Type of housing: With a family

Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice

If returning, I would choose: With a family

Why? Living with a family provided a glimpse into the everyday culture that I was looking for. If a student is searching for an experience that can teach them about a diffferent culture, the best advice I can offer is to immerse yourself as fully as possible in that culture.

Personal comments:
I enjoyed eating, speaking and traveling with my family while in Berlin. Stories were exchanged, viewpoints were argued and a deeper understanding of two different cultures was achieved through my time in a home stay. My personal opinion is that living with other American students during my time abroad would have been a waste of time because it is too easy to slip back into what you know. One of the main reasons a student should study abroad is to broaden their horizons. Living with a family in Berlin did that for me.

Describe host city: Students interact with the local community without much university involvement

Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
As favourite night spot, I can't decide myself for a particular one, but I would say all the area of Friedrischain as well as Kreuzberg has plenty of cool nightlife and very nice and well decorated cafés and bars. I wouldn't miss the bar GOA in Friedrishain, were you can enjoy great cocktails (although pretty expensive!) while you are laying on Arab/Roman-style sofas with no shoes on, and under a faded warm light. One event you cannot miss if you happen to be in Berlin in July is the LOVEPARADE, the biggest tecno party event in Europe. It doesn't even matter if you are a tecno fan or not (I don't consider myself to be one), it's just about dancing and having some fun. Coloured hairsprays and wild costumes are the trendiest thing in Loveparade, nothing is too exagerated.

Course recommendations:
The courses are so many, so you have to do a list in before and check out your interests, then after the first or second week (but not later!) decide what you are going to do that term. My interaction with other international students was so bad because history is a subject mostly German students study. I saw only five (from a few thousand overall students) international students at the Institute of History. If you want to get in touch with students at all, do not go at too many lectures. You get to know students if you go to seminars and have to cooperate with them.

Personal comments:
I had a lot of work only to make appointments with lecturers for a test at the end of the term. That happens when you take a lot of lectures. If you take seminars you have to write 10-15 pages long papers, which is a very good training in writing papers. There are not many exams at the end of the term. All in all that gives you the opportunity to get a lot of practice in academic writing, which is very positive but also very time-consuming.

Language of instruction: German

Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant

Other sources of funding:
Family
Personal savings

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
I spent less in food, housing and nightlife because they are cheaper in Berlin rather than in Athens. I spent more in telephone because it was more expensive. I spent more in traveling because I was traveling more often than in my home country.

Travel, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

Food, Nightlife, Overall, Housing: was less expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
No.

In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.