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Alumni
Deutsche Schule Erbil
The German school in Erbil is a very young school: Our first alumni graduated with their IB diplomas in 2018. However, our alumni can be found in many countries already, e.g. the Kurdistan region, Germany, Turkey, England, the Netherlands and Austria. You can find out more about some of our former students here:
Our former student Kani received an offer from the University of Birmingham in England. The University of Birmingham is an internationally renowned university. Here is what Kani has to say:
"My name is Kani and I graduated from the German school in Erbil in 2020. I currently live in England and study psychology at the University of Birmingham. In the IB programme, students have to write longer essays, including evaluations. Writing these essays has served as a good preparation for my studies. My teachers supported me in every possible way as I applied to universities; this made the application process much easier."
Our former student Sarah received a place as a medical school student at the Ilstinye University in Istanbul, Turkey. The study program is in English. Ilstinye University is a private university with international students and staff; it is multilingual as well as multicultural. The university allows their students to study in other countries through the ERASMUS program.
Sarah reports that medical school requires considerable effort and long hours of study. So far she has passed all of her exams (congratulations!). She intends to focus her studies on neurology or cardiology. When asked how well the IB program at the German school in Erbil prepared her for medical school, she says:
"The IB diploma programme at the German school in Erbil has prepared me very well for medical school. The IB internal assessments and the extended essay proved to be valuable exercises for the academic research I have to prepare now at university. In chemistry and biology I learned a lot for what I need today. This was really excellent preparation."
After successfully passing the Bilingual IB Diploma at the German school in 2019, our former student Muhammed is studying Biomedical Engineering at the Technical University of Ilmenau in Thuringia. Admission to the German university was not a problem as, in addition to the internationally recognised IB Diploma, he also obtained the GIB (Gemischtsprachiges Internationales Baccalaureate) at the German school, which is a prerequisite for studying in Germany.
Ilmenau is a small town and a big advantage is that Muhammed lives only a 10-minute walk away from the university campus. He likes his studies very much, he is making good progress and will probably complete his studies in the standard period of study (7 semesters). He is very satisfied with his lecturers, they are open and helpful. A Master's degree is his next goal, preferably at a university in a big city, as he would also like to get to know big city life.
Muhammed really likes living in Germany. The decision to move to Ilmenau on his own after school to study is a very valuable experience for him. His advice to all future IB graduates of the German school: "You should move abroad alone to study, because it makes you independent and you master everything in life yourself. You also quickly meet new friends, discover new hobbies and develop yourself. It's a very important experience."
Regarding the IB Diploma Programme at the German school, Muhammed considers it a great preparation for academic work at university. It gives you a distinct advantage over other students who have never done written assignments before, such as the Internal Assessments, Extended Essay and ToK Essay, which are compulsory in the IB Diploma Programme.
Khalil was a member of our school's first IB Diploma Programme class, a pioneer who was one of the first students to obtain his Bilingual IB Diploma at the German school in 2018.
After studying medicine for a year at the English-speaking University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH), he decided to take the aptitude test for human medicine in Austria. He successfully passed the test and has been studying medicine at the University of Vienna ever since. He is very satisfied with his studies and has made many friends. Many young people from Austria and Germany study at his university, occasionally also from Poland and Hungary. Of course, the pandemic also affected the universities: lectures and oral exams took place online. Khalil hopes that normality will soon return.
Khalil describes his experience in the IB Diploma programme at the German school as follows:
"The Internal Assessments we had to do in each subject and the Extended Essay prepared me really well for my studies. I now have to write essays on certain topics at university and I realise that I have already learned this in the IB DP. I had also reached a very good level in biology and chemistry in the IB, which benefited me in medical school."
What Khalil particularly appreciated about the IB DP was the wide range of subjects from the 6 subject groups and the three elements of the core: "This gave me a pretty good general knowledge and I continue to be interested in historical issues and read a lot of literature. Through ToK (Theory of Knowledge), I have learned to question and reflect deeply on many things. I also think it's great that the IB Diploma is recognised worldwide. I was able to apply in Austria without any problems. You have the freedom to study anywhere in the world!"
Rahand successfully completed his bilingual IB Diploma at our school in 2020. At the same time, he also fulfilled the requirements for obtaining the GIB (Gemischtsprachiges Internationales Baccalaureate), a prerequisite for studying at a German university. So, he was able to realise his dream and start studying mechanical engineering at Bochum University in Germany.
Rahand has spent almost half his life at the German school Erbil. He joined the school in 2010 and stayed until he obtained his IB Diploma in 2020. For this reason, his ties to our school and his former classmates are very close. He is close friends with his former classmates who live and study in Germany and Austria, and they often visit each other. He thinks back to his school days at the German school with nostalgia and he has mostly good memories.
At the moment, Rahand lives with his family in Essen. There are many interesting cities to visit in this part of Germany: Cologne, Düsseldorf and Amsterdam are not far away. There is a large Kurdish community in Essen; there are two Kurdish schools and if the Corona measures allow it again, there will be Kurdish festivals in the future, for example at Newroz. Kurdish culture is very important to Rahand, and he spends a few weeks in Erbil during the summer.
Rahand shows great interest in his studies; he always wanted to study mechanical engineering. His studies are very demanding. So far, all courses have been held online, but he very much hopes that there will be face-to-face courses again. He already knows that he wants to specialise in electronics because it interests him a lot and he has good career opportunities in this field.
As for the IB Diploma, he thinks "that it is a much more demanding programme than the Abitur. I learned how to write papers, how to quote, paraphrase and use footnotes properly, how to do research and work independently. Most students don't know that in their first semester. The IB Diploma prepares students well for university studies." In his free time, Rahand works as a tutor at an education centre in Essen. He gives private lessons in Maths, English, Biology and Chemistry to students in grades 4-10, which he enjoys immensely. His long-term goal is to return to Kurdistan after his studies and after some years of work experience in Germany. We wish him continued success in his studies and his future!
Our former student Issra obtained her Bilingual IB Diploma at the German School Erbil in May 2019. The ambitious student immediately began her medical studies at the renowned English-speaking University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) and has already successfully completed her fourth semester.
Issra is a medical student with heart and soul. She is very happy with her decision to attend medical school at UKH. The requirements in her studies are very high and she spends most of her time studying. After completing medical school at UKH, she plans to specialise in a clinic in Germany, where her excellent knowledge of German will be of benefit to her.
Regarding her IB Diploma programme at the German School Erbil, Issra reports that she has learned a lot in this challenging programme. She has gained detailed knowledge and especially the work on the Internal Assessments and the Extended Essay have prepared her well for university. In addition, she has learnt important principles that are essential for academic work, such as Academic Honesty.
The IB places particular emphasis on this principle. When she applied to university two years ago, she received a lot of support from the school management, especially from the deputy principal, Mrs Media Samagha, who provides advice and support to IB graduates when they apply to local universities.
About her time at the German school, Issra emphasises that it was not only valuable academically, but also in terms of friendships: "I made friends for life during this time. That is one of the main reasons why I have taken the school very much to my heart."