Normal life and responsibilities refreshingly on hold. Past Review
By A student (International Relations and Affairs., William Jewell College) - abroad from 09/05/2012 to 12/21/2012 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union
More than can be written in this text box. It was totally worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
living with Germans/other internationals of relatively the same age was actually amazing. |
| * Food: |
well, I just mainly cooked rice/pasta and had sausage for most of the meals, so it wasn't all that extravagant |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't need any attention, but the people in the program who did, seemed like they were quickly taken care of |
| * Safety: |
not once during my stay did I feel unsafe in my host city. |
| 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) |
It really depended on how you did it. The Member States trips easily got quite expensive, however. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | >50 Euros, which was much less than a lot of the group. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat at home. Don't go to the bakery every morning; it could get very expensive. |
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 |
There were classes, but all the program people and professors spoke in English |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| 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? | Listen. Also, try focusing on being able to say things correctly. At least the Germans, at least, appreciate that you try to say things correctly more than knowing tons of vocab. Also, they'll usually be pretty open to working with you, if you show that you're trying. |
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? |
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? | I have no idea, really. Everything that I didn't know which I learned would have made my whole experience worse if I really knew them before I left, |
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! |
