Freie Universität? Or other affordable English, Comparative Literature, or Cinema Studies programs in Europe?

[thirdandlake]

I just got my Bachelor's, double major in English and Computer Science. I was originally planning on applying to English PhD programs in 2-3 years, but recently have been thinking more about getting a Master's abroad for the cultural experience and so that I have time to narrow down my interests/have a better idea of what I want to work on for my dissertation. In general, I want to study film philosophy and theory, which was the topic for my honor's thesis. Eventually, I would like to go to a top-tier English PhD program in the US. I also want to work a little more with French philosophy and possibly apply to Comparative Literature programs as well.

I really enjoyed the time I spent in Berlin this summer and was surprised to learn about free tuition at public universities. I looked into the English master's program at Freie Universitat and it definitely intrigued me, plus I have a friend headed there for the same program next year. I can't afford to get a master's in the US and I don't really want to take out loans, so I'm either looking for a funded or low-cost program. 

I'm also worried about admissions--because of my double major and grade deflation for the CS major at my school (median grades are about a B- for all core classes, took many more CS classes than English) I have a rather low cumulative GPA (3.1). My English major GPA is just over a 4.0 and I still graduated summa cum laude in spite of my GPA because of the honor's program for English (I also found this strange, but I'll take it). My advisors and professors seem to think I wouldn't have a problem getting into a good PhD program in the US because of letters and writing sample, but I'm wondering whether it will be a different case for studying internationally if they just look at my transcripts.

Specifically for German schools, the application seems to be pretty sparse/based on grades and don't offer much room to elaborate personally; e.g. my most impressive academic achievement is winning the English department thesis award; my school is an Ivy and top-tier for English PhD and I had reports from my advisor and readers about it being the best undergrad thesis they'd ever read, but it doesn't seem like they need any letters of recommendation or writing samples?

On rankings like QS and THE, FU seems to rank highly for English/Humanities, but in my lurking on this forum and others I've heard that most of those rankings are bullshit or even that the English program isn't great. Does anyone have personal experience with English at FU, or have recommendations for other affordable and reputable schools where I can live abroad and study? 

Thanks for getting through this long post. Have a lovely day ☺️

[Tigla]

I studied at FU and can speak a bit about the university. For starters, grades are the determinant factor in the German system. You will not get the chance to elaborate or explain parts of your application. This is great for students who have the grades that many Ivy and top-tier applicants, but lack the name recognition that is almost required in the American system. Beyond the application, you need to be extremely careful with applying to an English language program at a German university without B2 or C1 German skills. The program might sell itself as an English only degree, but the reality is vastly different. Most programs at FU and HU require some knowledge of German to complete the degree, especially if you study anything other than American or British topics.