Best 4 Months of My Life in Freiburg Past Review
By Tess Cartin (Santa Clara University) - abroad from 08/22/2016 to 12/19/2016 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union
I gained an invaluable experience while abroad that left me with the greatest memories of my life. It was absolutely worthwhile and, although I was hesitant and nervous to go at first, I cannot imagine not going now. I also gained a more globalized worldview, and learned that Europe and the rest of the world are very invested in the United States, something I did not realize beforehand.
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 |
The administration made a huge difference and made me feel more at ease as someone who had never been out of the United States before. The staff feels like a family while you are far away from home. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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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 cut my hand and needed stitches. The staff at the emergency were very helpful and spoke English. An IES staff member made an appointment for me to get my stitches removed, and purposely chose a doctor for me that spoke English. This was incredibly helpful. The healthcare system was very similar to that in the United States, and did not cost very much money thankfully. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program was perfect for me. I had never travelled outside the United States before, so the structured program that helps you acclimate to Freiburg is exactly what I needed. Also the travel included in the program made it possible for me to see a lot of countries! |
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? | I spent around 20 euros on food per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Freiburg is a predominantly cash-only city, so taking out large amounts of money at a time from ATMs will cut down on ATM withdrawal fees, which started adding up for me. Aldi is also a great supermarket with very inexpensive food. |
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 |
The center staff enacted "German Tuesdays" where they would speak to us only in German. |
| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | 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? | I wish I knew that Freiburg is predominantly cash-only, so that I could've brought more cash over ahead of time. This would have saved money in ATM withdrawal fees. |
