Free University of Berlin

It seems to me that it is an excellent university with a very good academic degree and the teachers focused on teaching their students as much as possible, excellent also clean buildings and in the best of the states, all very technological and modern.

Free University Berlin is a big and beautiful campus with lots of international students. There are associations for international students, but there is also a special international office for foreign students within the host university. The university takes part in the so called Excellence Initiative. This state programme allocates special funds to the very best of German universities and thus enables the university to found graduate schools and transdisciplinary research clusters, which provide very good opportunities for those who are pursuing an academic career. The Free University of Berlin also offers a variety of other activities and sports, which are subsidised by the university thus making more expensive sports available to students. Students who would like to study at this university should keep in mind that it is situated in Dahlem Dorf. This district in the southwest of the city is far away from the city centre. Therefore I recommend checking beforehand how long it will take from your future home to get to university. Students should also check where exactly on campus their department is situated. University does not cost that much. In case you cannot afford to pay for it, you'll be given a loan which you could pay back once you find a job. Every student must pay a fee (around 240 Euro per semester). This allows you to travel with the local transport without restriction for six months. Berlin is perfect for students and young people and it is really easy to meet other people willing to get in touch. The university is good, has average lessons and professors are great. I would strongly recommend an experience in this university and city because of the open mindedness of the local people and because of the very high level of the professors providing students with a great amount of knowledge as well as the skills to raise critical judgement. The people are generally internationally oriented and tend to regard foreigners as an added value of the city. This means you really feel part of the city. During my study experience abroad, I attended courses where there were only 5% international students, but the local students were still very nice and helpful with us, as well as the professors. I would say that having the opportunity to study at the Freie University Berlin was the best thing that happened in my life. Living and studying in Berlin changed me in a good way and it has opened my mind. I would say that this city and this university are the best choices I could have made.

I enjoyed my time here, though I was sometimes bothered by the overwhelming anonymity- a feeling that many of my colleagues have expressed over the course of our studies. I would recommend the FU Berlin to anyone who is better able and willing to study independently and keep track of every bit of their due work themselves, rather than work in smaller groups and take lots of tutorship. This school might just be too massive for that.