The special feature of my dorm

There are 31 dormitories in Berlin with over 9.100 residents and that means diversity. All residence halls are different and each residence hall life is unique. We would like to tell you exactly about it and give an insight into the most diverse dormitories and the most diverse dorm life. Why are we particularly good at this? Because we – the team of dorm tutors – live across the dorms in Berlin.

In the “Residence Life: 1 Question – 5 Answers” ​​format, 5 tutors from completely different dormitories address the same question and thus provide insight into their dorm life.

At the start of this series it's all about what's special in your own dormitory!

What is special about your dorm?

Manuel, dormitory tutor on Gelfertstrasse

My dormitory, Gelfertstrasse, is located in the middle of the FU campus - and that's not only a special feature, but also very practical! Although I'm a passionate late riser, I've been able to attend lectures at 10 a.m. or even 8 a.m. without any problems, because in just 4 minutes you can get from the front door to the Henry Ford Building, the FU lecture hall building. Even on days without lectures, the whole thing has something of its own, so you can quickly go to the veggie cafeteria for lunch (7 minutes) and when I had internet problems, I was able to go to the Eduroam on the other side of the street (30 seconds)!

Ilia, tutor at the Victor Jara dormitory

Our dormitory is located a little further out, but is therefore very quiet. We have our huge meadow - sometimes even with wild animals - and nearby is the beautiful "Gardens of the World" park. Another special feature is without a doubt "The Beer Cellar", which has become famous worldwide thanks to the numerous Erasmus students. The whole atmosphere here is unique and all of the roommates are very open-minded and helpful. The first time I was here just to visit, but after that I was already convinced that this is exactly where I wanted to live.

Miriam, tutor at WH Halbauer Weg

I think that the special thing about Halbauer Weg (as with many dormitories) is its internationality: in our kitchen alone, eight people from four different countries meet almost every day and I find that particularly exciting. I think that many of us quickly got used to meeting people from all over the world on a daily basis here in the dormitory, but for me it is really something that continues to fascinate me. Because I think the fact that we live together in such a diverse bunch is actually something rather unusual and valuable!

Lorena, dormitory tutor at Siegmunds Hof

The special thing about my dorm Siegmunds Hof is the location: 2 minutes to the S-Bahn, close to the Spree, the Tiergarten, the Zoo train station, everything is super practical. The renovated buildings are very beautiful and you quickly feel at home. And there are also many opportunities to do sports (in the fitness room, on the basketball court;). We even have music rooms in our dormitory.

Julia, dorm tutor on Sewanstrasse

A special thing about our dormitory is that we have one of Germany's largest zoos, Tierpark Berlin, 15 minutes away from us. This zoo houses 7,250 animals from 846 species, in an area of ​​160 hectares. Unlike traditional zoos, it is designed as a huge forest, and each species has a significant amount of space designed for their specific needs. Visitors simply walk throughout this forest and pass by various wonderful species. In recent years, the zoo has become famous for its successful elephant breeding program. It is also one of the few zoos in Western Europe that houses various large herds of ungulates, including some rarely kept species such as muskoxen and takin. The zoo also has many Canadian species (such as the buffalo or polar bear) that are especially close to my heart. In fact, if you're lucky, you will meet a baby buffalo running around the zoo. Don't worry - his mom will call to him when he has to come back home. :) On top of all this, students can receive a ticket discount. To experience such a unique protection of wildlife right beside the place I live is truly a special privilege.

By the way...It's not just the Halbauer Weg that's international. Berlin is the city in Germany
with the most international students. That's exactly why there is
im studierendenWERK also the “International” area
with great events, advice offers and much more!
stw.berlin/international.html