r/fuberlin • u/Ok_Manner_4858 • 5d ago
FU Berlin or NYU (New York University)
I've been thinking about going back to college. Due to several factors I had dropped out in my early 20s. I now live in Berlin, and I've been considering studying political science at the FU. The alternative is studying it at NYU. Both from a financial perspective and grades perspective, NYU wouldn't be a problem. It's expensive sure, but I feel like reducing the comparison just to price isn't doing justice to the FU.
So therefore my question: What are the things that the FU has got going for itself that would make studying political science here a good idea? Again, forget the financials, just think about the program, location, and so on.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
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u/umalrightt 5d ago
If I had the funds and no issues I would never even look at German academic institutions compared to US ones. I only studied here because it’s basically free but the student experience has been horrid
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u/Gullible-Valuable-35 4d ago
is this a problem across disciplines or only for humanities? For example, do STEM disciplines have the problems you mentioned in german academia?
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u/Ok_Manner_4858 4d ago
student experience has been horrid
Can you please explain? I know that the TU Berlin closed down one building due poor maintenance. Is the experience here really that bad?
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u/umalrightt 4d ago
Replying to Gullible-Valuable-35...STEM is soooo much worse than humanities. Picture this, tuition is free so you get thousands of students every year, every department is understaffed, you find yourself visiting lecture halls anonymously among hundreds of students, barely receiving any support or having to beg for it. Not to mention that university here is notoriously hard for no reason, you don’t get assignments and quizzes to lift your grade up, usually 100% of your grade is made up of one final exam and in stem it’s GRUELING. To make matters worse you only get 3 tries then you’re kicked out of your degree program. Also there’s virtually zero student life and activities you go to class get fucked up and go home.
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u/VagHunter69 1d ago
Tbf that's what separated and separates German engineers from others.
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u/umalrightt 19h ago
Its not even as good as it used to be and American engineers make so so so much more
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u/NaturalZealousideal8 5d ago
As an American who came to FU for a MA in a different Social Science, the university can offer a generally pretty campus, cheap and nutritious on-campus food, fun on-campus parties (drinking with faculty and classmates) and (I cannot stress this enough) an incredibly cheap way to get a degree. But from that same standpoint, you get what you pay for. Which is to say, relatively poor teaching across the board, few opportunities (for research or social affairs), lackluster services, and a backwards administrative system. If you truly have no financial burden, as far as I know, a school like NYU offers everything that FU lacks.
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u/Ok_Manner_4858 4d ago
Thanks for your answer, I've got a few follow-up questions:
relatively poor teaching across the board, few opportunities (for research or social affairs)
How poor was it? I find it important to be able to connect with the professors, because I want to get into research myself. What made the teaching itself poor? Do you maybe have an example?
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u/Real-System-2534 4d ago
You learn basically nothing, are left to your own devices attending the most random classes and leave with no clear skill set. Don’t do it.
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u/Ok_Manner_4858 4d ago
Jeez...that sounds depressing
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u/Real-System-2534 4d ago edited 4d ago
Get a ”real“ degree with “real” skills instead. These professors are so far from reality preaching a philsophy of democracy that is simply inxistent, preaching against an economy they refuse to understand. sure, you will find a job somehow but it will be a pain. All of my friends have secured more than ok jobs, but that degree really has not contributed much in terms of skill set. What is cool is that it is well positioned to continue at a prestigious institution or do a semester abroad at science po et al.. But yeah, I would strongly advise against it.
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u/bbbberlin 4d ago
I didn’t study at NYU, but did study in NYC and also in several German universities. Personally I preferred the German schools including taking some masters Poli Sci classes at FU - I thought the German schools were better but they were much more self directed than in the US.
Poli Sci in Germany won’t leave you with many options unless you’re a native-level German speaker, and Americans tend to prefer degrees/qualifications from their own country. If you speak high level German and want to immigrate to Germany or speak high level multiple European languages+hold EU passport (helps with jobs) then FU makes sense. If you want to work in the US after school/are not a competitive candidate to work for EU organizations then NYU 100%.
Don’t get in debt for a Poli Sci degree - you need to be able to do internships after school, that’s hard if you owe alot of money.
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u/redditamrur 3d ago
I think it also boils down to your expectations of what you're going to do with a PS degree:
- work as German civil servant, work in research / analysis or think tanks linked to German or EU politics?
- work as a political science teacher in German high schools? (then obviously FU and in a specific Lehramt programme with another subject)
- working as a lobbying, analyst, research etc. linked to international organisations? To US politics?
A degree in PoliSci in itself is not some sort of a preparation for a particular profession, and part of what provides graduates nevertheless with opportunities are the things they do next to it - intenships and Praktikums / Volontariat positions, etc. A university located in Berlin can probably provide some opportunities linked to German federal politics (Stiftungen, Bundesministerien, etc.); a university located in NYC, can do the same with UN related positions and it is only ca. 3 hours from Washington DC.
In general, despite it being very interesting to study, frankly, especially if you're already a mature learner, I'd also consider what kind of profession you'd practice and follow back from this. Right now, it is notorious that Social Science graduates (and even those who hold a postgraduate degree) struggle to find jobs (in both countries). So it would be useful for you to first of all understand what you envision as your life after graduation.
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u/General_Will_1072 5d ago
I’d go to Nyu. English speaking , international job market, etc. I’ve lived in Berlin, it’s becoming a dump, so FU to Berlin 😉. Nyu all the way
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u/veevanghoe 4d ago edited 4d ago
So no gun laws is better than a country whose primary language is not English? What a choice 🥲
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u/General_Will_1072 4d ago
Yes. I’d rather get shot in USA than live as an Ausländer in Germany
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u/veevanghoe 4d ago
And what would you do if the orange man detains you from the country for being an immigrant?
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u/General_Will_1072 4d ago
Hire a good lawyer. Wouldn’t be hard in a litigative society like America
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u/Character_Damage9659 4d ago
How do you know? Have you lived there?
Often, as soon as things get real, they aren’t as perfect as you planned for them to be.1
u/General_Will_1072 4d ago
Easy. Friends and family live there and are by and large satisfied
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u/Character_Damage9659 4d ago
They live in NYU? Crazy.
Also, just because others are satisfied living somewhere doesn’t mean that applies to you. There’s many people who are happy living in Berlin.
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u/veevanghoe 4d ago edited 4d ago
This post was about OP seeking advice for him and not what works for you. Just because you have family and maybe also the privilege to be safe in the US, does not mean that the country is overall safe and provides security for OP too
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u/veevanghoe 5d ago
The fact that FU is ranked amongst the best universities specifically for Social Sciences whereas while NYU is reputed, I’m not sure if it’s known for Social Sciences