The Best of Times with the Vienna Program Past Review
By A student (History and Sociology, Providence College) - abroad from 01/18/2013 to 05/18/2013 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
In addition to taking five classes and an internship, I was able to travel to many places I'd been dreaming of visiting and I learned more from the children in my Austrian classroom than I could have done studying German in an American classroom.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
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? |
Depending on where you live, your housing can be more expensive based the desirability of your location so when you apply include what you expect to pay for housing. |
| * Food: |
Vienna has amazing restaurants, but most of the time I cooked for myself so it all depends on how you like your own cooking! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved discovering Vienna, by myself or with friends, but my lack of German prevented me from creating relationships with local students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did get the flu while I was abroad, and while I never needed to go to the hospital, the IES staff and RA's did everything to ensure I got better quickly. |
| * Safety: |
Being able to take the U-Bahn home at 3 a.m. by myself after hanging out in a friend's apartment when I cannot walk to the CVS in broad daylight by myself at PC proves how safe I felt in Vienna. |
| 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? | Studying abroad is great, so is traveling abroad. However, know your budget ahead of time and you may be able to add a few visits in if you hadn't spent your money in the first month. |
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? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N?A |
| 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? | Keep at 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?
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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 wish I could have worked out my classes to fulfill my major ahead of time so I could have stayed a year, I absolutely loved every second. |
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! |
