In one of our earlier articles from a couple of months ago, we had predicted that the economies in certain western countries ( Germany, USA, and Canada) would rebound first from the COVID 19 crisis compared to developing countries in Asia and Latin America. This makes Germany perfect destination for the Winter intake of 2021. This is because in developing countries:
- Social distancing is more difficult
- Governments of western companies like the USA or Germany have the ability to revive the economy by pumping in money continuously into their economy which is more difficult for developing countries to do
We had recommended in our earlier article that prospective students for Winter 2021 continue to apply and keep their options open. Our recommendation was on the belief that these countries will probably be among the first to contain the virus as well as make economic progress. With 14 months left to go for Winter 2021, we felt reasonably confident that things will get much better.
Applying does not mean that you have to join as you can always defer your admit. We expected that the job markets of developing countries in India and Latin America will take longer to recover both from a COVID 19 perspective as well as from an economic perspective. If you do not apply, you do not have the option available to go for graduate studies in the wake of a worsening economy at home.
Early data from certain countries are showing that they are rebounding as predicted by Galvanize Test Prep a couple of months ago.
In this article, we would like to focus on Germany as we believe that it will be one of the most favoured destinations in Europe for Winter 2021. Germany was an early adopter of lock-down and strict social distancing measures and those efforts are starting to pay off. Below are some reasons why we believe that Germany will be an attractive destination for Winter 2021 students.
1. 92% drop in daily new COVID 19 cases (less than 500 a day) in Germany from the peak (6933 a day) in March 2020
By implementing strict social distancing measures and lockdowns in place, Germany has been able to bring the daily new COVID 19 cases to less than 500 cases a day.
Some key data points that show their progress :
- They hit their peak on March 26th, 2020 with 6933 new COVID 19 cases on that day and have now brought the number down to less than 500 new cases a day in early June. This is a 92.7% percent reduction in daily active cases.
- They have been able to reduce the number of cases by over 90% in just 2 months which is incredibly fast progress.
Strong leadership coupled with strict social distancing norms and the advantage of being a smaller country has worked very well in their favour.
Why this is important for Winter 2021 students :
Winter 2021 is still 14 months away and Germany has made significant progress in just 2 months. So for students applying for Winter 2021, this is great news as early progress shows that Germany is well on its way to containing the virus.
2. Unlike other countries, daily active COVID 19 cases are dropping even after the German economy has opened up
Encouraged by the reducing trend in the daily active cases, Germany started gradually opening the economy from late April/early May onwards. Most developing countries (including India) are seeing a surge in COVID 19 cases after reopening.
For example, India had 3932 daily active cases on May 4th, 2020 when partial reopening started. This has increased 215% to 12,375 new cases on June 10th, 2020.
Germany however has reduced their daily active cases by 80% even after opening the economy. New COVID-19 daily cases on April 15th , 2020 in Germany before the economy opened up was 2543. Now, a month after opening the economy, they are down to around 500 cases a day.
The ability to reduce daily active cases in spite of reopening the economy is a significant achievement as it shows the ability to control the spread of COVID 19 even with the relaxation of social distancing norms.
Why this is important for Winter 2021 students :
The ability to reduce daily new active cases by over 80% for COVID 19 after reopening indicates that Germany has put in effective measures to be able to control the spread of COVID in a sustained manner even after some relaxation of social distancing norms.
This is good news for Winter 2021 students. With 14 months left for Winter 2021, we expect that Germany will continue to improve measures to ensure the safety of people residing in Germany.
3. All major auto manufacturers opened their plants in early May
All three major auto manufacturers (Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW) have opened up their plants in Germany in early May 2020. To ensure the health of their employees, they have implemented several process changes at their plants. They have ensured adequate spacing between employees and frequent sanitization of workstations.
Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant which is one of the largest car manufacturing plants in the world resumed operations in early May with almost 8000 employees returning to work. They implemented over 100 process changes and have set a standard for other automotive plants in Germany. Now, the big 3 automotive companies opening their plants means that all their suppliers would also be starting up. When the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg opened, over 2600 suppliers (the majority of them being located in Germany) also resumed production.
Why this is important for Winter 2021 students:
The Automotive sector is a key sector in Germany. The big 3 automotive manufacturers and their suppliers restarting is good news for the economy. For Winter 2021 students, this is great news as they can expect the economy to have fully recovered by the time they graduate after completing their degrees.
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Talk to a Counselor!Planning to apply to Germany for Winter intake 2021?
Competition for Universities in Germany may be higher as more students apply there, you need to start work early on your applications.
We expect that Germany will be the most favoured location in Europe among students for the below reasons :
- Ability to significantly reduce COVID 19 cases even after reopening the economy: A lot of other countries are struggling with a case surge after re-opening whereas Germany is still reducing the number of new cases.
- The best contender in Europe for attracting companies leaving the UK because of Brexit: Even before COVID 19, Frankfurt was fast becoming a financial hub attracting companies from the UK in the wake of Brexit. We expect that with the early success established in controlling COVID 19, more companies will continue to favour Germany if they exit the UK.
- Significant economic stimulus by the government: Germany has announced a 130 billion euro stimulus package on June 3rd, 2020 to kickstart the economy. The large economic stimulus package will greatly help in getting the German economy back on track again.
With all of the above, competition for admission to German Universities may increase for Winter 2021. Students planning to go to Europe may prefer Germany in Winter 2021 over other locations.
If you are planning to apply to Germany for Winter 2021, we recommend that you start working on your applications now. While you prepare for your standardized tests, get started on your documentation. For example, Statement of Purpose (SOP) is something that you can get started on now without waiting for your test scores. While your academics and standardized test scores are good indicators, your SOP really tells your story and helps the admission committee understand if you are a good candidate for their program. A good SOP can really help you improve your chances of admission against competition. But creating a good SOP is an interactive process and requires time.
At Galvanize Test Prep, our experienced counsellors have already started working with our enrolled students who are interested in applying for Germany for Winter 2021 on various aspects of their application.
If you are interested in applying to Germany for Winter 2021 and would like guidance on starting your process, reach out to us on WhatsApp for the quickest responses.
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