Details

• Germany
• MASozÖk-10
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Start looking for housing as early as possible, especially in cities like Berlin where the housing market is very competitive. Also be aware that Humboldt University publishes their course catalogue relatively late compared to others. This means you need a bit of flexibility when planning courses and your learning agreement.

2. Accommodation

Finding accommodation requires a lot of flexibility. I know several people who stayed in two or even three different places during their Erasmus semester. I found my room through friends and lived in a WG, which made settling in easier. I lived in Friedrichshain, which was a great location with good public transport connections and easy access to the university. Getting around Berlin is generally easy and safe. It is also common to pay for an extra month — for example, I am paying rent for March even though I am no longer in Berlin. As a tip, social media can be very helpful for finding rooms, especially Instagram pages like wg.zimmer.

3. Academic life at host university

Academic life at Humboldt University requires a high level of independence compared to WU Vienna. Students are expected to organize their studies very autonomously, and continuous assessment plays a big role. The libraries and study facilities are excellent and offer great spaces for independent work. Many courses involve a high number of presentations and active participation rather than written exams. Overall, I found the courses more challenging in terms of workload and expectations. A course I would highly recommend is History of Economic Thought, taught by Anette Vogt, which I found great.

5. Every day life in the host country

Everyday life in Berlin offers many opportunities to meet new people and try new things. The city has a very open and diverse social scene, which makes it easy to connect with others. There are many options for going out, and the nightlife is very lively, while at the same time Berlin offers plenty of cultural and leisure activities such as flea markets, museums, and exploring different bars. Public transport works very well and is included in the semester fees at Humboldt University, making the city easy and affordable to navigate. I personally always felt safe in Berlin, as I lived in a relatively safe area. Overall, I really enjoyed living there and had a lot of fun during my time in Berlin.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester in Berlin was a very enriching experience. I was lucky to live in a great shared apartment and met people very quickly, which made settling in easy and enjoyable. I explored the city a lot and really felt integrated into everyday life in Berlin. Academically, I benefited from new perspectives and a different focus compared to my home university, which made the exchange especially valuable for me.