Experience report
E-mail: miloubougie@gmail.com
Study Program: Organisationstudies
Exchange semester: Spring
Academic year: 2014-2015
Host University: Freie Universität Berlin
Country: Germany
General information
Berlin
Berlin is an enormous city of 891, 75 km² and almost 3, 5
million inhabitants. Although the extent of the city
everything is still easily accessible with public transport
since Berlin knows an extensive public transport network
of Ubahnen, Sbahnen, Mbahnen and busses. One of most
Berlin is a varied city with different things to do in every
district. The city is divided in 12 districts you will not visit
all of them since some of them are not considered to be
part of the city center and only consists of residential
areas. Kreuzberg is considered the “hip” neighborhood
and has a lot of cafés, bars and little restaurants with
cheap prices. The outside of the place may look a bit
shabby but don’t get fooled by the looks, the food is
awesome! Other nice districts to visit are Prenzlauerberg, Friederichshein, Wedding and Mitte. All the
different districts will show you a different side of Berlin.
Berlin is very multicultural and has been for ages, you can see this everywhere. This also resulted in Döner
Kebad being a typical Berlin/German meal. All the tourists guides tell you to get your Döner at Mustafa’s
Kebab, but for me the best Dönerplace is at U-Bahn stop Kottbussertor. The place is called Kottiwood and
is right outside of the u-bahn stop.
Berlin knows many things to do but make sure you at least visit Mauerpark on Sundays. This is an huge
secondhand market next to a park. In summers there will be live karaoke starting at 3 pm in the park next
to the market. The swings in this park were used by kids to swing as high as possible so they were able to
look over the Berlin wall. The biggest part of the wall still stands between U-bahn stop Warschauerstrasse
and Ost-bahnhof station, just get off at one of the two stations and walk to the other one and you will
walk pass the wall. Next to major cultural offers Berlin also has a big nightlife with clubs and bar. Just
Google it and you will find a never ending list of places to go. Try to avoid Berghain is you are not born to
be in this scene. They know a strict doorpolicy and waiting for an hour in a queue is only worth it if
Berghain is your type of club (don’t go just to look what its like).
The school
Freie Universität Berlin (FU) is one of the universities of Berlin. Its located at U-bahn stop Thielplatz and
Dahlem Dorf. Since Berlin is so big it will take you a while to get to the university, at least, when you live
in the city center. From Alexanderplatz to Thielplatz will take you 50 minutes door-to-door. Fu is located
on different places around the U-bahn stops but it knows a big main building with a big library which is
the base for all psychology students. Most of the faculties have their own building so you will not have to
be scared that you get lost. Across the campus there are different meal possibilities. Just like Tilburg they
have a Mensa with a broad offer of different meals. In the beginning of the year you will have to buy a
Mensa-card which you can top-up with credit so that you can pay for your meals. It is not possible to buy
stuff in the Mensa without this card. The Mensa is relatively expensive so it is recommended to bring your
own lunch.
At the stop Dahlem Dorf there is a big student centre where they will help you with all the questions you
have. If you do not want to go there you can also reach them through e-mail. Germany has a very
bureaucratic system so getting your files and receiving your grades is a bit of a hassle. But, if you read
carefully and follow the steps it should not be a problem. If you can’t figure out what to do you can always
ask your fellow exchange students. During the spring semester FU normally has around 200 exchange
students, both bachelor and master.
A big plus of FU is the possibility to take special exchange courses that focus on the German language, the
Berlin culture and Berlin history. Taking these courses helps you to feel at home in Berlin way quicker and
be more aware of the city that you are moving around in.
Practical information
Information before you leave
Before you leave FU will send you an email saying that you have to sign up for distribution campus (an
online portal) and campus management. Both these programs will help you get started for your departure.
Distribution campus gives you a time plan what to do when and where. If you just follow these steps you
should have now trouble getting ready for you departure to Berlin.
Arrival
FU has no pick-up service, but is not a problem. Normally the information you need to get to your place is
pretty clear and you should be able to do this on your own. Since Berlin is big international city it is no
problem to address people on the street and ask them if they can help you to find something or explain
to you how to get a ticket at the ticket machine.
Orientation activities
FU organizes some orientation activities. They will send you all this information in advance. I would
recommend to read their emails carefully since they contain a lot of information at once and it might be
a bit tricky for you to remember everything. The first week FU offers information sessions about the
upcoming semester, attend at least one so that you know how to get your public transport ticket, how to
sign up for courses and how to apply for a transcript of records. Next to this they offer you a membership
at a study association. This association will organize a lot of activities during the semester but you can also
undertake these trips by yourself. I did not sign up for the association and still did everything I wanted to
do. Next to the program organized by the association FU also organizes some activities during the
semester. You will always receive an e-mail how to sign up for these activities and almost all of them are
worth participating. Especially in the beginning it’s a good way to get to know fellow students and maybe
make some new friends. What really helps is to be open and not to judge people. The fun of an exchange
is meeting people from all over the world!
Housing
Before your departure FU gives you the opportunity to rent a room through their system. They will locate
you in one of the student housings close to the university. These accommodations are cheap and a lot of
exchange students choose to live there during the semester. If you want to live closer to the city you can
find housing on your own. Facebook knows many public pages where people offer rooms and apartments
to sublet for a temporary stay, such as Berlin Housing. Just make sure you start looking in advance and
try to avoid houses around Alexanderplatz since these are overpriced. Berlin is a booming city and this
makes the housing more expansive. Especially the neighborhoods Mitte and Kreuzberg will cost a bit more.
You should be able to find a nice room for no more than 300 euros a month.
Living Cost
Berlin is one of the poorest cities of Germany, the positive side of this is that it is also relatively cheap.
You are able to go out for dinner for no more than 8 euros. The good thing about Berlin is that the city
itself has a lot to explore and all of this is for free, the Berlin wall, the Dome, the Reichstag and so on.
Berlin also offers a lot of activities for low prices and student discount is the rule.
Nevertheless, just like every big city Berlin gives you the opportunity to spend your money quick. Clubs
will always make you pay an entrance fee (around 15 euros) and drinking in clubs is also expansive. The
good thing is that every different district knows its own price range. Mitte and Prenzlauerberg for example
are expansive, but Wedding and Kreuzberg have a lot of cheap places to eat and drink.
The multicultural community of Berlin gives you the opportunity to get cheap groceries on markets
(especially at Mayback Ufer and Hackeschermarkt). The prices in the supermarket are compatible with
those in the Dutch Albert Heijn so there is nothing to worry about. Beer is extremely cheap in comparison
with the Dutch beer prices, especially since they only serve ½ liters instead of our well-known 0.2 glasses.
Most of the time you will not pay more than 2 euros per ½ liter of beer. Although the typical SpätKauf in
Berlin is charming and appealing, it is more expensive than your regular supermarket so I would
recommend you to only buy stuff here incase all the supermarkets are closed and you are still in the mood
for something.
As a student of FU you are obligated to buy a semester ticket for the public transport. This ticket will cost
250 euros, but will give you access to all different types of public transport within Berlin. Make sure you
have it with you because the public transport know a lot of ticket controls.
All with all you will spend approximately around 840 euros a month: 300 euros for your room, 40 euros
on your transport ticket, 300 euros on food and 200 euros on miscellaneous such as sport contracts, going
out, clothes, printing etc.
Academic calendar
The academic calendar is always available at the FU site and will also give you all the free days and exam
dates. I arrived just a few days before the introduction and although this worked out fine, a lot of the
students were already there for a month. If you are planning to live in of the facilities from FU I would go
as soon as you pay rent. You will quickly meet new people and Berlin has a lot to offer if you do not have
to be in school yet. All with all the semester only covered a time space of four months and the exams are
well spread so you have time enough to study for all of them.
International office
The international office is located close to the main campus and is only opened two days a week. Make
sure you check the timetable before you go there. If you have any questions outside the office hours you
can always email them and they will respond within a few days.
Social activities
Throughout the semester FU organizes a lot of activities, there is no need to keep an eye on this yourself
because they will always email you asking if you want to participate. Berlin is a social city so meeting new
people should not be a problem. Going out by yourself is totally accepted and people are always happy to
chat with you and join you for a drink. Next to this you will meet new people in class, in your house, at
activities and for example at the gym. Since you will experience a lot of free time it is enjoyable to become
a member of the gym or another association. Your exchange is also the perfect opportunity to travel.
During my stay in Berlin, I also went to Potsdamm, Leipzig and Prague. Berlin is central and there are a lot
of cheap options to travel (check flexbus.nl).
Culture and language
Germany is a lot like the Netherlands, but do not take Berlin as a German city. Berlin knows so many
different cultures and nationalities that it is even hard to find someone who is 100% German, let alone
originally from Berlin. Most people in Berlin are young and open to new people which gives you the chance
to meet a lot of new international friends. The city also knows an open vibe and acceptance to all different
subcultures. What we might consider strange in the Netherlands is totally accepted in Berlin, they do not
know the word strange. Although it is absolutely lovely to feel free and accepted, it is also easy to lose
yourself in the madness. It might be hard in the beginning but it is a really good opportunity to get to
know yourself. Be open, just like Berlin, and go and see all the different things Berlin has to offer. The
international character of the city also comes with a lot of English speaking people. Almost everything will
understand you when you speak English. Nevertheless the German language is easy to catch upon since
it is so close to our own language. Germans are really appreciate of their language and they will only love
it when you try to speak German instead of English.
Personal development
The most important factor for me was my personal development. An Exchange gives you the opportunity
to get out of your comfort zone and do stuff you would normally not even dare. It gives you the
opportunity to improve your international skills which gives you a more reasonable character as a person
and gives you new opportunities career wise. My exchange learnt me a lot about myself and made me
see why I did certain stuff in a certain way and made me see what I did and did not like about my
surroundings and myself.
The interaction with different cultures may be different from time to time but will teach you a lot about
yourself, people in your surroundings and international communication. The most important thing is stay
close to yourself but be open to new experiences even though they unknown to you.
Academic information
Academic level
The courses available for exchange students at FU are both in English and German. Most of the courses
are in German so make sure your level is well enough to participate. Next to the regular courses the
university also offers courses especially for exchange courses. Most of these courses focus upon history,
language or Berlin culture. I loved taking part in these courses since they may you connect way more to
the city. It is easier to feel at home in a city when you know something about it. To be able to pass your
exams you will have to attend classes and participate actively where possible. There is almost no
teamwork involved in the courses and all comes down to the last exam. Most exams are 2 hours and the
level of education should be doable for all Dutch students. The German system is a bit slower than the
system we are used to so it is easy to catch on, even though the language barrier. A plus size of the German
way of teaching is that classes are normally no bigger than 30 to 40 students. This makes it possible to
have interactive classes in which you learn more and are more active in class.
Courses
During my stay in Berlin I took the following course:
Course
Course level
Kultrelle Orientierung
BA
in Berlin
Sprecherzieherische
BA
übungen
Organisation studies
BA
bachelor thesis
ECTS
10
5
12
Exam
Written exam, essay
questions
Oral exam
Tilburg University
Bachelor program