Study Abroad Stories - Karishma's Experience

Karishma Mohiuddin is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Bonn, Germany. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from BRAC University, and later joined Sourcetop Inc as a Jr. QA Engineer, where she worked for one year.

Towards the end of her final year at BRAC University, Karishma became involved in research activities for her undergraduate thesis. During this process, she discovered a passion for research in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and decided to pursue it further. Karishma believed that moving to a developed country would provide her with more opportunities and enhance her experience as a researcher. Therefore, she decided to work towards obtaining a Master’s degree abroad.

One of the major reasons Karishma applied to a German university was that all public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees to students. However, students are required to show proof of sufficient funds, known as “Block money,” to cover their daily expenses.

After deciding on the country for her Master’s degree, Karishma began to shortlist universities. Germany has gained significant popularity for its engineering degree programs and is home to many top-ranked universities worldwide.

Through research, Karishma discovered that in order to apply to a top-ranked university in Germany, she had to meet the following criteria:

• possess a very good CGPA, along with some work experience and academic research papers
• score 6.5 or above on the IELTS

After fulfilling the required criteria, Karishma focused on other aspects of the application process. She prepared a German-style CV, wrote a letter of motivation, and gathered reference letters from her professors. She also collected her academic transcript, educational degree certificates, and work experience certificate. Finally, she applied to her shortlisted universities through their respective portals.

After starting her Master’s degree in Germany, Karishma realized that the educational system there was very different from that of Bangladesh. The professors assumed that the students had already learned most of the content during their Bachelor’s degree and thus skipped important topics, introducing only advanced ones. Additionally, the Computer Science courses were more theoretical and math-oriented. Assignments and projects were mandatory assessments but did not contribute to the grade; rather, they were prerequisites for sitting for the final examination. The only metric for passing the course was to pass the final examination.

At the beginning, Karishma struggled to cope with the German educational system. She had to spend a significant amount of extra time reviewing the basics of a topic and understanding mathematics in-depth so that she could fully grasp the advanced topics discussed in class. However, as time passed, she became more accustomed to it.

Studying in Germany has given Karishma a broader perspective on the meaning of life. Through meeting and interacting with people from different cultures, she has developed her interpersonal skills and assessed her personal growth. Additionally, working as a student research assistant at the University of Bonn and at a research institution like Fraunhofer IAIS has provided her with incredible experiences.

Special thanks to Karishma Mohiuddin for taking out the time to share her study abroad experience with me.