Courses teach vocabulary by topic — family, food, hobbies. A student arriving in Germany meets a different list first, and meeting it unprepared is what makes the first month exhausting.
Bureaucracy, which you will meet in week one. die Anmeldung (registering your address — legally required, usually within two weeks) · das Bürgeramt (the office you do it at) · der Termin (appointment; almost nothing happens without one) · die Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit) · die Krankenversicherung (health insurance; mandatory, and enrolment depends on it) · die Immatrikulation (university enrolment) · die Bescheinigung (certificate/confirmation — you will be asked for several).
Housing. die Kaltmiete (rent without utilities) · die Warmmiete (rent with them) · die Nebenkosten (the utilities in question) · die Kaution (deposit) · der Mietvertrag (tenancy agreement) · die WG, short for Wohngemeinschaft (a shared flat — the normal student option) · der Untermieter (subtenant) · möbliert (furnished).
Money and work. das Konto (bank account) · die Überweisung (bank transfer — Germans still use these constantly) · der Minijob (the capped part-time job many students hold) · die Steuernummer and Steuer-ID (tax numbers, needed to be paid) · das Sperrkonto (the blocked account required for many student visas).
University. die Vorlesung (lecture) · das Seminar · die Prüfung (exam) · die Klausur (written exam specifically) · der Schein (course credit/certificate) · die Note (grade) · das Semester · die Mensa (the canteen, where you will eat more than you expect).
Two small words that do enormous work. doch — contradicting a negative ("Du kommst nicht?" "Doch!") — and mal, which softens a request into something friendly ("Kannst du mal helfen?"). Neither translates cleanly, and using them correctly makes you sound like someone who lives there.