A few pointers for students (esp. from India) wishing to pursue their studies in Germany

After reading through several posts in the group, I thought it would be helpful to list these things.
First off, I am assuming you already have a degree or more from India or somewhere else and that you are interested in pursuing your education in Germany.
For those of you who are fresh from school, these points may not be relevant.
So, let us for the sake of clarity, assume you have completed a degree, and you are interested in a particular field. And you have heard that Germany is good for education. So, what next?
Do not find a group in Facebook titled “Indians in Germany” and post: “HELP-I want to study in Germany!” It is very difficult for anyone, including those who wish to help and share some experiences, to post anything of meaning.
First do your groundwork. This includes among other things, making a list of universities you are interested in. You can find such a list by simply using the DAAD website, which has extensive filters, and is mostly up-to-date. Another source of information is the local DAAD offices and places where you can learn German, like the Max-Müller-Bhavan and Goethe Institutes.
Now the above step is not trivial. Do not choose universities based on what some soft criteria, such as name of the city, East or West Germany, or you heard someone tell you this university is the best. Universities are well differentiated in Germany, and you’ll be hard pressed to find the same research being done in more than 3 or 4 universities. So try to invest some time in the process, go through the webpages, research profiles, and the courses offered. Many degrees will have similar names, with very different specializations.
It will also help to know that each university is made up of institutes and each institute is make up of different chairs, each with its own professor, research port-folio and funding. So chances are high, that even if the university is not known outside Germany, the institute is highly regarded, and the professor is world renowned. So navigate down to the professors and see what they are working on. Writing to the professor is also a very good idea. Just make sure your English is understandable, and do not use slang or short forms. Acronyms that are common in India are virtually unknown here.
Now once you have that step sorted out, your questions will be more focused and the answers you may get more helpful.
Many universities have dedicated departments for admissions, and they will be able give information for incoming students. So it is advised to write to them with your questions. Every university is different and has different criteria for admission. To make matters more interesting, each department and institute will have a different set of criteria. So my advice is only: invest a considerable amount of time in your ground work.
Some of you may be fortunate and your university has a tie-up with one of the German institutes. This simplifies your workload considerably.
I wish you happy searching.