Mediocre Experience- Great personal experience, frustrating host school Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/06/2017 to 12/23/2017 with
Jacobs University: Bremen - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained exposure to European culture, however mostly anything gained was from my personal endeavors and not what the program had to offer. I will say I did enjoy the European Healthcare course though and it’s excursions.
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. |
The Wellesley course was 5 stars but the rest of the courses at Jacobs University were not challenging or academically up to par with the education we are expecting. The professors there were very difficult to reach when needed and didn’t seem to care about the students at all. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was an international school so not much integration |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
Being in Europe was great, was able to travel a lot on my own/ with friends especially since Germany is pretty centrally located. The host school, Jacobs University however was lacking in resources, academic rigor, edible food, etc. I’m sure if Wellesley partnered with a different german university it would have been a much better experience. |
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? | $250 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Dont go the month early for the language intensive. Hardly used any of the german learned that month and went WAY over budget to pay for food every day. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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 I should have picked a different program (I liked studying abroad but had I chosen any other program I’m sure I would have had a much better experience). |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
