Recognizing your Strengths Past Review
By A student (Economics, German, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/02/2015 to 12/19/2015 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union
I realized that I am a lot stronger than I thought, and I have a lot to be confident about. I learned that I can be independent, and if all fails, I have a future in baking cookies (which were my comfort food of choice). It was 100% worthwhile, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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. |
It felt a bit unorganized, but the courses and professors were great. |
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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? |
a large variety of living arrangement options - they were extremely different experiences based on what dorm complex you lived in |
| * Food: |
cooked for myself |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had an easier time than a lot of other students because I already knew German |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
very safe city - we did have safety procedures that came in handy during the Paris attack and demonstrations that took place around the cities we visited |
| 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) |
Freiburg is very cheap (and Germany in general) because food is subsidized by taxes. Additionally, Freiburg is an university city so there are plenty of cheap food options. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 normally... I also took personal trips that cost a lot more |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save in advance so you can enjoy your time. Open borders and an abundance of public transportation make travel easy, and if you have enough saved, you can enjoy affordable world travel. |
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 |
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| 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? | German 239 |
| 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? | I lived in a suite and spoke German with my suitemates. Not a lot of people did that, and so they barely used the skills they learned. Almost all Germans speak English, and you can get away speaking only English if you want. It is what you make of it. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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 wish I knew how short it was going to be. I feel like I never left and yet had an entire life in four months. I wish someone told me that you will have a hard time transitioning back, even if you think you will be fine. I was never homesick, and I never had a huge culture shock, but I definitely had reverse culture shock. It was hard to come back and realize that you were only gone for 4 months but things have still changed. |
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! |
