Junior Year in Munich
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Health and safety policies

The Junior Year in Munich Program is committed to providing program participants with a study-abroad experience that is both physically and emotionally safe and educationally and personally rewarding. Current health and safety policies in the JYM Institute align with the policies of the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, the Bavarian Health Ministry, and the Robert Koch Institute, which provides clear safety guidelines.

Guide

Personal

Health and safety start with self-care! Please familiarize yourself with our self-care resources and ask yourself what resources need to be at your best during your time in Germany. If you don’t find what you need, ask the Munich staff and they’ll help you, and we will add that resource to our website.

Required for JYM participants:

Mobile phone with the following apps installed:

  • WhatsApp for communication with staff (an emergency notification WhatsApp group will be created for your cohort)
  • A temperature app such as iThermonitor (Apple/Google Play)

Students are required to save all Munich staff telephone numbers on their phones.

Suggested for JYM participants:

  • COVID vaccination and updated booster
  • Flu shot
  • A supply of medical face masks (surgical masks) or N95/FFP2 respirators. You'll be able to find these in Munich, but you should beware of fake masks. Recommended if purchasing in the U.S.: Bona Fide Masks.
  • Hand sanitizer
  • At least two COVID-19 home tests to keep in your dorm room (these are generally cheaper in Germany than in the US.
  • Over-the-counter medicines such as Tylenol and Motrin (while readily available in Germany, they tend to be less
  • expensive and available in greater quantities in the U.S.)
  • Small first aid kit of items that you frequently use

Prescription medicines

See our page on medications and therapy for details about bringing prescription medicines from the US to Germany and about continuing therapy in Germany. If possible, fill prescriptions in the U.S. that will cover you for the full duration of your time away from home. Because being in a foreign country is a new start of sorts, some students mistakenly think this is a good time to wean themselves off prescription medicines. We strongly advise students not to do this as being in a foreign country is stressful and coming off a medication could lead to severe emotional, mental and/or physical consequences.

Hand hygiene

In general, and especially during influenza season and times when there are pandemic concerns, experts agree that individual prevention is the best course of action. This starts with strict hand hygiene.

Use hand sanitizer liberally, especially after any transactions or touching door handles in public. When you're out in public, do not touch your eyes or nose or mouth to prevent viruses from entering your mucous membranes.

Wash your hands regularly, especially after being out in public. Use soap and warm water. Lather and scrub your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds.

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Residential

  • JYM students are housed in the single-occupancy apartments provided by Studentenwerk.
  • Each room has an internet connection and a wireless router provided.
  • Students have the option in Munich of ordering groceries online from the REWE Supermarket for pick-up or delivery (minimum of 50 Euros). Payment can be made using PayPal or a credit card.
  • Studentenwerk regularly updates its policies in regard to the current state of health affairs and student accommodations.

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JYM Institute

COVID testing

Currently, COVID testing is not required to enter the JYM Institute.

In case of illness, injury or suspected COVID-19 infection

  • In case of any illness or injury, students are expected to contact Munich staff and one other student (or class representative) immediately, regardless of the time. Staff will contact each other and refer the student to proper help, either by recommending they go to the doctor, or directly to the hospital.
  • In the case of suspected COVID-19 infection, the student should first do a self-test.
  • If this test comes up positive, they should contact the Munich staff, which can help you determine whether you need to see a doctor.
  • Do not come to the JYM Institute until you are sure you are no longer infectious.

In case of the need for self-quarantine

  • JYM staff in Munich will check in on any students in quarantine (via email, phone, or WhatsApp).
  • If the quarantine is for a longer period, they will work to allow students to attend their JYM classes virtually.
  • JYM staff will help them reach out to LMU faculty teaching any LMU courses they are taking to ensure that they do not fall behind in those classes.

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Health care in Munich

Germany has one of the best, most comprehensive health care systems in the world. The student statutory insurance offers full coverage with no copay for most health care expenses (including hospitalization).

You will find information on our webpage. At the pre-semester orientation session in Munich, you will learn more about the German health care system, doctors to whom we regularly send JYMers and emergency numbers and health care facilities.

Insurance

All students will have statutory German health insurance, which is very comprehensive. JYM students will also receive supplemental travel, accident, and sickness insurance through iNext.

Neither of these policies covers reimbursement for trip cancellations, repatriation costs, or costs for extended shelter in place beyond the end of the program. If students would like coverage for these situations, they are encouraged to purchase their own international travel insurance with CFAR (cancel for any reason) coverage. This coverage is optional, but we highly recommend it for our students, particularly given the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some companies that offer CFAR (cancel for any reason) coverage:

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Travel policy

For the first 90 days that they are in Germany and/or the Schengen zone in Europe. JYM participants will be on a tourist visa. During that time, they may travel freely in and out of Germany.

JYM participants will register their Munich addresses and apply for a residency permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at the JYM orientation, but it may take up to several months for visas to be processed. Students should not plan to travel outside of Germany between the time that their tourist visa expires and the point at which they receive their residency permit. This may include the winter holidays. If you have any questions, talk to the Munich staff before making plans and especially before booking tickets.

JYM participants must follow the regulations of the city, state, or country they visit. It is the participant's responsibility to understand those regulations as well as the current requirements in Germany, Bavaria, and Munich for traveling across borders.

The U.S. State Department maintains a map of the countries for which it has issued travel advisories due to health or safety concerns. While they're participating in the program, JYM students may not travel to any country with a level-3 or level-4 travel advisory. This includes during the break between the winter and summer semesters. Currently, these countries include Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Financial support

JYM can supply no financial, educational, or other support during independent travel. Students will be required to cover all costs:

  • Related to independent travel
  • Related to being detained, quarantined, or delayed while traveling independently
  • Incurred if denied reentry to Germany or required to quarantine

Students should always travel with their TK insurance card and their iNext insurance information. TK will cover students throughout the European Union. iNext will cover them outside of the European Union, including the United Kingdom.

Overnight travel

Students are required to inform Munich staff of all independent overnight travel, ahead of time.

Complete Overnight Travel of JYM Participants Form

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Withdrawals and refunds

Students who intend to withdraw from the program can do so up until the day before orientation in Munich begins. Written notification of the intention to withdraw must be sent to jym@wayne.edu. Full refunds will not be given after the official start of the program, e.g., the first day of orientation at the end of September for the full year or end of March/beginning of April for the second semester.

Evacuation

If students must be evacuated from Germany due to a CDC or State Department advisory, partner school directive or Wayne State University mandate, all recoverable costs will be refunded to students. Recoverable costs include housing and insurance costs. Costs that would not be recoverable include rent already paid or due for the current month, student semester fees for the current semester, and transportation fees.

Program interruption

In the event of a program interruption for health or safety reasons, JYM Institute courses will continue in an online format. LMU classes should pivot to online instruction as well. If, however, the online format offered is problematic, or if this format is not offered at all, the student would be allowed to either drop the course entirely or the administrative director in residence would work with the student in turning the course into an independent research project to complete the course for credit.

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