Ich bin ein Berliner Past Review
By A student (University of Rochester) - abroad from 09/01/2015 to 08/01/2016 with
IES Abroad: Berlin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I feel I've gained a better sense of self-awareness, self-esteem, and am more willing to take greater risks to jump into the unknown. I have a much better perspective of where I stand in the world as a student, an individual, and politically as an American--a mirror is admittedly held in front of you and your nationality as you represent your country, and stereotypes are hard to avoid. I've also gained a much wider and deeper view of global politics; I was directly confronted with many things here that most back in the US had barely even heard about (namely the refugee crisis).
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I only took one course at the IES center; all my other courses were with the local university. My language courses and IES course felt exactly at the right level, but my major-relevant courses at the university were crazy hard, especially with the language barrier. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
It's a big city! There's a wide range of food from American comfort food, the Döner-Bude on the corner, and fancy Spanish-Korean fusion. If you can't find good food here, you can't find it anywhere. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Berlin is an extremely multicultural city. If you weren't born there you of course won't impress those who were, but I felt there was a place for me regardless. As long as your German skills are strong, the locals won't bat an eye (though they will still notice your accent ;)...) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not need any additional vaccines for this program. I needed to consult an OBGYN while here, and the experience was fairly easy. IES staff helped me find a recommended doctor and even helped set up an appointment for me. I had to pay the copay, which hurt the wallet a bit (~$90) but was made clear to us at the beginning, but my prescription was dirt cheap here compared to how much it would cost in the US. Any questions I had were easily answered by IES, and if they didn't know they worked hard to find out for me. |
| * Safety: |
I come from a big city as well and I felt completely safe in Berlin. Even when walking home at 3 or 4 AM I felt relaxed and never once in danger. This, of course, depends on the neighborhood, but overall Berlin is a very safe city as long as you stay alert. There is a rapidly growing problem with pickpockets (nothing unique to Berlin), and you'll hear/see warnings in most public places and public transit stops. I myself never had a problem with this, but my host and people she knew were stolen from a couple times during my stay. Other students in the program also had their phones stolen, but only because they were not paying attention to their belongings (e.g. falling asleep on the U-Bahn). IES hammers it into your brain to be alert about your surroundings and to watch your things. If you follow their instructions and keep your common sense, you will not have any problems at all! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
It depends on how you spend your money, of course. I spent probably $20 max on groceries per week, usually less. Food in Berlin (and Germany in general) is crazy cheap. Eating out is of course not so cheap, nor are the clubs, so the rest of my money was usually saved to go out with friends. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | 1. You need less data on your phone plan than you probably think! But your phone plan will depend on your own situation. 2. Be aware of the ATM fees and adjust your withdrawals accordingly. In Germany you should really carry cash everywhere as many places don't take cards, so sadly this fee can't always be avoided. I would take out $100 at a time as needed. 3. Take any leftover money at the end of the week and put it away in an envelope somewhere. I would then use this money for fun stuff later, like buying clothes or going to a fancy dinner. 4. There's plenty of things to do in Berlin for free! And if you do go somewhere which costs money, like a museum or show, always ask if they have a student discount--many places do. 5. Only buy from Spätis if you really have to. The markup is usually pretty high for some candy or whatever, and you can buy the same stuff from the supermarket for 10% of the price as long as you go early before they close ;) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We were almost always spoken to and expected to speak in German. During orientation English was used to make sure everything was fully understood, but this was the biggest exception. Many professors and hosts did not speak very good English and as such we really had no choice but to use German for most of the time. That said, most people in Berlin speak English and will speak to you in English as soon as they detect your accent. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Before I left for my stay I spent my summer watching videos in German, reading in German, and speaking to penpals online in German. My advice for when you reach Berlin is to use German whenever you can, even when people respond in English! It is a bit discouraging when you are just trying to buy a coffee and the barista responds in English but it's nothing personal; everyone is as excited to show off their language skills as you are to show yours. Just be consistent with the language and go out of your way to use it: read the German menu, watch that movie without subtitles, ask for help in German, etc. etc. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | What you expect is not what you'll get, but what you'll get is better than what you expected. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
