Nicole Rosner is an undergraduate at Harvard College. She recently spent a semester studying at the Technische Universität in Berlin.

I understand you studied architecture at the TU. Why did you want to study there? Was it difficult gaining admission?

Gaining admissions into the TU was not difficult at all. I had originally hoped to study at the UdK (Univesität der Künste), Berlin’s art university which is located right next to the TU, but their admissions process was much more arduous and exclusive, and the deadline was around January or February, similar to most American universities. I believe I was technically “admitted” to the TU in July, only a few months before I would attend the university. I studied architecture there at the “Hauptstudium” (graduate) level which, considering I have no background in architecture, seems quite impossible. The program was actually perfect for me because it allowed me to take courses I otherwise would not have been able to take, particularly given the disorganization of the TU program. The TU Exchange program admitted hundreds of exchange students (mostly Erasmus students from within the EU), into the field of their choice and let them orient their way through the university. Navigating the system required quite a bit of skill and a lot of self-discipline and independence as well

Did you have a lot of bureaucracy to deal with?

In Germany bureaucracy is inevitable. Compared to my experience here in the States, however, there was less bureaucracy within the university and more in everyday life. Bureaucratic forms were imperative for registering your housing in Berlin and opening a German Bank account, for example. Since I also worked while in Berlin (I worked at the stadium during the World Cup!), there was a plethora of other forms required, a process aimed at reducing the number of illegal workers in the country.

Was being a student in Berlin what you expected?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect coming to Berlin. I was already relatively familiar with German culture, having spent my summers in Stuttgart as a teenager, but I knew that Berlin was not the Germany that I had previously known. It was the conflicted capital that I had read about in books, the constantly developing metropolis where cranes speckled the urban landscape, and home to those who took full advantage of the city’s affordable lifestyle: students, artists and the unemployed. I had caught a brief glimpse of this madness during a weeklong vacation I spent there 5 years ago. Both Berlin and my perspective of the city have changed vastly since that trip. It is true, the city contains all that I had expected, but there is so much more! Each cultural facet of Berlin has its own hidden complexity, be it art, music, or the world-famous café culture. Each neighborhood also has its own identity and subculture. Most importantly, though, Berlin is a very accessible city—both through public transportation and by bike. As a student in the US one usually lives on or near campus and their world outside of class inevitably revolves around their “campus life”. For example, I wouldn’t say ‘I live in the Boston area and study at Harvard University’, I would say, ‘I live and study at Harvard, and my connection to “real” urban life is minimal’. In comparison, last year I lived in Berlin and studied at the university; my life did not revolve around my studies they simply co-existed. I lived 25 minutes from the TU by subway, and I found the commute refreshing. Traversing the city each day created a natural balance between the space of my studies and my personal life.

How did you meet people?

I knew no one when I first moved to Berlin. Meeting people is not a problem. My first friends I met while apartment searching, others I met at events in the city, and then, when I started school, I met them on campus. In my experience it is extremely easy to meet people in Berlin. What makes it harder is figuring out which “type” of people you would like to befriend. Because of the large international population in Berlin, it can be hard for foreigners to meet and befriend Germans. But that can often be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Is it easy to meet interesting people in Berlin?

Yes. As cities go this is surely one of the most open, even if that openness is sometimes veiled by a thin layer of being either too-cool-for-school or grumpy. That's in general, and at the moment the view of America in Germany is on occasion rather dim. But definitely stick with it! Most people seem to have the experience of a hard opening period, but love it once this changes.

How did you find a place to stay? What should a student expect to pay for rent?

I had planned to live in a WG (Wohngemeinschaft). A WG is a group of people, usually students, that shares a rented apartment. Before I arrived I looked at two websites that posted WG openings and found one that I could sublet for two weeks while looking for my real apartment. Then I used those two sites to find more permanent openings. The websites are: http://www.wg-gesucht.de/ and http://www.studenten-wg.de/. There are also many other newspapers or magazines one could leaf through for listings, but I think those two websites are the best sources. I didn’t have much trouble finding a room, but I have friends that did. It usually depends on the time of year, the location and the price you are looking for. Flexibility (or luck) is often key. The rent ranges from 200 Euros (or a bit under, but that can be difficult to find in student neighborhoods) to 350 Euros per month for a single bedroom in a shared apartment. I lived in Kreuzberg and paid 250 Euros with everything included: heating, water, telephone, internet, etc. I was hoping to pay a bit less, but I loved my apartment and I think it was a good deal. A lot of Americans I met there, however, ended up paying way more than they should have for their apartments. I think coming from the States you are not used to how low rents can be in Berlin, and they paid between 300 and 350 Euros for apartments that should have been at least 100 Euros less.

What was your favorite neighborhood in Berlin?

I have to say my favorite neighborhood was my neighborhood, Kreuzberg 36. It has a very relaxed and alternative young style that meshes with its established Turkish culture to create a community that is on the one hand, a uniquely diverse, and on the other, representative of many of the immigrant integration problems Germany is facing today.

How was the social life?

The social life is great. There is always something to do in Berlin, at all hours of the day and night—the city literally never sleeps. My favorite aspect of my Berlin social life was the way my daily activities fit together: a comfortable variety of everyday plans (shopping at the Turkish market near my WG, picnicking with friends in the park, Kaffeeklatsch at a local café, biking & taking my bike on the U-Bahn when I got lazy, Sunday brunch and Flee market walks, intimate concerts and plays, neighborhood community centers like the Regenbogenfabrik on Lausitzer Str), and of course the festivals and exhibits that are constantly popping up in the city. The breadth and diversity of culture in Berlin is phenomenal, and one’s experience really depends on which aspects of Berlin life you become familiar with and are interested in.

What did you think of the fashion scene?

I loved it. They have a way of mish-mashing fashion of the past—60s, 70s and 80s—into a unique style that is both entertaining and comfortable. There is a wide range of Berlin styles (often distinguishable by neighborhood and none of which are conventional), from chic sophistication to more relaxed urban duds. It depends which Berlin style you are intrigued by and comfortable in, but style or one’s lack thereof is certainly an essential aspect of Berlin.

What did you think of the fashion scene? Were you homesick?

No, I’m not usually homesick. There were aspects of home that I missed: friends, family, supermarkets open every day (most things are closed on Sundays), large toothpaste and shampoo bottles, applicator tampons and peanut butter (though you can find it, it’s pretty expensive). But for the most part I felt very at home in Berlin. It’s a place that encourages everyone’s finding a niche.