Mobility specification

Country:Germany

Institution:European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)

City:Frankfurt an der Oder

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

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?yes

Can you give an example?The course "Statistics 2" (which is no longer taught at ESF, statistics has been combined into a single course) was weighted at 5 ECTS at our school and at Viadrina it was weighted at 6 ECTS. As a result, I got 6 ECTS, and at the same time I had the course recognized.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?(Some of) the professors were very knowledgeable and capable and had tremendous know-how, especially Mr. Söllner. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the teaching, in most of the courses there was a focus on a large amount of continuous work (projects, presentations, field assignments, continuous papers, etc., group work).

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?First of all, the ESN organisation organises a huge number of events, the students themselves often organise group trips/reunions/grill-outs, the school itself organises less, but there is always something to do.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:17500 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?Frankfurt is a very inexpensive city. If one likes to eat out instead of cooking for oneself, the expenses can add up quickly. Otherwise though, one can live very well in the city for relatively little money.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Cook at home (don't go to restaurants too often), live in dorms (rent around 300 euros a month, which is very cheap compared to the rest of Germany). If one wants to, one can also do a good job, e.g. using the Zenjob app (for processing, one just needs to get a "Sozialversicherungsnummer" created at the "Deutsche Rentenversicherung Berlin-Brandenburg" building, and also get an "Anmeldebestätigung", which one gets in the mail a few days (weeks) after registering to stay at the local office. The work is done in the form of such a student employment agency/exchange, I highly recommend it.

🗺 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?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?I've seen better

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Connections are easy to find using the VBB app or Google maps. The train between FFO and Berlin normally takes about an hour, but since this route has been constantly dug up for years (repairs, maintenance, something always going on), it happens that part of the route is covered e.g. by replacement buses, or that from the Erkner stop you have to get off the train and get to Berlin using the S-Bahn, so a 1 hour journey can easily become 2.

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?There's not SO MUCH going on in the FFO, so from my perspective it's a "must see" all the famous sights in Berlin. You can walk through the historic center of FFO in 30 minutes, otherwise the city doesn't have that much to offer culturally/architecturally. That being said, there is a gym in FFO that is open 24/7, also a few different student bars/pubs to hang out and meet other students.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Potsdam is definitely an interesting part of Berlin. For the romantics, I recommend Berlin's giant "Gärten der Welt" garden complex.

Share your best experience:While working through Zenjob, I helped out at a Justin Timberlake concert. I even got a picture with him :D

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Train

Can you pay by card?everywhere

🥳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?Valuable experience, lots of experiences, friends (hopefully) for life, nice university, quiet city, cheap rent, summer in Berlin, and all this with a generous grant from the EU - stupid who gives, stupider who doesn't take.