AIFS Abroad in Berlin, Germany (FUB): Semester

Studying in Berlin with AIFS at FUBest was one of the best decisions I made during my college career. The program made everything so easy, from booking my flight to providing opportunities for cultural immersion to travel opportunities. I made so many incredible memories and friends throughout the duration of the program. I loved it so much that I am planning on attending grad school in Berlin! I would recommend this program to literally anyone and everyone!

I chose AIFS Abroad because of the wide variety of activities and experiences offered within the program. Studying abroad in Berlin through AIFS was a very smooth and accessible process. The online application portal was easy to navigate, and the enrollment team was consistently responsive and supportive. My enrollment manager was always available by phone or email and replied quickly to any questions I had. They also had personal experience living in Berlin and familiarity with the program’s housing, which made our conversations especially helpful and tailored to my situation. During my time in Berlin, our on-site program manager was exceptionally welcoming, engaging, and enthusiastic. They organized local activities and group outings that introduced us to Berlin’s culture, history, and everyday life. Even after the program concluded, they followed up with a kind message encouraging me to apply for a post-AIFS internship opportunity — something I truly appreciated. My housing experience was excellent. I stayed in an AIFS-owned apartment in the heart of Charlottenburg, a vibrant and central neighborhood in Berlin. From my balcony on the 7th floor, I had an incredible view, and the location was surrounded by shops, restaurants, and cafes. AIFS also organized several group excursions in and around Berlin, providing deeper insight into the city’s rich history and cultural diversity. The included public transportation pass for the entire semester made exploring the city convenient and affordable. One of the most rewarding aspects of the program was the friendships I made. I met many of my closest friends during the first few days of AIFS activities, and we spent much of our time exploring Berlin and traveling together. We still keep in touch, and I’ve even had the chance to visit some of them at their home universities. It was inspiring to see how each of us experienced Berlin differently, blending our interests and passions to create a truly unique and memorable time abroad. Living in Berlin also allowed me to grow personally and academically. I joined local pickup soccer games, engaged in the city’s art and museum scene, improved my German language skills, and gained a deeper appreciation for international culture. I would highly recommend AIFS to anyone interested in stepping outside their comfort zone, immersing themselves in a new environment, and discovering more about themselves while exploring the world.

Photos

Studying abroad in Berlin is one of the best decisions I have made. I fell in love with the city of Berlin, seeing how it changes from winter to spring, the opportunities it offers, it's combination of liveliness and peacefulness, and the amount of distinct areas you can discover and appreciate.

I really enjoyed my semester abroad in Berlin with AIFS! My German language skills improved greatly, and I was able to make amazing friends and community connections through volunteering. I would love to come back to Germany after this experience; it was incredibly hard to leave.

The AIF Berlin European Studies program was an incredible experience that gave me a deeper understanding of European life and history while living in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Nele made everything run smoothly and created a welcoming environment where it was easy to thrive and feel supported. I’m really grateful for how much I got out of the program, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful and memorable semester abroad.

Studying abroad in Berlin was one of the best experiences of my life! Through my time there I switched my major to focus on international business in the hopes of coming back. Since, I have been working at my home schools study abroad and away office to help send more students away!

Photos

I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Germany from my first German class in HS, however I was unsure if it would actually happen. After looking for several program and attending my schools abroad fair, i decided on the AIFS program in Berlin. It was hands down one of the best decesions of my life. I was able to immerse myself in the culture, learn basics of the langauge, and make friends that are gonna last a lifetime. AIFS had apartments that were super close to the city center in Charlottenburg, and super close to both the bus and the U-Bahn (subway). With this program we also traveled to several cities in Germany with AIFS and I chosse the option to travle to Prauge and Nuremberg with the FU-Best program, which is one of the programs that your courses are done through. The FU-Best course were good, especially the German courses. German courses were everyday Mon-Thurs. There are also elective course in which i took a german cinema class that covered films before 1945 and a Berlin Architecture class that covered from the 1920's to Modern day. The courses had some heavy workloads at time due to many of the grades being research papers. Overall the program was one of the best decesions of my life.

Photos

Going abroad was a super valuable experience for me. I learned a lot about Germany and now I understand its perspective much better than I did before. It taught me that jumping in head first into something with little idea of what the future may bring me isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The best way to learn more about yourself is to just go for it instead of hesitantly preparing for it. Not that planning is not important, it absolutely is, but sometimes it is just better to throw yourself into the unknown without fear of failure. Ultimately you will fail and you will make mistakes. The important thing is getting back up again learning from those mistakes. You will try a lot of new things abroad and you will make plenty of mistakes. Through it all, you will learn that you are still you, or maybe an even better version of yourself, all because you tried something that seemed crazy before.

My Semester abroad in Berlin was certainly a life experience that will be always be fondly remembered. The program was extremely well organized and Nele was a joy be around. Berlin itself had everything that one could desire and was very friendly to younger people.

Overall, the program was amazing! I felt like there was a balance between having my own time and getting involved with AIFS programming. Nele was amazing, per usual. I had the opportunity to travel around Europe, but I also looked forward to the group dinners and day trips that Nele planned. On the Aifs side, everything was great. Something that could be worked on is communicating with students who qualify for the intensive German courses that they will be doing 12 hours a week of course load in addition to the subject course. That was nowhere on the syllabus and I had to scramble to ask for re-approval for credits from my US university because what fu-best said did not match the in-time classroom.

Photos