4-week Preparation for TestDaF

The family I stayed with was wonderful. She spoke in fluent German which really improved my skills. The teacher was nice and relaxed and did a good grounding of the grammar. I didn’t like walking up the several flights of stairs and think it would be a disadvantage for those who can’t get up and down stairs which is sad. The classes were very well run. Another issue however, is the woman who assorted me into the group was snappy and rude.

Carl Duisberg Centrum is very well located, and the school facilities are great.

I liked how the people taking part in the classes all come from different countries of the world and have diverse horizons (students, young or older workers, foreigners who want to settle...) so that class can't be boring nor classic. We can immediately make friends and go out on nights.

Groups of level are made so that everyone of us is improving his German at the most. During each lesson, oral and written capacities are trained and I found it really efficient. I did not realize though that lessons enable us to improve our language only if you stay for a while : one week was not sufficient for example. In order to get in the mood and work real hard on weak points, I would have stayed 2 or 3 weeks more. The teacher was excellent and always willing to help students work on bad understanding or weak points.

Activities looked great but the ones I subscribed to were cancelled because of bad weather. It doesn't matter if you stay any longer because those activities can be reported, but I was here for a week so couldn't enjoy them.

It was the first time that I left home for this amount of time and it was the best decision that I had ever made because Carl Duisberg is an excellent school where you can improve, in a short period of time, your German and you can meet people from every part of the world just in one place.

Everything in CDC Berlin was great. I found that all the people were very helpful and my teachers were great as well. My German improved very quickly and I'm very happy with that.

CDC plans some Friday or Saturday activities which are great to practice everything that you learned in class. Examples of these activities are: a visit to another city, museum visits, and football stadiums visit, to mention some.

I've met a lot of wonderful people and the course was very professionally handled. Both teachers that taught me were very nice, helpful and professional, but still friendly.

I couldn't have dreamt of a better location. It was right in the centre of Berlin!

Thank you very much for letting me experience all that!

I came to Berlin to improve my German, since in my hometown in Italy they speak both German and Italian. My German was already around A2/B1, but I did forget all the grammar and most of my vocabulary. I expected to raise it at least to a B1 level (B2 max), but in the end I could get to a C1 class at the end of my course and sustain a Telc B2 exam really easily.

Everyone in the school was really nice and friendly with me, always willing to help me in whatever I needed, be it something related to school or other information that I needed to get used to the city! All the teachers that I had were not only top class, but they never made me feel like I was just a student or that it was their only job to teach German to me. They were always willing to point out what each of us was lacking and improve on it, being really friendly with us and trying to find a way to get everyone to learn in the same way and stay at the same level of the other people in the class.

The classes were really comfortable and never too big or too crowded, and provided us with everything we might need to learn, even projectors to watch movies in German when there was a chance (of course with the aid of the teacher when needed).

The location of the school is right in the middle of Berlin, but in a quiet courtyard and not right on the street, something that I found really relaxing sometimes, even if just to sit outside and drink my coffee before going into the class.

Every afternoon there is an activity, sometimes involving workshops and study, while some other times involving activities to help the students bound with each other and see Berlin, like guided tours and sport activities.

Overall it was an amazing experience and not only I suggested it to other people, but I will probably come back to improve my German and prepare myself for a C2 exam!

Before I took up an intensive course with Carl Duisberg Centrum Berlin, I had zero knowledge of German. On the first day of my A1.1 lesson, I was exposed to different culture as the class had a variety of mix! I find that really interesting as I get to meet people from all over the world, for example: South Korea, Turkey, Madagascar, and even Switzerland! There were also new students coming to class almost every week! That can only mean meeting new people. I will never forget my first teacher, Miss Helgah! She's really fun and interesting and made our learning of German much much easier. Besides using the textbooks (provided by the school) she gave us a lot of extra materials and a lot of interaction between students to improve our German.

In my 10 months in CDC Berlin, I had about 4 teachers teaching me from different levels. It was interesting but also I had to get used to another teacher's style of teaching. But they are all great teachers! I've learnt so much about different parts of Germany as all my teachers came from different part of Germany! It was awesome!

The location of the school is WOW. Right in the middle of Berlin city! They had after-school events, tours to Berlin walls, or other small activities and even trips to nearby cities/towns (outside of Berlin)! I participated in one of my favourites: Chocolate making! It was fun and interesting!

The facilities in school were also very useful. For example - the coffee machine I used almost every morning, and also the snacks vending machine! During breaks, they had breads, fruits and various types of breakfast for sale -- at a reasonable price, just for students! The media library is also useful, equipped with computers and other software needed for German Learning.

During my 10 months, I stayed with a host family - THEY were really nice people. I stayed with this couple; they were like my grandparents! They don’t speak English or Chinese so the first day was a BIG challenge! We had to use hand signs! It was so hilarious! They thought me a lot about life and Germany too! We could have conversations anytime, especially during dinner and breakfast. They were always correcting my German when I said a word wrongly or pronounced it wrongly, or when we were watching football together. We also discussed about news on TV. I really enjoyed myself, in school and outside school, and even at home! I was exposed to German everywhere! That’s how I picked up my German! Totally immersed in the German culture and the language!

What I liked about the class is that the number of students are kept to a certain number. In this way, every student would not be left out by the teacher and every student in class has a chance to express his/her opinion. In addition, the teachers motivate us constantly and are always willing to help too. The international mix of students also allows me to interact with different people and know more about their countries and interesting cultures.

The school is located in the middle of Berlin and needless to say, travelling to school is not an issue. Moreover, there are many interesting museums and historic sites nearby to visit after lessons. You can expose yourself to new cultures and unknowingly pick up a new language faster too. Learning a new language is not just about sitting in a classroom and listening to the teacher. That's just my opinion.

If you are not sure of which places to visit during your first few weeks here, you can take part in the weekly programs organised by the school.

This is my first time staying with a host family but once I got used to it, I found that it was a rather interesting experience as I could interact daily with the local people. They shared their life experiences with me and most importantly, they are very friendly!

It was an interesting time. It was really an intensive learning of German.

The classes are well-equipped with multimedia resources. The teachers are hard workers and have multiple experiences in teaching. The location of the school is outstanding; it is in one of the hottest spots of the city. The school provides computer labs, and in some days, it also offers an auxiliary teacher who can help students with their learning problems. There are diverse activities which are promoted by the school, such as visits to museums, theaters and some interesting points of the city. Normally, these activities are held with some sort of guiding. Accommodation was also very positive. The apartment in which I lived in was near Metro Stations and other means of transportation. The apartment was also fairly equipped.

One thing that I liked least was the frequent change of teachers. Sometimes it is good to have continuity (when it is possible, of course).

In general, I really enjoyed my time in CDC Berlin. The staff was always very helpful and nice.

I enjoyed my stay at Carl Duisberg Berlin not only thanks to the staff of the whole school, but also because of the students from all around the world that I got to know.

I really enjoyed course at CDC. The teachers were excellent and though I stayed only 2 weeks I learned a lot of useful things which aren't normally taught in high school. The students were from all over the world including Afghanistan, Japan, and South Korea. The classrooms were perfectly prepared both for teacher and students. The thing I enjoyed most was that lessons were conducted in very prepossessing way which I have never met before. I loved that teachers encouraged students to discuss about the matters which concern not only Germany but also the cultural aspects of different countries! I will definitely recommend the course to my friends and I'm looking forward to attend that one next year but for longer period of time :)