goethe institute summer program Past Review
By Maya R (Applied Math, Harvard University) for
Goethe Institute: Berlin - German Courses
i learned a lot about the german culture and berlin's history. i also met students from all over the world and made lasting friendships
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
the teaching was superb, and our teacher, Frau Breuer, managed to keep us interested for long hours and improve our german skills remarkably . |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
it was very organized and efficient. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
my host family was very accommodating |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
hanging out with friends from the program and exploring berlin together |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
don't drive the subway late at night even if there a lot of people around. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | plan for food and also toiletries ( these usually feel unexpected) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
most students in the program, though not american, spoke english which helped in the beginning stages of the course when we knew very little german. however, after a while we spoke for the most part in german. |
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? | if you have the opportunity DEFINITELY go to this program. make no mistake, you WILL have to study everyday, but overall the work-fun balance is very reasonable and your skills at the end of the program are ridiculously rewarding. it's also tons of fun :) |
