Hi there, I am applying for an LLM at FU and Humboldt Univ. in Berlin. Can any of you tell me which areas are the best for living? I am not talting about posh neighbourhoods but more the hip kind of student parts of town.
I appreciate your infos!
D

I would say that generally, the best areas for students to live in are Mitte, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg.
Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte have been the trendiest areas in the past, but rents are not as cheap as they used to be. Many students move to Friedrichshain, I would say it is not quite as nice as Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg, but it is affordable and probably the most vibrant place right now (lots of studenty bars, markets etc). Kreuzberg has a multicultural community (mostly Turkish and Arab) and has a very international feel about it. Schöneberg is also quite cool and popular among the gay community, not so many students though.
You also need to take into account that the Free University is situated in a residential area in the South-West of Berlin, and the HU is in Mitte, right in the centre of the city next to the governmental district. So if you want to study at the Free University, some parts of town may not be so convenient to live in (it will take you about 50 min. to get to Free University from Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain with the U-Bahn). So you should really now where you study before choosing your part of town.
I would not rent a room in student housing, they are mostly situated in boring areas, and the rents in Berlin are generally low compared to other capitals like London or Paris.

Thanks for the tips! Yes, I also saw that Free university is in the suburbs kind of, I read though that its more like rich suburbs and a lot of nature so thats also nice. If you go to Humboldt then Mitte will be the best as far as I can see from the map. You said that Friedrichshain is the most vibrant, in the Berlin guides I have they write that most nightlife spots and the cultural scene are in Mitte though, is that true?

I have been to Berlin a couple of times (visiting friends) and I think that though Mitte has some cool bars and shops, it is quite touristy - see, it is in all the tourist guides!! ;-) Actually I like Mitte, too... Still, I think for students, Friedrichshain is better, lots of young people, Erasmus students, not so posh, less expensive. It really depends... Good luck!

I have been to Berlin too and I liked it very much, especially Mitte and the Potsdam castles.

My name is Santiago López, I am doing the LLm of Heidelberg in Latin America, but I m going to be in Germany the next year. I wish to stay in Berlin for a few months in order to improve my Germany language. Anyone can help my with information of cost or information of language schools, or if there is a short course of international law.??

Thanks

Try the Technische Universität Berlin (http://skb.tub-fk1.de/). They have very cheap classes and you will meet a lot of other international students.

Julius:
Thanks for the help.
I will look the webpage.

Hi everybody,

Since I am from Berlin, a few words: Basically, you can live where ever you want. Compared to other cities like Munich, Frankfurt am Main or Hamburg, Berlin is not expensive (ex: area around Free University, so the comment above is totally right), and with the metro, bus etc you can get everywhere in just a few minutes, no matter where you live. Should anyone needs an info, feel free to write me.

All the best,
Sabine

Hey Sabine: I got some questions (you don't need to answer all of them...):
Do you have any experience or knowledge about the LLM in Berlin and which uni would you prefer? Have you heard about the LLM offered by the University of Sydney in Berlin? Are you planning to do an LLM as well???

Sabine:

Thanks for the help, but I have one question about the cost of living, How much it is a month of living in Berlin in a student plan, nothing to expensive and not so cheap.
thanks for all the trouble.

I am not Sabine, still I will try to answer your questions:

> Do you have any experience or knowledge about the LLM in Berlin

Not really, but I am currently doing my undergraduate at Freie Universität (FU) Berlin.

> Which uni would you prefer?

This depends on your background, your career plans and financial issues.

If you are from (and plan to work in) a country, which has close economic links with Germany (e.g. Poland), an LLM from FU or Humboldt (HU) may be a good choice (If you are from Poland, your should also consider the dual degree programme offered by the University of Frankfurt/Oder). As the FU and HU programmes are conducetd in German, an LLM from these unis will make most sense, if there are German companies or law firms in your country looking for lawyers who are experts in the national law, are familiar with German law, and are in command of the German language - or if you specialize in EU law, which is probably useful in any European country. If this is not the case, an LLM from these unis may still be an asset as it will make your application look more interesting.

If you plan to work in Germany, you should do your undergraduate degree (1. Staatsexamen) in Germany as well as your clerkship and bar exam ("Referendariat" and 2. Staatsexamen). You should be aware that your German has to be quite strong to pass these exams.

If you intend to work in an international law firm in your country after the LLM, you should probably go for the English language LLM offered by the University of Sydney as this is probably the only LLM in Berlin that can be compared to US or UK LLM programmes.

While the fees for the FU and HU are not very high, the Sydney is pretty costly ($2,600 AUD per unit, I did not check how many units you need and how much 1 AUD is ...).

As concerns location, FU is situated in a wealthy residential area in the South West of Berlin, whereas HU and the Australian Centre (which is hosting the Sydney programme) are in Mitte in the center of Berlin (Mitte means center) and closer to the studenty parts of Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and some areas in Mitte).

> Have you heard about the LLM offered by the University of Sydney in Berlin?

I basically only know what I read on the programme website.

Are you planning to do an LLM as well???

I am contemplating this at the moment...

> How much it is a month of living in Berlin in a student plan, nothing to expensive and not so cheap.

My guess would be 700 to 1000 EUR, mostly depending on what kind of accomodation you choose (own flat: approx. 300-400 EUR, shared flat: 200 to 300 EUR, student housing: 150-250 EUR).