Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best short term course in Europe Past Review

By (University of Sao Paulo (USP) - Universidade de São Paulo) - abroad from 01/03/2018 to 01/24/2018 with

FUBiS - International Summer and Winter University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I've gained friends from all over the world and got to see the persistent effects of German History in Berlin. Therefore, it was definetely quite worth it.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

FUBiS has very high standard classes, with well prepared professors and excellent choice of readings. Additional to giving us the coursebook, we also had excursions to important places in German History, something unsual but educationally interesting.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

FUBiS had a very large team to help us in any problems, they provided weekend trips and other activities designed to integrate students from different courses.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Akademia Residenz in a studio that had a bathroom and kitchen facilities. Even though it was small and far from the university, it was a very good place to live as a great amount of FUBiS students lived next door.

* Food:

Mensa food is a little weird, as you don't have the option of choosing which sauce you want. It would be interesting to have the menu written in English.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Berlin is a very vibrant and international city, so I felt welcomed and didn't have problems with the local culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I didn't have problems, nor have I felt unsafe in Berlin.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Due to the great level of organisation, I would certainly return for another short term course, but on another subject.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Berlin is a very good city for students, as food, drinks and going out aren't expensive as in other european cities. I could easily go out with 10 euros and have a lot of fun.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100 euros

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Organisation
  • International Students
  • Weekend trips and weekly activities
* What could be improved?
  • Better tour guides at Potsdam palace
  • Different day for the movie session
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known that three weeks pass quite fast and that buying a local pre-paid simcard isn't exaclty easy, but none of these issues were dealbreakers for me, just a matter of better organisation.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.