Life at CityLAB

Experience Berlin as a laboratory for culture.

Enjoy life in the safe, popular neighborhoods of Schoeneberg and Kreuzberg. Study at CityLAB:Berlin of Norwich University, situated in a startup-style, converted, 19th-century warehouse. Stay in nearby student apartments.

Berlin Today

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent relocation of unified Germany’s national government from Bonn to Berlin opened a new chapter in the city’s history. But Berlin has always served as a particularly dramatic stage for European politics and culture. The city was the capital when Germany asserted itself as a European power in the 19th century and became the hub of innovative culture in the 1920s. Berlin was the center of Nazi planning during the Third Reich, and it was subsequently divided by the tensions of the Cold War. Today few physical traces remain of the Wall.

Modern Berlin is a progressive city, and its cultural scene dynamically melds its unique history and colorful present. From painters to performance artists, Berlin is home to some of the most creative figures on the international stage. Numerous artists from across the globe have taken full advantage of Berlin's transition period throughout the 1990s and 2000s to found gallery and performance spaces in the most unexpected places.

Information for Students

Orientation

The programs begin with orientation days led by CityLAB:Berlin Program Director Christian Dengler and Program Coordinator Katrin BilharzKnobloch, along with the CityLAB:Berlin Team. Christian, Katrin and the team meet the students upon their arrival in Berlin to introduce them to the city and the CityLAB:Berlin program. They cover its philosophy and organization, health and safety matters, academic and personal expectations, academic evaluation, public transportation, facilities, and accommodations.

Student Housing

Shared Student Apartments

CityLAB:Berlin students will be housed in a centrally located apartment complex in the heart of Berlin's area Kreuzberg/Mitte. All student apartments are situated on the same street. The address is: Adalbertstrasse 58-65, D-10179 Berlin/ Germany.

One of the cultural hubs of Berlin, Kreuzberg is located in former West Berlin near the River Spree Oberbaumbrücke Bridge. The neighborhood is one of Berlin’s most popular today. For decades, the area has been a major hub for squatters, punks, hipsters, creative types, and liberal-minded thinkers. It is a diverse neighborhood rich in culture. Many Turkish immigrants call Kreuzberg home. Street-art fans will appreciate Kreuzberg’s countless graffiti works and wall-paintings that line its streets. Just a short walk from Kreuzberg’s center is the East Side Gallery.

The neighborhood brings together some of the cities best food, nightlife, and entertainment. The district leads somewhat of a double life, with years of gentrification having now seemingly split it in two: a shabby-chic, hipster’s paradise in one half and a stylish and expensive upper-class living on the other. The Turkish community is significant adds significant diversity, and the Jewish community also contributes to the area with its presence.

These student apartments are shared, accommodating three students per unit. Each apartment includes one double bedroom and one single bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room and balcony.

Furniture and essential cooking equipment, such as pots, pans, plates, cutlery, and glasses are located in the apartments.

A set of bed linen, a large towel, small hand towels for the bathroom and dish towels are provided. Students may also wish to bring a second set of bed linen and towels.
There is a laundry room - with washing machines and dryers - in the basement of the caretaker's office at this apartment complex and also some washing salon/ laundromats near the apartments. The apartments do not have an elevator.

Various dining and grocery options, shops, cafes, the canal, as well as subway and bus stations are all in the immediate vicinity - within easy walking distance of the apartments.

CityLAB:Berlin

Located just 10 minutes from Potsdamer Platz, the center of reunified Berlin, CityLAB: Berlin of Norwich University is located in the heart of Schöneberg. A startup-style loft, it occupies one large floor of a typical Berlin warehouse from the late 19th century.

The heart of the CityLAB facility is a large, versatile studio space that encourages experimentation and active learning. Each student is provided with a dedicated large desk. Additionally, the CityLAB loft has lecture, seminar, and conference rooms, a library, bathrooms designed by former students, a kitchenette, storage, and faculty and student offices.

Technical infrastructure includes projectors, computers, maylines, laser printers, ink-jets, foam cutter for model-making, etc.

Schöneberg itself is a leafy, very pleasant neighborhood with every kind of person petit bourgeois, immigrant, young professionals, artists, and senior citizens. The studio is located in the southern part near Akazienstraße. There are plenty of nice cafes, restaurants, and bars, as well as convenience stores for day-to-day use.

Getting Around

The subway and bus system in Berlin is quite good and convenient. Trains and regular buses run from early morning till around 1 a.m., while 24-hour service is provided on weekends. Alternatively, the night-bus schedule covers most of the routes, if trains service not running after midnight.

Public transportation company BVG offers an online journey planner in English: http://fahrinfo.bvg.de/Fahrinfo/bin/query.bin/en. This is particularly helpful for students planning to arrive in Berlin prior to the program start date.

We recommend budgeting up to 90 Euros per month for local transportation costs in Berlin (the price if purchased with a valid ISIC card). A BVG pass gives you unlimited travel on any public transportation in Berlin through Zones A and B, which more or less covers the entire city.

Another convenient way to travel across town is by bicycle. These can be rented in various locations across Berlin for short periods. Alternatively, students can purchase used bikes at low cost at one of the numerous flea markets or bike shops in the city.

Pre-Departure Orientation

All Norwich students who study abroad must attend a pre-departure orientation prior to leaving for their program. The orientation will be scheduled before the start of finals during the term before the students planned semester or summer abroad. Dates and times for pre-departure orientations can be found on the International Center’s Calendar listed on the International Events Page. Attendance is mandatory and students can be denied permission to travel if they fail to attend. It is a great opportunity to meet the other Norwich students preparing to be out in the world at the same time!

Some of the topics that will be covered included:

Packing & Travel
Health & Safety
Security & Emergency Preparedness
Academic Issues

The Education Abroad Handbook covers the above topics in great detail. Students and families are encouraged to explore the handbook to learn more about health and safety as well as other preparation for travel. If you have any questions about preparing for an education abroad program, please do not hesitate to contact the International Center at international@norwich.edu

International Student ID Card (ISIC)

The Norwich University International Center requires that all students traveling to CityLAB:Berlin obtain an International Student Identification Card (ISIC.) An ISIC card is the only internationally accepted, UNESCO-endorsed proof of bona fide student status. It can get you student discounts both domestically and abroad. An ISIC card also comes with basic international health insurance that meets Norwich’s required insurance criteria. This student identification card also serves as a secondary form of ID that is easy to carry and less valuable than a passport or Norwich ID if it gets lost. You can find out more about the card on the ISIC website, and you can apply for a card by filling out the application located in Forms. Bring your application and other required materials to the NU International Center, and we can produce a card for you within a week.

Studio Space

Classes are held at the CityLAB:Berlin microcampus located in Schöneberg, a friendly neighborhood filled with galleries, cafes, specialty shops, and music stores. An updated loft in a fin-de-siècle building, the CityLAB:Berlin microcampus offers classroom and studio space, a reading area, projection equipment, and wireless network. The building houses architecture and design offices, dance and gymnastics studios, artists and galleries, flower shops, and a bakery. Potsdamer Platz is ten minutes away.

At the start of the program, students are enrolled in intensive German classes, at Die Neu Schule, a progressive international language school in Berlin-Wilmersdorf. German classes at a modern international language school, known for its productive learning atmosphere.

Costs, Financial Aid, & Scholarships

Costs for CityLAB:Berlin

As a campus of Norwich University, students attending the CityLAB:Berlin program pay Norwich tuition, fees, room, and board as if they were studying at the Northfield, Vermont campus. Students should also budget for flights to and from Germany, travel documents such as a passport and residency permit, and in-country travel.

Aid, Scholarships & Fundraising

Federal Aid All students who study abroad, Norwich and non-Norwich alike, may use their federal financial aid. Your campus financial aid office can help you determine what your federal financial aid resources will be. Institutional Aid Norwich University currently allows its students to use their Norwich institutional aid (e.g. President’s Scholarships or Dean’s Scholarships) during their semester in Berlin. If you are not a Norwich student, it is likely that your institution will have restrictions on using your institutional aid on external programs. Check with your campus financial aid office for information on their policy.

Politi Scholarship

Norwich students may apply for the Politi scholarship to help fund their education abroad travel. The Politi fund was established to increase the internationalization of Norwich University. Typically due dates for the scholarship are October 31st for study starting in the following spring semester or summer or subsequent year and March 31st for study starting in the following summer or fall semester or subsequent year.

External Scholarships

You may wish to search online for other scholarships to study abroad. Here are some resources to get you started:

Gilman Scholarship: Available to Pell Grant recipients who will be studying in one country for at least 28 consecutive days. The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in education abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities.
Norwich International Center Funding Page: You can find more information here on external scholarships, tips for searching for funding resources, and other fundraising ideas such as crowdsourcing.