There are endless opportunities in Europe when it comes to studying. You can quite easily find a long list of good universities and cities offering exchange opportunities, so why choose Berlin for your experience abroad? Berlin is one of the best student cities in Germany. Its numerous universities teaching students from all over the world offer a multicultural dimension for those who are interested in studying in the academic capital.
What are the advantages of studying abroad?
Having an international background in your degree, improving your language and professional skills, gaining independence… you can take numerous advantages like this from an experience in Berlin. What are you waiting for? This challenge will enable you to go beyond your limits and to take you out of your comfort zone. When you finally confront the culture shock, you will be surprised by your abilities to adapt yourself and to socialise in an unknown environment. You will come out of it more grown-up and open-minded when it comes to cultural differences. As you are directly exposed to new people, your self-confidence will grow up in correspondence with your abilities to immerse yourself into the culture.
What is culture shock?
Before going abroad, it’s essential to keep in mind that in every case, you will have to deal with a culture shock. Culture shock is when you go through different stages of enthusiasm during your experience.
- The Honeymoon period – When you just arrived and find everything great. You haven’t met difficulties yet and are really happy with what you discover.
- The Culture Shock – You face major cultural differences and don’t know how to deal with them. You feel lonely and are no longer excited about the international experience.
- Adjustment – You find the keys to understand the cultural differences of your destination and try to carry on with it. You make friends and learn how to deal with minor issues.
- Adaptation – The experience starts to be as fun as the beginning was, thanks to your new abilities to adapt to the different culture. You now know how to enjoy and take advantage fro your time abroad.
Even if the culture of the new country closely resembles yours, you will have to adapt to try to acclimate yourself. Each country in each area of the world has it own culture and not everyone can handle it at first.
Our tips on how to get used to it: To have a shorter culture shock period and better adapt yourself to the environment, you first have to accept that things can be out of your control. You’ll need to rely on others to help you deal with the things that are unfamiliar to you. The faster you build confidence and trust with others, the more they will include you and give you the feeling of belonging.
How often?
Take note that reverse culture shock also exits! After a long time spent abroad you finally get into the culture and feel good, but you experience has an end date and you have to go back home. Since you managed to acculturate, going back to your home country can be another challenge. As a result of these efforts that enabled you to live your international experience, the process is reversed for your own culture. In fact, people in your usual circle haven’t been through the same experience as you and their life continued to go on as normal. You have to regain your habits and deal with the culture shock again. However, it will, of course, be less important and less impressive than the one you already dealt with. Don’t worry!
Why Berlin? Everything you need to know
Here is everything you need to know Berlin: It is full of surprises for people who are interested in arts, history, sustainability and languages. It is not only a large number of Erasmus students who move to Berlin each year to work or study, but also people from all over the world who want to experience life in a city bursting with diversity and history. This makes Germany’s capital one of the most intercultural in the world. Why not joining our Intensive German Courses in Berlin to learn the language and live the best experience possible as you’ll be immersed in the local culture? Actually, this is the first step to take in order to study in Germany. When you live abroad it is always a good idea to learn to speak the local language to overcome culture shock more easily. If you are busy and don’t have time during the day, we also offer a range of Evening German Courses in Berlin to help you achieve your goals.
Note: If you’re not an European citizen, you’ll need a visa to travel to Berlin.
In Berlin, you will not only be able to meet people from all over the world, but also try food and experience traditions from different cultures in the thousands of restaurants and events that are celebrated every week. It’s also possible that you meet a partner from the other side of the world who now works in Berlin. Many love stories come out of cultural trips to Berlin! A historic, rich, dynamic and booming capital city. Because of Brexit, Berlin has already been classed as the new ‘London’. Berlin has a lot to offer right now. In spite of everything, the prices are still more than affordable. The quality of life is also second to none, with a large amount of well-kept green spaces.
Favourite places study in Berlin
Berlin boasts more than 30 Universities: 27 private and 4 of the most well-known public universities in the world.
For a Bachelor or a Master degree, the Humboldt University hosts many international students who wish to study in one of the best globally-ranked Universities. Here, you are able to study Science, Economics, Business, Physics, Mathematics and in many more academic fields which are recognised internationally.
Fun fact: Famous characters such as Otto von Bismarck, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, George Hegel and Heinrich Heine all attended this University , just to name a few.
At Freie Universität Berlin you can study Arts, Science, Languages, Business, Marketing and many others. A wide range of degrees are available. You will definitely find the one which could corresponds to your student profile.
Berlin University of the Arts is known for its artistic formation and specialisation. Here, mainly degrees focused on creativity such as Acting, Music, Architecture, and Art & Media are taught. If you’re interested in creation, the arts and expressing your feelings, this is the perfect university for you.
With almost 100 Masters and 50 Bachelor degrees, you are bound to find something you like!
Universities in Germany are almost completely free. There is only a small enrolment fee which, compared to the average cost of universities in the rest of the world, is more than reasonable. These universities are leaders in the inclusion of Erasmus students. Therefore, the city of Berlin always has something to offer for students.
Please take note that if you’re an European citizen, you are able to apply for the Erasmus+ Program to study for a semester or a year abroad and receive the financial support for it. There are many existing programs in the Erasmus model to support you.
What if I don’t speak German?
No worries! All these universities have a large range of courses that are taught in English. However, it is always beneficial to study the German language even if you choose to have only one semester abroad in Berlin. You will gain more from this experience and will be able to deal with the culture shock better if you speak even a bit of the German language. You can learn German online in advance or after you arrive in Berlin and be better prepared to face German stereotypes. Joking aside, German conversation classes online can prepare you for life in Germany and help you avoid a culture shock.
DAS Akademie is ready to accompany you on your trip! Check out our variety of courses at our language school in Berlin to prepare you for your arrival. The best and quickest way to master the German language is to take part in an intensive Program. These are known to be effective and fast. At DAS Akademie we understand that and do our best to give you the opportunity to add a new language to your repertoire. Try out our Intensive German Course in Berlin to decide if it fits your expectations. If you’d prefer to learn German at the end of the day, we also offer Evening German courses.
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