Mobility specification

Country:Germany

Institution:Free University of Berlin

City:Berlin

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?The teaching was much better and more practical. There was a lot of emphasis on reading the required texts before each class, a lot of discussion and debate of different opinions, and most importantly we used case studies from practice or from the best universities in the world (HEC Paris, Harvard). Very often we had lectures by experts and people from practice. The teachers themselves were also excellent and very experienced - most of my teachers had PhDs from Oxford, NSU or Ivy League and had mostly worked there in the past. A few of them were even professionals who came to the university to teach their course for a day. The classes were smaller, the teaching more personal. Big emphasis on essay and text writing. In general, the teaching was much better than ours.

By the way, as a student at ESF, you are automatically enrolled in the economics faculty at FU Berlin, but that has a very limited range of courses in English, which are also usually not very interesting. Here is a link to the list of courses in English offered at the Faculty of Economics:
https://www.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/studium-lehre/incoming/Courses-in-English.html
However, the faculty also offers other courses in German (B2/C1 level required). In addition, students can also enrol in courses at other faculties. I especially recommend the Department of Political and Social Sciences and the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science, which are the best in the whole university - about the 30th best in the world overall! MUNI is 430 by the way, ESF is even 500. I took Economic Statecraft and Security, EU as a Global Actor, and Introduciton to International Relations, but the range of courses offered is so large that everyone can find what interests them. Here is a link to all the courses at FU:
https://www.fu-berlin.de/vv/en/fb
Other than that, a student can enroll in any course within the Berlin University Alliance, which brings together Freie Universität (FU), Humboldt Universität (HU), Charité (medical university) and Technische Universität (TU). I enrolled as a Visiting Student at HU, which has an economics faculty right in the city centre next to Museum Island (the FU campus is on the edge of the city). The process of enrolling in courses is a bit more complicated, but it allows you to get into very interesting courses that are not offered in Brno at all. As an undergraduate student, you can also enroll in graduate courses regardless of your major. The link to the list of all the courses offered by the university is here, most of them are in English, try clicking through the links - it's a bit unintuitive at first:
https://agnes.hu-berlin.de/lupo/rds?state=wtree&search=1&category=veranstaltung.browse&topitem=locallinks&subitem=lectureindex&noDBAction=y&init=y
(you have to click on Wirtschaftwissenschaftliche Fakultät). Alternatively, here is a direct link to the courses in English at the Faculty of Economics:
https://www.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/en/study/all-about-studying/international-office-1/incoming-exchange-students/english-courses-table.pdf/view
Or also here is a more up-to-date list:
https://www.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/en/study/all-about-studying/international-office-1/incoming-exchange-students
Here's how enrolling at HU works:
https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/studies/counselling/leaflets/guest_students
I've enrolled in Valuation, Corporate Restructurings (M&A, LBO, Distressed Restructurings) or Advanced Corporate Finance because of this. If you are interested in some of the courses you first need to print and have the instructors sign the registration as visiting student document:
https://www.hu-berlin.de/de/studium/bewerbung/formulare/G-N%20Hoerer
which you then need to send with your Certificate of Enrolment to FU at clearing@hu-berlin.de.
I recommend that you do the registration at the beginning of the semester and check with the faculty or university-wide international office at FU and HU and possibly MU to be sure. After you have registered you will receive a Nebenhörerausweis from Student Service in the mail in an envelope (may take a few weeks). You have to send a scan of it via email to the secretaries at the Faculty of Economics, you can find their contacts here:
https://www.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/en/study/all-about-studying/international-office-1/our-team
They will then help you with the next steps. However, you then need to send them an email during the semester asking to take the exams and forwarding them the approval of the lecturers. Once they have corrected your exams you will receive a Transcript of Records (ToR), which you then send to FU Berlin and becomes part of your official Erasmus ToR - i.e. the courses you have taken at HU will count towards your Erasmus+ studies at FU Berlin. For me, the courses at HU are definitely worth studying - they are much more interesting than the ones at FU and the environment of the faculty is wonderful - every day you finish your classes in the centre of Berlin and in the afternoon you can explore the beautiful museums on the next island or any other sights. Even just walking past the beautiful UNESCO-listed classical architecture every day is amazing!

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Yes, in the beginning they offered us orientation programs (organized by faculties) and later also familiarization activities (university-wide). There is also a very active ESN organization in Berlin and they often organize events for exchange students.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Other

Special needs - Other:Maybe all of them, I didn't need anything (thankfully), so I don't know.

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:15000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?No, I can't think of anything, except that you have to pay a university fee of about 270€ before the start of the semester, for which you get a Deutschlandsemesterticket, which allows you to travel around Germany for free (works on all public transport and regional trains, but not ICE).

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Not only beer bottles but also soda bottles are backed up, as well as pet bottles or cans. However, the bottles are usually left lying loose either on the street or by the bins, where the homeless can collect them - it's a kind of Berlin custom to support them (ironically, it really works and they actively expect it!). I recommend downloading the Too Good To Eat app, which offers food from restaurants that haven't sold out at a big discount. If you're into techno/clubs a friend of mine always recommended going through who's going to be playing at them and asking DJ's for a discount or to be added to the guest list - especially the lesser known ones enjoy it and are often happy to help you out (that's how she got through the guest list to Tresor for free). Otherwise, there are plenty of raves and free events in Berlin, you can often find them here:
https://ra.co/events/de/berlin
You can also save money by working - it's easy to find jobs helping out at all sorts of events or businesses via the ZenJobs app. Canteens are fine and cheap. The most famous secondhand chain Humana has branches all over Berlin, where you can often find nice pieces. Another tip to save money is to buy beer and Club Maté or Spezi in spätis (Berlin's nightclubs) and then walk freely around the city or sit in the park, it's such a cute Berlin student habit. I would also recommend buying or renting a bike, it's cheap, for example via: https://swapfiets.com

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Deutsche Bahn: bahn.de
S-bahn Berlin app
Google Maps (works well and reliably)
Maps.com (I would use them but unfortunately you can't download offline maps unlimitedly anymore so I don't know how well they work, a bit of a shame because it was a great app!)

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Interesting event (mainly free) techno raves:
Ersten Mai
Carnival des Kultures
Rave the Plannet
Fête de la Musique Berlin
Berlin Atonal
Birgits Sunday Open Air
Berlin Beats
Beatgarten Open Air
Techno Türken
Techno dance rites
Lollapalooza
https://ra.co/events/de/berlin

Clubs:
Berghain
Kitkat
RAW gelände
Sisyphos
Renate
Tresor
Club OST
Birgit
RSO
About Blank
OHM
Humboldthain (Tuesdays entry only 4€)
Ritter Butzke
Zum schmutzigen Hobby
Anomalie

Art museums and galleries:
Altes Museum
Boros Collection
Neues Museum
Alte Nationalgalerie
Neue Nationalgalerie
Hamburger Bahnhof
Gemaldegalerie
Bode Museum
Pergamon Museum
Sammlung Hoffmann
James Simon Museum

Short walk (12 km) through the Berlin City Center with the most iconic Berlin sights:
https://mapy.com/s/rakocabapo (mapy.com)
1. Brandernburger Tor
2. Bundestag/Reichstag
3. Holocaust memorial
4. Potsdamer Platz
5. Bundesrat
6. Führerbunker
7. Czech Embassy (brutalist building)
8. Checkpoint Charlie
9. Gendarmenmarkt (most beautiful Berlin square)
10. Bebelplatz (venue of Nazi book burnings)
11. Berliner Schloss (Humboldt forum)
12. Nikolaiviertel
13. Rotes Rathaus
14. Fernsehturm
15. MuseumInsel + Berliner Dom
16. Monbijou Bridge (iconic photo sight)
17. New Synagogue
18. Hackesche Höfe (Art Nouveau courtyards)
19. Alexander Platz
20. East Berlin avenues (Karl-Marx Allee)

Short walk (10 km) through alternative Berlin -Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Neukölln:
https://mapy.com/s/fopojocesa (mapy.com)
1. Boxhagener Platz (famous alternative park, cool in summer when the sun is up)
2. Berghain Techno Club (world most famous techno club)
3. East Side Gallery and Berlin Wall
4. Oberbaum Brücke
5. Gõrlitzer Park (famous park)
6. Lausitzer Platz (cool square with chilled berlin vibes in the evening)
7. Kottbuser Tor (Kotti, center of the former Istanbul of Berlin)
8. Admiral Brücke (evening meeting spot for students)
9. Landwehrkanal (nice place to sit by the water with swans)
10. Hermannplatz (center of multicultural Neukölln)

My google maps list of the best places in Berlin, I recommend clicking through the whole map - there are major sights as well as local and authentic nice places or kebabs:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/T2NJRMS6QsDSSUT8A

In general in Berlin, the city center is pretty much a no-go (except for Museuminsel) and is pretty ugly and boring. Berlin has more local centers in the neighborhoods adjacent to the center - I liked Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg or Friedrichshain the most. My favourite place was probably the Admiralbrücke just off Kotti (Kottbuser Tor stop), where students gather in the evening and drink together on the bridge. But there are plenty of similar authentic places - Boxhagener Platz, Lausitzer Platz, Mauerpark, Tempelhof, Teufelsberg, Apostel Paul Kirche. My favourite bars were Clash, Turandot, Kallasch, Mein Haus am See and Zaher's. However, you have to take into account that you can smoke inside them, which is part of the experience (in that it is forbidden in the Czech Republic and I never experienced it).

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Hamburg, Leipzig, Dresden, Rügen, Munich, Bertechsgaden, Bamberg, Netherlands (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam), Belgium (Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges), Copenhagen, Paris. In Berlin there is a big airport, you can find cheap tickets (bring your passport!). Many people also go to Prague or Poland.

Share your best experience:For me, Ersten Mai (first of May) - big demonstrations and huge free technoparty especially in Kreuzberg. In general I think Berlin is a great city for Erasmus, cheap compared to other western European cities, incredibly multicultural and cosmopolitan, the freedom is huge - you can do anything and no one will mind. The only thing they'll ask you for is tolerance. Plus, it will never make you feel like a foreigner but like a normal city dweller. Berlin also offers a lot of interesting events, whether it's bars, cultural activities, club scene, free raves or professional conferences where you can meet world figures and they are often free (I met Friedrich Merz or Adam Tooz like this), it's up to you to find them. They are often organized by the "embassies" of the individual German federal states. Moreover, the FU is the best university (according to rankings) you can go to as a student at ESF and the competition is often quite small (2-5 students apply and they take two!). Definitely give it a try.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I don't think I can think of anything.

Can you pay by card?neutral

What not to forget when packing?Ideally a bike, black club clothes, sporting black sunglasses.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Definitely go to Berlin, it's the best destination for ESF exchange (I've been to three so I know something about it:).