so much fun, the best experience, but wish I had been able to integrate more Past Review
By Sudie S (Child Development and Psychology, Tufts University) - abroad from 01/11/2012 to 05/18/2013 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
it was 1000% worthwhile, I learned that you have to take advantage of your surroundings and that it's a once in a lifetime experience
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I rated it 4 for resources...the faculty in Vienna really use the city and all of its cultural resources to supplement coursework, but I wouldn't say it was particularly rigorous or intense |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
the administrative staff members in Vienna were awesome-they are young, fun and eager to help |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was fairly satisfied: I lived in an apartment which was nice enough, but it had no living space except for the kitchen and there were often issues with the internet, which was frustrating |
| * Food: |
I'm not a huge fan of Austrian cuisine, but you can always find something you like and don't let that keep you away from Vienna! it is such an amazing city |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
not very integrated at all-this is one of my biggest regrets. The program was all American students, most of whom were in elementary levels of German so we didn't branch out much. The Austrians tended to be cold, so I did not have many Austrian friends or feel very involved in the local culture |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Vienna is supposed to be very safe and I rarely felt unsafe throughout my time there-just wouldn't go walking alone at night, common sense stuff, but no pick pockets! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Vienna is a very expensive city and if you want to travel at all it's hard to keep to a student's budget |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200-300 Euros on average probably |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | don't eat street food every day... |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
we were required to take German, but it was up to use how we used our German outside of the classroom |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | a german literature course |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | make local friends! agree to speak only in the language with your housemates one day a week |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | that you will be with only American students and that most of those students will be beginners in German |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
