CIEE College Study Abroad in Berlin, Germany

While studying abroad I learned more in a single semester than I ever could have in four years at my state university. Not only did I learn about the incredibly deep history of country I stayed in, I also was able to develop independence that would not have been achieved if I'd stayed in the states. I made so many friends and memories. I have great stories to tell about all of the adventures I went on. The housing was right in the city and across the street from the public transport station. Berlin I a fairly cheap city so I never spent an exorbitant amount while shopping. Berlin houses so many different cultures and is very English friendly so you will never be in a situation where no one speaks English. The staff and professors were always helpful and super knowledgable about whatever questions you may have. Eric Ginola especially helped out and was everyones favorite. Overall the experience is definitely worth it and I recommend this to everyone!

Berlin was one of my favorite experiences of my life. I studied abroad in the spring, from January to May. I was able to do so much and have so many unique experiences in a short amount of time. The staff was great, they were super helpful on everything from classes to resources and restaurant recommendations. CIEE plans many excursions throughout the year, my personal favorites were the day trip to Dresden and the WWI bunker tours.

The dorm itself is in a great location, right in front of a train stop. There are also a bunch of great restaurants within walking distance. The program was a decent size, so I was able to get to know everyone on the program which was great. The nightlife is really fun in Berlin, and it all was very accessible by train or bus.

Classes are pretty small and attentive. The typical structure is Monday-Thursday, so we had a lot of flexibility in our travels. I took part in an internship while I was abroad for a sustainable start-up. I got to work in an internship that was in my field of study and got great experience working in a foreign culture. Overall, I loved every aspect about this program and I can't recommend it enough.

Studying abroad with CIEE in Berlin was an incredible experience. I lived in G.27, the dormitory building, yet it was a lot nicer than a traditional dorm. The spaces were large and comfortable, including the kitchens and lobby. All of the CIEE staff members were extremely kind and helpful, which is necessary in situations that occur while studying abroad. One particular situation I encountered was getting COVID at the beginning of my term. The CIEE staff helped me feel safe by checking in with me often and setting up ways for me to easily order food or anything else I needed. Berlin itself was such a special city to experience, filled with creative people and places and a huge variety of parks, clubs, and restaurants. I feel as if I learned so much from experiencing the culture of the city in comparison to American cities. Being an architecture major also gave me the opportunity to take classes focused on the architecture of Berlin, which was a unique and inspiring experience, especially due to the reconstruction of Berlin following the wars. I truly believe there is no better city to learn about urban and sustainable design from. CIEE also gave us many opportunities to visit and learn about other German cities, such as Dresden and Hamburg. These excursions paired with learning German, whether it was the more simple survival German class or the in depth German courses, helped me get a grasp on German culture as a whole. If you're considering studying abroad, I would highly recommend this program!

My time at CIEE Berlin was incredible. From the moment I stepped foot past the blue gates, I was met by a CIEE staff member offering to help me with my bags. This welcoming energy, whether it was with the CIEE staff or other students, persisted throughout the four months I was there. I loved living in the dorms and being able to see my friends any time of day to have cooking parties, explore our neighborhood and the city of Berlin, or just hang out in our rooms! Berlin is such a unique and fun city, and CIEE offered a lot of options, such as museum tours, opera or drag shows, stadium tours, and more to help us explore. All of my time abroad in Berlin was amazing, and I'm so thankful to my friends and the CIEE staff for helping to make it so great. I hope other people will find their home with CIEE!

My time at CIEE Berlin was incredible. From the moment I stepped foot past the blue gates, I was met my a CIEE staff member offering to help me with my bags. This welcoming energy, whether it was with the CIEE staff or other students, persisted throughout the four months I was there. I loved living in the dorms and being able to see my friends any time of day to have cooking parties, explore our neighborhood and the city of Berlin, or just hang out in our rooms! Berlin is such a unique and fun city, and CIEE offered a lot of options, such as museum tours, opera or drag shows, stadium tours, and more to help us explore. All of my time abroad in Berlin was amazing, and I'm so thankful to my friends and the CIEE staff for helping to make it so great. I hope other people will find their home with CIEE!

I came to CIEE Open Campus Berlin for 6 weeks with an open mind knowing that I am not a city lover or history buff. The life changing transition that occurred to me in Berlin has brought me to change my future plans to now life in Germany. CIEE housed students in the center of Kreuzberg, which is a perfect location for foodies. Living right in the center allowed us students to be immersed in the culture easily. Walking to the grocery store everyday, joining a gym, trying new coffee shops and night life were just a few things I was able to do and feel like I was really living in Germany and not a tourist. CIEE enabled me to take on a STEM internship, which was an amazing opportunity to be able to experience abroad and learn more about professionalism abroad. I also took a German History course, so being able to learn and then literally just step outside of the dorm and be exposed to rich history was a eye opening experience. I came to Berlin not knowing any German. CIEE literally changed my entire experience by simply providing a Survival German course. I was then able to successfully get around the city comfortably and respect the German language. Due to the way CIEE classes were set up, students are able to travel on the weekends to other European countries, which was a great escape when the city life came to be too much and allowed me to experience many other environments and cultures!

I went on Session III (4 weeks) of the CIEE Summer in Berlin program this year and loved it because of the location, program excursions, and academics! If you study in Berlin through CIEE, you'll be living in a center with hundreds of other students on CIEE programs. Because of this, I was able to get close with people in my program by exploring the city together or hanging out on campus. The dorms are spacious, clean, and there are also kitchens and laundry machines available. The surrounding area is in the district of Kreuzberg, which is extremely safe, diverse, and walkable. There are two grocery stores a 10 minute walk from campus, and I felt comfortable walking alone to them at 11pm. There are also a lot of ethnic restaurants with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

The center is also conveniently located right next to one of the stations on the U7 subway, which can connect you to almost anywhere you want to go in Berlin through public transit. This summer, Berlin was doing a 9-Euro ticket promotion which CIEE paid for, but otherwise the transit should still be fairly affordable. CIEE also offers completely free bike rentals if you'd rather explore the city that way.

One thing I loved about the CIEE program in particular is the inclusion of paid dinners and excursions. I think in total we had three group dinners that were entirely paid for, as well as an overnight trip to Hamburg, a northern German city we got to by train. CIEE also paid for two private city walking tours of Berlin and Hamburg. These trips allowed us students to bond and explore a new place in German.

As for academics, the class I took was Holocaust Studies, which was incredibly informative, and I would highly recommend it. Being in Berlin allowed us access to memorials and museums that enhanced the learning experience and allowed me to learn from a German perspective and about aspects of the Holocaust I would have never learned in the United States. The classwork was extremely manageable in my opinion: we had class four days a week, for three hours each. We had discussion posts due before each class and ended up completing two 3-page essays, a midterm on vocabulary, and a group presentation. Having a small class size of nine people also made me feel comfortable participating and asking questions. Although the program says to plan for 6 hours of additional work before every class, it took me about 1-2. The grading was fair and I ended up with an A in the class. I also now know much more deeply about the Holocaust and am glad I got to see some of the historical sites related to it. CIEE also offers an optional, 1-unit German language course at no additional charge if you're interested in learning German. I didn't take this course, but my friend said she really enjoyed it and it was not difficult.

There were not many downsides of the program. However, one thing to take into consideration is that besides the paid dinners, you are responsible for all your own meals, as there is no dining hall. As mentioned earlier, there are grocery stores and food markets a short walk from campus that sell affordable groceries ready to eat or to cook. Also, because you do not live with a host family, it may be harder to feel as immersed in German culture. Even so, I felt like I was able to immerse myself by exploring the city on my own.

Overall, I would recommend CIEE Berlin if you're looking for a prime location, opportunity to socialize and explore, and manageable, interesting coursework. Thank you CIEE for this great experience!

I always knew I wanted to study abroad. The problem was, how could I pick just one location? Then I heard about CIEE's Design Your Semester Program. With this Open Campus program, I able to switch to three different locations during one semester. For me, six weeks in a city is the perfect amount of time to study in a new city. CIEE also has weekend study tours to nearby cities. The tours always provide a well rounded cultural experience. I would highly recommend the Open Campus program if you want to see and experience more when abroad. They offer many cities around the world, but mainly across Europe. I picked Madrid, Berlin, and London for my semester. Each city, in its own special way, had so much to offer. I would highly recommend the open campus program if you can't decide where you want to study abroad.