BCGS - Best Opportunity to Study Abroad in Germany!

It's difficult to describe how wonderful the BCGS program is. Carmen and Niko have developed a truly top-notch study abroad program that cares for its students and provides them with the best and most meaningful study abroad experience. If you are looking for quality academics, a supportive and caring abroad program, and a city rich in culture, BCGS is the program for you! I personally could not have had a better study abroad experience, and here's a few reasons why:

1. Support from BCGS

I can't emphasize enough how supportive and attentive Carmen and Niko are to each student. They would both go out of their way to make sure each student was doing well - be that confirming that each student found housing in Berlin, organizing a BCGS group trip to another German city, or just talking to us in the BCGS office. Not only is the program extremely professional and well-run, Carmen and Niko take the time to get to know the BCGS students. For example, in the middle of the semester, I was in the hallway of the BCGS program, making a quick phone call to a friend. After I hung up, Carmen popped out of her office to tell me that my German had already improved, and she could tell via the quick phone call. For Carmen to 1) have given active attention to my personal development in German and 2) taken the time to let me know its improvement only goes to show how caring the program is about its students! This one example merely highlights the quality of the program and its desire to help each student have a wonderful abroad experience, both academically and personally.

2. Integration into Berlin

To help students meet local Berlin families and get used to Berlin, Carmen and Niko set up each student with a host family for the first six weeks. Then, after those 6 weeks, you search to find your own apartment (WG) to live with local Berliners. BCGS strikes the ideal balance between allowing its students the independence to explore Berlin and gain personal development, and providing the constant support for homework, apartment hunting, adjusting to life abroad, and more. I would not have had as amazing an experience without the core group of BCGS that Carmen and Niko fostered. By creating such an open and caring community, all the BCGS students become very close, creating great friendships that carried over after the semester abroad.

3. Academics

Carmen and Niko have found the perfect balance between pushing a student to learn and giving them the freedom to explore class options. For the first 6 weeks of the program, you take intensive language courses at BCGS, where you are able to get to know the other BCGS students and improve your German. After that, you are able to enroll in courses at Freie Universität, and Carmen and Niko are there to support you throughout the semester. I was particularly grateful for the student tutors they supplied throughout the semester, who helped us immensely with our final papers (Hausarbeit). While the coursework remained challenging, my German improved so much over 5 months, and I was able to take a variety of courses that interested me and fulfilled some requirements for my major. BCGS remains flexible to accommodate any major!

In short, Carmen and Niko create the ultimate abroad experience - full of interesting classes, cultural immersion, never-ending support, and life-long friends. If you're looking to go abroad, BCGS provides the best opportunity to do so. With BCGS, you will not regret your decision to go abroad and instead have the best semester or year of your life!