The Royal Library, now seat of the Faculty of Law -Die „Kommode“ in Berlin am Bebelplatz / - foto WIKIPEDIA - Christian Thiele
Berlin
Should You Study Abroad in Berlin?
For many young adults, the decision to study abroad during university years is one that they typically make for one of three popular reasons. First – most of their peers seem to be leaving the country for a semester and they shudder at the thought of being left behind. Second – they are genuinely interested in a certain language and culture and have dyed to study there for years. Lastly– they make the decision rather impulsively figuring ‘why not?’
Those in the first group will likely pick a location alongside at least one companion for comfort and ease of adaption. Going with a friend or two means one will not be forced to ‘start from scratch.’ When a person leaves the country and lives in a new city surrounded by utter strangers – they are forced to make brand new friends (which everyone does eventually.) Those in the second group probably speak the language of the country for which they have opted – be it France, Italy, Brazil or Japan and have carefully considered the city in which they wish to reside. These students go for academic and personal purposes – there is no way to gain fluency in a language like speaking it exclusively with natives, and no way to understand a culture like being immersed in it.
The third group of students lack the calculation of the second group as well as the herd-mentality of the first. They visit their university study abroad adviser and see what happens, making the choice for where to live for four months based on a mixture of romanticized mythology, current news and trends, and perhaps desired linguistic acquisition. It is particularly these students who would thrive in Berlin more than in most other cities, and here are the top ten reasons why.
Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad in Berlin
- The Berlin Wall. Berlin transformed itself from a divided, poverty-stricken city to a cultural ocean with the fall of the wall. Everyone living in it today reaps the benefits. The remnants of the wall serve as a reminder for what was, which makes what Berlin today is even more astounding.
- The Safety. With such low crime rates and such an overall sense of safety, Berlin is one foreign city in which you won’t have to enter an alley mentally prepared to sprint at any moment.
- The Nightclubs. Berlin is indisputably one of the best ‘young’ cities in the world today and this is thanks in no small part to the thriving electronic party scene, comprised of over 200 clubs. Berlin is home to Berghain and Watergate – two clubs regularly rated in the top ten of the world. Even if electronic music is not to your taste, there are a plethora of other clubs serving rock and hip-hop.
- The Cost. Could you imagine having your own apartment in downtown NYC for 500 Euros? Of course not, you couldn’t get a coffin sized room anywhere in NYC for such a price. Food is, in supermarkets and restaurants, also very fairly priced.
- The Green. No, not money – grass. Berlin has more land preserved as park space than any other European capital. When city-life overwhelms, there is always a tree-lined oasis somewhere nearby.
- The art. Berlin is a mecca for proven and developing artists of all types. Attracted by cheap rent for gallery space and dying to be part of such a booming era – artists from all across the world continually flock to Berlin to showcase their talent. Transmediale in February is a paragon of such talent brought together.
- The festivals. The largest and most important festival in Berlin is the renowned Berlinale – the International Film Festival every February. The Carnival of Cultures every June is an elaborate summer celebration which sees myriad different ethnicity parade their beauty through the streets. The Pyronale in September is a firework spectacle in which choreographed explosions blow your mind with pyro-technics.
- The openness. Gay? Straight? Bisexual? Something else? No one cares in Berlin. Walk down the street with your transsexual lover dressed in a leather harness and no one will look twice. Christopher Street Day is a parade every June in which free-loving individuals cascade through Berlin in bright costumes, filled with spirit and joy.
- The architectural history. Berlin is not a beauty like Paris and never will be – it has suffered far too many war atrocities. Nevertheless, many old buildings that were destroyed have been rebuilt and those that weren’t destroyed bear the bullet holes of the past to give you a chilling lesson in history.
10. The people. Berlin is a conglomeration of people from Germany, Turkey, Australia, and every other land you can imagine. You never know who you will meet on the tram. Germans are not famous for being extroverted, loud, friendly people and they are not. What they are, however, are thoughtful, environmentally conscientious people who are extremely nice once ‘the ice’ is broken.
11. The public transport. Ten reasons wasn’t enough room. With one of the most advanced, efficient, comfortable and clean metro systems available, life in Berlin is made exponentially more pleasant and affordable.
Usefull LINKS -
http://www.karneval-berlin.de/
http://www.pyronale.biz/
Tags: berlin campus for foreigners, foreign students in berlin, non-german students in berlin, study in berlin, study in germany, studying abroad in berlin
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Enjoyed reading your insights regarding motives to study abroad. You sure make a good case for choosing Berlin, mentioning art, clubs, culture, safety, public transport and all the rest. However, I miss mention of the rich SCIENTIFIC SCENE which should be mentioned, not as a twelfth reason, but rather high up on your list. Note that the year 2010 Berlin is making a big pitch regarding science, to the point of mobilising five of the oldest and internationally best-known scientific institutions under the slogan “Berlin – Capital of Science”, with a whole range of anniversaries to be celebrated.
The promotors of Berlin – city of science on their homepage list many events and make the following claim: ”Berlin represents one of the largest and most diverse science regions in Europe. Approximately 200,000 people from all over the world study, teach, work and perform research at the region’s four universities, seven professional schools and colleges, three art colleges, sixteen private university-level schools and colleges as well as over 70 research institutes. The state of Berlin invests approximately 1.35 billion euro annually in university-level studies” – (check out http://www.wissenschaftberlin2010.de/en).
Don’t forget, science is also culture, and history of science even more so.
Reader Gota Berg from Sweden is correct – and this blog will be publishing two sets of articles in the near future dealing specifically with ‘Science in Berlin’ and also on ‘Albert Einstein in Berlin’.
We hope and think this should put some scientific perspective into the OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog.
Hej, I’m glad to hear that you will be picking up on the science scene in Berlin. Will be sure to alert acquaintances.
Oops! As your alert readers will have noticed, the Link to the “Berlin – Capital of Science” given above was wrong; the correct link (hopefully) is:
Here it is: http://www.wissenschaftberlin2010.de/
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