Voices from people who took classes at the ISC Potsdam...

The "Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen" has provided a valuable foundation for my life in Germany. The course was well-structured and was taught by an experienced and friendly instructor who was passionate about teaching the German language. In addition to acquiring basic German language skills, which were both enjoyable and laid the groundwork for my self-study of the German language, it was really helpful that I immediately began using very simple German phrases in my everyday life. All of this made the process of settling in here much easier. The course included many fun games, interactive activities, and even presentations, which made learning much more entertaining and effective. The "Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen" was a worthwhile experience that equipped me with the necessary language skills and cultural knowledge to succeed in my academic pursuits in Germany.

I would highly recommend this course to any international student planning to study at the University of Potsdam.

Leaving Korea and studying in Germany for the first time was an experience that I was nervous and worried about. However, the "German(land)Welcome" course and the new encounters that came with it enabled me to get to know Potsdam in particular better. In contrast to the lectures in Korea, I found the smaller classes and the need for constant interaction unfamiliar. In addition, the realisation that my German language skills were limited made me doubt whether I would be able to cope. It turned out that other friends were also in similar situations. It is clear to me that growth is often associated with challenges. The realisation that we were all struggling with initial problems motivated me to actively participate in the course. Over time, I got used to the new teaching methods, was able to implement the professors' instructions better and better and developed a love of teaching.

During my time in Potsdam, I learnt many new things and discovered new perspectives. The "Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen" was very helpful, thanks to the nice teachers and great friends.

All the multiculturalism of the program made me learn a lot about other countries and see the world in a different way, which is why I decided to study abroad in the first place, but the Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen gave me an immersive experience in this world before the university classes started, so now I don’t have any fears about it anymore! I feel like Potsdam is already my home, I feel very comfortable here, I met incredible people and I feel that I am way more prepared for the university’s classes than I was before the german course!

So above all, I thank the ISCO team for making that possible, because if it wasn’t for them, my experience with the city would be completely different, and since I have difficulties in meeting new people, I was afraid that I would feel alone when moving to a new country, but now I feel like a more opened person, and I am anxious to discover what the winter semester of 2022/2023 holds!

During these two weeks of the program, I was in direct contact with the language and had the opportunity to deepen and learn about many topics of German grammar. What I liked most about the course is that from the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and greeted with great willingness to facilitate our stay in Potsdam. The team, both the organizers and the academics were open to all our questions, not only about the course, but also about life in Potsdam.

As for the content of the course and the teaching, although the duration of the course was short at 2 weeks, I can say that we were able to cover a lot of content and it was very complete. Our teacher organized the information in such a way that we could see all the main topics of B1 level and even learn not only grammar but also a lot about Germany, its history and culture: We learned a lot about the main events of the country, politics and educational system, so this is also another aspect of the course to highlight.

In two weeks we went through the whole grammar level A1-A2 and put it into practice. We were taught how to write emails - it's a skill I didn't even think about, but now I believe it's so important. Our Teacher Lucy also told us many subtleties that can hardly be found in textbooks. After completing the course, I feel that I have gained the "minimum" of language for living in Germany and have ceased to be afraid to speak German.

In addition to the courses themselves, I met a lot of friendly, kind and helpful people. During the course, we always went to lunch together and sat at long tables, learned something new about other cultures and had a good time. We still keep in touch with each other and occasionally go to bars together, meet at the University campus and during the classes.

ISAS offers an excellent opportunity to intensively engage with the German language and culture. The photography project exceeded my expectations, the course is highly recommended for any professional photographer!

The highlight of my summer was the seminar "German Division", in which I deepened my previous knowledge and which allowed me to look at German history from a new perspective. In this regard, I would like to thank Professor Knocke for this exciting course!

A big thanks also to Mrs. Blell, who organized our stay perfectly.

The last but not least thing why I could recommend this course is its nice and welcoming atmosphere. When I first met the ISCO-Team before the start of the course, I was charmed by their humor and kindness. They supported all of us during these two weeks and were always ready to help. I would like to thank them for their caring.(...) Overall, this course was a great start of my exchange year at the University of Potsdam and I will definitely recommend it!

ISAS 2021 definitely met my expectations, even though it was held online. I learned many new things, we all also had the opportunity to improve our German language skills, also to gain new information and knowledge. Not only of the German language, but also of the culture itself, as there were online city tours, which were very interesting! The seminar and project were very interesting, informative and helpful. I now feel that I have a realistic overview of Berlin and Potsdam! The course was really the highlight of my summer!

My name is Eugenia and I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a student of Environmental Engineering, I took part in the "Sustainable Development Academy" this 2021.

Personally, I always consider the experience as the best way of learning in every sense and aspect of life. And these two weeks in the summer course, have left many teachings, positive emotions and above all, energy and hope to continue building a sustainable world.

Although it was virtually, beyond the physical distances and time differences between each participant, thanks to having the same convictions and energy towards the environment, a bridge was created between screen and screen that made us feel really close. Therefore, a beautiful human group was born.  In addition, the educational method fascinated me, very dynamic and interactive, always giving rise to dialogue and constructive debate.

My name is Aikaterini and I’m from Greece. I study German Philology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. I came to Germany to improve my German language skills and to learn more about the culture, people and mentality of the country. The „Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen“ really helped me to overcome my fear of the language and to be more confident. Our tutor Maya Wächter teached us in a very creative and interactive way and gave useful information on the everyday language in Germany. She really changed my views on online classes. Maya and the ISCO Team love their work and everything was well organized. That’s why I definitely can recommend the course!

My name is Julie and I am from Bordeaux in France. I took part in the „Deutsch(land)kurs Willkommen“ because I wanted to be well prepared for the courses at the University of Potsdam. I'm very happy that I chose this course because I was able to study the German grammar as well as the culture. Moreover we were only ten students so I was also able to participate actively in the class and practice my speaking skills. Although the situation was a bit complicated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we still had the chance to go on city tours in Berlin and Potsdam in small groups. Thank you for the two great weeks ! 

„I didn't know what to expect when I decided to apply for the summer school "Debating Data: Problems and Perspectives of Digitalization" in Potsdam but it turned out to be an amazing experience! I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the learning objectives that we were supposed to cover in a week.

I am extremely thankful to Potsdam University for such a warm welcoming and notable generosity during our staying in Germany. It was a wonderful opportunity for me as a student to experience academic life abroad and get acquainted with new interesting people."

"I study business sciences and German as second foreign language at the Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. This August, I took part in the "International Summer Academy Sans Souci“. While staying in Potsdam, I had the chance to visit the DDR Museum, stroll along the former Berlin Wall and go to the Stasi Museum. I had always wanted to visit these fascinating, historic places."

“I am happy to be the participant of the summer school.  I brought with me my dataset, a great amount of questions, suggestions and hesitations - I  left with received answers, plenty of new ideas and full of energy to finish my PhD thesis!

I am very grateful to Christiane, Michael, Detlef and Barry (founders and team members of the summer course “Trends in infant and child growth” 2018). It was a great pleasure to communicate with true experts from early morning till dark night.”

"The Internationale Sommerakademie Sans Souci | ISAS was so great. Everyone was helpful and friendly and thanks to the staff it never get's boring! German classes, leisure time events and culture happenings were plentyful and so diverse that I fell in love with Potsdam."