A good, but very disorganized, experience December 12, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Compared to the classes at my university back home, the classes here were not very rigorous. For example, only half of my classes assigned readings and those readings were usually not due every week. Grades here are usually only based on finals, meaning that as long as you pace yourself you should be fine. This also means that if you need to miss class your grade will not be affected unless the specific class you're taking has weekly graded presentations, exams, or assignments.

On-site administration of your program

The international office here seemed very disorganized. I did not find out if I got into the program until extremely late in the Spring (I would not have been able to apply to any backup programs had I not been accepted). Very few materials were shared with me and the other international students before we arrived: we had no idea where we would be living or what orientation would look like until we arrived on campus. I am also fairly certain I was told I would be assigned to a host family in the area which never happened. There were further organizational issues throughout the semester as well. There was a situation where the cards we use in the dining halls did not work for any exchange students for about two weeks. I was fortunate that my card was fixed within the month, but some exchange students' cards did not work for up to a month and a half. We were able to buy food using "meal vouchers," however the amount of food we could buy using these vouchers was very limited. There was also a miscommunication about how what one of the exchange student excursions cost. We did not find out how much we would have to pay until two days before the trip. I was never sent an email with the official cost before the trip and only found out how much it cost from another exchange student. Some exchange students were unable to afford the trip and ended up not attending. These students were told that they would still be charged for the trip since everything was booked. In addition, the internet access on campus is extremely unreliable. One of my courses was online and I always had to use a cellular data hotspot to attend class. There are some days where it works fine, many days where it works poorly, and some days where it does not work at all.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a single room and shared a bathroom with one other person. There was a communal kitchen on the floor. I also had a dining hall in my dorm building. My one issue with housing was that other residents were often acting disruptive (i.e., running and screaming through the hallways, banging on peoples' doors) without facing any consequences. Also there were a few times where the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night due to people smoking in the dorm.

The food in the dining halls is bland, but there are a variety of options. Usually there are healthy options for sides, like fruit and salad, available.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt decently integrated with local culture, but that was because I made an effort to connect with German culture. The campus can really feel like a bubble since courses are in English and it is a 20 minute trip from the city center by train. If you are interested in learning about German culture it is important that you take initiative to plan trips around Germany and go into the city center as often as possible.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any experiences with the healthcare here. There were no prevalent health issues in Germany at the time.

Bremen is generally a safe city. With that said, during any sort of festival (like Freimarkt) and on days with football/soccer games you need to be a bit more vigilant. During these times I had a few bad interactions with strangers where they either yelled at me unprovoked or grabbed me. If you choose to go to city center during these times I highly recommend going with a friend and staying alert. I did not attend any bars near campus, but I did hear that they are not always the most safe for women, so make sure to be careful if you go to any of those.

My favorite parts of my time abroad were the trips I took. Therefore, I feel like the vast majority of my good experiences would have happened irrespectively of the program I chose. I found this exchange program to be very disorganized which caused a lot of stress. I would have had a better time if I was in a different program.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

If you are just living on campus it is very easy to live on a budget. If you are traveling more, you will spend a fair amount of money on food and hotels.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students
• International Students

• International university
• Living arrangement
• Exchange student courses

• Organization of the international office
• Connections to local culture
• Communication with students