Germany: Made International Friendships and Great Memories Past Review
By Matthew M (Marketing., St. Cloud State University) for
Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences: Ingolstadt - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained an understanding of people from different countries. It helped being able to communicate with people who know very little english. It gave me an international perspective and a passion for traveling. I want to be more involved internationally and continue to travel to meet up with my friends I have made from around the world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The work load was minimal. The grading system was different because you were graded on one final exam. Professors were hardly available outside of class. I enjoyed the smaller class sizes. They updated their criteria to make it relevant, which I really enjoyed. They encouraged a lot more conversation within class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Orientation was alright, but didn't really inform us of the different countries people were studying from and how we could learn from them. The primary focus was on germany. Some of the games were helpful but others were pretty elementary for a college level group. It is probably difficult to meet everyone's standards when there is a room full of international students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We had a great location right in the heart of the downtown area. We could get to class easily and everything was within walking distance. I lived with people from Spain, India, Chin and the US. My roommates were awesome it was great getting to know people from these different countries. We would have cooking nights where someone from a different country would cook their food everyone. I definitely recommend living with other international students. |
| * Food: |
Compared to the American buffet style of on campus eating, they had less options. They had a few choices each day that were actually pretty good. The food was affordable and you usually got enough to eat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The events I listed above, german festivals, meeting the other students and getting together on mondays to hang out and talk about the weekend. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was quite safe. Our healthcare was covered while in Germany. Other students had to pay an additional cost |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | More than I expected |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are additional costs for the campus as well as for our student visa. Reservations for trains cost money even if you have a rail pass. ATM fees are a problem so transfer your money to a german bank or one with low fees. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intro to German |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most of the Germans wanted to practice their english, so using german didn't happen very often. I took one german language course and tried to improve. Most of the internationals practiced using german, because we spoke it on the basic level. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Things are not going to be the same as your home country. Put yourself out there and be willing to try something different every day. Meet your professors, travel endlessly, be genuine in getting to know international students and try all the beer and food. |
