Incredible Study Abroad Experience

WHY BCGS:
With most of my close friends accepted to year-long study abroad programs, and with the prospect of being without them for a year on my campus, I thought it was the opportune time to change my setting as well. My research led me to BCGS: It was located in Berlin, was an immersive program, and provided support for students. I applied, and was on my way to Berlin. I didn't know then what a life changing decision this would be.

FIRST SIX WEEKS:
The first few days upon arrival are spent with introductions, debriefing about the various german bureaucratic steps you need to take, and a short introduction to the German university system. You then have the option of being placed with a host family for the duration of the first 6 weeks of your stay. I chose not to take part in that aspect of the program, but regretted it, as having a host family seemed to be a really lovely support system for my fellow students; they had interactions far beyond the 6 weeks, being invited to dinners and holidays as the year went on. During these first 6 weeks, you are participating in a language intensive. You have class every day of the week, and exciting excursions. This 6 week intensive was fantastic and led to a rapid improvement in all of our German language skills. I finished off the six weeks feeling confident about my upcoming semester.

GERMAN UNIVERSITY
With the BCGS program, you receive incredible academic support and are fully matriculated into the Freie Universität. Although being matriculated might seem like a minor detail, it makes it possible to really become immersed in the culture and language. You are an exchange student, not an erasmus student, and your professors respect you a lot for that difference. As a German Literature Major, the courses offered at the FU were so interesting and diverse. One of my favorite classes was called "Der Tod in Venedig –Thomas Manns Novelle und das Venedig-Bild in der Literatur-Geschichte" (Death in Venice-Thomas Mann's Novella and the Venice image in literary history) and with the help of my BCGS tutor, I was able to write a 15 page 1.5 spaced A4 Hausarbeit. Something unthinkable when I first arrived.

THE FULL YEAR
A BCGS alum convinced me to do the program for a year, instead of just a semester, and that was the defining difference for me. After my first semester, I had just found which supermarket carried my favorite products, which cafe had the best Kuchen, which restaurant made the best Pad Thai, and where to find bagels. I wasn't ready to leave. I also had one semester of the German education system behind me, and finally knew what I needed to do to succeed--and I wanted to have another go at it! Going for the full year, I was also able to find an internship. And I am currently working as a jr. producer at the same tv/film production company I interned with during my year abroad.

IN SUMMARY
You will love Berlin, you will explore Europe and the city, you will be challenged academically and achieve things you thought impossible. Half of the students who did the BCGS year program with me are now back in Berlin. I think that desire to return speaks volumes for the success of our experiences.