Berlin Universities
Part Two: The Free University
CARPEBERLIN UNIFACTS (Taken from the summer semester): Founded: 1948**** Students: 31,304 (not counting Med school) **** Foreign students: 5,100 (15%) **** Professors: 462 **** Employees: 4,871 **** Faculties: 12 **** Departments: 100 **** Budget: ca. 349 million euros **** Graduate Schools: 16 **** Cooperation with 114 universities
The Free University of Berlin (FU) was built in Berlin-Dahlem in 1948 as a reaction to the increasing politicisation of the Humboldt University in East Berlin. Despite the appraisal of the Shanghai University in the first article of this column, the initiative "International Network University" was nevertheless put forward some time ago by the FU itself.
According to the German university ranking carried out by the "Centrums für Hochschulentwicklung" (CHE), which receives its highest financial aid from the Bertelsmann foundation and is published in the ZEIT newspaper, the departments with best performance are the English and American Studies department, the Educational Sciences department, the Politics and Sociology department, and the Romance Studies department. Additionally, other noteworthy research areas (not to be confused with the taught subjects), are the Germanistics and Medicine Faculties. Although most departments remain in mid-ranking, the FU claims that the Geography research department is the worst.
The following can be studied at the FU:
Biology-Chemistry-Pharmaceuticals, Educational Sciences and Psychology, Geology, History and Cultural Sciences, Human Medicine, Maths and IT, Philosophy and Humanities, Physics, Politics and Sociology, Law, Veterinary Medicine, and Economics. Within the framework of the "Clusters of Exzellence", 15 points were added to the FU for the following research centres: the BioCampus Dahlem, GeoCampus Lankwitz, Molecular Structure Research, Security Research, System and Network Theory, Gender Studies Research, Global Governance, Educational Sciences Research, Esthetics, Cultural Transformation, Ancient World and European Culture and Intercultural competence.
Apart from the main FU library, there are also 49 smaller libraries at the faculties (although most books are reference only), making a total of 8.5 million volumes and 20,000 journals, the biggest academic library in Germany.
The Language Centre offers language courses and relevant exams, language exchange programmes (tandem as well as studies out of Germany), and the students can enjoy the well equipped media library.
The ZEDAT, centre for the collection of data, helps students with internet and software problems.
The career service centre assists students in their search for internships, drafting of letters, applications, and getting on the right career track.
With sports options from A for aerobics to Y for yoga, students at the FU have many options for the post cramming sessions. Apart from the official offers and university teams, numerous sports groups have also been founded. However, due to the increase in prices of pools in the city, the teams and training of water-sports have come momentarily to a halt.
And for those of you who don´t want to study in your free time and can´t play water polo with the university team, you can always take refuge in one of the Student cafés, or use the other facilities of the Student´s Association.
"Students who during their studies must also find ways of financing them, can make their way to the good folk at the employment office and ask for jobs. In the job ads of the FU you can find student and temp jobs for example as assistant teachers. For scholarships and other institutional financial aid, you should go to the Training and Placement Office (Amt für Ausbildungsförderung). Student loans can also be obtained from other institutions like the Reconstruction Loan Corporation (the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau KfW)."
Email: info-service(at)fu-berlin.de
Homepage in English: http://www.fu-berlin.de/en/index.html
Opening Hours: mon, tue, wed, friday from 9:00 to 3pm; thurs from 9:00 to 5pm
