Semester in Berlin

I came across FU-BEST while looking for direct enrollment opportunities on my school’s study abroad website. I was interested in a program that was academically rigorous while also incorporating its environment into the courses to provide a more experiential curriculum. Freie Universitat Berlin’s European Studies Program does just that.

I took two subject courses in addition to intensive German. This program was not my first experience with German but was my first German class. It was a little hard to keep up at first, but my German teacher was absolutely fantastic and brought me up to speed. All courses, subject and language, do excursions throughout Berlin to encourage students to use the city as a resource. This was a great way to get students to see parts of Berlin that they may not experience otherwise, as well as a neat way to make what you are learning about feel more applicable.

Students have several choices for housing—I chose to live in a homestay, which provided me with even more opportunities to connect with the city. There are further opportunities, such as volunteering, language tandems, and additional cultural events that help to facilitate students’ interactions with the city.