Vienna; Modern Life from the perspective of a Different Time Past Review
By Chris18 (Austin College) for
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Of course! Language improvement. Made many international friends. Learned many interesting things about central Europe and European culture. Had an opportunity to see the real differences between cultures. Taught me that many more things exist in the world than I could/have actually imagined.
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 |
Strengths: Flexibility Staff friendliness and helpfulness Program location Travel trips German language focus Current and specialized course offerings Weaknesses: Living arrangements Cultural integration programs Relationship with local university |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very satisfied with the cleanliness and location of my housing assignment, but my roommates spoke no German at all and it proved to be a dramatic barrier to my adaptation of regular use of the language. |
| * Food: |
Practice cooking local dishes! My landlord gave me some great recipes while I was there to try out. Also the Bier and Wurst were great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
GREAT SCHOOL SPONSORED TRIPS! The ones I went on took me to Berlin, Wachau and the Austrian Alps. Surprisingly focused on cultural understanding and interaction. Plenty of free time, not expensive. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Vienna is an extremely safe city, nothing else to be said. The school provided a card with general emergency information/a meeting point in case of a disaster. I never got sick, but there were doctors around the corner from the school that had contracts with the center and were available 24/7 for any kind of need whatsoever. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with my classmates, the faculty and the residents of Vienna. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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