Details

• Germany
• MAECO-22
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

Definitely start early and do the appropriate administrative steps. It is very important to register the residence where you will be staying during your exchange semester with the Berlin authorities. To do this, you need to book an appointment at the Bürgeramt and bring the required documents, such as your ID and proof of residence. Time slots at the Bürgeramt are often booked long in advance. The appointment is usually very fast and simple, but it’s always good to book a slot early enough. Carefully check the course catalogue and make sure you pick appropriate courses, double-checking with the credit transfer office at WU, as they are often prone to dismissing courses that should be eligible or not quite understanding course requirements. A very important part of the preparation was finding accommodation. Berlin is a popular city with a difficult housing market, so I would strongly advise future exchange students to start looking for a room as early as possible. It is useful to check different platforms, student housing options, and temporary accommodation if necessary. Living in a well-connected area is more important than living very close to the university, because Berlin has good public transport, but travel times can still be long. In terms of transport, Berlin is easy enough to reach by train, but be sure to calculate enough travel time, as Deutsche Bahn can often be very late.

2. Accommodation

Accommodation search in Berlin is very hard, and it is very useful to start early or apply for one of the student housing options the university provides. I lived in a student housing complex, which was rather cheap compared to other options, but the quality of the housing wasn’t great and it was pretty far away from the city center. Usually, proximity to the university is not a big problem, as there are often multiple public transport options to get to Freie Universität. My recommendation from my own experience and that of my friends living in Berlin is to start looking early on for a nice WG not too far away from the city center.

3. Academic life at host university

The university is very nice and accommodating. The university has a large and well-organized campus, especially in Dahlem, and most facilities that I used were easy to access. The libraries and study spaces were useful, although they could get quite busy during the semester. Compared to WU, the teaching style was way more lax and less direct. Most of the semester is spent working towards passing the final exams, so it is very important to keep up with your coursework and not fall prey to cramming everything during the last month before the final. There are some great professors and courses the university offers. I especially liked Professor Schröder’s course on Inequality. He is very well versed in this topic and also provides a bunch of practical knowledge on working with statistics and applied work in academia in general.

5. Every day life in the host country

Everyday life in Berlin was one of the highlights of my exchange semester. The city is very international, open, and diverse, so it was easy to feel comfortable quite quickly. Berlin offers many different neighbourhoods, cultural events, cafés, bars, museums, cinemas, parks, and markets, which makes it a very interesting place to live as a student. Compared to Vienna, Berlin feels larger, less polished, and sometimes more chaotic, but also very lively and creative. The Erasmus Network offers a bunch of social events to get to know other international students and connect with them. It is a ton of fun, and I highly recommend taking part in some of the activities. I also got to know many Berlin students through sporting activities provided by the university, which I can also recommend, as you also get some exercise in.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at Freie Universität Berlin was a very enriching experience, both academically and personally. I especially enjoyed living in Berlin because the city is diverse, lively, and offers endless opportunities to explore culture, meet people, and try new activities. Studying at FU Berlin gave me the chance to experience a different academic environment and the whirlwind of living in a big metropolis.