Study Abroad in Berlin, Germany with FUBiS - Winter and Summer

You start to explore Berlin since the very first time you have contact with the FUBiS team. They were there for every question since the very first day and I cannot be more grateful.
Have the opportunity to make Berlin your home for three weeks is amazing. FUBiS offer suggestions to make your experience unforgettable.
I think the most important is sharing this with people from different countries. Living in the same residence made everything easier. We at the end became a little family. Everyone shared a little bit of their culture, specially food. I won't forget the international dinners or the never ending parties.
Also we explored together Berlin and all the history and culture it has to offer. We visited together museums and historical places and FUBiS gave us a first approach to the city with a video bus tour and then a small trip to Postdam. Moments I won't forget.
The classes were very interesting, I took: More than just game - Football as a sociological, anthropological and philosophical subject. The professor gave us a bigger look about football beyond all the common knowledge we had before taking the course. We had different field trips that approached us to the essence of football, and, we had the opportunity to watch different movies about football and all the phenomenons the surround this sport.
It was easy to take classes as we explore a big city as Berlin is at the same time.
I would repeat this experience, no doubts.

Having participated in five other study abroad programs, I thought FUBiS did not have as much value for my money as other programs. Specifically, I think a lot of tuition fees are allocated to the student interns working in the office. However, these interns were not very involved in creating a fun social scene for the program. They planned a few movie nights and posted weekly "What's on in Berlin" bulletins, but they were far less involved than facilitators I've seen in other programs.

I stayed with a host family, which was fantastic. However, the regular student dorms were subpar. Six people per mini apartment, each with their own locked single room, but no common living room space: only a kitchen. The private apartment housing option was much nicer.

However, academics were spot on: excellent teachers, great resources, and interesting weekly field trips.

I took the European Studies class and it was great, we talked about different topics concerning the European Union and we also visited many places where we could see and talk with people involved. I really learned and enjoyed a lot in this class.

The program also has activities where you can bond with other students so you make friends really quick, they also take you on tours so you can discover more of the city.

This was such an incredible program! I participated in the FuBIS summer terms A and B in 2017. It was my first time away from home and from the moment I arrived at my apartment complex from the airport, there was a FuBIS advisor there to greet me, give me my room keys, and answer any of my questions. The advisor even accompanied all the students on public transportation to reach the Freie Universitat Campus the first few days. The students were from all different types of countries, and we all were interested in getting to know more about Berlin and Germany’s culture, and to get to know each other more. There was an excellent social atmosphere on campus, because all of us were excited and nervous to dive into Berlin’s vibrant cultural scene. We had an excellent support system with all the staff, as they helped us navigate the city, offering up the coolest spots for us to explore. I took a German language course and a history course on Nazi Germany, and my teachers were both incredibly proficient in their teaching topics, passionate about the subjects, and extremely helpful. It was such a unique, valuable experience to be able to learn about Germany’s dark past and how the country’s culture has been shaped by it, as well as learning modern German language and culture, at the same time as just being a young adult living in a modern city alongside other young Germans as well as many refugees. I learned more about the city than I would have just being a tourist. I also learned more about myself as I was pushed out of my comfort zone in a foreign country. As a result, I am now more confident in myself and more open to new experiences. I also recognize the value of cultural immersion in a country and learning it’s history to better understand the people, rather than just exploring on superficial terms. Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone I knew. It was absolutely life-changing.

I stayed at Studentdorf Schlactensse in Dahlem district of Berlin. It is an hour-long commute to the FU campus, but the transportation is far better in Berlin than in NYC. The housing was fine, the rooms small, showers clean, kitchen large. The FU campus is beautiful, the Winter program staff were extremely friendly and likable. The Professor was German-born American raised, highly knowledgable and interesting. Class excursions were amazing- it was worth the trip just for those.
The Menso food is cheap and delicious, but leaves you feeling like you haven't eaten. The students were from every continent and brought a huge amount of knowledge to the class - it was worth coming just for that as well. Overall amazing experience,
Tschüss !

It was incredible! It was possible to learn a lot about the subject as also from other students who were from different countries. My professor was really good. She encouraged the students to participate and share backgrounds which was important to my learning. Therefore, we visited one prison and we could see the German reality about prisons. Also, we had an excellent support from staff's people. They were really nice and helpful.
I loved Berlin because it has good public transport (a little bit expansive, though) and all the city transpire history. Although my apartment was far from Berlin's downtown, it was close to the university.

When I arrived at FUBiS, I was expected it to be another program filled with American students like myself. Boy, was I mistaken. I lived in shared housing with 25 other students that hailed from 5 different countries (Brazil, Columbia, Malaysia, Australia, and South Korea). In addition, I met students from the Caribbean, Mexico and Argentina. During my 3 weeks in Berlin, I learned more about different cultures than I ever knew before and connected with people that came from entirely different backgrounds than myself. I cannot stress enough how much I gained from this experience alone.

As for the academics, I found them to be fairly challenging, but not over the top. The professors and staff were incredibly helpful, and made sure to leave time outside of class to plan events together (Karaoke Night was my favorite!). Overall, I loved my FUBiS experience and I recommend it ot anyone that would like to spend time in one the world's best cities while getting a scholastic and cultural education.