A month in Heidelberg with Americans Past Review
By A student (University of California - Los Angeles / UCLA) - abroad from 06/30/2016 to 07/29/2016 with
European Study Center: Heidelberg - Summer Program in the EU
It was worthwhile because my number one goal was learning German, and I think I did improve a lot in that respect
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
History class was very educational and professor Bleifuss was excellent |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Could be much better organized with the language school...I know that the dates might not always be flexible but if the students taking the language classes had come one week earlier, they would have been able to better learn German because the schedule of the language school would have lined up better. I know it was hard to control, but having the classes late in the day was annoying so if they could be earlier that would be great. Field trips were relatively well organized, but I think there could have been a better selection by checking with the students at the beginning of the program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Love my room! |
| * Food: |
BBQ was ok |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was hard to integrate with the locals when traveling with a lot of americans. Maybe another cultural program with the Heidelberg university students would be helpful. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It's hard to know before you go if the program will be right for you....I was hoping to meet more German students, but I had a great time |
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) |
Outside trips are expensive |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200 |
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 |
I couldn't speak german with the other american students |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Completed A1+, enrolled in A2 |
| 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? | Use it when ordering food and as much as possible |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | How the language school operates, that it's in the same building, etc |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
History 3340: German history in a European Context |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Bleifuss |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Teacher very knowledgable, exams and term paper were fair |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
