Free University of Berlin - the largest educational institution in the German capital. It first opened its doors in 1948, and to this day is one of the key scientific centers in Germany. First of all, the humanities, social and natural sciences are cultivated here.
History of the University
The educational institution has been leading its history since 1948. The Free University of Berlin was established on 4 December. At that time, the Second World War had just ended, and the German capital was divided into zones between the allies. And the University of Berlin, one of the oldest in the country, ended up in the Soviet sector. It has been operating since 1946, but disagreements in policy between the allies were accompanied by disagreements in the view of the education system. That is why, since April 1948, the American administration has attended to the creation of a new university in the western part of Berlin.
A special student committee was organized and issued a manifesto. It contained a call to the public for support.
After the blockade of the German capital began, the city authorities agreed thatThe Free University of Berlin must be opened. Only on one condition - he had to earn in the winter semester at the end of 1948.
In the eastern part of Berlin, the educational institution was repeatedly criticized. Students living in the free zone protested its existence, and it was invariably referred to as "the so-called free university" in official documents and the media. This attitude only changed in the 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the final reunification of Germany.
Student Government
From the municipality, the Free University of Berlin received extensive rights to self-government. Moreover, the educational institution was subordinate to the board of trustees, and not to state bodies, as was the case with other universities. The council consisted of representatives from the state of Berlin and the university leadership. In addition, the students themselves were directly involved in the work of the council.
The charter of the educational institution was also very modern for its time, in which all the mistakes of the old Berlin University were scrupulously taken into account. First of all, the powers of the state and the university were clearly separated, its independence was separately stipulated.
Maximum rights have been given to the student community. After all, it played a big role in the formation of the educational institution. Until the 70s, this model remained unique and in the future was called "Berlin".
Friedrich Meinecke became the first rector. motto, whichfamous Free University of Berlin, reads: "Truth. Justice. Freedom".
Bachelor's Admissions
Today, education in Germany is quite affordable for Russian students. If you want to get into the University of Berlin is more than realistic. It is only necessary to comply with certain conditions.
Student must be at least 17 years old, 16-year-old applicants are allowed if they enroll in pre-German courses.
You must provide an appropriate certificate of knowledge of the German language at a level corresponding to TestDaF4.
The selection committee must provide references from teachers of the graduating classes from a school or a secondary vocational educational institution. References from universities are not accepted. Moreover, they must be from specialists in mathematics, history, social studies or English (two depending on the profile for which the applicant enters).
A mandatory condition is a certificate with positive grades. All documents must be translated into German and certified by a notary. The final document is the availability of medical insurance.
How to get into graduate school?
Many dream of graduating from the Free University of Berlin. How to enter there? It is easy to answer this question. Here are the requirements for those who are going to study in the master's program.
Firstly, a diploma of graduation from a Russian higher educational institution, inwhich must contain an insert with all grades, a certificate of knowledge of the German language of the 4th level (TestDaF 4), certificates from the educational institutions where the applicant studied after school, about the grades and level of preparation of the applicant.
Secondly, a motivation letter and reference from at least one of the university teachers. As well as translation of all documents into German, certified by a notary, and paid medical insurance.
Faculties of the University of Berlin
Education abroad is highly valued in Russia today. Even if you are not going to work outside the country in the future, a diploma from a foreign university will only work for you when applying for a job.
One of the most popular is the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy. Here you can master biology at the molecular and cellular level, study bioinformatics in detail. The duration of study varies from one to three years. It all depends on your chosen speci alty and direction.
The Faculty of Business and Economics prepares first-class managers and marketers who will be in demand in any company in the world.
There is also a rather rare faculty of Earth sciences for a Russian university. On it you will master geology, geography and even meteorology.
Those who want to get an education abroad can choose the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology. Here they will be prepared to work at school, including with younger students and middle school.
Most Popular Faculty
In recent years, more and more people in Russia want to enter the FreeUniversity of Berlin. The departments with the highest number of applications are Law, Medical, and Political and Social Sciences.
In the legal field, you will be prepared to work in the bar, courts and prosecutorial bodies.
Medical students master various medical speci alties, including high-tech ones, such as molecular medicine, bioinformatics and epidemiology.
Graduates of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences who graduated from the Free University of Berlin are very popular. Germany and other European countries willingly take them to work. They train specialists in political science, sociology and other related fields.
Also a big competition traditionally for the Faculty of History and Culture. Graduates of this direction receive a variety of, sometimes completely exotic speci alties - Egyptology, archeology, study the culture of the East, Iranian and Greek languages.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology trains modern specialists with a mathematical mindset. Programmers and engineers will find their application here.
The Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities in some aspects has something in common with the curriculum of the Faculty of History and Culture. They also seriously deal with archeology and the history of Egypt. But besides this, they master Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages, delve into philosophy.
Graduates receive somewhat related speci alties with medicalfaculty of veterinary medicine. After graduating from the University of Berlin, they can work both in public animal clinics and open private practices.
Tuition fees
It is worth being prepared for the fact that considerable financial resources will be needed to graduate from the Free University of Berlin. The cost of studying, of course, varies depending on your level of initial training, as well as the number of years you spend on education.
But the average cost of the entire three-year course is about six thousand euros or about 400 thousand rubles. To this must be added the cost of accommodation, meals, methodological and educational literature. So not everyone can afford to get a high-quality education.
Student reviews
However, it is worth recognizing that every year there are more and more Russians who entered the Free University of Berlin. The reviews they leave on websites and social media speak for themselves.
First of all, they note the high level of the teaching staff. An extensive program that will truly make you an expert in your industry.
Also, studying at a European university will help you improve your knowledge of foreign languages, and not only German. After all, students from all over Europe and even from other continents study at this Berlin University.
Advice to applicants
Those who are still considering whether to apply to this university should know that it is very difficult to do so. The competition for the most popular speci alties is quite high, but in the end everything is possible. Moreover, Russian students are enrolled at least as often as representatives of other countries.
After all, the Germans themselves are also interested in attracting foreign students. Today, not a single nation in the world is able to independently solve the problems of a global scale, which are becoming more and more every year. This is terrorism, global warming, the global financial crisis. Therefore, only with a joint discussion by representatives of different nationalities will it be possible to achieve a positive result.