Diverse Community, Invaluable Prespectives Past Review

By Monique Montoute (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/25/2016 to 12/23/2016 with

Constructor University: Bremen - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned to have an appreciation for people that I never thought I would talk to. The Jacobs community consists of so many different people; I appreciated not only getting have meaningful conversations with the local students, but also other exchange students. Having various conversations with people of differing view points due to cultural upbringing really enlightened my view of certain issues in the world today.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Loved the living arrangement. I had a suite-mate, where we shared a bathroom only between the two of us, but we each had ur own room. Very modern style and comfortable. The dorm community itself was also wonderful!
* Food:	Food stared off good, but became redundant and sometimes not as tasty. However, there many options and adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I feel like I socially integrated very well. It was self-initiated. It was easy to stay among the exchange students, so I had to step out of my comfort zone and talk to other students. As for cultural integration, the Jacobs environment did not help too much with that because of it being an English speaking campus.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I had a very great experience at Jacobs. It was a nice break from the college environment I had come from and I made a lot of meaningful relationships. It was neat to meet people from all corners of the earth.

Finances

* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	About 10 euros or less on average. Really did not sped much outside of the meal plan. Most things were provided for.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Eat what you're given. Don't go splurge too often. Make decisions on where you want to go or buy and do not be [always] impulsive.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	English speaking University. I wish more people wanted to speak German on campus.
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?	Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	A2.2
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?	Wellesley offered an opportunity to go to the Goethe Institute for a month prior to the Jacobs program. This was honestly the best thing I could have participated in to learn German. Having this strong solid foundation of beginner level German made up for the fact that the University did not press on it too much.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The living/dorm community Wellesley Course/ Professor Transferable Credits for Neuroscience Science Major
* What could be improved?	Better communication regarding courses beforehand Communication about when courses start; more proactivity from the professors in the beginning. Official date when grades are released. Grades released all at once.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I did not need to pack as much as I did because it gets pretty cold for majority of the semester. Thus, less variety of clothes required.

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 Linguist You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Biochemistry
Course Department:	Biochemistry
Instructor:	Dr. James Moyer
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Yes this course was very challenging but enjoyable. We had weekly homework assignments, 3 midterms, and a final exam. Homework graded for completion only. Participated about the same amount as I do back at my home university because it was a course from my home university.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No. This was a Wellesley course, taught by a professor from my home university. It counted as though I was at my home university itself.

Course Name/Rating:	German A2.2 (1) - Group B
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Carsten Tiel
Instruction Language:	German
Comments:	A lot of outside practice required. The class period does not help too much when it comes to exams. Be proactive and ask questions, as the professor was not always the most constructive.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Yes, my university only takes a minimum amount of course credits to transfer, and this course fell under that minimum. Therefore, I had to ask my proffessorat the beginning of the course for additional credit, through extra assignments and what not. He agreed but I had to ask for additional assignments, and he gave me little things to do here and there. However, I am not sure if I am actually getting the additional credit, so it may not count.

Course Name/Rating:	Clinical PreMed Course
Course Department:
Instructor:	Dr. Sibille Tröster
Instruction Language:	English/German
Comments:	This Clinical experience was conducted very well and was a fantastic opportunity to see what is like to actually work in a medical environment. Only two question/answer assignments required in order to learn about the Kidneys and Dialysis. About five days in the semester, we left campus at about 6:30 am and went to the clinic until 3pm. We had to miss class, but the clinic visits were spread out reasonably. We were responsible for notifying our professors and then getting official confirmation. It was suggested and better if you have some German language background, as the patients and nurses spoke German. However no prior German instruction was okay too since we also took German at Jacobs simultaneously,
Credit Transfer Issues:	No this course was combined with European Healthcare and Welfare Systems.

Course Name/Rating:	European Healthcare and Welfare Systems
Course Department:
Instructor:	Dr. Franziska Deutsch; Dr. Antonia Gohr
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was not too demanding. Each student was required to present for the duration of an entire lecture based off of readings that had been assigned. The readings were sometimes dense, but they were not too essential to read before the class period because the student presenting explained the main points. Th ere were two amazing trips incorporated into the course in which we went to Berlin and visited the Charite Hospital and Medical Museum, as well as the Body Worlds Exhibit, and the Bundestag. We also went to Geneva and had private interviews with employees at the World Health Organization, a tour at the United Nations Palace of Nations, and CERN.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No. I however combined this with a clinical internship in order to get a larger credit to transfer. My home university had a minimum credit value in order for a course to transfer. Students also had the opportunity to combine this Health Care course with a research opportunity rather than a clinical one.

Course Name/Rating:	Looking at Art: Introduction to Bremen Museums and Art Collections
Course Department:	Humanities
Instructor:	Isabelle Wünsche
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	No, this class was not challenging at all. We did not have any homework. Only two presentations of a piece of artwork in the galleries we visited. Most class periods were spent visiting Art galleries or cathedrals, or even private collections and local artists themselves. It was a really neat and intimate way to learn about art.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Learning and Memory
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Elena Tsankova
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course material was interesting, but the course itself was not too demanding. The most difficult portion of the course would have to be the quizzes, as they were only four questions long, and partial credit for multi-answer multiple choice was not given. The quizzes followed textbook readings that had been assigned. Sometimes it was difficult to do all of the readings thoroughly enough to answer the questions in the quizzes, but other than that, the workload was light. The teacher was temporarily taking over the course from a previous Professor, she was interested in the material, but the delivery was not very interesting. Although we did not have any field trips or cultural applications, the diverse presence of students from different countries provided multi-faceted perspective. I participated most of the time in class, about the same amount as I would back at my home university.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No, I did not have any issues transferring credit. Be sure to seek out the syllabus and details of the course well in advance, find a course that it compares to at your home university and present the abroad course to your home university alongside the home university course.