CIEE College Study Abroad in Berlin, Germany

I was hesitant about studying in Germany because I have never been before and am a health science major. The CIEE staff was super helpful and consistent with reaching out. I was able to complete my major-required classes by doing one on one courses. The location seems scary from the outside but is beautiful on the inside. Students are outside the city's heart, providing excellent food and fun. You definitely have to get used to cooking for yourself because you live in an apartment-style building but share a kitchen with other students. I experienced a language barrier but quickly picked up on short phrases. At first, I was intimidated by the people, but they are friendly and most of them speak English. I had such a great time that I am already planning my next trip back!!

Coming to CIEE in Berlin was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Academically, I had a lot of fun learning about entrepreneurship and start-ups with a great professor who made the class a lot of fun and taught us a lot. On the personal level I had great time. I met a lot of cool people from either the United States or Germany and made great friends in a very short time. CIEE was also really helpful in that aspect as they organized some excursions that helped us explore more of Berlin and outside Berlin as we went to Leipzig.

If you've never been out of the country be prepared to immerse yourself in a fun culture! I knew beforehand I wanted to live in Germany and after coming to Berlin I knew this is definitely on the top 3 list of places I would want to live. The culture here both day and night is always alive with richness in history, art, and food. Every corner of the street is something new and a market to go to on Sunday with second-hand items such as clothing. The history is also something you should not miss out on learning if you come here, there are so many museums to explore! I highly recommend coming here to get out of your comfort zone and learn a new culture.

I had a great experience through CIEE. I did their open campus program, so I studied in Rome for 6 weeks and Berlin for 6 weeks. While ever program has their little weird rules or policies, CIEE made my time abroad wonderful. You always have a three day weekend, so you'll have plenty of time to travel on the weekends. The professors are great, but there was a good amount of work in the Berlin Study Center specifically. There are a couple different housing locations, one is on campus where all of your classes are held. The others are about a 20 min Ubahn ride away.

My experience was very unique regarding by study abroad expectations. I had loads of fun exploring the intercultural connections, and getting to learn more about society and culture in Germany. The academic experience was good as well in terms of material being discussed. Some classes I heard are not as good depending on the teacher. Other than that, Berlin has great food, drinks, and exploring scene. Summer and Fall is quite nice for weather but during the winter be prepared to experience the cold.

CIEE gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Berlin's culture while also having the comfort of helpful staff and professors and other American students. I was very intimidated and worried I would have trouble meeting people and finding my way around, but this was the opposite of my experience. I was instantly able to meet other students through classes and excursions, and the Berlin residents themselves were fun to meet and talk to. Additionally, my professors incorporated the real world experiences we had into the course content to make it feel more tailored to us, especially in my class on European political systems. I would recommend this program in Berlin to anyone because there was truly something for everybody. The night life was exciting, the language was interesting, and the city had a rich history.

While studying abroad I learned more in a single semester than I ever could have in four years at my state university. Not only did I learn about the incredibly deep history of country I stayed in, I also was able to develop independence that would not have been achieved if I'd stayed in the states. I made so many friends and memories. I have great stories to tell about all of the adventures I went on. The housing was right in the city and across the street from the public transport station. Berlin I a fairly cheap city so I never spent an exorbitant amount while shopping. Berlin houses so many different cultures and is very English friendly so you will never be in a situation where no one speaks English. The staff and professors were always helpful and super knowledgable about whatever questions you may have. Eric Ginola especially helped out and was everyones favorite. Overall the experience is definitely worth it and I recommend this to everyone!

Berlin was one of my favorite experiences of my life. I studied abroad in the spring, from January to May. I was able to do so much and have so many unique experiences in a short amount of time. The staff was great, they were super helpful on everything from classes to resources and restaurant recommendations. CIEE plans many excursions throughout the year, my personal favorites were the day trip to Dresden and the WWI bunker tours.

The dorm itself is in a great location, right in front of a train stop. There are also a bunch of great restaurants within walking distance. The program was a decent size, so I was able to get to know everyone on the program which was great. The nightlife is really fun in Berlin, and it all was very accessible by train or bus.

Classes are pretty small and attentive. The typical structure is Monday-Thursday, so we had a lot of flexibility in our travels. I took part in an internship while I was abroad for a sustainable start-up. I got to work in an internship that was in my field of study and got great experience working in a foreign culture. Overall, I loved every aspect about this program and I can't recommend it enough.