u/angstychique

anyone here from DLSU who tried to apply for masters in germany and succeeded? did you secure a SoC from ZAB?

Hi everyone!

I’m an international applicant (from the Philippines) planning to apply for MSc programs in Epidemiology / Public Health in Germany, and I’d really appreciate honest opinions on my chances. These are the relevant experiences I have in my CV.

Academic background:

- BS Biology major in Medical Biology

- GPA converted to German scale: ~2.2

- from Top 1 private university in the country (400th in Asia, 1569th Globally)

Research:

- First/principal author of an undergraduate thesis

- Study design: cross-sectional

- Included statistical analysis (Fisher’s exact test / Fisher-Freeman-Halton)

- Currently preparing for publication

Experience:

- Internship in Infection Control Services at a hospital (exposure to hospital epidemiology)

- Virtual assistant for a startup (admin, data organization, research support)

- Pharmacy assistant (inventory, Excel-based stock tracking)

Skills:

- RStudio (basic to intermediate, currently improving)

- Statistica

- Excel / data organization (one of my strengths)

- Lab techniques (qPCR, Gel electrophoresis, DNA Extraction etc.)

Extracurriculars:

- Student government (documentation, operations)

- Public health volunteering (Red Cross, medical missions, HIV awareness)

- Mental health advocacy work

Concern:

My GPA is not very competitive, so I’m trying to strengthen my profile with certifications in biostatistics and R.

---

Universities I’m considering (all public / English-taught programs):

- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

- Technical University of Munich

- Heidelberg University

- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

- University of Bremen

- University of Bonn

- Bielefeld University

- University of Göttingen

---

Questions:

1. How competitive would my profile be for programs like LMU or Heidelberg?

2. Is my GPA a major red flag, or can my research + experience compensate?

3. Would strengthening R / biostatistics significantly improve my chances?

4. Any schools I should realistically add/remove?

I’d really appreciate honest feedback (even if it’s blunt). Thank you so much!