Study Abroad in Freiburg: A Life Changing Experience Past Review
By A student (University of California - Irvine) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/18/2017 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union
I gained a lot of understanding for different institutions and a lot of did perspectives on different issues. Yes 10000%
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. |
I took some of the best courses of my academic career abroad they were very well taught and it was amazing to travel and go to the places we were learning about. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were amazing! They always answered my questions and they always had someone on call in case anyone of us needed anything at any time. When on excursions we had a program admin with us as well as an academic prof come and make sure we were good but also helped guide us through new cities/countries. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It's very dependent on who you get as flatmates, much like at home. Some places are cleaner and look nicer than others but that also depends on where you live and with who. |
| * Food: |
AMAZING FOOD!! They also have a lot of variety! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program itself doesn't do much for this because the program really excludes you from courses local students are taking but this can be fixed by just going out and doing some mingling on your own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never needed anything but they always emailed us about the accessibility and when new things happened like when the flu shot was available in case anyone was interested. |
| * Safety: |
Very safe city, it's easy to walk around and feel very comfortable. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It really reinforced why I love politics and why I am interested in international politics and it really helped me travel and learn more about the world. |
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) |
This is more a reflection on me than on the program and the city, I just really was in a "treat yo self" mentality while abroad. But that being said it is much cheaper to buy necessities there than it is in California the only time you may need more money is on excursions since you're eating out more and possibly going out more. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $175 - $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You don't need to "treat yo self" every day for 4 months. |
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? | Beginner |
| 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? | German 1A |
| 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? | Ask a lot of questions and it's okay to say "I don't understand" people will be nice and try to help you understand so you can do better. |
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? | That it's okay to be nervous and just take everyday at a time. |
