Best and Worst of Times In Germany Past Review
By Terri Sitton (Eastern Illinois University) - abroad from 03/03/2017 to 08/03/2017 with
Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg: Wurzburg - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Studying abroad was the most difficult thing I have ever done but I am so happy I did it. I learned how to navigate through unfamiliar areas without technology. I learned more about other cultures. I learned I'm incredibly independent and can handle more than I think. I also learned that travel in Europe is much cheaper, which makes me eager to go back. I missed a few things about the USA, but overall the experience was incredibly worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not very helpful or informative. Always felt like I had to go to multiple people when searching for an answer. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
A single apartment was small but quite nice. |
| * Food: |
I personally did not like much German food, but groceries was much high quality for a lower price. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Taking the bus and walking everywhere made me feel integrated with the local culture. Visiting local restaurants and bars also made me feel involved in Wuerzburg. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Germany, especially in Wuerzburg! Never felt unsafe walking home alone, even if it was three or four in the morning. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I truly felt like I did not receive much assistance from either of my universities and I felt unprepared. I felt alone and like I had nobody I could reach out to or ask questions about. I had issues with my residence permit, my living arrangements, money, studies, transcripts, and much more. Germany was certainly a culture shock for me and I am hoping to prepare other students for the potential shock that could happen to them as well. I thought I did enough research ahead of time, but I still felt unprepared. Germany was super great, but if I am being honest I had more fun traveling to different countries every few weekends. |
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) |
Groceries were quite cheap in Germany. My rent was taken out monthly and utilities were included. I walked and took public transportation everywhere. I took a taxi twice during my whole program and took trains for a few trips. I mostly used the coach bus service, Flixbus when it came to traveling long distances. Flixbus was cheap and cost effective. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably less than $100 if I wasn't traveling |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Come over with more than enough money saved and prepare for unforeseen circumstances. I had no idea that I would be forced to set aside a significant sum of money due to Germany's residency guidelines. That had an incredibly negative impact on my experience because I felt like I couldn't go out or travel as much as I wanted to. |
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 |
|
| 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 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | DuoLingo was a great help before I left. Be prepared that many people will want to speak English with you. I had no German friends, but many friends from Finland, Columbia, Norway, Spain, Poland, and other countries. So we mostly spoke English together and I only used German when I was asking for directions or assistance at a shop. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had known more about Germany's customs and cultural practices. That would've made a huge difference. I wish I had known that the grocery stores had small selections and that I would need to go to two or three stores in order to get everything I needed. I also wish I knew that not *everybody* spoke English in Germany. Many, many, many people told me this but it was not true in Wuerzburg. It was a good bet that anybody between the ages of 14 and 30 spoke English, but it was not always true. Knowing how to speak more German would've been helpful. |
