4-week Preparation for TestDaF

I planned on visiting Munich for a month I’m December of 2022 and wanted to refresh my basic German. CDC turned out to be a great fit for the three weeks I registered for. Friendly staff and Ursula was an exceptional teacher. I’m looking forward to repeating this experience again.

die Schule ist gut, die Lehrer wollen den Schülern alles beibringen, was sie selbst wissen. Viel interaktiv, alles sehr freundlich und reaktionsschnell. Und die Aktivität dreimal pro Woche ließ sich nach der Schule nicht langweilen

I took an online class due to the corona situation in Munich, Germany. I had a fear of speaking in German before class, but I became confident after 11 weeks of CDC class.

The teacher took care of all the students so that they could participate in the class, and conducted the class in a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere.

I'll recommend it to everyone around me who wants to take a German lecture.

But for the location from my family house, (which was too long, and for the accommodation (the family hostess was an elderly woman and did not cook very nice, and the mattress was too hard), The school and the teachers were perfect to me.

The teachers are really great and also the approach of the director was extremely warm and welcome. The facility itself would need some repairing but it was not an issue regarding the teaching methods.

I was only 3 weeks in CDC and in general it was nice.
But I would like to give some constructive criticisms about the classes/teachers and Housings

The teachers should find a better method to make the classes more fun
The housing should be modernized.

Es wäre toll!
Wonderful journey and good teachers!

Wonderful 4 weeks of learning German passed very quickly. The school employs sympathetic staff and good teachers! Location is also pleasant, not far from the center.

I lived in a German family and was happy! I got a most pleasant woman, who treated me very, very carefully!

I'm going to summarize my review for Carl Duisberg Centrum München which are positive and suggestions for improvement. Don't worry, my time with CDC was great but there are always improvements that can be made. So lets get started!

The positive part:
My time at CDC was really good for my German. I had a blast learning and the teachers were really good. Also the supporting staff was excellent. Always friendly and always ready to help. The location of the CDC was also really good. We were close to the city center and in walking distance to the Olympia Park. Also the activities that CDC made available were really diverse and nice. I would recommend to coming to München, especially in the summer. Life in the different city parks is really nice.

The improvement part:
Just like I said there is always space for improvement and how nice things were with CDC. There were also somethings that were annoying starting with housing. The building is really old and you can notice this with certain things. For instance, in some rooms there was a weird smell of what I think was mold. Also somethings were broken like the holds of were you hang the shower head.

The other facilities like the washing machines were to expensive for my taste and I think we could have used the electronic learning equipment in the classes better. Also all the German movies that we could borrow were on DVD but the latest devices don't have a DVD player anymore.

There were many things wrong with this school .

1)Time
First of all, the classes never started on time. Mainly due to the students who does not arrive on time and sometimes the teachers.The problem wasn't that the student were arriving late (and were disturbing the class). It was that the teacher would only start the class properly once everyone has arrived. Which led the students who arrived on time being penalized .
We therefore had to wait for everyone to arrive before we could commence the lesson .
This therefore led to us being 2 chapters behind, and we ended up skipping them because there was not enough time left.

2)The break
Were always over 30mins. Sometimes even going up to 50mins . Again leading us to start late the lesson and falling behind on schedule.

3) Classes
I am a very disappointed on this matter. I was told there would not be more than 15 people per class. We were 18 in class!! This is completely outrageous considering they specifically quoted that they do not take more then 15 people per class. Numerous times I ended up having to share a single table with another person.There was not enough space in the classroom for everybody.
We therefore had to change classes numerous times. We changed classes 5 times.
And yet again we lost time, finding a new classroom, getting settled, going from one building to another. It was very chaotic and frustrating

4) Test
There was no real examination. We were just given a test but we already knew the question before hand. Therefore if you would like to test your knowledge it was practically impossible to do .

5) They say they have "extra-curricular" activities but in fact it is a misconception. As Monday is a tour of the city for the new arrivals . Then the other days of the week it is self-learning . Sometimes there was bowling or grammar tutoring classes. Yet again it was very badly organised.


Housing :

There was no more space in the guest house, so I had to go and live with a host family .
Problems : The host family lived 45 mins away from the school .
There was no shower, only a bath. If you were a tall person forget about it. It was practically impossible to use .

Guesthouse :
It is a very old building .
Kitchen facilities : No microwave, everything is out dated
It is outrageously expensive for what you get
Pros: It is in the same building as the classroom

In conclusion, I was extremely disappointed with this school. I payed a prime price expecting quality and professionalism. Instead I was met by an unorganized school which was outrageously expensive. I definitely do not recommend this school .

Straight to the point

Pros:
1. The school has a teacher named Anna-Maria. She is awesome!
2. Munich is such a lovely city, it has so many opportunities for your spare time.
3. Great classmates at different ages.
4. The school offers many activities for the students.
5. Friendly receptionists.
6. The headmaster (director) is very flexible with languages. As what I remember: she can speak 6 languages. Don't worry if you are bad at English, she can probably speak your mother-tongue.
7. Great weather compares to the Scandinavian weather.

Cons:
1. An arrogant worker in the main office.
2. Technology at the school needs to improve. (It's not bad, but can definitely improve)
3. The distance from the host family to the school is a bit too long. (45-50 minutes with U-Bahn)
4. Sometimes the school moves some classes to another building. It annoys many students, because it takes 15-20 minutes walk from the main building.

Möchtest du deine Sprachkenntnisse verbessern oder einen neue Sprache lernen?...in einer entspannte umgebung und gleichzeitig Freunde von viele Länder der Welt kennen lernen?...mit netten Lehrern und die beste Unterricht support technologie die heutzutage gibt?...dann musst du für Carl Duisberg Centren (CDC) Entscheiden!!! Für meine Master Politikwissenschaftstudium in Deutschland brauchte ich fortgeschritten Deutsche Sprachkenntniss, dieser habe in CDC München vorbereitet. Ohne zweifel Empfehle ich CDC für jeder der spaß und lernen kombinieren möchte

Igor, Russland, Summer 2013

Course: 3 weeks Intensive Plus.

Accommodation: Hotel CDC.

My story is not very original. It all started in the classroom of German language, when it was announced by the recruitment group that we wold have a three-week trip to Germany. Since I liked the German language, and I learned it not only in the university, the phrase "We must go," immediately came to mind. Describing each detail would be unnecessary - all the information is on the site center.

What we liked: The showers and toilets were always clean, and everything worked as it should; The ability to connect to the Wi-Fi free of charge; The way out of the room to the classroom only took two minutes; The school was just 4 tram stops from the city center.

Now the most important - the quality of education. I was identified in the group by storm level B2, and it was just what I needed. It was not too hard, but not easy. I am not exaggerating when I say that the level of acquired knowledge is the main reason that one must choose the CDC language courses in Germany. The load balancing was very competent, and the study was absolutely exhausting, while still maintaining high efficiency.

The teachers need to be given a separate mention. Before the trip, I had a whole bunch of fears about what classes would be held in German, I just did not understand. All these fears were in vain. Understanding and communicating with teachers were absolutely no problem.

The extracurricular activities were built as follows - every day after school, there was a tour or an activity. Everything was organized well, but nothing extraordinary. It was a good addition.

TValue for money - definitely worth it. Three weeks passed like three days, and left me with a strong desire to go back. It is desirable for all :D

Igor Gerasimov, 07/12/2013

/

Anna, Russland, Summer 2013

Since I can remember, I've always liked the German language. I studied it in school and university. I was not highly progressed, but I always thought that if you got into the language environment and talked, sooner or later you would learn.

Finally, I decided to go to Germany for language courses. I had chosen Carl Duisberg Centrum. It has a long history (since 1962) and an excellent reputation. On arrival, we were met by a welcoming woman who was warm to us, and she brought us to the destination.

What I most liked was the training. It took place intensively enough - the main thing was to get into a group with the right level, so there was nothing too hard or boring. The first week was a study: we were acquainted with the center, people, and teachers. I liked being in the library, where we had the opportunity to watch movies, do homework, have Internet access and had a large archive of tasks for independent work. There were also sympathetic people who are always ready to help you.

The second week was more tense. I moved into a new group for the next level. The learning process was very exciting; we had not only learned grammar, but we also played, which gave vivacity to the classes. The group was international, yet we spoke only in German!

I really liked that CDC organized a very cool free time. We had so many different, exciting activities and excursions! So many different people in one place! And we are all united with German. Thank you, CDC!

Anna Anufrieva, 07/12/2013

What an incredible standard of teaching, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I made friends and experiences to last a lifetime, and my passion for the German language grew so much that I'm now studying it at university! I would strongly recommend the immersion experience that the centre offers, providing a friendly environment for incredibly fast language improvement. CDC truly changed my life.

Meine Zeit beim CDC in München ist unvergesslich! Die Lehrer und Mitarbeiter des Kurses sowie des Gästehauses waren ehrlich besonders wichtig dafür. Wegen ihr habe ich mich entlang sieben Monate in einer angenehmen Atmosphere gefühlt. Dort hat man eine richtige zweite Familie im Ausland, was natürlich hilft, wenn Du für das erste Mal ziemlich weit von Deinen Eltern bist. Sonst war echt cool Deutsch mit Leute aus verschiedenen Ländern lernen; nun habe ich Freunde überall weltweit!

Teachers are friendly and approachable. I have learned a lot and wish that I could stay longer so that I could become fluent (I came in as a beginner).

I wish there were more activities that emphasized talking with Germans, or at least listening to Germans talk, but many of the tours were in English. It would be super helpful to have learn-studio fieldtrips that familiarized students with practical living in Germany, such as navigating the grocery store, public transport, restaurants, and banks.

The location of the school and guesthouse is wonderful. I love that I could easily explore the city on foot and leave my room in the guesthouse five minutes (or less!) before class starts. While the school facilities are fine, the housing is not particularly nice. The building is very old and the accommodation quite basic. For the most part, this did not bother me, except for the kitchen--not only did it smell bad, but I also felt kind if limited when all I could cook with is one pot.

There was one aspect of the housing that I thought was really bad. I am not sure that I feel very safe as a female sharing a hall with a bunch of guys. Sometimes, late at night, I hear lots of loud guys next door (sounds travel through the building quite easily). Reception is not there to intervene, and I am not about to try to confront several likely drunk guys at 2 in the morning.

The courses are well-designed and there is always something to do. The environment of the school is really nice; the teachers, and even the students help you with learning German.

Seit 7 Monate bin ich hier in München, im Carl Duisberg Centrum. Während dieser 7 Monate habe ich viele neue Jugendlichen kennengelernt und viele Gefühle entwickelt. Am Anfang dieser Erfahrung war ich wirklich besorgt, ich hatte keine Freunde hier, ich war allein. Wenn wir uns für eine neue Reise entscheiden, wissen wir, was wir vorlassen, aber wir habe keine Gewissheit was wir finden können. Was habe ich hier in Carl Duisberg gefunden? Eine zweite Familie! Leute die eine Geschichte haben, Leute die nicht immer alles von dem Leben gehabt haben. Jugendliche, die mit gehabt haben ihr Haus oder Heimat zu verlassen, ihre Koffer zu packen um sich auf Spiel setzen. Noch nie in mein Leben habe ich so gute und demütige Leute kennengelernt. Leute, die nicht ein leichtes Leben gehabt haben. Sie hatten immer mit Schwierigkeiten gekämpft und sie wissen die Bedeutung de Wortes "opferbereit". Was ich liebe auch? Die Umarmungen von dieser Freunden, unsere Zeit zusammen, das Lächeln und ihr aktives zuhören, wenn du Hilfe brauchst. Aber das kann nicht für das ganze Leben dauern. Ich habe gelernt, dass diese Leute hier kommen und die meisten müssen trotzdem wieder zurück nach Hause fahren. Das ist das Leben; es ist eine Reise, und eine Reise hat immer zwei Teile: die Anreise und die Rückreise. Was sicher ist, dass jeder mir etwas gelassen hat; ein Stück von seiner Persönlichkeit. Jetzt bin ich besser, weil ich die richtige Bedeutung von Feindschaft gelernt habe.

I was here from October until June, and it was like a 7-month holiday! Everyone was super nice. My level was quite bad at the beginning of October, but now I'm in C1! I would definitely recommend this school!

I spent only two weeks at the school. I can say that the professors know what they're doing and the atmosphere was friendly. Guest house wasn't that great, though. If I'd spend more time there, I would really like to live somewhere else.

The teachers are very pleasant and prepared, The location was very good, with options of good media, very simple and convenient, good extracurricular activities, school and good class. The host family was very good!
Thanks and see you soon.

The classes were good, and the teachers were always friendly and open. There were a lot of activities outside the class, and the facilities were good. However, just one week is too short of a time to actually have a complete idea about the school program or the quality of the teachers.

About the Centren

*It's an old building. The furniture is old; the bathrooms are old and not clean. Some places in the Centren smell bad.

*Internet. No internet!

*The laundry (I even took some pictures) is the most unclean place in the whole building. It's amazing the amount of spider webs and dirt all over the place. The machines are good but from the 70's and sometimes they take your coins and don't work. Some people even mentioned seeing rats down there.

*There are no recreational areas. I visited other schools while I was there, and the two I checked had some; so it's not something above average to have a small gym or something like that. One of them had a club/bar that was open during soccer games.

*The staff. I have nothing to complain about. They were really helpful and paid attention to everything. Really nice people!

*The teachers. I personally like every one of them, but the teaching methods and books are damn old!! I found a Brasilian guy who had been there and then moved to another school (DKFA). He said, "you are wasting your precious time my friend".

Still, I learned proportionally enough German for only 3 and half months.

The course with CDC was great, and the guest family was excellent! I really enjoyed my time in Munich and learned a lot! I really liked the methodology of CDC, the friendly environment and also the afternoon activities that also helped me learning in a different way. Also the family was really friendly and cared about me a lot, and the food was more than great. ;) Thank you for the great advice.