Berlin: Indulge your inner Romantic Past Review
By Blake W (Mathematics, Harvard University) for
Goethe Institute: Berlin - German Courses
Hell Yes
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The course was fairly easy and there was really very little work outside of the course; the instruction was clear and we had plenty of time to practice during the Day. I think this was an ingenious decision, as most of the learning was done through the culture programs and spending time in the city |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great teacher, pretty solid instruction in courses and an awesome culture program were great. Class sizes were about 12 and I always felt like there was enough individual time, but the textbooks used were atrocious and better used for toilet paper. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was very adequate, nothing more, nothing less. I spent a lot of time not there, which is good. |
| * Food: |
The Turkish/arabic food is great and cheap. Enjoy the comparatively low cost, delicious bakery treats like Brie-cheese sandwiches. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I went and heard Beethoven's 9th Symphony performed at the Waldbuehne, Schubert's Winterreise, a couple of Plays (though neither was that special, they were fun nights), and perhaps best of all, I went on many a long nights walk through the city, stopping to listen to outdoor, free performances of wonderful Music (A new thing in Berlin which I DEEPLY approve of) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Perfectly safe by any standard. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Quite a bit. Around $100 Euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food costs a lot of money. Be prepared. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate German |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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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? | Don't worry about the work, it's not the point and it's easy. I think the student who gets the most of out this kind of experience, is the student who does well with only a moderately challenging curriculum and excited by the prospect of being alone in a foreign place, enjoys simply walking about and riding the night through this beautiful city. Learn the language through people, the coursework is just a way of giving you the framework to expand |
