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I’ve been able to develop a stronger sense of confidence in myself, and I’ve been able to truly work towards becoming the kind of person I’d like to be.
Simran Pandey, Duke in Berlin (Fall 2025)
How have your skills or knowledge changed after doing Duke in Berlin?
Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity, but it’s also a constant challenge. From adjusting to a new city to learning a new language, there are so many things to constantly learn and re-learn. Duke in Berlin also really emphasizes independence, so I found myself in situations where I had to rely completely on myself to navigate novel situations.
Because of this, I’ve been able to develop a stronger sense of confidence in myself, and I’ve been able to truly work towards becoming the kind of person I’d like to be. I’ve learned a lot of technical skills, like how to find the cheapest flight or how to navigate different systems of public transport or how to cook new recipes with limited instructions, but I’ve also gained a lot of soft skills. I've learned how to quickly problem-solve, how to communicate with people across different languages, and, above all, how to constantly adapt to new environments and go with the flow spontaneously.
I’ve also gained a lot of knowledge about Berlin from the program. Living in the country that you’re studying makes the learning experience so much more impactful–it’s nothing like the education I would have gained through just a textbook. The program also incentivized hands-on learning, especially through our Art History class, which had weekly excursions to different buildings, museums, and neighborhoods in Berlin. One of my favorite projects we had included each of us being assigned to a different German artist or museum and teaching the class about it, because the interactive nature of the project made the learning experience all the more fun. What I learned through the classes in Berlin could not have been replicated elsewhere.
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What was your favorite excursion you went on?
My favorite excursion was definitely our weekend stay in Wittenburg and Leipzig, two German cities near Berlin. In Wittenburg (a UNESCO World Heritage site!), we explored the area surrounding Schlosskirche, or All Saints Church, which is where Martin Luther was believed to have nailed the 95 Theses in 1517. We were able to learn a lot about the role Germany had in the Protestant Reformation. In Leipzig (the workplace of Bach!), we explored the entire city and visited the Battle of the Nations Monument, learning about the significant history of Leipzig as a hub for culture and innovative thought.
The excursion sticks out to me because, since it was so early on in the semester, it really allowed our cohort to bond as a group. From running up to the top of a church’s viewing point in Wittenburg to hiking the hundreds of stairs in the Battle of the Nations monument to listening to a boy’s choir do renditions of Bach’s best works in Leipzig, we were able to make so many fun memories and really grow our relationship as a cohort. Both Wittenburg and Leipzig were also incredibly different from Berlin, so they offered us the opportunity to understand the vastness of German culture.
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Where were your favorite places in Berlin?
Berlin is truly a city where something is always happening, so I always had room to explore more places in the city.
During the warmer months, one of my favorite places to go was Schlactensee, which is a beautiful lake around 20 minutes away from our classroom building. I went paddleboarding with my host mom and swimming with my friends multiple times at the lake, and there was a cute German restaurant next to the lake that we often ate at.
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In a similar vein, one of my favorite places to enjoy nature was Tiergarten, which is Berlin’s central park, since it was conveniently located around 15 minutes away from my homestay. Tiergarten has many different memorials within it, so it was also a cool place to learn.
One of my favorite cafes in Berlin was Minoa, which was quite the trek from both our classroom and my homestay, but it was always worth it. Minoa is a mix between a traditional cafe and a book store, with bookshelves lining every wall, which makes it a really unique and fun place to relax, read books, or do homework.
On the weekends, I really liked the Mauerpark Flohmarkt, which is one of the many vibrant fleamarkets in Berlin. It had a range of stalls in it, ranging from cool magnets and souvenirs to secondhand clothing and jewelry to different types of food. In my opinion, it also houses Berlin’s best vegan currywurst!
Of course, in the winter, you can’t miss Berlin’s Christmas markets, which bring an air of cheer and happiness during an otherwise very cold winter. One of my favorites was the one located at Rotes Rathaus, which features rides, authentic German food and snacks, wooden ornaments, and a Santa sleigh that soars through the sky every hour.
A former symbol of division and a current symbol of unity, the Brandenburg Tor
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Cohort in the train station!
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Duke in Berlin students sitting at the Battle of the Nations Monument in Leipzig, Germany.
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Interesting fact: this was the church where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses.
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On the streets in front of a Kunsthandlung (a German term for an art shop)
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What was your favorite class activity?
A class activity that stood out to me during the program was a bridge-building competition we had in our Art History class. In Art History, we spent a lot of time learning about Bauhaus, which is a revolutionary German art school that shaped the way German architects and artists approached modern art, architecture, and design. It was intended to unite art and technology to remove the hierarchy between the different forms of art. Some of its key ideas include emphasizing functionality over form, prioritizing simplicity, and highlighting geometry in art. We learned about Bauhaus by visiting different monuments across Berlin.
Our Art History professor decided to help us learn about Bauhaus through a hands-on activity where we, in small groups, had to design functional bridges that could hold a bar of chocolate out of only two sheets of paper. All of a sudden, all of us in class were transported to an elementary school-esque frenzy of creativity, with each of us folding and cutting the paper into different shapes and sizes to create this bridge. We were laughing and smiling the entire time, but, above all, we were actually conceptualizing something we had been learning about in class, which is why the activity was so special. Even though my group was the only group to fail at building a functional bridge, we still had plenty of fun and were all rewarded with bars of chocolate afterwards.
Oftentimes in college classes, we aren’t given the room to be completely creative. This activity changed that, providing us the opportunity to create something new using what we had learned. That’s what makes it an activity that all of us will always remember.
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How will Duke in Berlin affect your plans after graduation?
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Everything I experienced in the program has shaped how I plan to approach my career and post-graduation plans in the future. At Duke, I sometimes feel like there is a certain pathways that people expect you to follow, but, from all the people I spoke to while abroad, I learned about all of the other ways you can approach your career after graduation.
Now, I definitely plan on coming back abroad upon graduation, potentially back to Germany. I’ve been looking into English-teaching programs in different parts of Europe and Asia, which ties into my passion for language learning and development, as a way to continue to grow and explore in a different environment. I’m even considering applying to graduate programs abroad, which is something that I had not even thought about before.
I’ve also been able to understand how much I value the ability to travel and explore the world at a young age, so I know that my post-grad plans will incorporate some sort of experiences that highlight cultural and global exploration. This program will help me approach these new opportunities with an open mind, a stronger skillset, and a genuine drive and curiosity to learn.