up your costume. Rhinestones, fairy lights, hats or epaulettes: The possibilities for this are almost endless.
Group costumes make more of an impression: You’re going to Fasching/carnival with friends? How about wearing costumes together? The quasi-uniforms will make you stand out even more in the crowd.

How much child benefit will there be in 2023?

Until the end of 2022, child benefit was increased in stages per child. It started at 219 euros for one child:

As of 01.01.2023, parents receive the same amount of child benefit, regardless of how many children they have. Your parents will therefore receive 250 euros per month for each child:

This means that it no longer matters whether or how many siblings you have. Since the beginning of the year, there is a rate of 250 euros for each child.

Until when do I get child benefit?

Actually, child benefit is only paid until the child’s 18th birthday. However, under certain circumstances, child benefit can be paid until the 25th birthday. One of these circumstances is that you are in initial education, which includes initial studies.

Thus, you are entitled to child benefit until your 25th birthday if you are studying for the first time. However, your parents need proof that you are actually studying, e.g. regular enrollment certificates from the respective semester. Your parents can upload this proof online via the Familienkasse.

Tip: Child benefit can also be granted if you are in a secondary education or a secondary course of study. In this case, the state primarily looks at how much work is done on the side. If this is more than 20 hours per week, there could be difficulties with the approval of child benefits.

You can find more exceptions and conditions for side jobs in connection with child benefit in the following section “Child benefit and side jobs”.

Child benefit and part-time jobs: You must pay attention to this

If you work in a marginal job to earn money in addition to your studies, this does not affect your child benefit. This includes, for example, mini-jobs where you earn a maximum of 450 euros per month. Short-term jobs such as one-time promo jobs are also generally unproblematic.

As a rule of thumb, you can remember that the average weekly working time of a part-time job should not exceed 20 hours.

Article tip:Earning money as a student: 10 creative ways

There is also income that basically does not affect the child benefit:

Dual or part-time studies
Legal clerkship (as preparation for the 2nd state examination in law and for teacher training)
Internships or traineeships accompanying studies

The year of recognition for educators, a training relationship according to the Vocational Training Act and a service relationship with civil servant candidates or professional soldiers are also considered exceptions that do not affect child benefits.

Child benefit & BAföG: Can they go together?

Child benefit and BAföG have nothing to do with each other. Child benefit is earmarked for a specific purpose; you do not even have to state that you receive child benefit on your BAföG application.

For the approval and the rate of BAföG, a completely different factor is decisive: the income of your parents. If your parents’ income exceeds a certain amount, they have to pay for your living expenses, otherwise you are entitled to BAföG – with or without child benefit, it doesn’t matter.

Child benefit while studying abroad

You are still entitled to child benefit if your stay abroad is a short one. This refers to stays abroad with a maximum duration of 12 months. In this case, the state assumes that you will remain resident in Germany.

If you study abroad for a longer period of time, you only have a chance to receive child benefits, provided that you reside with your parents. However, you would have to prove that you actually use the apartment or the house of your parents for living. It is not sufficient to state your address as your residence; you must be able to prove that you spend more than 50% of your study-free time with your parents.

Are my parents allowed to keep the child benefit?

Your parents are obliged to support you until you have completed your first professional training, e.g. a course of study. They must therefore ensure that you receive enough money from them to cover your daily living expenses. The amount of child support is calculated according to the income of your parents, the yardstick for this is the so-called Düsseldorfer Tabelle.

The child support is counted towards the support of your parents, i.e. your parents are obliged to pay you support as so-called cash support including child support in the full amount. If this does not work, you can apply for a diversion in order to receive the child benefit directly on your account.

Tip: The rules for alimony and child support are complex, so if you have any questions, contact an advice center or a lawyer who specializes in this area.

#1 Visualize

You’ve probably heard the saying “I have to be able to visualize it”, or you’ve said it yourself. Many people learn better through pictures and/or graphical representations than through text, yet most knowledge is conveyed in writing even in times of digitalization. But written words are nothing else for our head than abstract symbols strung together, which it tries to interpret. But the brain thinks much better in pictures.

You “translate” a text, e.g. an essay, into your own visual language. This is not about aesthetics, but about drawing visual crutches through which knowledge is better remembered. Therefore, visualizations are a helpful and effective learning method.

Historical facts, for example, can be drawn as a timeline, and you can visualize statistics with diagrams in a way that is clearer and easier for you to understand.

This is how you implement the learning method: Draw facts that you want to learn. In chemistry, for example, this can be molecular chains for illustration. If you are studying civil engineering, you will necessarily have to draw static constructions. Sometimes pictures are created in our mind’s eye that have little or nothing to do with the actual fact. But if they help you remember a fact, wonderful! Draw them and memorize them well. If you then call up the picture in your mind, the associated fact will come to mind much more easily.

It is also a good idea to draw symbols that are found in the learning text. You can also use geometric shapes such as overlapping circles, triangles, etc., whatever comes to mind. The trick to visualizing is that you are working creatively, increasing your ability to remember. You help your brain to remember the content better.

#2 Build mnemonic bridges

Mnemonic bridges form strong links that remain in the memory for a long time. They are therefore an ideal, creative learning method. Mnemonic bridges are small detours that you take mentally in order to remember facts better. You can also imagine a mnemonic as a crutch for your memory.

This is how you implement the learning method: The most important thing with mnemonic devices is that you create a mnemonic that is easier to remember than the actual learning material.

For example: You want to remember the 9 amino acids that are essential for humans. These acids are tryptophan, threonine, phenylalanine, valine, histidine, lsysine, isoleucine, methionine and histidine. Not particularly easy terms, are they? Here’s what you can make of it with a mnemonic: Torsten and Theresa plan various hours, for listening to independent mentors and helpers.

Does such a sentence completely replace learning? No, as I said, it is only a support, its initial letters are reminders for you to better remember the amino acids you have learned in the exam.

#3 Summarize the material

In the method of summarizing, it is crucial that you separate the important from the unimportant. Scientific literature can sometimes be voluminous, and not every lecturer succeeds in condensing the really important points. For you this offers a chance to deepen your knowledge and to store it effectively with this learning method.

You steam the learning material to essential key points, which you write down on paper. You pull together learning scripts, scientific texts, documents from lectures, exercise scripts, etc. and extract those key points that are relevant to the exam.

Important and honestly exhausting with this learning method is to separate the important from the unimportant information. You can use older exams as a guide for this. Also, talk to your fellow students to find out what information they consider relevant.

This is how you implement the learning method: Don’t just read the material, write down the most important points by hand. In this way, you actively engage with the material. Your brain doesn’t just passively consume the material, but is encouraged to actively engage with it. In this way, you will also quickly notice whether you have actually understood the material.

Tip: You can write the bullet points on a laptop, tablet or smartphone, but the learning material is better memorized if you write them down by hand.

Once you have written down the key points, imagine that you have to give a lecture on the topic. All you have are your bullet points. Give the lecture aloud at home and you will quickly find out where you still lack knowledge. Look up this missing knowledge specifically and then complete your bullet points. Repeat this method of summarizing until you can speak confidently and confidently about the topic even without notes.

#4 Reading and Marking

For this learning method, you’ll need three highlighters in different colors.

Red highlighter: very important content
Yellow highlighter: important content
Green highlighter: good to know, but not very relevant

This is how you implement the learning method: First read the text you want to learn from completely. Then read it a second time and mark the text passages according to the principle of the colors given above. Do this intuitively and without much thought, but at the same time be sparing with the use of highlighters. A document that is too colorful is more likely to inhibit learning than to promote it.

Put the text away for a few hours and then read the marked passages again. Make notes on the text passages if you feel that this will help you to remember the information better.

Tip: You can also compile keywords and key points from Reading & Marking in a mind map. You can find out how to do this in the section on the mind map learning method below.

#5 SQR3 Method

SQR3 is an abbreviation for Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. The method is suitable for summarizing extensive learning texts. We will start from one text for the explanation, but you can learn several texts in a row with this method.

This is how you implement the learning method: Let’s briefly go through the individual steps:

#1 Survey

In this first step you do not read the text completely, but you get a rough overview. Scientific texts follow a logical structure, which you take advantage of here. You skim the table of contents, chapter headings, and summaries such as the conclusion.

#2 Question

Ask yourself why you are reading the text. Sound funny? The point is that you’re not just reading through the text, you’re pulling the information from it that is relevant to the exam. Imagine that the text is an interlocutor who is supposed to answer questions for you, and write down those questions, such as:

What information do you expect to get from reading it?

What is the main message of the text and how will it help you with your (upcoming) exam?

#3 Read

With the questions from step #2, you have symbolically put on reading glasses with which you now read the text, focusing on answering the questions you wrote down specifically and in writing. Also, write yourself marginal notes on the text if they seem useful to you in order to reinforce the key messages.

#4 Recite

In this step, you will summarize your answers and notes. The rule here is not to simply copy, but to form new sentences and to shorten them rigorously. This is tiring, but it helps your brain form new connections that are even more memorable.

#5 Review

Read through the summarized notes and match them with the questions from step #2. Were these questions answered sufficiently and satisfactorily?

Most excitingly, can you connect the insights you gained from the text to existing knowledge? If you succeed in doing this, you will automatically create new mnemonic connections, which will help to consolidate the material even better in your mind.

#6 Draw Mind Maps

Mind maps are ingenious maps for your memory. With them, you combine the learning methods of visualization and summarization into one effective learning technique. Mind maps are graphical, map-like representations of thoughts, facts, contexts, etc. The individual information components of a mind map are connected with lines and/or arrows. In this way, topic clusters can be created that are easier to memorize than mere bullet points on paper.

This is how you implement the learning method: Mind maps can be created both by hand and on a PC, tablet or smartphone. For the analog version, we recommend a large sheet of paper (at least A4, better A3) and different colored pens. Digital mind maps can be created excellently with free tools such as the basic version of Miro or with XMind.

Article Tip: These tools & services are free for students

Whichever version you choose: Start your mind map with the central point in the middle. For example, the topic you want to learn, such as the principle of “photosynthesis”.

#7 Read notes aloud

Reading your notes or learning content out loud is one of the most effective learning methods. By repeating the content not only mentally, but also in the form of speech, you stimulate multiple areas of your brain. You can also turn on a voice recorder or your smartphone’s voice recording app to listen to what you’re reading later for reinforcement.

This is how you implement the learning method: Collect your notes or bullet points and find a quiet, undisturbed place. Now read the notes aloud. Focus on the content, not on whether you read quickly or without stumbling. It is much more important that you grasp the information as you read aloud. That way, you’ll remember it for a longer period of time. Some people swear by this method of learning to play the recordings when they fall asleep, so that they can store the knowledge while they sleep.

#8 Use flashcards

Flashcards are the classic learning method, and still highly effective. Especially for the memorization in the long-term memory, learning with flashcards is said to be particularly practical. Use a system with a card index box. The 5-slot system has proven itself here. Each subject stands for the learning frequency, i.e. how often you pick up a card and repeat the material on it.

Tray 1: Repeat flashcards every day
Tray 2: flashcards are repeated every other day
Tray 3: Flashcards are repeated once a week.
Tray 4: Flashcards are repeated once a month
Tray 5: Flashcards are repeated shortly before the exam (1-2 days before)

This is how you implement the study method: Get flashcards and a flashcard box. Ready-made learning sets are available for this purpose. Now label the individual cards with questions about the subject matter. The answer to the question is the content to be learned, which can be found on the back of the index card. If you succeed in answering the question correctly, the index card moves to the back, subject by subject. At the end of this learning method, all flashcards are ideally in tray #5 and the learning material has migrated into your long-term memory through constant repetition.

#9 Do e-learning

At the latest since Corona, e-learning has become a matter of course. In the meantime, there are a number of online courses with which you can deepen your knowledge. A great advantage of e-learning is that you can learn exactly when it suits you. Whether it’s during the day or at night, at the weekend or during the week, it doesn’t matter. Tests and mock exams are helpful interactive ways to take full advantage of this learning method.

Here’s how to implement the study method: Check out e-learning options online and at your college. Most universities offer free, in-house e-learning courses and downloadable learning materials. You’ll also find private providers quickly with a simple Google search. Look for student discounts and rates. When you book courses, stick to the learning stages provided so that you reach your goal quickly and efficiently with this learning method.

#10 Learn in a group

Alone in a quiet room, the ceiling quickly falls on your head. Learning together is often better and more effective. You can also act out exam situations in which you slip into different roles. For example, a fellow student takes on the role of the examiner and questions your knowledge. This social training is particularly helpful in preparing for oral exams, for example, to reduce test anxiety.

Article tip: Exam anxiety: How to get them under control

In addition, all members of a learning group benefit from the synergy effect: everyone contributes their know-how to the group, so that questions that arise are answered quickly and learning gaps are closed.

This is how you implement the learning method: Talk to fellow students with whom you want to form a learning group. Make sure that you are at approximately the same level of knowledge. In addition, the group should have a maximum of four members, otherwise there is a high risk of distraction and unrest. Arrange regular meetings (at least once a week) to review the material. During the learning sessions, write down everything that you want to deepen later at home with other learning methods (visualizing, reading aloud, etc.).

Which learning method is best?

There is no one perfect learning method that works for everyone. Find out what type of learner you are to find the right learning method for you. You can do this by trying several learning techniques – preferably all the ones we’ve listed here. Over time, you’ll notice which learning techniques stick with you the most. Combine the most effective learning methods for the best results. We wish you success in your exams!

Unusual gifts

#1 Experiences

Let’s face it: as a student, you’re always happy to receive a small gift of money, furnishings for your apartment, a laptop, and so on. But what if you want to give something as a gift? In your phase of life, money is often tight, so expensive gifts are out of the question. The solution: Give the gift of experiences! Time spent together is something precious and cannot be valued with money. That’s why you can bring your loved ones great joy by giving them experiences that don’t have to cost a lot.

Creative gift ideas for experiences:

Cooking night together – how about a warming chili, for example?
Cocktail tasting at your home, you can find great cocktail recipes here.
Go on a hike together that you organize
A mini-trip through nature with inexpensive means of transport – here you can find the most beautiful train routes in Germany
A city trip, how about a visit to the worth seeing cities Leipzig or Kaiserslautern for example?
Watching the starry sky/full moon together and having a picnic (especially suitable as a romantic experience gift)
A game or movie night, you make the selection in advance with a view to the favorite genres of the presentee

All these experience gifts can be something very special, if you put yourself in the organization. For example, for the joint cooking evening, it would be your job to take care of a recipe, the procurement of ingredients and the preparation. Check out our blog for delicious, healthy recipes. Be sure to check out our atumn recipes, too!

Tip: Create a visually appealing coupon and print it out. There are plenty of templates for this on the internet.

#2 Unique artwork

On internet platforms like Etsy, artists offer their work for sale. The offer ranges from multiple prints to unique pieces that are not available anywhere else in the world. Especially for up-and-coming artists, these one-of-a-kind pieces are usually inexpensive.

And isn’t it a cool idea that a unique piece purchased cheaply today and given away as a gift could be worth a lot in a few years? Provided the artist has a breakthrough, of course. But just the possibility and the individual art itself have their appeal. In addition to paintings, you can buy earrings, water bottles, pillows, key chains, tea light messages, etc. online in unique designs.

#3 Five-year diary

With such a book, the gift recipient answers the familiar question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” once in reverse: “How have I spent the last 5 years?”. This diary is an exciting journey to oneself. With it, the presentee documents day by day how his or her own life is developing. The five-year diaries are available to buy online from various suppliers with a wide variety of designs. And one thing is certain: opened every day and writing in it, this gift will remain in the memory for a long time.

Sustainable gifts

#1 A piece of forest

By giving a piece of forest or a tree as a gift, you are making a contribution to nature conservation – and the gift is original to boot. For example, the NABU Foundation offers a primeval forest sponsorship as a gift. It costs the giver 10 euros a month. In this way, one hectare of nature reserve in Brandenburg is protected. The support also ensures that the forest areas can be developed and running costs can be paid.

Article tip: Living sustainably as a student: 8 tips for everyday life

With providers like Planet Tree, you can give the gift of a tree sponsorship. The tree is planted as a seedling within the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Forest and raised by the forestry office. You will receive a certificate as a PDF or a printed certificate in paper format, whichever you prefer. Planet Tree is committed to planting trees in Germany in order to sustainably promote and support the preservation of forests in this country.

#2 Coffee-to-go cup (reusable)

Plastic pollutes our oceans, rivers, meadows and forests. Humans and animals also have to contend with plastics, as they enter our organisms through food. In recent years, disposable coffee-to-go cups have come into a particularly bad light. Due to their mass production and sometimes incorrect disposal, they have become a real nuisance.

You can counteract this by giving away sustainable coffee-to-go cups. These are reusable cups that are integrated into a deposit system. This means you can visit several cafés with one cup and have your favorite coffee refilled there. Successful companies in this area include reCup, but you can also get sustainable coffee-to-go cups from suppliers such as Avocadostore or green your life.

#3 Bee sponsorship

Bees are extremely important to our ecosystem. It’s all the sadder that the worldwide bee die-off continues due to globalization, industrialization, modern agriculture, etc. In the meantime, half of the wild bee species living in Germany are considered endangered. With a bee sponsorship you do something for these valuable insects and at the same time implement one of the most creative gift ideas for Christmas.

With a bee sponsorship you support local beekeepers, for example in the pollination of important wild and useful plants. In addition, you promote the care and protection of bee colonies. Popular providers of bee sponsorships include Bienenretter and Mellifera e.V.

Homemade gifts

#1 Flavored salt

Salt can be enhanced with great flavors. In addition, the production of flavored salts is cheap and easy. We recommend coarse salt for use, as it releases the flavors intensely when ground in a spice grinder.

Recipe for a delicious chili rosemary salt:

For 200 g of flavored salt, you’ll need about one stalk of rosemary and one chili pepper. Finely chop the fresh rosemary stalk and the chili. Mix both together and let dry on cutting board for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into jar, add salt and mix vigorously. Label the jar. Done!

Tip: There are no limits to your imagination when making flavored salt. However, make sure to combine flavors that harmonize with each other. For example, a lavender chocolate flake fennel salt might excite a gourmet or two, but most people are unlikely to be fond of this combination.

#2 Edible oil

Another very simple and creative gift idea for Christmas is flavored cooking oil. You’ll need an oil like olive oil for this. When buying the oil, make sure it is high quality, ideally it is an organic oil. It may cost a bit more, but it tastes much better than most cheap oils.

Speaking of taste, before you decide to use an oil for your gift, do the taste test yourself in advance. Some oils taste bitter; for your own aromatic oil, oils with a subtle or slightly nutty taste are better suited.

Recipe for a tasty herb oil:

For 500 ml of herb oil, you’ll need a clean bottle, 4 sprigs of rosemary, 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 bay leaves, 1 pinch of nutmeg, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 fresh chili peppers. Cut the sprigs of herbs to fit into a 500 ml bottle. Skin the garlic cloves, crush them gently and add them to the bottle along with the herb sprigs. Cut the chili peppers into fine strips and add the strips to the bottle. Fill the herb-chili mixture with the olive oil and close the bottle. Done! The oil was perfect for marinating meat and fish, as well as a dressing for salads or snacks.

Tip: Ideally, prepare the oil 3-4 days before giving it as a gift. This way it has enough time to absorb all the flavors.

#3 Chat book

WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal & Co.: Through messengers, we share loving and funny messages, vacation photos, inspiring quotes, etc. every day. But over time, these precious memories disappear somewhere in the feed, where we can no longer find them again. With a chat book, you bring out those memories again, and in an extraordinary, tangible form. The chat book is therefore one of those creative gift ideas for Christmas that have an invaluable sentimental value. Videos can also be played via the chat book, and thanks to QR codes, the presentee has the opportunity to dive into these beautiful memories at any time. Well-known providers for chat books are Zapptales or Chatprint.

#1 Accept what is

The long queue at the supermarket checkout, the late bus, dead spots that always appear just when you’re talking to a good friend on the phone: There are plenty of opportunities to get annoyed in everyday life. But do you have to use every one of them? By doing so, you rob yourself of satisfaction. What happens, happens and we can control little of it. But you can decide each time how you feel about a certain situation and what you will do with it.

The long line at the supermarket checkout gives you the opportunity to finally respond to chat messages, something you’ve been meaning to do for days. The delay of the bus allows you to look at a café near the bus stop that you’ve been interested in for a long time. And if there are cell phone problems, it would be a good opportunity to be aware of your surroundings. Maybe take a walk through the park and call your friend later when you’re home in peace?

We often react automatically to stimuli from our environment. But there is a gap in our consciousness between stimulus and response that we can train to choose a new response. For this, you need one important quality.

#2 Live mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of those buzzwords that has flooded social media and lifestyle blogs in recent years. But the principle of mindfulness is valuable and thousands of years old. The more mindful you are, the more you live in the here and now. As a result, you worry less about the future, are more balanced, and have more freedom of action. You are much more aware and free to choose what thoughts, feelings, and actions to react with when faced with stimuli from the outside world.
You achieve mindfulness through regular self-observation, preferably on a daily basis. Meditation is an ideal tool for this.

The more regularly you meditate, the more your mindfulness will increase, which will provide more satisfaction in everyday life.

#3 Practice gratitude

In our society, gratitude is not very popular. The trend is much more to focus on grievances and problems.
Gratitude is not about turning a blind eye to crises and problems. Here we are again at point #1: Accepting what is. With gratitude, you go one crucial step further: instead of always reacting, you actively put yourself in a better mood by focusing your attention on the positive things you can be grateful for.
Think there’s nothing in your life to be grateful for?

You could be grateful for that:

You live in a country where you can move freely.
You can make yourself a fresh, delicious coffee or tea every morning.
You can study and have a professional perspective.
You can go for a walk and enjoy the sun’s rays and the fresh air.

You can feel gratitude for everything that is good in your life. It doesn’t need a religious context, it’s about consciously enjoying what is.

When you first start doing this, it can feel a bit unfamiliar to be grateful. That’s because most of us have never cultivated gratitude. We have to exercise it like a muscle to feel the positive effects for greater satisfaction. But: Numerous studies have proven the connection between gratitude and satisfaction – so it pays to be grateful every day.

#4 Eat healthy

Sure, everyday life is hectic and sometimes there is little time to cook. Still, it’s important to eat healthy so you feel good about yourself. Healthy food is a crucial factor for satisfaction. Here you will find 5 easy & healthy recipes for students. They are cheap, make you happy and are quick as well as easy to cook – promise!

#5 Exercise

Exercise helps to reduce stress and promote your own happiness. In our modern world, we sit a lot – too much. Instead, we need exercise. But of course, we also know that the gym subscription is used far too rarely.

So how about sports that you can easily integrate into everyday life? In the Corona era, many people have learned to exercise at home. There are plenty of online courses and apps that you can use to keep fit in your own four walls.

Or you can run a lap around the block in your jogging clothes. It’s also quick to hop on your bike or jump rope in a nearby park.

Tip: Combine exercise with relaxation exercises afterwards to calm down and increase your happiness.

#6 Get enough sleep

There is a wise motto for productivity: the success of the next day is decided the night before. In other words, if you make sure you get enough healthy sleep at night, you’ll have plenty of energy for the next day. Sleep research concludes that seven to eight hours of sleep is sufficient for a healthy adult.

These sleep tips will help you for a healthy sleep:

Avoid screens (laptop, smartphone, TV) one hour before bed to rest your eyes and brain
Do not eat meals after 6 p.m. to ease the burden on the digestive system
Avoid or reduce nicotine and alcohol
Avoid caffeine (e.g. in coffee) after 4 p.m.
Set a fixed bedtime that the body can get used to (e.g. 10 p.m.)
Keep the room dark, for example with blinds or curtains
Incorporate plenty of exercise into your day to help you get a good night’s sleep, ideally through sports

The better you sleep, the more satisfaction you will experience in your daily life.

#7 Maintain relationships

During Corona time, many of us felt the importance of relationships. As social beings, we need interaction and exchange with other people to stay healthy. Fulfilling relationships, whether partnerships, friendships, or relationships with family, are an important pillar for our satisfaction.
Fortunately, we can now get back to nurturing our relationships, dating, going to the movies, hosting parties, etc. Be sure to use these opportunities to bring contentment into your life.

Article Tips: Are you new to the city and haven’t built relationships locally yet? Then read our article “10 tips for finding friends in a new city” now! Here you’ll find inspiration on what to do with your friends in the run-up to Christmas.

#8 Travel

Sometimes it just has to be the old familiar change of scenery. Travel not only educates, it also provides plenty of variety and excitement. Get away from it all by setting out to experience new places, cultures and people. Travel doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Here’s how you can travel on the cheap as a student. Discover the most beautiful routes by train across Germany in another article. Traveling will give you more satisfaction in your everyday life through the many impressions and encounters.

#9 Stop comparing yourself

We often look at what other people have achieved, or whether they are more satisfied than we are. And just as often, we create a distorted image of these people. This is clearly illustrated by the example of celebrities who seem to have everything: success, wealth, recognition. But behind the scenes, things are often quite different. Every person has their ups and downs, their joys and problems.

Comparing ourselves with others throws us off balance: Either we become arrogant because the person we are comparing ourselves with is worse off than we are. Or we feel small, even develop envy, because we feel unfairly treated by life. Both are poison for contentment, which is why you should stop comparing yourself. Observe yourself in everyday life how quickly such comparison happens. When you notice it, take your mind off it and ask yourself, for example:

What can I be grateful for here and now?

This goes along the lines of tip #3 in this article. By focusing on gratitude, you immediately interrupt the downward comparison thoughts and engage in something positive. The result: you’ll immediately feel better and sense contentment.

#10 Solution-oriented thinking

The brain is an ingenious organ that has been programmed over millions of years of evolution to solve problems. Unfortunately, this mechanism, which was essential for survival in earlier times, has a catch: our minds are constantly looking for problems. If we focus only on these, it paralyzes us and creates a feeling of powerlessness. It is much better to think in a solution-oriented way and thus tap into our own creative potential. Similar to gratitude, this works especially well via questions.

Instead of being afraid of the exam, ask yourself: What can I do to get my exam anxiety under control?
Instead of complaining about a lack of money, ask yourself: What exciting part-time jobs are available for students?
Instead of despairing about your choice of degree program, ask yourself: Which study program suits me?

Such an active approach to problems ensures that you always remain capable of taking action. Instead of feeling powerless and at the mercy of situations, you feel your own self-efficacy and repeatedly experience that you can solve problems. This provides a sense of autonomy and thus deep satisfaction.

#1 Kakadu Karaoke Bar

Kakadu is a delightfully quirky karaoke club in the center of the city. The club is open every night from 9pm to 3am. And don’t worry: you don’t have to be a singing genius to get up on stage. The fun in the Kakadu lies precisely in the fact that everyone is allowed on the microphone here and relaxed partying. So for fun nightlife with friends or a creative date, Kakadu is the place to be!

Address: Roßpl. 4, 04103 Leipzig

#2 Bavarian Station

If the disused portico on Bayerischer Platz seems a bit strange, you might be interested in the interesting history behind it. From 1842, the station was operated, first by the Sächsisch-Bayerische Eisenbahn-Compagnie. Today, Portikus is a monument to transportation history that can be marveled at on site.

Tip: The Bayerischer Bahnhof brewery is located directly at Portikus. In addition to hearty meals, you’ll be served home-brewed beer here. In summer, a wonderful, Bavarian-inspired beer garden invites you to relax.

Address: Bayrischer Platz 1, 04103 Leipzig

#3 White Elster / Canals

In Leipzig you can experience fantastic canal tours, either on a guided tour or with your own kayak/canoe. There are rental stations at several places in Leipzig where you can rent stand-up paddles, for example. The canals in Leipzig are also connected to the Waldsee Lauer and the Cospudener See. We recommend you to start the tour on the Elster flood basin in the Clara Zetkin Park.

Walk or ride your bike from this location south along Max-Reger-Allee. This is a wide avenue in the middle of the Clara Zetkin Park, which is mainly populated by pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, as you pass through the avenue, you will enjoy a beautiful view of the Elster River flood bed to your right.

After a few minutes you will see the first boat rentals, two alone at the Scheibenholz racecourse and one at the Pleiße riverbed where the Elster and Pleiße split. From there, the exciting boat tour can start!

Tip: Other highlights for boat tours are the Terrace House in Plagwitz, the Karl Heine Canal, the Stilt House and the Palmgarten Weir. If you want to go even further out, you can row on to the Saale River, though paddling experience and the use of a water map is recommended for this.

#4 Weekly Markets

Weekly markets are a great opportunity to get to know the flair of this special city and to buy regional and seasonal specialties. Of course, you’ll find cheese and sausage stands as well as the classic greengrocer. Craftsmanship is also represented at the weekly markets.

These are the most popular weekly markets in Leipzig:

Bayrischer Platz (Wednesday and Friday 09:00 to 17:00)
Innenstadt / Marktplatz or Augustusplatz (Tuesday and Friday 09:00 to 17:00)
Lindenauer Markt (Wednesday and Friday 09:00 to 16:00)

#5 Panometer

For almost 20 years, the German-Iranian artist Yadegar Asisi has been presenting an exhibition of a special kind: inside the Panometer, visitors can see a huge panoramic image that spans the interior walls. Originally, the Panometer was a gasometer until it was shut down in 1977; Asisi gave the building its characteristic name with the artificial word Panometer.

From Everest to the Battle of Leipzig to the Great Barrier Reef and New York 9/11, the artist devotes himself to a wide variety of topics, which is why it’s always worth paying the Panometer a visit.

Address: Richard-Lehmann-Strasse 114, 04275 Leipzig, Germany.

More tips from our blog

We hope you enjoy exploring this lively Saxon metropolis! Also check out our other helpful articles in our blog:

Autumn is here and with it many delicacies that belong on the table. We present the best autumn recipes for you to try!

#1 Spaghetti squash with (vegan) bacon

Here comes the perfect blend of fall vegetables and hearty ingredients. If you’ve never heard of spaghetti squash, you should definitely give it a try. Spaghetti squash gets its name from the fact that when it’s cooked, the flesh comes out of the inside of the squash in the form of fine, spaghetti-like strands. Delicious! And a completely different way to eat “noodles”.

Note: For this recipe you need an electrically operated mini oven, most entry-level models cost under 40 euros.

Spaghetti-Kuerbis_mit_veganem_Speck_Herbstrezepte

Ingredients for 2 people

1 large spaghetti squash
250 g minced meat (beef or vegan)
1 shallot
1 small clove of garlic
1 small piece of ginger
120 g butter
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
200 g tomatoes, chunky
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp rosemary, dried
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 pinch salt
1/2 pinch pepper
25 g parmesan

Preparation

Take butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Preheat mini oven to 180 degrees top and bottom heat or 160 degrees convection.

Roll out baking paper on baking sheet. Cut pumpkin into two halves, place the two halves with the lower cut side on the baking sheet. Add a little cold water, and bake the two halves of the pumpkin in the mini oven for 40 minutes.

Chop shallot and ginger. Cut tomatoes into quarters. Heat a small amount of butter in the pan and fry the shallot and ginger pieces until translucent. Then add ground beef and fry until crumbly. Add chopped tomatoes. Squeeze garlic clove and mix everything together with herbs, spices and remaining butter. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Take the two halves of the squash out of the mini oven and turn them over on the baking sheet. Using a fork, pull the spaghetti strands out of the squash halves, but leave them in the squash. Pour Bolognese into both squash halves and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve squash halves on plates and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

#2 Potato soup with kale

Soups warm from the inside out and are thus simply a firm part of autumn. Potatoes and kale are also real energy and vital substance bombs. So don’t miss out on this delicious meal!

Kartoffelsuppe_mit_Gruenkohl_Herbstrezepte

Ingredients for 2 people

200g kale (fresh or frozen)
250 g potatoes, firm boiled
400 ml vegetable broth
1 clove of garlic
1 onion
1 tablespoon paprika powder (hot red)
1 pinch salt

Preparation

Bring some salted water to boil in pot. Meanwhile, wash kale and cut into strips (if fresh and not frozen).

Wash potatoes, peel, dice and put in cold water. Peel garlic and onions, chop into fine pieces. Put into pot with boiling salted water and steam briefly. Add potato cubes, add broth, season with paprika powder and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.

Puree soup, add kale except for a few leaves and continue cooking on low heat for about 20 minutes. Garnish soup with remaining kale leaves and serve.

#3 Mushroom casserole (without oven)

Whether chestnuts, porcini or chanterelles, mushrooms are simply delicious and become even more delicious when baked in the oven. Best of all, you don’t even need an oven for this casserole! With this recipe you can easily prepare this delicious meal in the pan.

Ingredients for 2 people

350 g mushrooms (champignons and/or wild mushrooms)
100 g potatoes (firm boiled)
80 g leek
100 ml cream or crème fraîche
100 g grated cheese (Gouda, Emmental, Parmesan or similar)
70 ml milk
70 ml white wine
2 eggs
1 onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
1 small bunch of chives

Preparation

Peel onion and cut into fine rings. Heat butter in large frying pan and sauté onion rings. Add breadcrumbs and sauté.

Add mushrooms and sauté. Cut chives and leeks into fine rings and add to pan along with beaten eggs, stirring to coat. Turn pan to lowest heat and sprinkle grated cheese over mushroom-vegetable mixture. When cheese is well blended, ready to serve.

#4 Tarte flambée in the pan with goat cheese (without oven).

Flammkuchen has long been known and loved beyond Alsace. We add spicy goat cheese to this delicious recipe. Again, you don’t need an oven, just a covered pan.

Ingredients for 2 people

200 g flour
200 g crème fraîche or sour cream
110 ml water
100 g goat cheese
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 onion
1 piece of (vegan) bacon
basil leaves

Preparation

Cut the onions into fine rings.

Knead water, salt, oil and flour in a bowl to form a dough. Put a lid or plate on the bowl so that the dough can rise in it for 30 minutes. Then flour the work surface and roll out the dough. Cut dough into equal sized pieces (about 4).

Grease the pan and put the pieces into the pan little by little. Keep the pan closed. After about 5 minutes, the bottom side of each piece of tarte flambée will be cooked through. Check in between every now and then that the dough does not burn.

Turn the dough over and spread the browned side with crème fraîche or sour cream and top with onions. Let other side bake through as well for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle tarte flambée with goat cheese, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Tip: You can also refine the tarte flambée with rosemary and autumn mushrooms to give it an additional delicious autumn note. Chestnuts or chestnuts cut into strips also make excellent ingredients.

#5 Juicy pear cake with cookie base (no baking)

What would a fall menu be without dessert? With this pear tart, you’ll bring a delicious dessert into your own home.

Ingredients for 1 cake

4 pears
250 g oat biscuits
230 g cream cheese
240 ml milk
80 g melted butter
100 g dark chocolate
50 g pear jam
2 egg yolks
80 g sugar
20 g flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preparation

Place oatmeal cookies in a bowl and crumble. Pour liquid butter over them and mix to form a dough. Pour dough into a cake pan and press down. Grate dark chocolate and spread evenly over dough.

Wash, dice and puree three pears.

Place milk, flour, egg yolks, salt, vanilla, pureed pears and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a brief boil, stirring evenly. Then allow to cool. Mix when on room temperature with the cream cheese and pear puree. Place in refrigerator for at least 7 hours.

Then take mixture out of refrigerator and spread evenly over dough. Wash remaining pear, cut into thin slices and garnish cake with them.

More tips from our blog

We hope you enjoy trying out these delicious fall recipes! Also check out our other helpful articles on our blog:

Earning money while studying is always a good idea. If you’re smart, you’ll look for a job that kills several birds with one stone: With a part-time job as a student, you can have a lot of fun, take your first career steps and earn money on top of it. We present you 10 suitable jobs!

#1 Statist

You always wanted to do something with film? Then try your hand at being a statist. As a statist, you are paid per day of shooting and spend many hours on set, often without the camera running. But you can use this time to talk to other people. Who knows: Maybe you’ll make some valuable contacts this way? What’s more, with this part-time job there’s always the chance of being discovered for film and television.

#2 Helping out in sales

Find out if you have a talent for sales with this part-time job. But don’t worry: You don’t have to be born with sales skills, they can be learned just like any other. And it pays off! Good salespeople are needed in every industry. In addition, you work with people, which makes this part-time job very lively and strengthens your communication skills.

#3 Copywriter

If you have a knack for text and language, this part-time job is perfect for you. Texts are mainly used on the Internet, for online stores, websites, blogs, for social media marketing, etc. You should therefore acquire skills that will make you indispensable as an online copywriter, such as writing for search engines (SEO). Search for jobs on relevant copywriting portals. If you successfully complete these, your name will quickly get around, which will bring even more and, above all, better paid jobs.

#4 Web designer

The Internet lives not only from texts, but also from photos, illustrations, etc. Web designers take care of designing websites so that they are appealing to the user. This is a lot of fun and can be learned, whether through online courses or learning by doing. The best way is a combination of both: learning the principles of design and then applying them to websites. Over time, you’ll improve and develop better and better designs. The result, similar to copywriting, is a good order book.

Tip: Videos are by far the most popular content on the web. If you’re interested in design, it’s a good idea to look into video production to expand your range of services.

#5 Nightwatchman

The night watchman is the classic student job, but it hasn’t lost any of its appeal. This job has a decisive advantage: you find time and peace to study. Of course, you must not neglect your actual task of guarding the premises or buildings. However, most of the time nothing will happen. This is time that you can use to make progress in your studies.

#6 Supervisor

I’m sure you’ve heard that there’s a nursing shortage in Germany. Skilled workers are desperately needed, but so are students who help out in a part-time job, such as a caregiver or household help. Whether as a child or senior citizen caregiver, you are engaged in an extremely meaningful and important occupation that is urgently needed in our society. Of course, this also includes activities such as babysitting. In all areas you take on great responsibility, which you will grow from.

#7 Animal Caregiver

Animals also need attention and care. As a pet sitter, you walk dogs, feed cats, or take care of budgies when their owners are on vacation. We think this is one of the best ways to earn money as a student. If you like animals, you’ll have a great time doing this.

#8 Tutor

Have you already successfully completed a few semesters in your studies? Then help first-year students learn the material! However, tutoring doesn’t have to be just about study content: Each of us can do something that another person wants to learn. If you’re an organizational whiz, teach others how to create daily schedules and keep things in order. Good with numbers and finances? Then show those around you how to keep a budget book. Tutoring in any form is one of the most effective ways to boost your financial coffers.

#9 Bartender

Whether it’s a hotel, bar or restaurant, the demand for staff is high in the hospitality industry. So, as a bartender, you have a good chance to earn money as a student. Plus, being able to mix delicious drinks is pretty cool, making you a magnet at parties.

The duration of a bartender training is manageable: If you put all your effort into it, for example during the semester break, you will be trained after about 3 weeks. If you complete the training alongside your studies, you can expect it to take about 3 months. Conclusion: Bartending is one of the hottest part-time jobs around.

#10 Own project

In our society, everything revolves around finding a job, whether it’s a part-time student job or a well-paid full-time job. But there is another way: earn money with your own project. This can be, for example, your own YouTube channel or your own online store.

Admittedly, it’s hard to set up your own business and earn money with it these days. But if you dare, you’ll seize the chance to become successful on your own. For example, if your own YouTube channel starts off well, you can feed it with more videos and let it grow step by step. In addition, no one talks you into your own project, you can determine 100% yourself. Isn’t that a great way to earn money as a student?

#1 Avoid standby

Close the laptop or turn off the TV with the remote control: It’s convenient, but devices in standby mode continue to consume power, and not in short supply. For example, an LCD TV consumes an average of 112 kWh per year. Depending on the electricity tariff and the number of devices in the household, this alone results in annual costs in the mid to high double digits.

Tip: Energy-saving power strips are a convenient way to save energy in the home: The strips automatically detect when you switch off a TV set using the remote control, for example. The power strip then cuts off the rest of the power supply and automatically avoids standby mode.

If you don’t want to spend money on energy-saving power strips, simply turn off devices such as TVs and laptops manually to save power.

#2 Heat properly

This may sound strange, but in fact there are many ways to make mistakes when heating: For example, a classic wrong heating behavior in the home is to turn up the heat full blast and have the window on tilt at the same time. Such a waste of energy is not only wasteful, but also really expensive.

With these tips, you’ll heat properly and save energy:

Keep the temperature in the room constant

Keep your apartment constantly warm, but at least at a temperature of 18 degrees, otherwise there is a risk of mold. The temperature can be measured with an indoor thermometer, which you can buy for a few euros.

Ventilate regularly

Generally avoid tilting windows during the cold season. Instead, ventilate intermittently and several times a day for 5 minutes. This will give you a regular boost of fresh air without unnecessary heat escaping from the rooms. This significantly reduces energy consumption.

Another advantage is that the moist air you breathe is drawn out, which successfully prevents mold growth. Turn off the heating while airing the room to save even more energy.

#3 Save energy when washing dishes

Every wash-up consumes water and energy. You can save energy by reducing the number of times you wash dishes. So instead of washing each cup individually, you can wash once in the evening and put the dishes in the sink until then. Soak cups, plates, etc. during the day to prevent unpleasant odors. This also prevents food residues from sticking to the dishes, which makes washing up easier.

Tip: Get a mini dishwasher for your household. Also known as tabletop dishwashers, they save energy and time. You don’t even need a water connection; they work with a fillable water tank.

#4 Save energy when cooking

There is a lot of energy that can be saved when cooking at home. These tips for reduced energy consumption are easy to implement:

Cook with a lid

When cooking in open pots, a lot of unused energy escapes. Therefore, as soon as the pasta is in the pot, put the lid on and let it simmer at a low heat setting. Of course, this is also recommended for other foods such as rice, vegetables, etc.

Article Tips: 5 Healthy Recipes for Students & Five Refreshing Trendy Recipes for Summer Drinks

Use a kettle for support

It often takes forever for the water in the pot to boil. Using the kettle not only speeds it up, you can save a lot of energy that way. Fill the pot with a small amount of water, about enough to cover a little more than the bottom of the pot with water. Then place the pot on the hot stove top and heat water in the kettle in parallel. When the water in the kettle is hot enough, add it to the water in the pot.

Use the residual heat of the hotplates

You can save a lot of energy in your household by using the residual heat of your hotplates. In our apartments, this works wonderfully with the Ceran double hobs, which still give off residual heat above 60 degrees even after they have been switched off. You can use this residual heat, for example, to heat up leftovers from the refrigerator or to finish cooking your pasta. Try it out! You’ll save a lot of energy with this forward-thinking cooking.

Use the microwave

When it comes to heating food quickly and reducing energy consumption, the microwave is the way to go. Plus, it’s also faster to heat food in the microwave than on the stove. And did you know that you can even bake cookies in the microwave? Find out how in this article: Meeting Friends: Ideas for Corona Time.

#5 Washing clothes in an energy-saving way

At the Staytoo Washing Lounge, you have the option to wash your clothes for a fee right in the apartment building and dry them with a dryer.

We recommend that you use the 40-degree wash program instead of the 60-degree wash program as often as possible, especially for lightly soiled laundry. The reason for this: 40-degree programs save on average almost half the electricity compared to a 40-degree wash cycle. In addition, use detergents in moderation so as not to pollute the environment unnecessarily.

Article tip: Sustainable living as a student: 8 tips for everyday life

#6 Take a short shower

A certain warm-shower mentality is also allowed in times of crisis. As recommended, for example, by our Minister of Economics in the form of lukewarm lightning showers. You kill several birds with one stone: short showers are healthier for your skin and hair than long showers, and you also save energy and time. Try getting used to cold showers, too, as they boost circulation.

#7 Save energy with the refrigerator

You can do a lot of things right with your fridge if you want to save energy. For example, the trick is to let cooked food cool completely before putting it in the fridge. Otherwise, your fridge will use an insane amount of energy to cool down the still warm food. Also, you should open the door of the refrigerator as rarely as possible. Every time you open and close it, heat is exchanged, and the fridge has to make up for it with energy consumption.
Other tips to save energy when using the refrigerator:

Leave space between foods: The cooling effect inside a refrigerator works through air circulation – heat is removed from foods, but only effectively if there is enough space between them.
Pay attention to optimal temperatures: The colder, the better? This is a misconception that eats up a lot of energy. 7 degrees Celsius is the optimal refrigerator temperature. Place a small thermometer in your refrigerator to measure the ideal temperature. It is best to place the thermometer on the upper level, as this is the warmest. It should be at least 7 degrees there.
Defrost the freezer regularly: You should defrost the icebox at least twice a year. In this way, you avoid a layer of ice that is several centimeters thick, which in turn saves energy. The more ice there is in the freezer compartment, the more energy is needed to keep it cold. Regular defrosting can save up to 45% energy.

#8 Consume more consciously

Spoiled food, electronic waste, unnecessary clothing purchases: In your own household, there are many ways to save energy by living more consciously. The production of goods consumes energy, as does their disposal. Therefore, we recommend you to develop a sustainable lifestyle, where you are mindful of your environment. In this article you will find some inspiration: Living sustainably as a student: 8 tips for everyday life.

#9 Conserve batteries

The more carefully you use the batteries of your laptop, tablet and smartphone, the less often you have to charge them and the lower the energy consumption. Logically, but many people don’t know how to draw less power from the battery and thus save energy.

Just about every device now has a power-saving mode. This usually reduces the biggest power guzzler, namely the screen brightness. In addition, the CPU’s performance is throttled so that the battery lasts longer. But don’t worry: nowadays, the power-saving mode on most devices is so effective that writing messages, surfing, video streaming and working still go without a hitch.

#10 Leave the car

Driving a car has become really expensive, especially during the crisis period. You can do many ways differently, for example, by bike or by train. This is one of the most effective ways to save energy. Especially on foot or by bike you move and do something good for your body.

#1 Produce less trash

Sometimes it’s effective to just leave things out – trash, for example, if you want to live more sustainably. Producing less trash goes a long way toward protecting the environment.

You can reduce the amount of trash in your everyday life by doing without disposable cups like the classic coffee-to-go cup, for example. Plastic food trays are also trash that is difficult to recycle. Instead, use sustainable reusable cups and reusable food trays. More and more cafés, snack bars and restaurants are participating in such sustainable systems.

This way you can also avoid waste in a sustainable way:

Shop in unpackaged stores
Buy fruit and vegetables in bulk, so you don’t need plastic bags from the supermarket.
Write a shopping list, so you avoid buying too much and throwing away food later on.
Buy good quality clothes, electrical appliances, etc., which are more expensive to buy than cheap goods, but last longer and you don’t have to buy new ones as often.
Avoid buying disposable products like disposable razors
Get refills for soap dispensers, dishwashing detergent, etc. refill packs

So, as you can see, sustainable waste prevention is made up of many small, everyday steps. Reduce your consumption, be creative and see where you can replace a disposable item with a sustainable one: Straws, cutlery, bags – there are sustainable alternatives for all these household items. A golden tip in the household check is to generally switch from plastic to other materials.

#2 Do without plastic

Plastic waste pollutes our forests, oceans and parks, is difficult to degrade and harmful to health. Microplastics are particularly alarming: these are fine particles that detach from plastic objects such as coffee cup lids and penetrate the bodies of animals and humans. What they do there has been researched for years, but it is already clear that a world with less (micro)plastic is a much healthier and more sustainable one.

The good news here is that there are now alternatives for many plastic products.

These sustainable products are available plastic-free:

Toothbrushes made from bamboo
Chewing gum made from biodegradable materials
Bowls made from coconuts
Cake bags instead of plastic cake boxes
Coffee cups made from rice husks
Packaging made of wood and palm leaves
Etc.

Most of these sustainable products are still being developed and marketed by start-ups. But the market evolves, more and more people are interested in sustainability. Be part of this development and replace plastic products with more sustainable alternatives. The greater the demand for these sustainable alternatives, the sooner plastic will be replaced as a harmful environmental material.

#3 Make products yourself

This is a great and inexpensive way to live sustainably. Because by no means do you have to buy all products, you can make them yourself with just a few ingredients. Most of the time, it’s also much healthier because you know exactly what’s in it.

You can make these sustainbale products yourself, for example:

Deo
Mouthwash
Dishwashing liquid
Detergent
Shampoo
Peeling
Mosquito spray
Tea lights

Here you can find a recipe for an organic sustainable mosquito spray:

Make your own organic mosquito spray

Mosquitoes don’t like essential oils, which you can take advantage of in your organic, sustainable bug spray.

You will need:

1 empty, cleaned spray bottle.
Boiled tap water
5 tablespoons of 40% alcohol (for example, a small bottle of grain brandy)
8-10 drops of essential oil (organic quality)

Pour the alcohol into the spray bottle and mix it with the essential oil.

Tip: Lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, citronella, tea tree oil and mint oil are the most effective against mosquitoes. You can combine different oils according to your taste.

Boil the water and let it cool. Fill the bottle with cooled tap water and shake the mixture vigorously. The organic, sustainable mosquito spray is ready!

Attention: The sustainably produced mosquito spray helps with moderate mosquito occurrence in Central Europe. However, you should not rely solely on its effectiveness when traveling to tropical areas, for example.

#4 Buy Fairly Produced & Second Hand Clothing

Wear shirts a few times and then throw them away – that’s not an option for your consumption? Then we recommend you to buy sustainable clothes from fair production and/or second hand clothes. When buying fairly produced, sustainable clothing, look for reputable seals. Here the consumer advice center lists which seals you can trust.

If you want to buy second-hand clothes online, we recommend that you read through tests on these sales portals. This way you can be sure that the clothes of these sellers have been produced fairly und sustainably.

#5 Declutter your own household

In a consumer society it is normal to constantly buy new things. But what do we really need? If you take a critical look at yourself, you’ll find out: far less than you thought. Over the years, a lot of stuff accumulates that clutters up your household, including old instruction manuals, broken clothes, unused recipe books, kitschy candle holders, very outdated or no longer used cell phones and all the bad purchases that you have ruefully banished to some drawer.

Tip: Clean out your clutter on a weekend! You will feel relieved afterwards and your apartment will be clean and tidy.

You don’t have to become a minimalist, i.e. you don’t have to live your whole life without items. But decluttering your closets, drawers, etc. will definitely do you and the environment good.

#6 Reduce meat consumption & buy organic meat

Eating meat consciously and rarely is healthy, sustainable and it’s easy on your wallet.

Article Tip: How to save money in your studies

For example, the Mediterranean diet, considered one of the healthiest diets, recommends adding fish and meat to your menu no more than once or twice a week. Whole grains, fresh vegetables, vegetable oils such as olive oil and dairy products such as cheese or yogurt form the basis of a healthy diet.

Article tip: 5 healthy recipes for students

Meat was not only eaten consciously in the Mediterranean region: For centuries, meat was also something special in our latitudes, as indicated by the term “Sunday roast”. With industrialization and the introduction of factory farming, a privilege became a habit. But the daily sausage on the plate has its price for the environment: the animals are often bred and slaughtered under terrible conditions.

By eating less meat, you have more money available to buy more consciously sustainably – for example, organic meat from regional free-range farming. Organic seals show you whether the meat comes from sustainable animal husbandry. If you want to be on the safe side and know exactly where your meat comes from, then buy directly from the regional farmer. Here you can often pre-order with others so that the animals are only slaughtered sustainably when their meat is fully utilized.

#7 Reduce your own CO2 footprint

Permanent CO2 emissions are one of the strongest drivers of climate change. It is therefore all the more important that we all live sustainably and reduce our own CO2 footprint.

With these simple measures you can reduce sustainably your own CO2 consumption:

Buy mostly regional and seasonal food (and no flown-in apples, only rarely avocados, etc.).
Leave your car at home as often as possible, ride a bike instead or use public transport from renewable energy sources (train, hydrogen-powered buses etc.)
Travel consciously, avoiding airplanes at best and preferring nearby destinations instead of long-distance travel
Use energy-efficient electronics (you can tell by the energy labels)
Always turn off electrical appliances instead of putting them on standby.

It is also important for energy savings to heat correctly and thus sustainably. This will be an energy and cost issue, especially in the upcoming winter. So heat your apartment smartly. The rule here is: heat at a constant level and ventilate intermittently instead of leaving the window open.

#8 Find a sustainable student job

You want to get involved and earn money at the same time? Then a sustainable student job is perfect for you! It’s important that the job provider is committed to sustainable goals and values. If you are looking for a sustainable student job, check out suitable job boards like Greenjobs or Jobverde.

Living sustainably with everyday tricks

Living sustainably sounds like a big project, but in fact sustainability can be implemented in many small, everyday steps. The key to a sustainable lifestyle is awareness: Conscious consumption, whether of food or clothing, is environmentally friendly and sustainable. In most cases, a certain amount of renunciation is not restrictive, but liberating and leads to a happier, tidier life. We hope you enjoy trying out the tips for more sustainability!

Free tools and software for students

Writing texts, opening PDFs, creating tables: students need a variety of tools and software to master modern university life. With the following solutions you are cheap and effective at the same time.

#1 OpenOffice (word processing, spreadsheet, presentation)

OpenOffice is something like the less fancy Microsoft Office, but completely free. OpenOffice has all the features you know from MS Office: Writing texts, creating presentations, spreadsheets, creating databases, designing graphics, etc.

If you can accept that OpenOffice has a classic, less modern user interface than the top dog from Microsoft, you have a very effective, free toolset for everyday university life at hand.

Click here for OpenOffice.

Important note: OpenOffice is available in German in the basic version, but you can install different language packs.

Tip: If you don’t want to do without Microsoft Office, you can use Microsoft Office 365, which is free for students. This involves the online versions of Word, Excel & Co.

#2 PDF24 Creator (PDF editing program)

Whether lecture slides, matriculation certificates or seminar summaries: PDFs are ubiquitous in everyday university life. It’s helpful to have a tool that allows you to edit and save these documents. PDF24 Creator is ideal for this purpose.

It allows you to merge, shrink, password-protect and compress PDFs, among other things. Furthermore, you can rotate PDF pages and insert or extract images in PDF. You can also annotate PDFs, sign them and much more. In short: It is a super practical and free PDF all-round tool.

Click here to go to PDF24 Creator.

#3 Evernote (organization & creation of notes)

Who doesn’t know it: the more or less popular saying “order is half of life”? Evernote is responsible for exactly this half. In its basic version, the tool is free, but there is also an Evernote discount for students, which gives you a 40% discount on the first year of using Evernote Professional.

With Evernote you can create, structure, sort and organize notes. You can also set tasks and deadlines to optimize your self-management. So you’ll never forget important exam dates again, turn in homework on time, and plan your study days wisely. Also, scan handwritten notes and store them in the appropriate section of Evernote for quick retrieval later.

Click here to go to Evernote.

#4 Thunderbird (email client)

A mail client helps you keep track of your email. This is true for private emails as well as for mails concerning your studies. For this purpose there is a mail client called Thunderbird from the Mozilla Foundation. Thunderbird is free of charge and offers you everything a mail client should be able to do: Manage mail accounts, create an address book and the automatic attachment reminder makes sure you never forget to add attachments to your mails again.

Click here for Thunderbird.

Free services for students

#1 Checking account

Many banks offer free checking accounts for students. With a good current account for students, cash withdrawals are free, and usually there is also a free credit card. In addition, you pay no account maintenance fees, which is definitely noticeable in your wallet over the months.

To find the right account for you, you should read several current account comparisons on the net. Before opening an account, be sure to read the bank’s price list. This is where hidden costs sometimes lurk, e.g. for transfers or cash withdrawals from third-party ATMs.

#2 Insurance

Students benefit from the fact that they can get many insurance policies at a reduced rate or even free of charge. For example, health insurance is free for students up to the age of 25, as it is usually covered by family insurance. It can also be worthwhile to take out other insurances such as occupational disability insurance while still a student. With these insurances it is often the case that the earlier the insurance is taken out, the lower the premium rates for the entire term.

Article tip: Insurance for students: You need these policies

#3 Printout of learning documents

Even if you do a lot digitally: Sometimes it’s much easier to learn with printed learning content – if it weren’t for the quite crisp printing costs. Companies like Druckster and Studyscript offer exciting solutions for this: The providers print out your learning materials free of charge. However, there is one drawback with Druckster: So far, only students in the Vienna area benefit from the service, but it is gaining more and more fans.

The free printing service is financed by advertising partners at both companies, so you have to expect advertising in the documents. However, with Studyscript, for example, this is on the cover pages and not between the lecture slides.

#4 Streaming movies and series

Admittedly, none of the streaming services is completely free – with one exception, which we will tell you at the end of this section. But you can save considerably, for example with Amazon Prime: As a student, you get the first 6 months of membership for free and then a 50% discount on the membership. Of course, Prime also includes Amazon Prime Video, Amazon’s video streaming service.

Also, check out Sky’s student special: when you sign up for a WOW subscription with Unidays, you can save 50% for one year of Sky membership. It is important that you register in advance with your Unidays account, a discount portal for students. If you then book a Sky subscription, you’ll save half of the actual membership price for 12 months.

Note: Unfortunately, the popular provider Netflix does not currently offer a student discount.

Let’s move on to free streaming: Thanks to DVB-T2, you can receive up to 40 TV channels in HD quality for free, including ARD, ZDF, ZDFneo, Arte, 3sat, and many more. Regional channels such as MDR, NDR, RBB, WDR etc. are also available. Thanks to your Internet connection, you also have access to the media library of the public programs. So you can regularly stream movies and series there completely free of charge. To use DVB-T2, you need a DVB-T2 receiver, which you can get for as little as 30 euros.

Tip: You can access the TV broadcasters’ media libraries online even without a DVB-T2 receiver. Simply visit the website of the respective broadcaster and click through to the media library.

Extra tip: Take advantage of student discounts and student rates

Several services offer students special conditions in the form of student discounts and student rates.

These providers often have student rates and student discounts:

Internet and phone
Electricity providers
Banks
Insurance companies
Housing and apartment providers
Travel providers
Software companies
Fitness studios
Clothing manufacturers

You can find an overview of the different providers on relevant comparison portals and websites. We recommend you to do some research, it’s worth it!

More tips and tricks for studying

Want to save money, travel cheaply and find out how to make friends in a new city? Then read these articles about studying:

Summer is here! And with it the time for delicious, refreshing drinks. We present you the coolest summer drink recipes for hot days, including creative cocktails and a very special iced tea!

Tip: The recipe ingredients are for 4 glasses. For alcoholic drinks, you can always find a non-alcoholic alternative under “Preparation”.

#1 Limoncello Spritz

The sweet lemon liqueur from Italy is a classic. As Limoncello Spritz, it now comes in a new guise as the trendsetter among summer drinks 2022. The recipe is also very easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients for 4 drinks

1 organic lemon
160 ml limoncello
400 ml prosecco
160 ml mineral water
3 sprigs lemon balm
12 ice cubes

Preparation

Wash the lemon and mint. Cut the lemon into even thin slices. Divide the ice cubes among the glasses, pour Limoncello, add Prosecco and water. Lightly grind the mint leaves and add them to the Limoncello Spritz together with the lemon slices. Ready is one of the most popular summer drinks 2022!

Alcohol-free recipe variant: Instead of Limoncello, simply use lemon syrup and tonic water. Test the right mixing ratio of sweet and sour according to your own taste preferences.

#2 Strawberry Gin Tonic

What’s even more delicious than gin and tonic? Well, strawberry, gin and tonic, of course! Add some fruit to this delicious summer drink with this recipe!

Ingredients for 4 drinks

4 cl strawberry syrup
400 g strawberries
8 cl gin
360 ml tonic water
4 sprigs of mint
4 squirts of lemon juice

Preparation

Remove the leaves from the strawberries and wash the fruits. Now cut the strawberries into small pieces and divide them among the glasses. Add ice cubes, strawberry syrup, lemon juice and gin. Top with tonic water and garnish the glasses with mint sprigs and leaves.

Alcohol-free recipe-variant: Instead of gin, simply use non-alcoholic gin for summer drinks without percentages. Alcohol-free gin is now available in a wide range of varieties and flavors. For the strawberry gin and tonic, we recommend the classic juniper-infused gin.

#3 Infused Water

Infused water is a different way to drink water. It is one of the healthiest summer drinks of all, because infused water is alcohol-free and contains only fresh water and fruits or herbs. So unlike store-bought iced tea, the water comes completely without added sugar for this recipe.

Ingredients for 4 drinks

1 water carafe
4 fresh sprigs of lemon balm
4 fresh sprigs of peppermint
1 lemon

Preparation

Fill the carafe with fresh cold water. Quarter the lemon and add to the water along with the lemon balm and mint sprigs. Place the carafe in the refrigerator and leave to infuse overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Tip: Infused water can also be made with other fruits, depending on the recipe. Fresh fruits or frozen fruit blends are suitable for this purpose.

#4 Butterfly Pea Tea

Buttlerfly Pea Tea immediately catches the eye with its stunning blue color. But the color is not everything, the Butterfly Pea Tea also tastes delicious – as a healthy, refreshing iced tea and thus one of the most original summer drinks.

Ingredients for 4 drinks

24 pieces of butterfly pea flowers
1000 ml hot water
4 tablespoons honey
4 squirts of lemon
12 ice cubes

Preparation

Bring water to a boil. Separate the pollen of the butterfly flowers from the stems, add to the hot water and steep the tea for 10 minutes. Then strain the flowers and let the tea cool to room temperature. Add the honey and put the tea in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then serve with ice cubes and add a dash of lemon juice in front of the guests, so that the blue iced tea turns purple. The wow effect is guaranteed!

#5 Bajan Mojito

A well-known cocktail among the summer drinks presents itself in a new guise. Unlike the traditional Mojito, the Bajan Mojito includes another delicious ingredient: passion fruit. The fruit gives the Mojito an refreshing exotic kick, making it a real surprise hit among summer drinks.

Ingredients for 4 drinks

20 cl white or brown rum
8 teaspoons cane sugar
1 passion fruit
4 limes
40 cl mineral water
4 fresh mint sprigs
20 ice cubes

Preparation

Cut the passion fruit in half, scoop out the pulp and divide among the glasses. Add the mint and carefully puree everything. Quarter the limes and add them with the mint, ice cubes and cane sugar. Add mineral water and rum and serve the summer drinks.

Alcohol-free recipe-variant: Use lemonade instead of rum and a dash of sugar syrup for sweetness, if desired. Ready are the non-alcoholic, refreshing summer drinks for your guests!

Got a taste for it? In addition to summer drinks, you can find more great recipes and tips about student life on our blog:

Student apartments, dormitories, etc. are popular – not only among students. Even those who are not enrolled at a university ask themselves: Can I live in a student apartment, dormitory or student apartment as a non-student? We answer the question for each type of housing.

Living in student apartments

Student apartments are private living facilities. Here, the private provider decides for himself whether he wants to rent the apartments to non-students. In practice, it is common to make two offers for the same apartment building. We at Staytoo, for example in Kaiserslautern, also offer two types of apartments:

Student apartments
Business apartments

The furnished student apartments are ideal for prospective academics as a comfortable and at the same time affordable all-in-one solution.

The business apartments are aimed at professionals who like to live in a lively house with young people instead of an anonymous hotel, without having to sacrifice comfort at the same time. This gives business apartment living a student touch.

Living in student residences

Student dormitories are usually run by local student unions. However, there are also student dormitories operated by church or private sponsors. Self-managed student residences can also be found in this country.

No matter what form of management exists, whether or not non-students are allowed to live in student dormitories is a decision made by the sponsor or dormitory management. In some student dormitories, non-students may be allowed to occupy a room at a higher price, provided there is sufficient capacity.

Living in student flats

There is no such thing as student flats as a clearly defined form of housing in Germany. Student apartments are therefore normal apartments that are rented to students.

It can happen that landlords prefer to let students move in. This is especially the case with inexpensive apartments in less attractive areas. These landlords often assume that students have little money, but are tenants of decency – even if they have the odd party. So non-students may have a hard time getting an apartment in a building with a lot of students because of the landlord’s attitude.

Interesting is also the case when a WG is founded or new roommates are sought. With the WG casting it can be quite that one receives a place in the student WG – or also not, if students would like to remain namely among themselves. In the meantime, however, there are many open-minded students who like to live in mixed shared flats with non-students.

Conclusion

Non-students can live in almost all types of student housing, including “student flats”, which are nothing more than mixed shared apartments. However, you then have to cope with student life, which consists of a lot of hustle and bustle. For those who want to live comfortably and experience the student flair at the same time, business apartments or their own apartment are recommended.

#1 Schwarzwaldbahn: Karlsruhe – Villingen – Constance

One of the most beautiful railroad lines in Germany can be found in the southwest of the country. The Black Forest Railway runs hourly between Karlsruhe and Constance, with stops in Baden-Baden, Offenburg, Triberg, Villingen, Singen and many other places that invite you to take a little discovery tour. The route is therefore the perfect way to get to know the Black Forest region, even in a relaxed way over several days with overnight stays. At the end of the route, picturesque Constance awaits you, located directly on Lake Constance.

Travel time start to end point:

3h 35min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of required changes:

2x (Immendingen, Singen)

#2 Höllentalbahn: Freiburg im Breisgau – Titisee – Donaueschingen

Similar to route #1, this railroad line also runs through the Black Forest, but with a completely different highlight: the Höllentalbahn goes right through the middle of the Höllental, it is the steepest railroad line in Germany. So steep slopes and rock faces are part of the program, but don’t worry: For over a century, the Höllentalbahn has been transporting thousands of passengers safely over the Ravenna viaduct and through fascinating nature every day. Stopovers are made at distinctive places whose names contrast with the Höllentalbahn, including Himmelreich and Hinterzarten, for example.

Travel time start to end point:

1h 29min

Stopovers possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

None

#3 Frankenbahn: Stuttgart – Heilbronn – Würzburg

You start in the car and culture city of Stuttgart, which is also the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg. You board the train at Stuttgart’s main station and travel by rail 180 kilometers through parts of Baden-Württemberg and beautiful Franconia. The route is winding, sometimes at altitude, sometimes in the valley and always close to the rivers Neckar and Ems. The ideal variety that a train ride needs! You will enjoy great views along the way: Forests, rock faces and vineyards included.

Travel time from start to end point:

2h 08min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

None

#4 On the way on the Moselle line: Koblenz – Bullay – Trier

Traveling along the Moselle is an unforgettable train experience. After just a few kilometers, you will cross the Güls railroad bridge and thus the Moselle for the first time. You will then be on the left side of the river for about 55 kilometers, followed by the no less exciting ride through the Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel, which was Germany’s longest railroad tunnel until 1988. Every now and then the train crosses the river and chugs past magnificent steep vineyards.

Travel time from start to end point:

1h 24min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of transfers required:

None

#5 Harz narrow gauge railroad: Wernigerode – Quedlinburg – Nordhausen

Our tip: Be sure to visit the Harz National Park. We recommend getting off at Elend, and yes, we know how that sounds. But you shouldn’t infer the place from the name. Elend scores with its close proximity to the Brocken and the beautiful Elendstal valley, where it is great to hike. Whichever route through the Harz you choose by train: Pure nature and romance are guaranteed.f

Harzquerbahn

Travel time start to end point:

2h 27min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

None

Selketalbahn

Travel time start to end point:

3h 21min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of required changes:

1x Alexisbad

#6 Rasender Roland: Putbus – Binz – Göhren

The Rasender Roland, also known as the Rügensche BäderBahn, is a steam locomotive-powered narrow-gauge railroad in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It takes passengers from Lauterbach Mole on the island of Rügen via Binz and Sellin to Göhren. In the high season (summer) the trains run every hour, in the low season (from. 01 November) they run every two hours.

Attention: Trains depart from Lauterbach Mole only in the high season. From November 2022 to May 2023 the trains start one station further in Putbus.
Here’s a special tip from us: In summer, the trains run until shortly before midnight between the seaside resorts of Binz and Göhren. So nothing stands in the way of an extended visit to the beach with a cocktail at sunset. The return journey to Goeren is by steam locomotive, which is a real railroad highlight not only for newlyweds.

Travel time from start to end point:

2h 01min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

None

#7 Usedom Bäderbahn: Peenemünde – Zinnowitz – Swinemünde

In addition to the electric reversible trains, buses are also on the road in this transport system. So you can move nicely mobile between Zinnowitz, Peenemünde, Wolgast, Lubmin, Greifswald, Usedom, Heringsdorf and so on. Besides the nature highlights at the sea and around it, we recommend you to visit the road and railroad bascule bridge Peenebrücke Wolgast. It is also known as the “Blue Wonder” – when you see it, you will know why.

Travel time start to end point:

1h 07min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

1x (Zinnowitz)

#8 Hamburg – Timmendorfer Strand – Fehmarn-Burg

This rail route takes you to the far north with stops that are worth the trip in themselves. You’ll head to one of Germany’s most popular Baltic Sea islands with a stylish stopover at Timmendorfer Strand. Treat yourself to a cocktail, jump into the water and explore the Kammerwald forest on an extensive hike.

Then cross the Fehmarnsund Bridge to the island, where you can explore sights like the Glambeck Castle ruins and the Jimi Hendrix Memorial Stone. You are surprised about the memorial stone? It’s on Fehmarn because the famous musician gave his last festival performance here at the Love and Peace Festival in 1970. So you see, this rail route is full of surprises.

Travel time start to end point:

2h 27min

Intermediate stops possible?

Yes

Number of changes required:

1x (Lübeck Hbf)

#9 Berlin – Magdeburg – Leipzig

The Berliner doesn’t like to leave his neighborhood and then to Magdeburg? The city in Saxony-Anhalt does not have a particularly good reputation. Completely unjustly, because Magdeburg has a lot to offer: Get to know Magdeburg Cathedral and Hundertwasser’s Green Citadel while sightseeing. Explore the Elbauenpark and visit the nearby butterfly house.

Continue by train to Leipzig. Be sure to pack your swimsuit for Leipzig’s Neuseen landscape before exploring the Saxon metropolis refreshed. Here, too, a rich cultural offer awaits you: Bach, Goethe and many other artists have worked in the city. If you’re in town, visit our apartments and make an appointment in advance !

Article Tip: The most beautiful destinations in Leipzig
Travel time start to end point:3h 45minIntermediate stops possible?YesNumber of changes required:1x (Magdeburg main station)

Discover more articles in our blog

Got the travel bug? Then how about a trip to the Barbarossa city of Kaiserslautern? We have great student apartments in Kaiserslautern.
Learn 11 great tips on how to travel cheaply as a student.
Discover the most beautiful excursion destinations in Leipzig.

We wish you an eventful summer and, of course, lots of fun traveling and discovering with the regional rail service

You want a relaxing vacation to finally switch off? With the following tips you can travel cheap and experience a lot during the semester break!

#1 Save smart

Great, you might think now. This tip is so obvious. Really?

Everyone knows that saving money is important. But how many people actually succeed? Most don’t follow a consistent savings plan.

You can do better than that!

Here are three tips for smart saving:

Use a free checking account

Many banks and financial service providers give you a free checking account as a student. This saves you several euros a month, which you can use to feed your vacation fund. However, check the conditions of the current account: What fees can you expect when you are no longer a student? If necessary, it may make sense to consider switching accounts before the end of your studies.

Buy used things

Laptop, smartphone, clothes, furniture: It is significantly cheaper to buy used things than new ones. There are also numerous platforms where you can buy refurbished or guaranteed used items. And then, of course, there are classics like eBay. In almost every case, it’s worth buying used items to save money.

Do your tax return

Tax returns are not only for self-employed people and entrepreneurs. Even as a student you can claim special expenses and get money back from the government. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to save money for your vacation.

#2 Travel by public transport

Driving a car is convenient, but an expensive and polluting affair. Flying, on the other hand, can be a real bargain, but it is also not very sustainable. Besides, you want to be mobile at your vacation destination, too.

The solution: use public transport! It’s much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than a rental car or a seat on a plane. What’s more, more and more regions and cities are turning to green drives. In addition to the classic overhead lines, battery- and hydrogen-powered buses and trains are already on the road.

Special tip for public transport: In Germany, the 9-euro ticket will be introduced in June, July and August 2022. Find out more in the next tip!

#3 Use the 9-Euro-Ticket

The German government has introduced the 9-Euro-Ticket. With this ticket, you can use the entire regional train service in 2nd class in the months of June, July and August. From Berlin to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from Hamburg to Cologne, from Stuttgart to Erfurt: With the regional trains of the German Railways you can travel across the country and create the perfect individual vacation.

#4 Compare individual trips and package deals with each other

What’s better in terms of price, an individual trip or a package deal? If you want to travel cheaply as a student, this question comes up quickly. The bad news is that there is no universal answer. The good news is that you can find out for yourself by making personal comparisons. It is helpful if you answer these questions before making comparisons:

Are you going abroad or do you want to stay in Germany?
To which region exactly do you want to go?
Do you want to do a lot of things, see and experience or would you rather relax all-inclusive in a hotel?
Do you prefer Guided Tours or a student trip or do you enjoy making your own plans?

Answers to these questions will help you to specify your search. The more specific your expectations are, the easier it will be for you to compare offers based on the criteria that are important to you. For example, if you know from the start that you prefer to put together your own hiking routes, package deals with guided tours and organized student trips will not be very attractive to you per se.

Above all, question the cost of travel features you don’t use. What good is an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet if you plan to hit the bars and clubs by sunset anyway? With precise comparisons, you will be able to implement the ideal travel plan for you and travel cheaply as a student.

#5 Book flights at the right time

When booking flights, timing is everything. There is a rule of thumb for the cheapest flight: book about 7-10 weeks before you travel. If you book too early, the flight can be just as expensive as if you book too late.

You should avoid this when booking flights:

Book late for long-haul flights
Book early for domestic flights
Book on weekends
Book only direct flights
Always fly with the same airline

Also note: The further away your destination is, the earlier you can book cheaply, so stretch the 7-10 week rule a bit in terms of earliness. As another rule of thumb, bookings on Tuesday from 6pm are the cheapest.

Also, make sure to book your flight out of season. November, December, January, and June and August (especially Asia) are good months to fly cheap.

Another tip is to book flights from alternative airports that are close to an airport. These are sometimes only a few miles away, but are significantly cheaper.

#6 Do without flights

Why fly at all? Local tourism is all the rage; at least since the Corona travel restrictions, we’ve come to know and appreciate regional vacations. So why not go on a journey of relaxation and discovery nearby?

In Germany alone, there are quite a few cities and regions that are worth at least one visit. But popular European destinations such as Croatia, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, etc. are also easy to reach without a plane. Attractive travel destinations are therefore very close to you.

You can also travel cheaply as a student with a camper. These can be rented, but you should take care early to get a free camper. Camping has boomed due to Corona, which has led to the creation of new providers. Search for them on the web and try out this cheap way of traveling.

Apart from saving money on expensive hotels, camping vacations are just great: wake up in the morning in Tuscany and go on to Genoa for lunch. So much freedom is just a joy!

#7 Hostels, Couch Surfing, Use Airbnb

With the internet, numerous alternatives to bed castles & co. have spread. Use hostels for cheap accommodation, Couch Surfing costs nothing except for a small membership fee to the community and a host gift, Airbnb accommodations can be very exciting and high quality.

So our recommendation is to take some time to learn about and try out the different travel and accommodation options.

#8 Learn about and take advantage of student discounts

Students are an important target group for tour operators, transportation companies, accommodation providers, etc. Therefore, find out about discounts and offers before you start your vacation. Some airlines offer up to 50% discount on flights, cruises can also be very cheap depending on the offer.

#9 Cook yourself

Cook for yourself instead of spending a lot of money on food every day in a restaurant. A dish that costs you 10 € in a restaurant is not even half as expensive if you cook it yourself.

Tip: When choosing your accommodation, make sure you have cooking facilities (hot plates, oven, etc.).

Be attentive when shopping: By comparing prices, you can save a lot of money. A good example of saving money is buying water: a 1.5-liter bottle in the supermarket usually costs less than the 0.5-liter bottle at the kiosk. Therefore, before each trip, you should fill your backpack with food and drinks purchased in advance.

#10 Get in touch with the locals

Locals usually know best where you can go to party cheaply or at which stand you can sunbathe without paying for a lounger. Just be open and talk to the people. You’re bound to hear exciting stories and get great insider tips.

#11 Use tourist activities, but for free

Why spend unnecessary money on a city tour, when most cities also offer guided tours for free? The same goes for expensive boat tours: Ask at a small fishing boat in the harbor, for example, if you can get a ride. It’s almost like hitchhiking, only on the water. And ideal if you want to travel cheaply as a student.

Cheap travel as a student: Flexibility is everything!

You have the best chances for cheap vacations if you are open in terms of destination, travel duration and means of transport. Find out from several sources how you can travel cheaply. Even in the age of the Internet, going to a travel agency is far from outdated. Here you can sometimes get very good offers that don’t even appear on the Internet. But of course you should also look online to see what bargains are waiting for you. We wish you a good and relaxing vacation!

Save money for your vacation: Find out what costs you have as a student
Here are 10 tips for finding friends in a new city.
Fancy a stroll through the city? Discover the most beautiful destinations in the trendy city of Leipzig.

Tax returns are only for professionals – right? No, even as a student you can and should send a tax return to the tax office. In this article we explain why this is important for your finances and what you have to consider when filing your tax return.

Please note: We are not tax advisors and would like to point out that this article is not intended as tax advice, but as a first impulse and food for thought on the topic of tax returns. Please contact a qualified tax advisor for tax advice.

Tax return as a student: Is it worth it?

Short answer: yes!

More detailed answer: It is worth it, because you can claim your study costs to the tax office. In this way, you can reclaim overpaid taxes from the state as a student. Particularly interesting for students are the items special expenses deduction for first education costs and income-related expenses for second education.

First education vs. second education

An initial education is, for example, your first degree, such as a bachelor’s degree.
Note: Initial education is always your first vocational training, not your first degree. If, for example, you have only completed an apprenticeship and then begin a course of study, this is then your first course of study, but your second vocational training.

If you continue with a second course of study (e.g. another bachelor’s or master’s degree) after your first course of study (bachelor’s degree), this second course of study is also your second vocational training.

Article tip: These costs you have as a student

The second education means the professional education that you pursue after your first professional education. It is irrelevant whether the first vocational training was an apprenticeship or a course of study.

Tip: An interrupted apprenticeship or study does not count as initial training. If, for example, you drop out of a course of study and start a new course of study, the new course of study remains initial training.

Tax return for first degree

In your first degree program (if it is also your first professional training), you can only claim special expenses for each tax year in your tax return. Special expenses are clearly defined by the legislator and are more narrowly defined compared to income-related expenses (which you cannot claim in your first degree program). In other words: special expenses are not the same as income-related expenses, but a different category for the tax office. You can deduct up to 6,000 euros of special expenses per year.

Typical examples of special expenses are:

Tuition fees (e.g. semester fees)
Donations to charitable organizations
Pension expenses (insurances)
Church tax
Alimony payments to divorced spouses
Childcare expenses

Make a list of your special expenses and enter them on your tax return. Usually these are not many expenses, but they are better than nothing. In the second degree program, the deductions for study expenses on your tax return are already much larger.

Tax return for second studies

For a second study or the study as a second professional training, you can claim in the tax return income-related expenses without limitation amount to the tax office. Income-related expenses are all costs that you incur to ensure that you can pursue your studies.

Typical business expenses are:

Electronics such as laptop, printer, keyboard, mouse
Software such as document and spreadsheet creation software
Work materials such as pens, notepads, binders
Office furniture such as office chair and desk
Technical literature such as books and trade journals
Workroom

Be careful with the last point: You can only claim a workroom in your tax return if it is a separate room that you use exclusively for your studies. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Staytoo apartments. However, you can claim the other costs mentioned above, which is also worthwhile.

Attention: Income-related expenses will not be paid out to you by the tax office in the form of a tax refund while you are studying. Instead, there is the so-called loss carry-forward.

Loss carry-forward: What is it and how can you use it?

The loss carry-forward can only be entered in the tax return for a second degree program or a dual degree program, as you have operating expenses here. In the case of a first degree program, you can only claim special expenses as study costs.

There are two possibilities how your income and expenses relate to each other:

1. Your income is higher than your expenses

In this case, you have made a profit, which must be taxed and therefore declared in the tax return. The state takes its share of this profit in the form of taxes. The study costs are offset here, and you may receive a tax refund.

2. Your expenses are higher than your income

Thus you have a loss. In this case you can claim it as a loss carried forward in your tax return, which will be credited in the form of tax-free profits for the next year. A loss carry-forward can be claimed retroactively for up to 7 years. Sounds complicated? Let’s explain it with an example involving tuition costs.

Example: This is how the loss carry-forward works

Let’s say you studied in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

In these years, you had study costs of 2,000 euros per year. You did not earn any income during this time. Thus, you have a total loss of 6,000 euros. Every year you make a tax return, so that the tax office can note the 2,000 euros of study costs per year.

Now, in 2022, you have started to work. When the year is over, you will make another tax return. Let’s assume that in 2022 you received a gross annual salary of 38,000 euros in your job. The tax office initially takes this 38,000 euros as taxable income.

With the loss carry-forward, however, your actual taxable income is reduced retroactively to 32,000 euros, i.e. you have paid too much tax. As a result, the tax office transfers the overpaid taxes to your account.

Important: The loss carry-forward is a kind of tax bonus from the tax office, i.e. you only get it offset as soon as you earn income and file another tax return.

Depending on the amount of expenses, the loss carry-forward can amount to several thousand euros, which is why you should definitely check with yourself whether such a loss carry-forward exists.

Tip: Ideally, you should start your first job at the beginning of a new year, so that the full annual salary can be offset against the loss carry-forward. The higher the income, the higher the taxes to be paid and the more effective the loss carry-forward.

What happens to my loss carry-forward if I am unemployed?

If you don’t immediately earn an income after graduation that you can offset against the loss carry-forward – don’t panic! The loss carry-forward does not simply expire, but is valid until it is used up, i.e. until it is offset against income.

11 golden tips for the tax return

Use a tool for the tax return. There are numerous on the market, the costs are affordable and the effort for tax returns is significantly lower as a result.
The tax declaration is not obligatory for students, except if you are self-employed and have income above the annual basic allowance (9,000 euros / as of 2022).
However, it is always worthwhile to make a tax declaration as a student – regardless of whether you earn money or not, so that you can deduct study costs.
Keep all receipts for your costs. The tax office may request them after you file your tax return.
If your income-related expenses do not exceed the standard amount of 1,000 euros per year, you do not have to provide the tax office with proof of these costs.
You can make a tax declaration retroactively for up to four years, i.e. back to 2018.
BAföG is generally tax-free and can therefore not be deducted in the tax return.
Travel costs are tax deductible (30 cents per kilometer for a one-way trip), so be sure to include them in your tax return.
For particularly long stays, you can deduct accommodation costs and additional meal expenses in your tax declaration (e.g. for excursions).
For student loans, you can deduct the student loan interest that accrues upon repayment.
Your income as a working student is subject to income tax if it exceeds the marginal earnings threshold (450 euros per month).

#1 Understanding exam anxiety

Right off the bat, anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing. Nature set it up for us to recognize danger in time. This ancient evolutionary program is simply in us and has also been useful for many millennia, when we ran from wild animals or other dangers.

Today, anxiety can arise from other situations that seem threatening: for example, an exam in which we are afraid of failing. So exam or test anxiety is nothing more than a feeling that wants to tell you, “Hey, this is important to you!” In doing so, it sometimes overshoots the mark a bit. But understanding, that anxiety is a natural companion of every human being and test anxiety is just an expression of it, makes it easier to accept test anxiety, which already makes it smaller.

#2 Take good care of yourself

The more comfortable we feel in our own skin, the better we can cope with stress and the associated feelings such as test anxiety. Therefore, make sure you get enough sleep (at least 7 hours) and eat healthy with our recipes for students. It’s also important to plan enough breaks when you’re studying for an exam. Feeling well prepared greatly reduces exam anxiety.

Use great productivity techniques like the 52/17 rule. The principle is simple: you study for 52 minutes, take a 17-minute break, study for 52 minutes, take a 17-minute break, and so on. You can fill the breaks with enjoying a coffee, looking out the window, or taking a short walk. You will notice how your head clears from anxiety.

Furthermore, you should make sure to spend enough free time with family and friends. Here we have collected tips on how to make friends in a new city.

Whether alone or in company – spend time in nature regularly to get fresh air and sun. This is good for your body and mind, so you’ll soon be able to hit the ground running again and reduce your exam anxiety through relaxation. There are also effective relaxation techniques for this.

#3 Learn relaxation techniques

Relaxation techniques help to gain distance from the subject of exams, reduce exam anxiety and increase your own resilience. Many of them, like meditation, are quite simple to implement. Set yourself an alarm clock for 15 minutes and turn off all sources of interference such as the radio, smartphone, etc. Then sit comfortably on a chair or your bed. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. Observe, how it flows in and out. Do this for 15 minutes.

At first it may feel unusual, you will probably get impatient after a few minutes or even seconds and want to stop the meditation. Try to stick with it! Because that’s what it’s all about: enduring doing nothing. When thoughts and feelings come up, just bring your attention back to your breath.

Do this meditation daily and you will quickly notice how it brings you deep relaxation. Practiced meditators can also do the meditation in the park or another public place.

If you feel stress or exam anxiety acutely, for example just before an exam, try the 3-minute-breathing-break in the following video. You can also do this in the restroom of the university to regulate your exam anxiety.

*Youtube Video *

Numerous studies confirm the positive effects of meditation. For example, a study from the USA showed, that it significantly reduces anxiety and significantly increases one’s ability to cope with stress. It is therefore ideal to reduce exam anxiety and to face the exam itself more confidently!

Tip: Other popular relaxation techniques for exam anxiety include yoga, autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation. Try out these techniques; colleges and universities offer courses in them.

#4 Do Sport exercises

Write papers, study, attend lectures: Studying involves a lot of sitting. That’s why it’s all the more important to get some exercise, ideally on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be the big run or boxing workout every day; even a brisk walk around your own neighborhood or a short ride on your bike will do your body good. In addition, it reduces the fear of an exam.

However, you should schedule a sports session at least 2x a week. Here, too, universities and colleges offer inexpensive courses at the start of the semester. Also find out about clubs in your area where you can take a trial training.

#5 Rehearse the exam

In many self-defense courses, participants not only practice the techniques, but also act out acute stressful situations. The reason is that stressful situations like an upcoming fight put our body into alarm mode. It releases a lot of adrenaline when we are anxious, which can give us three results in behavior:

We fight
We flee
We freeze (stall reflex)

The third reaction is especially common when we are not used to the adrenaline rush. That is why such situations are simulated in the training, so that the participants can handle the adrenaline and do not forget the learned techniques.

You can think of it in a similar way with exam anxiety: If you are not familiar with it, it paralyzes you. Therefore, act out an exam with friends or family. This can feel a little strange at first, but it’s amazing how quickly role-playing can feel real. Your counterpart slips into the role of the examiner and you face the challenge. This, too, will ease your exam anxiety.

#6 Support with natural remedies

Some students take medication to inhibit test anxiety. However, there are also herbal remedies that help deal with test anxiety. From calming tea to gentle natural remedies, the ways are numerous. Essential oils can also have a relaxing effect, for example in a fragrance lamp or shower gel. Check with your doctor or pharmacy about the various natural remedies for exam anxiety.

#7 Accept blackout and address it in the exam situation

You find yourself in the exam and it happens: Anxiety comes up and facts you’ve been cramming for months no longer come to mind. There is emptiness in your head, the blackout has happened. So what? Take the fear out of the blackout by addressing it. Experienced teachers know that an exam is not an easy situation for the person being tested. You can be sure that they know the phenomenon of test anxiety in connection with a blackout very well. Maybe even from their own experience with anxiety?

So if you are blocked, address it openly and say:

“Excuse me, I think I’m blacking out right now. Can we please take a three-minute break and then continue with the exam?”

Then use the break to do the 3-minute-breathing-exercise you’ll find earlier in the article to lower exam anxiety. Then you’ll be ready to continue facing the exam. You can do this!

Get to know yourself

The key to making a good choice of study program lies in you! Logical, isn’t it? But when was the last time you consciously took time to get to know yourself better? Take 30 minutes and write down in bullet points what comes to your mind about the following points. It doesn’t have to be 30 minutes at a time either, you can devote some time to each aspect, for example one evening at a time when you have some quiet time.

Explore your hobbies and passions

What did you like to do in the past? Painting, crafting, writing? Maybe you still have a hobby that you would like to turn into a career. A classic example of this is the gym-goer who wants to study sports science. Or the crafty math ace who feels comfortable studying engineering. Explore your talents and involve family, too! Family members who have watched you grow up are usually well aware of where your strengths lie.

Discover your personality

Are you a person who likes to speak in front of people and always needs people around? Or do you feel more comfortable working undisturbed at home? With a view to your studies, the right university and your future career, these are important parameters that can help you choose your course of study. Also try out personality tests, preferably two with different approaches, so that you can identify intersections.

Find out why you want to study

What is actually the motivation behind why you want to study? It is important to be aware of the reason behind it. Are you studying to get a good job later on or because you are particularly interested in the field of study? What do you expect from your studies?

Admittedly, these are a few questions, and you don’t have to answer them all in a row. But when you answer them, you should be honest with yourself. If, for example, it turns out that you are considering courses of study that promise a well-paid job but don’t really suit you, it’s worth rethinking your choice of study.

Visit fairs & events of universities and universities of applied sciences

Study fairs are an ideal opportunity to talk to lecturers, university staff, etc. You will get new information or find out more about your studies. You will receive new information and learn about study programs from a new perspective. An on-site visit to a university or college will also give you an impression of whether you feel comfortable here. In this context, take advantage of offers such as open days to get to know the educational institution better.

Tip: Are you looking for an apartment for your studies? Book a free Staytoo viewing appointment to get to know our student apartments! Here you can find tips for finding an apartment.

Allow yourself to try out a study program

We all want to make as many good life decisions as possible and as few bad ones as possible. And yet, it happens. But here comes an important realization in life: Many decisions can be reversed or changed! Of course, this also applies to study programs. With this knowledge in mind, it is certainly easier to take a more playful approach to your studies.

After all, how are young people supposed to know what they like if they’ve never tried it out? If you start a course of study and find that it doesn’t suit you, that’s not the end of the world, but a chance to change course. That’s how many students feel, with 30% of them dropping out of their bachelor’s degree alone every year.

This is not meant to be a call to make your choice of study lightly. It’s about taking pressure off yourself by not viewing your decision as irrevocable and final. Have the courage to try out a course of study and find out for yourself if it fits.

True to Einstein’s quote:

If you’ve never made a mistake, you’ve never tried something new.

In this sense: Dare the unknown and see a study as what it is: a great adventure!

WG room (shared apartment)

The WG room is very popular with many students in Kaiserslautern, but you also have to deal with the disadvantages of this form of housing.

Advantages of a WG room

WG rooms are cheap compared to renting an apartment. In addition, you will quickly find a connection in Kaiserslautern through your roommates, provided that you get along well. Common cooking and game evenings do not let feelings of loneliness arise in the first place.

Article tip: Meeting friends: Ideas for Corona Time

In most cases, the shared apartment is already furnished, which eliminates expensive acquisition costs. On the shared balcony you can enjoy balmy summer evenings, which is also part of many WGs.

Disadvantages of a WG room

There are many rules, such as a common cleaning schedule, so that living together is successful. Different perceptions of cleanliness are a point of conflict, socks lying around or hair in the shower drain quickly become a topic of dispute. Furthermore, you have little peace and quiet in the shared flat. This can be quite annoying when you are writing a paper or studying for exams.

Also, important living areas are often blocked: The bathroom is often occupied, there’s already another party in the kitchen and the clothes horse is hung full.

Your own apartment

Some students want 100% independence from the start of their studies. That’s why they decide to get their own apartment in Kaiserslautern, which has both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of having your own apartment

In your own apartment you decide without restrictions. No agreements with roommates, no shared refrigerators, everything runs the way you want it to. You are only obligated to your landlord to handle the apartment responsibly.

You will enjoy a lot of peace and quiet to recover from your daily study routine and to concentrate on your studies. Furthermore, you have full cost control, decide on the relevant contracts, keep track of utility costs, etc. Also, amenities such as your own bathroom and a balcony are attractive for you alone.

Disadvantages of having your own apartment

Maintaining an apartment on your own is expensive in Kaiserslautern. Where WG partners share costs like rent, you have to bear them alone. In the phase of studying, where money is usually tight anyway, this can mean additional pressure.

Article tip: What does student life cost?

You don’t have a social life within your four walls, unless your partner or friends come to visit you. However, this way you don’t make any new contacts, which makes it harder to connect. In addition, you have to take care of every aspect of life on your own. If you don’t clean, the dirt accumulates, if you don’t shop, the fridge stays empty.

Student dormitory

Students can apply for a dormitory place at the Studierendenwerk. If they are lucky, they will receive student housing in Kaiserslautern, for which many things are regulated. The pros and cons at a glance:

Advantages of the student dormitory

One advantage is the low price for rooms: the cost of a dormitory place is significantly lower than that of comparable student accommodation in Kaiserslautern, at least as far as the housing market is concerned. Everything is included in the price: Internet, electricity, water. You don’t have to worry about anything and you don’t have to fear additional payments due to increased consumption. In addition, the rooms are furnished and the dorms are in a good location, close to downtown Kaiserslautern and the university.

Disadvantages of student dormitories

Rooms in student dormitories are small, usually you have a maximum of 18 square meters for living, studying and sleeping. And as far as the furniture is concerned, you should expect an absolute basic equipment, which can seem dreary.

Furthermore, the room in the dormitory is a student accommodation in Kaiserslautern with certain conditions: Long waiting periods for a place can be just as annoying as the limitation of your living time to your ongoing studies. Also, common areas are often worn out, for example kitchenettes and the bathroom.

Student Apartment

Student apartments are becoming increasingly popular in Kaiserslautern. This is because they combine the advantages of shared apartments, apartments and classic dormitories, while having relatively few of the disadvantages of the other types of housing.

Advantages of a student apartment

Comfortable and inexpensive is the all-in-one flat rate: with it, you pay not only for your student accommodation in Kaiserslautern, but also for the use of the gym and other common areas. Of course, the price also includes unlimited use of super-fast internet, as well as electricity and all other utilities.

With an apartment like the one at Staytoo, you’ll find the ideal mix of privacy and community. The room with its own bathroom serves as a retreat and whenever you feel like it, you can meet new people in the common rooms. Moreover, the accommodation is fully furnished and equipped with a kitchen.

Disadvantages of a student apartment

A student apartment is a very popular student accommodation in Kaiserslautern. Accordingly, we recommend that you quickly look for a room if you want to live with us. It is also important to know that student apartments are ideal for the time when you are a student. However, they are less suitable for later phases of life.

Article tip: Living in a student accomodation Kaiserslautern: Advantages and disadvantages

10 Tips for Finding Student Housing in Kaiserslautern

Create clarity: How do you want to live? Are you more the social type who needs company around the clock? Then a room in a shared apartment is right for you. Do you need some time to yourself without feeling isolated? Then living in an apartment building is more suitable.
Don’t dawdle: Start looking for student housing in Kaiserslautern early. The sooner you start, the more relaxed you can check offers for rent, proximity to the city center, etc.
Use online information material. Providers such as Staytoo offer information brochures in their download area, so that you can gain insight into the properties and their advantages.
Check out the bundled offers on site. Plan a day or weekend trip to the city to look at several offers for accommodation and get a feeling for whether the shared apartment, apartment or apartment building suits you. At Staytoo, you have the opportunity to visit the Staytoo student housing directly on site with the support of our property manager.
Think long-term: Many students quickly look for a shared room or an apartment, true to the motto: “The main thing is that I have student accommodation in Kaiserslautern at the beginning of the semester.” That may work in the short term, but what if you don’t feel comfortable in your new home and are tied into the tenancy for several months or years? From the beginning, find a place to live that will be a comfortable retreat, place to relax, and place to study throughout your studies.
Plan your new life in Kaiserslautern: This does not only include looking for student accommodation in Kaiserslautern. Find out about university events, sports activities and other events early on. Also read our 10 tips for making friends in a new city and how you can meet friends even in Corona times.
Pay attention to the surroundings: The ideal student accommodation in Kaiserslautern, like the Staytoo Apartmenthaus, is located close to the city center, the university path is short and recreational areas such as the city park or the Volkspark are easily accessible. The main train station should also be within walking distance to keep you mobile.
Ask friends and other students: Can they share a housing experience with you or recommend a provider? Inform yourself in this regard in your environment.
Read reviews on the web. In rating portals and on social media you can read reviews of the accommodation and landlords and get a first impression. What did the residents like, where is there criticism? Is the rent reasonable? How far is the city center? Based on this info, you can better assess what suits you.
Be careful with private apartment ads. This is especially true for ads where you don’t find a personal contact person and which are aimed exclusively at young women. This is usually not a good thing. With official, reputable landlords or providers, you can be sure that they are always interested in providing you with high-quality accommodation.

We wish you success in finding the perfect student accommodation in Kaiserslautern! Are you curious about apartment life with us? Learn more about the Staytoo concept here!

When they begin their studies, many students move into a room in a shared apartment or dormitory for the first time. Or they dare to take the step to their own apartment right away. We provide tips on what to look out for when looking for an apartment for students.

#1 Create clarity

Before you start looking for an apartment for students, clarity is important. Take half an hour, get a piece of paper and pen, and answer the following questions in writing:

Do I want to live with others or would I rather be on my own?
Is a quick social connection important to me?
Do I need a lot of rest for myself and my studies?
Can I manage well on my own?
Is one room enough for me or do I need a lot of space?
Do I have the time and inclination to deal with apartment hunting and finding furniture and providers (electricity, internet, etc.)?

The answers to these questions should give you some initial guidance as to whether an apartment is indeed the ideal living arrangement for you. If you like to have people around you frequently, a room in a shared apartment (WG), in a dormitory or your own apartment may be the better form of housing.

Regardless of the “soft” factors, one question is very crucial before you start thinking about student housing:

Can I afford my own apartment?

#2 Examine finances, break down costs

It’s easy to underestimate the expenses of owning your own apartment.

Here are the most important costs:

Rent
Security deposit
Moving costs
Renovation costs (paint, wallpaper, flooring)
Acquisition costs (furniture, household appliances, cookware, plants, etc.)
Service charges (electricity, water, sewage, garbage collection, janitor)
Telephone and Internet costs
Insurance (liability and household insurance)
General living expenses (groceries, clothing)

All this has to be managed financially. Therefore, it is important that you find out about your BAföG entitlement early on. The current BAföG maximum rate is 861 euros per month.

The BAföG rate is made up of:

Basic needs
Housing allowance
Surcharge for health and nursing care insurance

#3 Allow enough time for search & preparation

What is actually the ideal apartment for students? It’s not that easy to figure out, on the contrary: most of the time it takes several weeks or even months until you get the feeling: “Bingo! This apartment and no other!” There are several reasons for this: First, the housing market is very competitive, depending on the location; even rooms in shared flats and apartments are hard to come by.

In university towns in particular, there is always high demand shortly before the start of the semester: that is, when a large number of students are acutely looking for an apartment or a room. Unfortunately, it often happens that the rent increases drastically during these times. Then even single rooms can cost hundreds of euros more than usual.

Be smart and start looking for a student apartment early. A good time is, for example, as soon as you have received the acceptance letter for a place at university. Use the momentum and excitement of that acceptance to jump into the apartment hunting adventure!

You should plan enough time for these steps:

Search for advertisements
Comparison of the different advertisements with each other
On-site visits to inspect the apartment
Preparation of important documents (copy of identity card, tenant’s self-disclosure, certificate of freedom from rental debt, proof of income if applicable, SCHUFA information)

Since students often do not have sufficient income to rent an apartment, landlords require a rental guarantee in these cases. This can be issued by your parents or a bank, for example, but you should clarify this before looking for an apartment. The location of an apartment is also very important for students.

#4 Check the location

The advertisement of an apartment for students sounds too good to be true? The rent is low, the rooms top maintained, the location quiet. But wait – where exactly is the apartment located? That’s often the crux of the matter. An apartment on the outskirts of town may be ideal for stressed commuters who drive to and from work.

However, an apartment for students should meet other conditions. Proximity to the city center is recommended, so that the campus can be reached quickly. It is also important that shopping facilities and recreational areas such as parks are close by. After all, you can’t study around the clock. Speaking of studying: To be able to study at home and write homework with concentration, you need quiet, at least in one room. Therefore, look for a quiet location, avoid busy main roads and other traffic hotspots as much as possible when choosing an apartment.

#5 Read advertisements critically

Unfortunately, there are also now and then fake advertisements on the relevant platforms for apartment hunting. In the best case, people waste their time looking for student housing. However, there are also worse cases where prospective buyers are financially scammed or even harassed. You can avoid all this if you check the advertisements thoroughly and critically.

This is how you can recognize fake housing ads:

Missing or insufficient contact details: Is an address or even last name missing? This is one of the biggest warning signs. If even when asked, no more than the e-mail address is given, you should be suspicious.
Transfer in advance: First transfer the deposit, then you will receive the apartment key in the mail: Take from such “offers” distance, so as not to fall for a scam.
Shifting communication: The supposed landlord wants to switch to a private communication channel like WhatsApp as soon as possible? In and of itself, no problem, but an indication that you should become alert. It is better to stick to verifiable correspondence, such as via the real estate platform or via e-mail, depending on which communication channel was the first in your case.
Strikingly low price: Nothing speaks against making a bargain and if that succeeds: Congratulations! But some offers are just too good or too cheap to be true. If in doubt, compare offers that make you wonder with other advertisements and the local rent index.

#6 View the apartment as early as possible

No matter how well the apartment is described in the ad and how nice the pictures of the rooms are, what matters is how you feel on the spot. Therefore, you should personally visit every apartment that is potentially suitable for you. This may be time-consuming, especially if your place of study is somewhere else. Nevertheless, this check is important, since any deficiencies are only visible on site. Viewing appointments are therefore opportunities that you should definitely take advantage of.

#7 Inform yourself about alternatives

There are some exciting alternatives to student housing. For example, moving into a shared room or a room in a student dormitory. Student apartments such as those at Staytoo are also becoming increasingly popular. Get an overview of the different types of housing to find the right one for you early on.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Get advice

In the university cities, there are various counseling centers that can help you find housing or a free room. For example, you can apply for a room in a dormitory at the Studierendenwerk or Studentenwerk. Apartment providers such as Staytoo are also available to you, in person and on site. Book your free viewing appointment now!

We wish you good luck in your search for your student apartment and would be happy to welcome you in one of our apartment buildings.

Get an overview of the cost of student life here. Try out delicious, healthy recipes to recreate. Here we’ve collected tips on how to be a successful student in the pandemic and how to find friends in a new city. Speaking of a new city, discover the pros and cons of living in a Kaiserslautern accomodation now! Would you rather live in a shared apartment than a student apartment? In this guide you will find tips on how to find student housing in Kaiserslautern.

You want to study and are thinking about moving into our Kaiserslautern student accomodation? We will show you the advantages and disadvantages of living as a student in an apartment – so you can make the right decision for you!

Living in a student accomodation in Kaiserslautern: Advantages

First, we would like to introduce you to the advantages that, in our opinion, make living in a Kaiserslautern student accomodation attractive.

#1 Easily find a connection

At Staytoo, you will meet new exciting people from day one – you decide when and to what extent. Staytoo apartments are home to a number of students from all over the world who, just like you, are embarking on the adventure of studying. Time to get to know your neighbors in the Kaiserslautern accomodation!

Article Tip: 10 Tips for Finding Friends in a New City

#2 Fully furnished apartment

Furniture is expensive for students, or buying it through classified ads involves a lot of driving. On top of that, you had to spend time setting up the furniture or pay even more money for craftsmen to set it up. Although there are also furnished rooms in shared apartments, the furniture in them is often outdated and colorfully thrown together.

In the student accomodation Kaiserslautern you don’t have to worry about all that. On the day you move in, you will find a fully furnished, well-kept interior whose individual pieces harmonize perfectly with each other as part of a design concept. You will also have a kitchen with an extractor hood in the apartment, where you can cook delicious, healthy recipes on the very first evening. For this you have a double hob and a modern microwave.

#3 No lease & all additional costs included

Typically, leases include a minimum lease term that lasts between 12 and 48 months. This can be a very long period if, for example, you find that you don’t want to study in the city of your first choice after all. The student residence Kaiserslautern is much more flexible! You can already move into our accomodation with a rental period of 6 months and see how you like it.

In addition, all cost are included in the Staytoo flat rate. So you can fully concentrate on your studies, you don’t have to worry about costs for electricity, water and heating. Fast internet is also included in the price.

You can even sublet your apartment, for example when you are traveling or doing an internship abroad. However, you will need our permission to do so. Feel free to contact us with this request!

#4 Gym & other common rooms included

Save yourself a trip to the gym and expensive monthly subscriptions: In the Kaiserslautern student accomodation you can use the in-house gym – also included in the total price! In addition, there is a laundromat, which you can also use at no additional cost. The all-in-one rent covers the unlimited use of all common rooms.

#5 Central Location

Staytoo’s Kaiserslautern accomodation is located in the heart of the Barbarossa city. The nearby Japanese Garden invites you to go for a walk, metropolises like Frankfurt or Mannheim can be reached quickly by car or train. The way to the train station takes no more than 16 minutes on foot, the Technical University of Kaiserslautern can be reached in 10 minutes on foot, to the University of Kaiserslautern you need only 15 minutes by bike. From the Staytoo student accomodation Kaiserslautern you can also reach the local sights like the castle Hohenecken or the castle ruin Beilenstein.

Living in Kaiserslautern accomodation: Disadvantages

In order to give you a fair basis for your decision, we cannot and will not conceal the disadvantages of living in a student accomodation in Kaiserslautern.

#1 Room can only be individualized to a limited extent

An apartment of your own or a room in a shared apartment offer other possibilities of design than a accomodation. If you want to individualize your living space 100%, this will unfortunately not be possible in the student accomodation Kaiserslautern. But of course you are allowed to decorate your apartment. You will be surprised how homely and tasteful you can make your four walls with a few plants and fancy pictures on the walls.

#2 High demand

Apartments in student housing Kaiserslautern are very popular. Therefore, we recommend that you make a booking request early, otherwise you may be disappointed. Therefore, do not wait until shortly before the beginning of the semester to move in. The sooner we know about your desired apartment, the better!

#3 No housing solution in the long run

Very few people want to live in a small apartment permanently. And they don’t have to – after all, study time is limited. It is also common to change places of study, for example, at the beginning of a master’s degree after a bachelor’s degree or when you change your course of study.

However, if you are looking for a permanent place to live after graduation, an apartment in a student accomodation in Kaiserslautern is not suitable for you.

#4 Little space for visitors

An apartment in a student accomodation Kaiserslautern is of course not comparable to a spacious apartment. That’s why visitors have less space or rather less visitor space. However, this should not prevent you from meeting up with friends and having a good time together in the accomodation.

#5 No balcony

When designing and building the apartment buildings, we focused on providing you with an excellent living experience at an affordable price. Therefore, unfortunately, our apartments do not have balconies. Nevertheless, you can always enjoy some fresh air by going to the nearby Japanese Garden or the Kaiserslautern Wildlife Park, both of which are close to your modern home.

Listen to your gut

When deciding on the right living environment, you should always listen to what your intuition has to say about it. Take a few minutes and feel into what you might feel comfortable with. Also, periodically read through our pros and cons above to gain more clarity. Looking for more info on Kaiserslautern student housing? Click here to visit our student apartments Kaiserslautern subpage!

With head and heart into student life: Find out what costs are involved in studying and which insurances are important for students. Here you will find tips for studying during the pandemic and vaccination offers for students. Also read tips on how to find friends in a new city and what healthy recipes you can cook in your staytoo apartment.

Health insurance, liability insurance, disability insurance: Insurance costs money, but some of them are indispensable. We show you which insurances for students you need and what you should consider.

Health insurance

Why is health insurance so important for students?

Health insurance protects you against health risks such as illness or injury. It covers you for costs that occur due to illness and related treatment costs. Without health insurance, the costs, which can quickly run into four or five figures depending on the treatment, would fall on you.

Article tips: 5 tips for studying during the pandemic & vaccination offers for students.

What do I have to consider?

Health insurance is a legal requirement for every citizen in Germany. This health insurance obligation also applies to EU citizens who study or work here. If you come from a non-EU country, you will need proof of health insurance in your home country. Students with parents in Germany are covered by their family insurance free of charge until they reach the age of 25.

Private liability insurance

Why is liability insurance so important for students?

Liability insurance covers you if another person is injured as a result of your actions. The spectrum ranges from an accidentally knocked over flower vase to a traffic accident with permanent consequences.

In addition, liability insurance also fends off unjustified claims for damages against you by checking whether and to what extent you can be held responsible for the damage. Without such liability insurance, you would not have this protection and would have to pay out of your own pocket for third-party damages, which can run into the millions depending on the severity.

What do I have to consider?

In any case, you should pay attention to the amount of coverage for liability insurance, which should be 10 million euros for property damage and personal injury. It is also important that your liability insurance covers you if you are injured and the other person cannot pay or has no liability insurance. This is called bad debt coverage. Also be careful about the amount of your deductible. Ideally, you should not pay a deductible, but even if you do, it should not be more than 150 euros.

Household insurance

Why is household insurance so important for students?

If something breaks in your apartment or apartment, or if there is water damage, for example, the household insurance will take effect. Of course we are aware that you treat your living space with care, but something can always go wrong. If you are then uninsured, it can be really expensive. Therefore, take appropriate precautions with a household insurance.

What do I have to consider?

Before taking out an insurance policy, check whether you are already insured with your parents. If you do not have your own household, this is quite common. Nevertheless, you should clarify this with your parents or the insurance company that your parents have taken out.

If you take out your own household insurance, make sure that risks such as fire, water damage, burglary, natural hazards such as storms and hail, and vandalism are covered. Another important factor is the amount of coverage. An additional tip: Have your bike insured for a small additional charge so that you receive compensation in the event of theft. By the way, you are covered by your parents’ liability insurance until you are 30 years old.

Accident insurance

Why is accident insurance so important for students?

Accidents happen in a fraction of a second, but in the worst case they can have consequences for many months or even your whole life. Accident insurance pays for your treatment or care if you need rehabilitation, therapies or care because of the accident, because you are physically and/or mentally impaired. Fortunately, accident insurance also covers you if the consequences of the accident are not permanent.

What do I have to consider?

When it comes to the sum insured, you should pay attention to two things: the amount, which should be at least 500,000 euros for full disability and at least 100,000 euros for partial disability. The progression is also important. This means that in the event of (partial) disability, you will not receive the agreed coverage amount once, but an additional percentage-based supplement depending on the degree of disability. Insurance with progression usually costs a little more, but in the event of an accident, this arrangement will pay off. Experts recommend a progression of 350 percent.

More tips on insurance for students

Buying additional insurance for students depends on your living situation. Do you have a car or a motorcycle? Then a car insurance makes sense, of course.
Don’t be lured by particularly low insurance premiums. Always check the fine print and ask your parents or other people with experience in insurance for advice.
Disability insurance can be worthwhile right now, because the younger you get into it, the cheaper it is.
Keep an eye out for insurance combination options: Popular combinations include disability insurance with a private retirement plan.
Set reminders before insurance policies expire with your family. This applies to health insurance (up to 25 years) and liability insurance (up to 30 years). Ideally, set yourself a reminder 3-6 months before your co-insurance expires and actively seek your own insurance options.
Use comparisons on the Internet to find the right insurance for you. But don’t rely on just one comparison, rather use several portals and compare the conditions in detail. This is time-consuming, but it will save you a lot of trouble with insurance companies that don’t deliver what they promise.

Admittedly: The topic of insurance is a rather dry one and there are far nicer things you can do in your time as a student. But it is also important for students to deal with health insurance, liability insurance, disability insurance, etc., in order to be protected during your studies and sustainably for the future. We hope that our information could help you and wish you all the best!

Learn what student life costs and discover our healthy recipes for students! Read tips for students to find friends in a new city.

Healthy recipes for the student kitchen can be prepared deliciously, quickly and cheaply. We show you our top recipes from the Staytoo kitchen! Recipe amounts are always for two people, so you can save leftovers or eat with someone else.

#1 One-Pot Pasta: Italian Wonder Pot

You’ve always known it: Cooking is most convenient and effective when you throw all the ingredients into one pot. With the One-Pot Pasta “Italian Wonder Pot”, this behavior becomes an officially recognized recipe – and the dish is delicious, too!

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Gesunde_Rezepte_für_Studenten_One_Pot_Pasta_Italienischer_Wundertopf

Ingredients

250 g pasta (tagliatelle, spaghetti, farfalle, etc.)
300 ml vegetable broth
100 g spinach
1 can of tomatoes (chunky)
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
10 black olives
5 dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or frozen
2 basil leaves
2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. chili (fresh or as flakes)
pepper
salt

Preparation

Put pot with water, add vegetable broth and heat. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Then chop tomatoes and olives. Heat olive oil and add chopped ingredients along with spinach, sweat over high heat for 2 minutes. Deglaze with canned tomatoes.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the simmering vegetable broth along with the pasta. Simmer everything together for at least 10 minutes (a little longer for softer pasta, depending on desired al dente texture).

Drain water, mix in crème fraîche, marjoram, tomato paste, season with salt, pepper and chili. Garnish with parsley and basil, then serve.

#2 Vegan curry with rice

With this curry you heat up the body properly: chili and exotic herbs such as coriander you cook in minutes together a colorful fireworks for the taste buds.

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

150 g jasmine rice
200 g chickpeas (can)
300 ml coconut milk
200 ml vegetable broth
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 broccoli
1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 lime
1/2 chili (or dried flakes)
30 g mushrooms
30 g peas
20 g young spinach
20 g ginger
10 g cashews (cheaper alternative: roasted, low-salt peanuts)
5 g coriander
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp coconut oil

Preparation

Bring water to a boil, simmer rice for about 20 minutes with lid closed. Meanwhile, peel and dice onion and garlic. Dice ginger, chop cilantro. Wash peppers, broccoli and carrot, remove stalk from broccoli and peppers. Cut broccoli into florets, peppers and carrots into strips. Clean mushrooms and cut into thin slices.

Heat coconut oil in frying pan. Sauté diced or sliced vegetables for 3 minutes, adding garlic after 2 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Add curry paste and coconut milk. Add mushrooms and chickpeas, simmer on low for ten minutes, stirring gently several times.

Cut lime in half, add lime juice, chili and soy sauce, season to taste. Garnish vegan curry with cashews or peanuts and serve the dish.

Tip for vegetarians: If you want a vegetarian curry, you can add a fresh egg while cooking and let it fester.

#3 Beetroot with Mozzarella

In recent years, the healthy beetroot has made it from an unpopular winter vegetable to the star of celebrity chefs. Beet is bursting with minerals such as potassium, magnesium and iron, and also contains plenty of vitamins such as vitamin C, B-vitamins and beta-carotene.

Combined with mozzarella, the low-calorie vegetable becomes a delight and ideal for quick, healthy recipes. And best of all, the stove can stay cold for this delicious recipe. It’s quick and tastes great, so it’s a must in your student kitchen.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

200 g beetroot (balls in a jar or vacuumed)
180 g mozzarella in small balls
50 g pine nuts
10 g sesame seeds
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
salt
pepper
basil leaves

Preparation

Quarter the beet balls, cut into wedges and drape in small bowls. Add mozzarella balls, pine nuts and sesame seeds. In another small bowl, mix dressing of olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Drizzle the composition of beet, mozzarella etc. with it and serve. The dish is ready!

Tip: Cooking together is more fun! That’s how you find friends in a new city. Learn more ideas here if you want to meet friends.

#4 Salmon with Zoodles

Zoodles are the healthy alternative to classic, high-carb pasta. They’re especially easy to make from zucchini and carrots. Inexpensive zoodle makers for student kitchens are already available for under 10 euros, and you can also use them to zoodle carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage, etc.

Article tip: What does student life cost?

Salmon is something you treat yourself to less often as a student, but it can be a highlight dish, for example for one Sunday a month. Plus, the other ingredients are inexpensive. In addition, salmon is an absolute brain and workout food with its high protein and omega-3 fatty acid content. Therefore, it should not be missing in the collection of your recipes.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

250 g pasta (tagliatelle, spaghetti, farfalle, etc.)
250 g salmon fillet (frozen)
150 g zucchini
100 g carrots
1 cup of cream
1/2 lime
50 g butter or 5 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Pepper

Preparation

Defrost salmon at room temperature, meanwhile heat salted water in a pot. Wash zucchini and carrots and turn into zoodles. Add zoodles to the water as soon as it boils.

Thoroughly rinse the thawed salmon with cold water and cut into cubes. Heat pan with butter or olive oil and sear salmon for 4 minutes. Deglaze with cream and simmer on low for 5 minutes, add a little lime juice. Remove zoodles from heat and drain zoodle water.

Tip: You can also save the zoodle water as a carrot zucchini stock for another dish. Just let it cool, transfer to a bowl, and chill in the fridge for your next cooking session!

Serve zoodles and salmon fillet together with a lime wedge per plate, season with salt and pepper.

#5 Paella

The perfect leftover meal for student cooking when you have leftover sausage and rice! But even so, this classic dish from Mediterranean climes is a nutritional bomb that you can easily prepare with just a few ingredients.

Preparation time: 80 minutes

Ingredients

200 g chorizo sausage (alternatively Vienna sausage or smoked tofu)
125 g seafood (mussels, shrimps or similar)
175 g long grain rice
300 ml poultry or vegetable broth
100 g peas (frozen or canned)
1 yellow bell bell pepper
1 red bell bell pepper
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp turmeric
pepper
salt

Preparation

Defrost the seafood (if frozen), put the water on the stove. Cut the chorizo or sausages into slices about 2 cm thick. In parallel, once the water boils, add rice and cook for about 20 minutes (depending on the variety).

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop garlic and onions. Cut bell bell pepper into fine strips.

Heat olive oil in large pan, saute seafood, peppers and onions for about 5 minutes, add garlic for 2 minutes max. Add rice and turmeric, mix well and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Let paella simmer on low heat for 30 minutes until cooked through.

Add seafood and peas to keep them crunchy. Cut lemon in half and add half of the lemon juice to the paella. Season with pepper and salt, cut remaining lemon into two wedges. Garnish paella with parsley and serve with the fresh lemon wedges.

More tips from our blog

We hope you enjoyed our student cooking recipes.

Here you will find great recipes for summer drinks
how to save money as a student
and how to make studying easier during the pandemic!
Click here for an overview of vaccination options for students

Most of our time is spent back at home, or in the apartment. Social activities are still possible, online as well as offline. We have collected some nice ideas to help you meet or get to know friends in everyday life.

Events in small groups

Private meetings and events are allowed, even in Corona-Times. This way you can build up or maintain friendship in a small circle.

However, please observe the usual safety precautions when doing so. Ideally, each participant should test themselves in advance. If you would like to get vaccinated, you can find vaccination options here.

Now let’s move on to event ideas for meeting friends!

Bake cookies in the microwave (with recipe)

What could be better during the winter season than the nostalgic smell of freshly baked cookies? Invite friends over and bake some delicious cookies together in the microwave. Can’t do it, you think? Try it out with this recipe.

Chocolate cookies in the microwave

150 grams flour (fine)
100 g soft butter (room temperature)
75 g sugar
50 g chocolate sprinkles
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp. milk
1 tbsp. cocoa

Mix butter, salt and sugar together. Add milk, flour, chocolate chips and cocoa and knead the mixture into a dough. Form balls from the dough (about 6 pieces). Place balls on the baking paper, making sure there is enough space between them. Place in the microwave at 450 watts for 3-4 minutes – done! After baking, let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Tip: Test after three minutes to see if the cookies are already crispy. Sometimes it goes faster depending on the thickness of the dough.

You can also refine the dough, for example with cinnamon, vanilla or coconut flakes to add another flavor note to the cookies.

Mulled wine evening

You don’t need more than a big pot, a few delicious ingredients and a good mood to have a great mulled wine evening in a sociable atmosphere. Of course, it’s especially quick if you buy the mulled wine ready-made. But you can also make it yourself very easily and within 15 minutes. Cheers!

Make mulled wine yourself

1 liter of red wine (semi-dry or sweet)
3 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon (organic)
1 orange (organic)
7 cloves
2 star anise
50 g sugar

Gently heat red wine with spices and sliced fruit for 1 hour, but do not boil. Then turn off the heat and let the mulled wine steep for half an hour. If necessary, warm it up just before drinking. Add a small shot of rum or amaretto if needed.

Parlor games (3 presented)

Board games always go, you can also combine several activities with each other and thus combine a mulled wine evening with a nice board game and provide cookies to go with it. It could hardly be more cozy! We present you 3 original board games:

#1 MicroMacro: Crime City

MicroMacro: Crime City received the critics’ prize at the “Spiel des Jahres 2021” award. Rightly so! The game is great fun to start right away, as the rules are very quick and easy to learn. The game task: Solve together exciting criminal cases on a large game board. You puzzle together, so do not play against each other. But that doesn’t detract from the fun: You’ll need all your powers of deduction and analysis to fight the crime.

Play time: approx. 15-45 minutes

#2 Privacy

Meeting friends for the brave: This spicy game brings excitement. No slippery secret remains hidden, you should be aware of that. At the same time, the psychological component is appealing, because it’s a matter of correctly assessing your counterpart on the basis of frivolous or bold statements. If you are ready for it, Privacy is highly entertaining and a great party game.

Play time: approx. 50 minutes

#3 Sebastian Fitzek, SafeHouse

Sebastian Fitzek is considered Germany’s most successful thriller author. Now the master of suspenseful entertainment has launched a game that is a card and board game in one. Similar to MicroMacro, you will work together again in SafeHouse – but not as detectives, but as witnesses to a terrible crime. Will you manage to escape the violent perpetrator in time and be accepted into a saving witness protection program? Find out on a nerve-racking game night!

Play time: approx. 30 minutes

Online games

You want to stay at home and still meet friends? Virtually no problem, and you can play with the following online games.

#1 Cards vs Humanity

Cards vs Humanity is the fan translation of the US card game Cards against Humanity. In the game, which by the way is downloadable for free under the Creative Commons license both in the original and in the German translation, the goal is to complete a gaping sentence with an answer. The person who gives the most tasteless answer wins. So simple, so dorky, but crazy funny. Be sure to try it out in video chat via Jitsi or Zoom!

Play time: approx. 30 minutes

#2 Chess

According to science, chess trains the memory, increases the IQ and prevents Alzheimer’s disease. Besides, and this is probably the most important reason, it’s great fun! There are many free games on the Internet, which work without registration or login. In addition, there are online communities where you can meet chess partners. Allow enough time for each game, however, because chess and haste do not go together.

Play time: approx. 100-150 minutes (average)

#3 Poker

A classic that never goes out of fashion. With poker games, time flies in a flash, there are quite a few free portals where you can play game after game. Strategy and luck intertwine in this legendary form of the game. Try it out and see if you have a knack for poker.

Play time: depends on the variant (Texas Hold’em, Five Card Draw etc.)

Get creative

Do you feel like painting your own picture in an interactive workshop? That’s exactly what you can do at ArtNight. Choose a motif and have the drawing material sent to your home. In the online workshop you can paint away, each at home, but online networked with other hobby painters and an experienced painter.

ArtNight is just one type of event, there is also ShakeNight (mixing cocktails), BakeNight (baking) and PlantNight (making wreaths, plant walls, etc.). Also search for online live cooking to enjoy cooking together virtually.

Tasting

Whether it’s beer, wine, gin or (non-alcoholic) cocktails, online tastings have boomed in the pandemic. The tastings cost no more than a visit to a bar, but are just as much fun.

Article tip: What does student life cost?

You get the tasting drinks sent home in the mail. A spirits expert then guides you through the tasting in the evening. Together with others, you’ll then enjoy fine drops.

Meeting friends: More ideas in everyday life

Looking for more inspiration for your free time together? Try these ideas with friends, too!

Movie night: Open your laptop, turn on the streaming service and watch an exciting movie or series. Together and with a bag of popcorn, it’s a lot more fun than alone. Some streaming services also offer online parties, during which you can watch the movie online with your friends regardless of location and chat with them.
Pen-and-screen: By now, almost everyone is familiar with pen-and-paper games like “The Black Eye” or “Dungeons and Dragons.” But they can be played not only in the living room, but also via video calls, provided the dice are rolled honestly.
Online Escape Rooms: Let’s get away, but not from the laptop, but from a predicament. Become a puzzle master together and escape from an ominous place by cracking puzzles. The hours in front of the screen will pass in no time!
Walk: Doesn’t sound that exciting at first, but have you ever consciously walked through the neighborhood you live in? Or beyond its borders? Try it out with friends and exchange impressions. It can be very exciting!
Photo shoot: The upgrade to walking, so to speak: Take a camera or simply the smartphone with you and stage a photo shoot. Back at the apartment, look for the best pictures, evaluate them and upload them to social media.
Hiking: Nature is relaxing and calming. It’s also a lot of fun to hike in it. Plan an excursion for several hours, tie up your bread pack and hike through the nearby forests, mountains, etc.

Even under the current restrictions, there are ways you can meet friends in everyday life – be it offline or online. We hope you enjoy trying out the ideas!

Also read our tips for finding friends in a new city. Learn how to make studying in the pandemic easier.

The 2G rule is being enforced at more and more universities – where they haven’t been closed completely. This means that only vaccinated/recovered students will be permitted to attend lectures. If you want to be in the first group, you can get your vaccination at various places in the city as a student.

Student vaccinations: costs and benefits

COVID-19 vaccinations are free for everyone and therefore also for students. As a vaccinated individual, you benefit from the vaccination in the form of self-protection on the one hand: the risk of developing COVID-19 with severe symptoms is reduced to 5% according to the latest scientific findings. In addition, vaccinated individuals are less infectious. Furthermore, in accordance with the 2G rule, you can also participate in public life and thus attend lectures and other student events.

Read also our article: Studying in the pandemic: 5 tips

You can get your vaccination here

Below you can find the main places where you can get vaccinated. To ensure the vaccination appointment goes without a hitch, remember your:

ID card or passport
Vaccination passport
Doctor’s certificate if you should be prioritised due to a previous or existing illness

Remember: Don’t forget to wear a FFP2 mask to your vaccination appointment.

Are you a foreign student? Then please consult your uni or a doctor for vaccination options.

#1 Family doctor

You can book a vaccination appointment with your family doctor. Many doctors with surgeries now also offer online booking of vaccination appointments.

#2 Company medical officer

Do you have a part-time job in a company? It may be possible for the company medical officer to vaccinate you.

#3 Mobile vaccination team/bus

There are mobile vaccination clinics/buses in numerous towns and cities offering quick, uncomplicated vaccination even without an appointment. However, plan in enough time, as the demand for vaccination has increased considerably in the course of the fourth wave. You should also not arrive ten minutes before the mobile vaccination clinic closes, but rather, ideally, one or two hours earlier.

#4 Local vaccination campaigns

Vaccination campaigns are currently being held in shopping centres, courts, train stations, etc. Find out about local campaigns and the times via your city’s website. The same thing applies here as for the mobile vaccination teams: due to the high demand, you should plan in enough time, as you may have to wait a couple of hours.

Where can I find vaccination centres?

The vaccination centres across Germany closed at the end of September. However, the possibility of a general vaccination obligation is currently being discussed. Some cities are thus already reopening vaccination centres in order to offer their citizens a broader range of vaccination options.

Info regarding the booster

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends that all citizens over the age of 18 get the booster shot once the first vaccination has expired. However, young, healthy people should check with their family doctor whether a booster is actually necessary.

Many students were vaccinated in summer or autumn and now want to get the booster, as the third shot is known. However, priority should be given to older people, people with existing medical conditions and healthcare personnel. The BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are used for the boosters.

Vaccination services continue

Vaccination teams right across Germany will continue to provide various vaccination services throughout December and at the beginning of 2022. Nevertheless, you should begin familiarising yourself thoroughly with the topic now and find out where you can get your vaccination as a student.

Stay healthy!

Your Staytoo team

Find out how studying in the pandemic works and how to find friends in a new city!

COVID-19 has been restricting our lives for months now. However, there are things that you can do to make the situation more agreeable for you. Below, we offer some tips for successful studying during the pandemic and taking good care of yourself at the same time.

Furnish your apartment well

The Staytoo apartments are designed in such a way that you have your own bathroom and kitchen as well as a living and sleeping area with a workspace. Give the rooms your own personal touch – bring them to life with plants, decorate the walls with pictures and brighten up the bookshelf with decorative elements to suit your taste. This is how you create a feel-good zone, which is all the more important the more we spend time indoors.

Bring structure into your day

Many lectures are still being held online, whilst universities in some German states are already open again enforcing the 3G or 2G rule. However, the situation can change at any time if the number of cases continues to rise. Whether you can continue to attend lectures in person or have to switch over to online alternatives: bring structure into your day.

Get up at the same time every day, eat your meals at the same times and go to bed at the same time every night. This will help you establish a morning, afternoon and evening routine for yourself. Set yourself fixed study and work goals for the day and don’t forget to plan in sufficient breaks and leisure time. Go out regularly for fresh air, for a walk or for a bike ride. Cook healthy meals and take your time.

After just a few weeks, these routines will develop into good habits. This form of self-management will provide you with stability in these turbulent times.

Focus on the positive

Staying up to date with the latest developments is naturally very important in these times. However, an excess of negative news can really drag you down. As such, it is just as important to feed your mind with positive impulses. That includes, for example, comedy films, a gripping book or a fun evening with friends.

Tip: Find out how to find friends in a new city.

Seize the opportunity to put the pedal to the metal where your studies are concerned. Watch tutorial videos, take online courses, do everything that helps you progress academically rather than consuming too much news.

Seek support

Emotional and mental support is helpful for making it through this challenging time successfully. This can be in the form of online courses for mental health or with the help of coaches.

Don’t be afraid to ask for psychological and psychosocial counselling. Many universities offer these services, and there is no reason to feel ashamed.

Quite a lot of students are dealing with mental health issues at the moment, as studying during the pandemic is anything but simple. Ask for all the help and support that is available to you.

Expand your circle of friends

The current restrictions mean we are all at home more than usual. That doesn’t mean that you should feel isolated though. You can still meet new people and expand your circle of acquaintances and friends during the pandemic – including four-legged ones. We are talking about dog sitting apps, where you can create a profile. Similarly to a dating app, dog owners in your area can then contact you to take their dog for a walk or pet sit for them. This lets you get out in the fresh air, help someone out and make new contacts.

Or you can become active in social media groups on topics that interest you. Regional groups are recommended here, as it also offers you the possibility of meeting up locally.

Tip: We have complied some tips here for how you can find friends in a new city.

Studying during the pandemic: stay confident (extra tip)

This is perhaps the most important tip: forge a positive mindset for yourself. The decisive foundations for this are beliefs. COVID-19 will be over at some point. Believing in that and staying confident will give you the strength you need for your daily life. We believe it too and, above all, we believe in you and how successful you will be in your studies!

Living expenses for students can be anything from several hundred euros to more than a thousand euros per month. Below, we offer an insight into the most important costs and share some valuable tips for saving money.

Accommodation costs

Depending on where they live, students in Germany spend between €150 and €380 on accommodation on average. A box room in a shared flat in Munich can cost as much as a two-room apartment in Nordhausen, Thuringia – or even more. Then there are the additional costs for furniture and fittings if the room or flat is not furnished. Rent increases can also be expected in boomtowns like Leipzig.

The price structure here at Staytoo is clear and transparent. We offer you an all-in-one package at an affordable, fixed price based on the selection of your fully furnished apartment and including all additional expenses and Internet.

Travel costs

Whether it’s travelling to uni, going to the library or taking a trip home: most students have travel costs to cover. Those with their own cars usually have higher costs to cover than those who take public transport.

However, it also depends on the type and frequency of use. An Intercity Express (ICE) train ticket for €150 can be the equivalent of three full tanks of petrol. Generally speaking, it is important to keep track of travel costs and ideally keep all receipts and tickets, as travel costs, like accommodation costs by the way, are tax deductible.

Food

The cliché of frozen pizza as a student’s staple diet no longer applies: a study conducted by the University of Maastricht and constata revealed that 82% of the respondents cook several times per week or even on a daily basis. Only 18% of students regularly eat ready meals.

The myth of fast-food deliveries every day is also not true: just 3% of students use delivery services multiple times per month. As such, healthy eating is at a premium. No wonder: according to the study, Diet and Cooking was the second most-important area of interest behind Sport and Leisure.

A healthy diet is varied – and does not come cheap. At least €150 per month should be included to guarantee a nutritious diet.

Leisure and free time

After work comes play: hard-working students deserve a hard-earned trip to the cinema or a bar. Money must also be planned in for sports club memberships, clothes and household needs. Healthcare similarly brings with it additional costs: medicine, plasters, etc. As such, at least €100 per month should be planned in for pastimes and leisure activities.

Looking to make friends? Here are 10 tips for finding friends in a new city!

Insurance

Even students need a range of insurance policies. The most important are:

Health insurance
Personal liability insurance
Household contents insurance
Accident insurance

Other insurance may be required in individual cases, like car insurance, for example. Some students also take out disability insurance.

Depending on the insurance company, the costs can easily reach three figures. There is some relief where health insurance is concerned: Students under 25 are covered free of charge by their parents’ dependent insurance. Students under 30 are covered free of charge by the family liability insurance in accordance with the same principle.

Communication and learning aids

Nowadays, a laptop is an essential piece of equipment for every student. It doesn’t need to be top of the range, but students won’t be doing themselves any favours at uni by picking the cheapest option. Video lectures, zoom calls, work with different tools: the laptop should at least meet minimum requirements – decent models are available for €500-600.

Tip: High-speed Internet is available in all Staytoo rooms. Simply log in to the Internet service provider ask4 and start surfing. Guest access is also available for your visitors.

No student should be without a smartphone either. Okay, it’s not technically a learning aid, but it is essential for communication, not only, but of course also among young people.

The same things apply as for laptops: please don’t just look at the price tag, but instead check that apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, etc., run smoothly and without any issues. Cost-effective mid-range models are available from €250.

Other important items and costs where communication and learning aids are concerned include:

Mobile phone contract
Optional Wi-Fi dongle for the laptop
Pens, folders, notebooks, writing pads
Laptop bag / briefcase
Backpack
Textbooks
Subscriptions for online tools
Television licence (household fee)

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are practically non-existent in Germany. However, some universities do charge administration or semester fees, generally in the region of a few hundred euros per year. There are also some usage fees, for example for the library.

Costs when studying: an opportunity to manage your finances

Most students don’t have much money available to them in this stage of their life. This can be annoying but can also be a fantastic opportunity to manage your finances properly. Seize the opportunity to install a finance app and develop a feeling for your expenses and income from your part-time job. We wish you a lot of success and cost-effective studies!

Tips regarding costs as a student in summary

Special expenses are tax deductible. If this is your first qualification, you can deduct up to €6,000. However, to do so, you must be able to provide proof of taxable income in the same year.
Travel costs can also be deducted – €0.30 per kilometre and €0.35 per kilometre as of the 21^st
Keep household accounts in order to keep track of costs and identify potential savings.
Second-hand items are a wonderful way to save money – pre-owned clothing, dishes, textbooks: such items are considerably cheaper when bought second-hand.
Also look for platforms with free offers: The Internet is full of portals and groups where people can swap and give away items, even fresh food.
Eat in the refectory (Mensa): Students can get nutritious meals there at low prices.
Compare service providersfor mobile Internet, telephone, insurance, etc. There are a range of service portals which allow you to compare services and companies in a matter of minutes and save money by changing.
Look out for discounts and special offers: Avoid impulse buys and instead pay attention to which products are on offer when shopping.
Submit a tax declaration: Tax declarations aren’t only good for those in full-time employment – students can also deduct special expenses and get a rebate from the State.
Students receiving German student loans (BAföG) can also apply for exemption from the household fee.

Free but still useful: Here you can find information about vaccination offers for students. Here you can find more tips on studying during the pandemic.

Are you new to the city or moving soon? We have some helpful tips for how to make contacts quickly!

Revive old friendships

Finding friends in a new city is easiest when you already know people there – relatives or old classmates, for example. Don’t be afraid to reach out and suggest meeting up. If it develops into a friendship, it won’t take long for your new friend to introduce you to other people – now you’ve got a network.

Go to university events

Pub crawls, day trips, campus tours: events are now finally possible again, albeit with some restrictions. Make the most of these events whenever possible as opportunities to find friends in a new city.

At the beginning of the semester in particular, universities host such events for the students to get to know the faculty staff and each other. Your university website will have a list of the events on offer. By he way, there you will also find info on vaccination offers for the Corona vaccination. Read also our article: Student vaccinations: when and where?

Meet your neighbours

The Staytoo building is home to lots of interesting people just like you. It’s worth getting to know them. How about inviting your neighbour over for a cup of tea or to cook dinner together? Games evenings and taking walks together are also good ways to initiate great friendships.

Attend Staytoo events

Did you know that Staytoo organises its own events? Barbecues in the summer, movie nights, the semester kick-off party or the Halloween hangover brunch: there’s always something going on here, but you still have your own private space. As our motto goes: live alone, stay together. Look for events near you!

Join a club

Have you sung in a choir before or do you like playing volleyball? Then it’s time to join a club! Most clubs will allow you to go along and see if you get on well with the people and feel comfortable in the surroundings, etc., before you join. A hobby in common is something which brings people together and so you’ll soon make contacts this way.

We have all heard of Tinder – but it doesn’t always have to be about dating. There are also social apps that help you to find friends in a new city. The most popular are:

Meetup
MeetMe
We3
Bumble
Spontacts

Each app is also slightly different. Meetup focuses on groups and joint activities both online and offline. We3 is based on the concept of a mini group: the idea is that friendships develop best when three people meet to get know each other. Spontacts offers you the possibility of meeting people nearby to do something spontaneous like go to the cinema together or practise sports.

Part-time work

It’s easy to combine your desire to top up your bank balance with meeting friends in the new city. When choosing a job, make sure it’s something where you will come into contact with people. Working in an archive might be lovely and quiet, but it’s probably not the best way to find new friends.

Here are a few jobs where you come into contact with lots of people:

Translator
Cinema/theatre ticket office
Work in a supermarket
Work in promotions
Recruiting members for clubs and associations
Gastronomy and event jobs (catering, service, etc.)

Of course, it’s especially smart if you find a job that lets you make new friends and also benefits your professional career. Take a look at the various job vacancy websites on the Internet – there are even some focusing specially on jobs for students.

Article-Tip: What does student life cost?

Use noticeboards

They might seem a bit old school, but noticeboards packed with flyers and offers are still a common feature at unis. From free books to car-sharing possibilities right up to sports offers, there are a wide range of opportunities for making friends in the new city. Some noticeboards even have sections where people are looking to meet others like the classic lonely-hearts ads in newspapers.

Speak to people outside

Admittedly, this is not the right approach for everybody looking to find friends in a new city. However, coming into contact with other people outside is often easier than you might think. The biggest hurdle is getting the conversation started. Questions are often a wonderful way of doing this.

Remember: Always greet the person with a friendly “Hi!” and a smile – that often works wonders.

The following questions can help you strike up a conversation with a stranger:

Do you know a good restaurant near here?
I just moved to the city. Do you know a good place to party/play sports/for a day trip?

Questions also work well in combination with compliments:

I love your jacket. Did you buy it here in the city?
You look like someone who knows where the good clothes shops are around here. Can you recommend anywhere to me?

A conversation ensues with the potential to develop into a friendship.

Language exchanges

Language exchanges are an awesome way to meet friends in a new city. You and your partner already have a common interest – you both want to speak a foreign language. Language exchanges are the perfect option, as native speakers correct and help each other improve. Meeting up regularly will allow you to get to know each other better automatically and possibly become good friends.

Mix and match

We recommend that you mix and match the different tips above to maximise your chances of meeting friends in a new city. You are also welcome to contact us here at Staytoo at any time – we’ve always got an open ear and hope you have fun making new friends!

Corona also poses challenges for students: Find out here how studying in the pandemic succeeds!

Ever year Americans celebrate a National Holiday called Thanksgiving. This feast is celebrated annually on the 4th Thursday of November. The story behind this holiday, that is very dear to every Americans heart, takes us back to the 17th century. There are various theories regarding the reason behind the celebration, but the most common one tells the tale of the pilgrim fathers, that landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and took part in a three day feast with the Native Americans in order to celebrate the extraordinarily good crop, which they had had that year. In this sense, Thanksgiving is comparable to our Erntedankfest.

In the pictures below we share our favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you, so if you’ve always wanted to cook a real Thanksgiving feast, you will now have access to amazing recipes.

For the main course we recommend:

As a side dish we recommend a sausage cornbread stuffing…

… and meshed sweet potatoes:

You can find the complete recipes and cooking instructions on our Facebook profile.

Enjoy the food and companionship with friends & family and last but not least #StayThankful, #StayTasty!

Slowly the trees are changing colour and the weather varies between beautiful autumn sun and muddy rainy weather. Just the right time of year to bake a delicious pumpkin cheesecake. The recipe is a bit more sophisticated, but it’s definitely worth it – promised! What could be better than a fluffy cheesecake in combination with pumpkin? Give it a try:

Ingredients

For the filling:

450g Hokkaido Pumpkin
200g sugar
800g cream cheese
3 eggs
50g cream
1 vanilla pod
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the cake base:

150g wholemeal butter biscuits
70g butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the topping:

100g smoked almonds
140g sugar
3 tbsp water

Instructions:

1.) Cut the pumpkin in half, then remove the seeds and dice. Boil the dices for about 20 minutes until they are soft.

2.) Preheat the oven to 175°C (top/bottom heat), grease the springform pan and then wrap crosswise with aluminum foil.

3.) For the base, place the biscuits in a blender, grind finely. Add butter, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp nutmeg. Put this mixture into the springform pan, press firmly and then refrigerate.

4.) Puree the pumpkin for the stuffing and chill. Beat the 300g cream cheese with 100g sugar until frothy. Add the rest of the cream cheese and sugar and stir until creamy. Add the eggs one by one and stir with the pumpkin puree and mix until creamy. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise, remove the pulp and add 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp grated nutmeg to the mixture and mix.

5.) Fill the fatted pan with water, fill the dough into the springform pan and then place in the fatted pan. Bake in the hot oven on the lowest rack for about 60 minutes until the dough hardly wobbles when the mould is gently shaken.

6.) Remove the cake from the oven, remove the aluminum foil and let the cake cool on the cake rack for 2 hours. In the next step, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

7.) For topping, the smoked almonds must be coarsely chopped. Next, caramelise the sugar with water in a pan and then add the smoked almonds. Put this mixture on a baking paper sheet and refrigerate. Before serving, break into pieces and spread generously over the cheesecake.

Pumkin Cheesecake

The most beautiful New Year’s traditions of the world

In Germany we usually ring in the new year surrounded by our friends and/or family, while watching the famous “Dinner For One” Sketch, trying to predict the upcoming year by pouring lead into water and getting mentally prepared for the fireworks. But how does the rest of the world spend New Year’s and what bizarre or sweet traditions do other countries have in store?

The right underwear

First things first, you need to pick the color of your underwear in order to start your year right. This is a tradition in a lot of countries, but is handled differently in most of them. In Brazil for example, the people commonly wear white underwear to symbolize a pure start into the new year. However, in Spain, China and Italy everyone wears read underwear as a lucky charm for the upcoming year. By using this guide: https://livingmividaloca.com/new-years-eve-underwear-color-meaning/ you can choose the right color for yourself. So, choose wisely!

12 Grapes

Spanish people literally stuff their faces on New Year’s with grapes, exactly 12. They have to be eaten after midnight while the bells ring 12 times. During each bell strike you have to eat one grape and if you still have grapes left over in your mouth after the 12th ring, you will supposedly be haunted by bad luck the entire next year. So be careful!

Jumping into the new year

Other than the Spanish, the Danish have a tradition of basically taking a leap into the New Year. Everyone gets on a chair or a table at 12 o’clock on the dot in order to jump down from them. In Brazil there is also a tradition, that has to do with jumping. The people, that live by the ocean go to the beach at midnight and jump over seven little waves. Each wave you jump over gives you the opportunity to make a wish.

Ashes to ashes

In order to make sure, that your New Year’s wishes come true, the Russians write those on a piece of paper, which they burn afterwards. The ashes of your written down wish will be put in a glass of champagne, which you drink at midnight. On that note, cheers and a Happy New Year!

All around the world

In Columbia they have the perfect tradition for anyone who loves to travel, because it supposedly brings you luck, if you run around the block with an empty suitcase and simultaneously guarantees that you are going to travel a lot during the New Year.

Round is the new squared

On the Philippines it is a custom to sit around a round table on New Year’s and focus on everything being round. The round table is decorated with round fruits, the people give each other coins and wear dotted clothing.

Knock, Knock

In Scotland as well as in Greece it is an old custom, that the first person, that enters your home after midnight on New Year’s Eve can either bring you luck or be very unlucky. If the person is a friend or a member of the family and carries gifts, it is a good omen and means that you will be lucky in the next year. If the person that arrives is a stranger and does not bring anything with him, you will supposedly be haunted by bad luck.

These were just a few of our favorite traditions and customs, that people honor all over the world. We hope you had an amazing New Year’s Eve with friends and family. Even if you did not do any customary rituals, we wish you a lot of luck for the upcoming year and that you have the energy to make all your good resolutions a reality.

The term Halloween originates from the term All Hollows‘ Eve and describes the rural customs on the evening and the night before All Saints Day, meaning the night between the 31st of October and the 1st of November. These customs were originally most common in Irish Catholicism, but to us they are mostly present in the United States. The reason for Halloween being so popular in America is, that the Irish emigrants maintained their customs after having emigrated into the United Staetes, in order to commemorate their home country. You will find even more Fun Facts regarding Halloween in the following article.

Next to Christmas, Halloween is the second most commercialized Holiday in the United States. Americans spend about 6.9 Billion Dollars on Halloween, with most of the money being used for candy, costumes and parties. Surprisingly a lot of the money also goes towards buying costumes for pets.
The average American eats about 1.6kg of candy on Halloween, which equals the weight of a small Chihuahua.
The heaviest pumpkin worldwide was grown in the garden of a man from Switzerland: It weighed almost 1,054kg, which is almost as much as a small car.
Halloween finds its routes in Ireland. In Ireland they started celebrating “Samhain” 2000 years ago as the end of the harvesting period, because supposedly a lot of ghosts were roaming the earth on the last day of the year.
Samhainophobia is a phobia describing a persistent, abnormal and unwarranted fear of Halloween or Samhain.
In 1991 Halloween first arrived in Germany. During that time there was a war in Iraq and the Germans thought it wouldn’t be suitable to have a giant carnival celebration. However, the toy stores were filled with costumes, so the industry was in need of a different holiday where people would dress up.
In England Halloween is only celebrated with family and close friends and is known as “Nutcrack Night”. The name comes from the custom of laying nuts in the fireplace with your significant other and seeing whether they are going to explode. If they explode with a loud bang, they are supposed to promise genuine love.
The “Dia de los Muertos” is often wrongly titled as the Mexican version of Halloween. The confusion, however, is very understandable since Halloween as well as el Dia de los Muertos focuses on scary costumes and the general topic of death. The difference lies in the fact, that Halloween is based on the fear of death and ghosts and the Mexican Day of the Dead welcomes death with open arms and even celebrates it.
In Japan they don’t celebrate Halloween, but the so called O-bon in honor of the deceased ancestors. On this holiday in the middle of August families get together in their hometown every year in order to maintain the grave of their family and to call on the ghosts of their deceased family members. In some villages, they place lanterns on rivers in order to light their ancestors the way back to their realm.
The Spanish bake so called Huesos de Santo (Bones of the saints) and lay them on the graves of the deceased.

Happy Halloween and #StayScared!

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