Anyone applying to FU Berlin?

[Matthew3957]

The application period opens today. I am planning to apply for North American Studies and potentially English Studies there. I just want to study literature, history, and critical theory.

Does anyone have any experience with the process? It looks like GPA is all that matters, but I am nervous about actually getting accepted. Any clue what GPA you generally need to get in? I have a 3.6 from a University of California school. 

Anyone else planning on going to Berlin for school this October?

[KLamb8]

Hi, I'm applying for the MSC SCAN at FU Berlin and also for an MA program at Humboldt Berlin, & two schools in Munich. My GPA is about the same so I'm kind of nervous as well, with my field being very competitive. So far I've only completed 1 application and I'm waiting to hear back after doing my Skype interview early April. I have to finish my apps via Uni-Assist for both FU Berlin & Humboldt. 

Let me know how it goes for you! Good luck (: 

Katie

[The Ister]

On 15/04/2017 at 8:03 PM, Matthew3957 said:

The application period opens today. I am planning to apply for North American Studies and potentially English Studies there. I just want to study literature, history, and critical theory.

Does anyone have any experience with the process? It looks like GPA is all that matters, but I am nervous about actually getting accepted. Any clue what GPA you generally need to get in? I have a 3.6 from a University of California school. 

Anyone else planning on going to Berlin for school this October?

Hi Matthew. 

I'm an MA student at Humboldt. I can try to answer your questions and throw out a few more things about Berlin and Germany education system. Please don't forget that these are just my opinion. 

Do not expect to be able to study critical theory in Germany in the same way you would study it in the US. This assertion needs a historical comparison of the philosophical and political traditions of the two countries, which I can't dive in right now, but what I can say is that the German education system is a bit tamed in terms of its approach to radical/marginal ideas. While it is kind of cool (or okay, if not cool) to follow a movement or theoretical stance, let's say poststructuralism, in the US, it would be rather regarded coltish in Germany. For example, in the US it would be okay to say to your supervisor "I am going apply Foucault's bio-politics to John Fowles' The Magus and analyse the book accordingly," in Germany, however, you would be advised to analyse the book first and then follow its lead before imposing a theory on it. This is, of course, a generalisation, a generic overview on the academic tendencies here. Nevertheless you can come across with some professors who would be totally okay with an American approach. There are some people like that at the Anglistik department at FU. 

The process looks more complicated than the US schools, but actually it is not. You apply through uni-assist and get an answer in June, I believe. Once you have a Zulassung, you apply for a visa with it. The school year starts in mid-October here. You would need to be around a couple of weeks before in order to matriculate at the school. You might hate the paperwork in the beginning, but you get used to it in time  

To be honest, I do not know how a degree from an American university is treated in the Anglistik department at FU. 3.6 should be enough though. I got in a program at Humboldt with 3.4 GPA from a European university. I had 2 American classmates, both with degrees from American schools that I had never heard of. 

As for Berlin, there are many things to say. It's an amazing city, you are going to love it. I literally haven't met anyone who doesn't like Berlin. Whatever it is you are into, you'll find it here. It is very different than the rest of Germany. One thing is that it is tough to be a serious student here. There is so much going on. You will have to have strong self-discipline to actually manage to divide your time into school-things and Berlin-things. If you get an acceptance, you should know that you are going to live in the most colourful, artistic, and liberal city in Europe. In my opinion, the best thing about studying at FU or HU would be living in Berlin. 

Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer, and good luck. 

[Matthew3957]

That is awesome Katie! Let me know how it goes it sounds like you are more along than I am. 

Right now I am getting ready to mail my documents to Uni-Assist, and applying to Uni Bonn for American Studies too.

23 hours ago, The Ister said:

To be honest, I do not know how a degree from an American university is treated in the Anglistik department at FU. 3.6 should be enough though. I got in a program at Humboldt with 3.4 GPA from a European university. I had 2 American classmates, both with degrees from American schools that I had never heard of. 

As for Berlin, there are many things to say. It's an amazing city, you are going to love it. I literally haven't met anyone who doesn't like Berlin. Whatever it is you are into, you'll find it here. It is very different than the rest of Germany. One thing is that it is tough to be a serious student here. There is so much going on. You will have to have strong self-discipline to actually manage to divide your time into school-things and Berlin-things. If you get an acceptance, you should know that you are going to live in the most colourful, artistic, and liberal city in Europe. In my opinion, the best thing about studying at FU or HU would be living in Berlin. 

 

3

Thank you this is the type of info I was hoping for! I have a good sense for U.S. schools, what is competitive and such, but this helps give me a better idea of German ones now too, which was what I was hoping for.

I visited Berlin in December and liked it a lot. It was hard to get the full feel, since I happened to be there during a cold snap, but was still very nice. It seems like a great place to live where you can find whatever you need.

Thanks for the advice!

[Blaubaer]

On 2017年4月15日 at 8:03 PM, Matthew3957 said:

The application period opens today. I am planning to apply for North American Studies and potentially English Studies there. I just want to study literature, history, and critical theory.

Does anyone have any experience with the process? It looks like GPA is all that matters, but I am nervous about actually getting accepted. Any clue what GPA you generally need to get in? I have a 3.6 from a University of California school. 

Anyone else planning on going to Berlin for school this October?

Hey there! I am currently doing my master in Media and Political Communication at FU. Guess you've already finished the application as the Uni-Assist deadline has passed. Wish you all the luck!

As for the GPA, I just want to add that it's not just about the final scores but also about matching your BA coursework to the institute's own BA module plan (so-called fachliche Einschlägigkeit). I felt that this is a German specialty when I was applying two years ago, because some universities claimed that they would look at every individual lesson I took and recalculate the GPA only by the courses they recognize as relevant. That is why I added a detailed course description alongside the transcript of Records, offering AdCom clear clues on what each course is about. Other than this, I think a GPA of 3.6 is in itself good enough. You can check the newest admission data (http://www.fu-berlin.de/studium/docs/DOC/ncliste_master.pdf). Somehow all the applicants of MA North American Studies last year were offered study places (weirdly enough).

Do note that FU and HU are located in totally different districts, one in the bucolic southwest suburb and another in the middle of Brandenburger Tor, Friedrichstr as well as the Museum Island. They incorporate two disparate universes to me, but this living east-west contrast is exactly why Berlin is so charming from an foreigner's eyes haha.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Blaubaer

[Matthew3957]

13 hours ago, Blaubaer said:

Hey there! I am currently doing my master in Media and Political Communication at FU. Guess you've already finished the application as the Uni-Assist deadline has passed. Wish you all the luck!

As for the GPA, I just want to add that it's not just about the final scores but also about matching your BA coursework to the institute's own BA module plan (so-called fachliche Einschlägigkeit). I felt that this is a German specialty when I was applying two years ago, because some universities claimed that they would look at every individual lesson I took and recalculate the GPA only by the courses they recognize as relevant. That is why I added a detailed course description alongside the transcript of Records, offering AdCom clear clues on what each course is about. Other than this, I think a GPA of 3.6 is in itself good enough. You can check the newest admission data (http://www.fu-berlin.de/studium/docs/DOC/ncliste_master.pdf). Somehow all the applicants of MA North American Studies last year were offered study places (weirdly enough).

Do note that FU and HU are located in totally different districts, one in the bucolic southwest suburb and another in the middle of Brandenburger Tor, Friedrichstr as well as the Museum Island. They incorporate two disparate universes to me, but this living east-west contrast is exactly why Berlin is so charming from an foreigner's eyes haha.

Thanks for the reply! This is all really helpful information. I have visited both FU and Humboldt and thought it was interesting how different their vibes were. Guess based on last year's intake I am a sure fit  

[KLamb8]

Have you heard back yet? I have a Skype interview tommorow for the FU program I applied for..Other then that, I got 1 rejection, 1 acceptance, and I'm supposed to be doing a subject test for Humboldt Berlin soon.

[2017psych]

On 7/11/2017 at 1:25 PM, KLamb8 said:

Have you heard back yet? I have a Skype interview tommorow for the FU program I applied for..Other then that, I got 1 rejection, 1 acceptance, and I'm supposed to be doing a subject test for Humboldt Berlin soon.

What program did you apply for at FU?!

[KLamb8]

MSC SCAN program

[Matthew3957]

Yes, I officially heard back from the North American Studies program last week. Now I am scrambling to get together all the stuff I need to apply for enrollment and send it off as soon as possible since it will take awhile to get there from Canada. Each step feels like a mountain to climb.

What is your top pick at this point? The FU program? 

[2017psych]

On 7/17/2017 at 11:52 AM, KLamb8 said:

MSC SCAN program

Have you heard back or did they tell you when acceptances would  be emailed?

[KLamb8]

No not yet, they said results would be in a few weeks. I believe the program website said early August so sounds about right. This was the most competitive program I applied for & the interview was only 10 minutes so I don't really know what to expect. 

[2017psych]

5 hours ago, KLamb8 said:

No not yet, they said results would be in a few weeks. I believe the program website said early August so sounds about right. This was the most competitive program I applied for & the interview was only 10 minutes so I don't really know what to expect. 

Yah I'm in the same boat, the interview was so quick that I felt like I couldn't actually show anything for myself!. O well. 

[KLamb8]

Yeah, well let me know when you hear back & I'll do the same! Did you apply anywhere else?

[2017psych]

11 hours ago, KLamb8 said:

Yeah, well let me know when you hear back & I'll do the same! Did you apply anywhere else?

for sure will do! nope, only applied to that program. 

[KLamb8]

@Matthew3957 Sry I didn't see your reply, that's great, congrats! Yeah, FU (& Berlin,city wise) is my top choice but I'm still waiting to hear back. So I will really be scrambling if I manage to get in. So you're gonna try to do everything in advance of arrival? I'm planning on getting to Germany about a month before classes actually start so that I have time to apply for a residence permit, enroll, & look for an apartment. It would take way too long to do all of that from the U.S having to go through the embassy. 

[Matthew3957]

@KLamb8 I am doing most of it once I get there. I have a place set up for the first few weeks. Which will give me a chance to look for a place and get everything sorted out. I actually leave tomorrow! 

Hopefully, you get good news!

[darius_rmzni]

I am looking into BSEL HWR and Humboldt in Berlin. I keep checking UniAssist but it says application process for Winter 2019/2020 has not started yet. Is this normal?