Life in the financial center of Europe: As an international student at ISM Frankfurt

My old high school is located in a small town surrounded by mountains and when I first came to Frankfurt, I was impressed by the internationality and modernity of the city. A 20-minute walk from the historic main train station is a spectacular view of many modern and tall office buildings. In Hauptwache, there are more than one three or fourstorey shopping malls and Goethestraße has all kinds of luxury goods, which makes shopping very satisfying. Finally, I don't have to buy things online, I can see and pick them out myself.

As the financial center of Europe, the transportation is the least thing to worry about. In the city you can choose between the S-Bahn, UBahn and Straßenbahn. There are different ways to travel to other German cities or other European countries, such as bus, train or plane. Frankfurt International airport has direct flights to all the other big cities in the world like LA, Vancouver, etc., even direct flights to my city in China, which takes me only 12 hours. Finally, I don't have to change planes and spend almost 18 hours back in China.

The most shocking thing for me was that there is a Chinese karaoke bar in Frankfurt, where I met my husband. I love singing. When I was in China, I often went to karaoke bars with my friends. So, this is another way to reduce my homesickness.

I am not the kind of person who likes idyllic life, I prefer living in a modern city. I like sitting on the high floors overlooking the city at night. I think the city at night with the lights on is just like the starry sky on the ground. There are several restaurants and bars in Frankfurt that are located in these high-rises, which are the places I like to go.

I love watching Hayao Miyazaki's animated movies, and in many of his movie scenes the houses are old German buildings. When I went to Römerplatz for the first time, I was really excited. Standing on the Römerplatz is like standing in a scene from a movie. What’s more, the historical Römerplatz and the skyscrapers do not look out of place together, but give me a very unique feeling. I have lived in Frankfurt for 5 years and all in all it is a great city for everyone to settle down in.

About the college part of college life: I chose to study business because my parents have a company in China and they want me to take it over in the future. Since I went to high school in Germany and fell in love with Frankfurt, I decided to stay in Germany after high school graduation.

At first, I was actually studying at a public university, with many other students in one classroom. German is not my native language, so I couldn't just raise my hand and ask the professor every time I didn't understand something. Also, my high school was small class teaching and I got used to it. So, I was a little uncomfortable being in a large classroom with a large group of people.

Additionally, I saw on the Internet that German business schools, with their worldwide employment network, industry partnerships and large alumni resources, have become one of the most cost-effective business schools in the world, and with Germany's rigorous and serious approach to education, graduates are highly recognized in business circles around the world. After two weeks of studying at a public university, I decided to switch to a business school with small class teaching. Whether I return to China or stay in Germany after graduation, I need a diploma that is recognized worldwide. The ISM diploma is one of them.

The main reason for choosing ISM is its reputation. Both students and graduates have a high opinion of ISM, which is mainly due to the support provided by the school: a large number of practical courses, an international learning environment, job security for internships and a large selection of partner schools for exchange semesters. This is very attractive for students who want to improve their personal skills and personal qualities. The professors are very friendly. If you have any questions you can go to the office and ask them. If the professor is not on campus, you can send emails to them as well. They are also very willing to answer all your questions. The workers at the school are also very friendly and will answer all your questions patiently and do their best to help you solve your problems.