Student report
By Timur Aktas, 5th semester, fall 2011
Name of the school:
Location:
European Business School – für Wirtschaft und Recht
Oestrich-Winkel (Outside Wiesbaden)
1.0 INTRO
1.1 Location
Oestrich Winkel is a small town with roughly 12,000 inhabitants. The town is surrounded
with vineyards. This is one of the areas where the famous Riesling grapes grow. This is a
grape type that is more resistant against cooler climate. Oestrich-Winkel is old and buildings
that are over 200 years old are common in this area.
1.2 School
The school was established in 1970. The Schloss campus was used to store wine. They
transported the wine from there to the crane near the Rhine River and loaded ships that
transported the bottles to other cities.
The lectures are mainly in The Schloss campus. It contains vineyards and parts of the old
castle. The campus has a fairytale atmosphere. The Burg campus is mainly used for language
courses. Lectures in the law campus in Wiesbaden can also occur.
1.3 Practical information
1.3.1 Before I arrived
All the information was given to me gradually, which made it easier for me to have control
and not overlook any deadlines.
1.3.2 After I arrived
1.3.2.1 Flat
I had to pay up front for my flat, which I have only seen through a few pictures, and had to
make a choice based on them. The flat was in okay condition, but the hygiene was bad. I had
to do some major cleaning before I could settle in.
Further on, my contract with the landlord (which was the school in my case) said that I
would have access to internet for a small amount of money (10€ per month). However, after
two months, they decided to cut off internet. For the last three months, I had to go to Burg
campus to use internet.
Other than the hygiene and the internet issues, everything was as it should be.
1.3.2.2 Student card
For 95€, the school offers a travelling ticket, in the student card. With this card, you can
travel to Wiesbaden or/and Frankfurt. Just to compare prices, a trip from Oestrich-Winkel to
Frankfurt is around 30€, so purchasing the travelling card would be a good idea.
You will also get 200 free printouts, but an advice would be, to not rely too much on the
printers at Burg campus. The printers print either black pages or do not print at all.
Sometimes it will print.
1.3.2.3 Other transports beside the train.
The school offers used bicycles for 50€ to 80€ to all of the students. Unfortunately, the
bicycles are of low quality. The school does not buy it back when the semester is done. You
can then choose to either sell it to other students or throw it out. EBS has indicated that they
might not sell bicycles from now on.
The bus in Oestrich-Winkel comes once an hour, which can be inconvenient.
Walking from Hauptstrasse 102 to Schloss campus and Burg campus takes 45 minutes and
30 minutes, respectively.
1.3.2.4 The teaching system
Compared to BI, buying books are not necessary. The professors suggest understanding the
slides they give before each lecture. They also suggest the students to read a few pages in
the course textbooks. These books are available in the library. It is a good idea to attend all
of the classes.
They have modules with up to two single courses in those modules. A module is 6 ECTS
and the single courses are then 3 ECTS each. You will start with one of the courses and have
an exam in it before you start with the next course. A whole module is 180 points and you
need 90 points, or 50%, to pass the module. This means that if you get 90 points (full score)
on your first course in the module, you do not have to take exam in the next course. They
take average of the courses within the module. To take both exams are, of course, the best
option.
1.3.2.5 Travelling
I suggest traveling a lot while in Oestrich-Winkel. There are many wine tasting places in this
area. You should also check out Erbach. This is where part of the movie, “The name of the
Rose” starring Sean Connery, was filmed.
As mentioned earlier, Wiesbaden is the closest big city. Here you can find a big casino,
where the Russian author Dostoyevsky got broke and wrote his famous book “The Gambler”.
Frankfurt is 50 minutes by train. There are a lot of things to see in Frankfurt, such as the
opera, museums, the European Central Bank, etc.
Köln (aka Cologne) is a beautiful city with a spectacular cathedral. The travel ticket does
not cover the expenditures to Köln, but it is not expensive.
If you are on exchange during the fall semester, you should also attend Oktoberfest. The
famous one is in Munich, but there is another big one in Stuttgart. Stuttgart also includes
Mercedes and Porsche factories and museums.
Another thing you can experience is the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas market) in
Wiesbaden. Here you can taste “Glühwein”, which is a warm wine. You also have the
opportunity to buy nice Christmas gifts there.
Travelling around Europe is also cheap. You can rent a car and travel around. The sky is
the limit.
1.3.2.6 Partying
Alcohol is also cheaper in Germany. To compare prices, the cheapest wine in Norway is 89
kroner (Vinmonopolet). In Germany it is 1,40 € (around 10 kroner)(grocery store). Germany
has an array of different beers.
Clubbing is fun in Mainz and Frankfurt. Wiesbaden has some nice bars, like a salsa bar.
Oestrich-Winkel does not have many bars. The only two decent bars are Batolome and
Keller.
1.3.2.7 Climate
Germany has a warmer climate compared to Norway. Since Oestrich-Winkel is between
mountains, the weather can suddenly change. Snow in December can occur, but it did not
snow while I was there. The temperature was approximately around 2 degrees or more
(Celsius) above the temperature in Norway.
2.0 Outro
2.1 Contact information
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Email: aktas.timur@hotmail.com