More detailed information about paperwork upon arrival and departure will come out later!
Arriving
Planning the move-in
This information is mostly applicable if you’re going on exchange on a budget, and if you’re living in student residence. If you’re flying straight into Frankfurt then plan on going straight to Mannheim, please make sure to check in your move-in times.
In late May, you will receive an email from the University regarding the process to move in. You can book an appointment with your landlord for a small fee, or you can show up within a certain time of day.
For example, we were given a relatively extensively list with the hours of availability for every day for the landlords from August 1st until the first week of September. You will have their phone numbers, the address to their office, their names, and instructions as to how to get the keys for your room. Generally, if you arrived between 9AM and 2:30PM, all you had to do was show up. If you arrived any time between 2:30PM and 10PM of any given day, then you have to pay 35 Euro and give 2 weeks notice for the appointment. I arrived before 2:30PM, so I was in the clear, but if your flight is late unexpectedly then you may have to stay in a hotel the first night.
From Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
If you’ve never flown internationally before like myself, and even if so, the Frankfurt airport is pretty massive.
First of all, make sure that you get to Terminal 1. If you land in Terminal 2, you’ll be getting a free shuttle from the Airport to Terminal 1. Make sure you get your luggage safely, and go through customs, etc.
Follow all the signs for the Fernbahnhof (Long Distance Trains). Please make sure that you actually make it there. You will pass through a section of the airport where a ton of people are buying tickets from machines – this is the Regionalbahnhof (Regional Trains). You can tell if you’re at the right place or not if the roof is a huge geometric-like glass dome. The Regionalbahnhof station does not look like this at all. Keep on going, up the escalators and follow the crowds.
You can buy the ICE train ticket on the spot, I would not recommend purchasing this ahead of time before you arrive in Frankfurt just in case if there are any complications or delays. The machines display English just fine – type in your destination as “Mannheim Hauptbahnhof”. I believe my ticket was 29.99 Euro one way. Follow the signs to the correct platform number, and wait for your high speed train to Mannheim!! Be careful not to sit in the areas for first class passengers (unless if you purchased that ticket option for a premium), although the trip on the train will only take about 20 minutes.
Once you get to the Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (keep your eyes on the station arrival names, and listen carefully to announcements), follow the crowd out of the station. Signs to the exit will be pretty clear, it says “Ausgang City” (City exit). If your suitcase is heavy, you may have to look for an elevator instead.
Right inside of the main doors, you’ll see this.
The screen on the left side is the monitor displaying all of the trams and busses going in and out of the train station stop. You can find all of these trams once you go through the doors in this picture, and go slightly to the left.
There are various methods to get to the various dorms depending on where you’re living. Most of them will go to the city center (stop “Marktplatz” or “Paradeplatz”). Make sure to do your research beforehand, Google Maps is handy with instructions on using transit in Germany.
If you’re living in Ulmenweg which is where I lived, then you have to take the 4 or 4A. There is no difference between these two for your sake. They fork off near the end of the route and have two different end destinations, but that is not relevant to you as you will get off much earlier. The directions to Ulmenweg will either be: Waldfriedhof, Gartenstadt, or Käfertaler Wald. Directions Oggersheim and Bad Dürkheim will be going the opposite ways – you do not want to get on these ones. You can tell which direction they’re on in this screen inside of the station, and identical screens also on the tram tracks. You can also see the platform number (“Gleis” or “Steig”), so you’ll know where to stand. Drag your suitcase onto the tram when it comes, and modestly take a seat. Once again, keep your eyes out and listen carefully for your stop. In the case of Ulmenweg, it’s very clear – the stop is called “Ulmenweg”.
Look for your landlord, and once you get your keys, you’re set! Introduce yourself to your roommates, ask for more tips and help around town, and make your first grocery trip.
Leaving
Note that this information is mostly applicable if you’re leaving at the end of the first semester.
Be aware that no matter the time or date of your flight, there’s a black out period over the holidays where nobody is able to move out – this is generally for Christmas Eve to a few days after Christmas. Additionally, it is not possible to move out on weekends. Try to plan for your flight to leave on a weekday so you can go straight from your dorm to the Frankfurt Airport. I had no idea about this rule – my flight out was on a Sunday. I had to move out on a Friday morning and spend the money on hotel near Frankfurt. If you’re lucky and still have friends in town while you’re moving out, then you can sleep the night at theirs, but all of my friends had already left or were already out of town and travelling.
If you’re flying out of another airport, then good luck!
Studying in the Quadrate 