Brianna Nickel, Fredrick First: Bioscience Breakthroughs in Berlin, Summer 2026
One of the biggest pieces of advice I have for students studying abroad is keeping an open mind. Doing the Bioscience Breakthroughs in Berlin was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I was able to meet so many incredible people and travel somewhere that I would not have been able to otherwise. When applying to the program, I was nervous I wasn’t going to know anyone going and this seemed like a scary thing to go into alone. When I started talking about it with other people, I found out a girl in my class was also thinking about applying. We decided that we would both apply and if we both got in we would room together. Although, I was nervous because me and her were not that close and I had never hung out with her outside of class, she is one of the reasons I had so much fun. I will never forget the time we stayed up so late talking and exploring that we ended up being able to see the sun rise from our hotel window.
Another piece of advice I have is to go explore and try not to focus on having too much of a plan. I have always been someone who likes to think ahead and has a very hard time going with the flow. Looking back on my experience, I have noticed that some of my favorite things that we did were not in my plan at all. One of the most memorable experiences was exploring the East Side gallery and spending the day on the East side of the city. Not having a plan allowed us to explore it fully, try a lot of different food, and walk the largest portion that is left of the Berlin Wall.
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