Fun! Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/13/2016 to 07/26/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Berlin

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to live on my own in a foreign country and I think that that is a very valuable experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found the academic rigor to be very high because we had to write four 8 page papers in german each semester for each course. I found this to be very challenging and additionally the timing of these papers' deadlines was difficult to respect. We were enrolled directly as students of the Freie University but our paper deadlines were over 3 months before the deadline for german students. This meant we had to pick a topic for the papers during the first weeks of the semester before you have had time to explore different topics in class. I would have preferred a later deadline. I also found that writing four papers for each course was too much and I believe the quality of my papers would have been higher if I only had to write 2 or 3 instead of 4.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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 am not familiar with many other programs that offer similar experiences so I would chose it again because it is very academically rigorous.

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? Around 100 per week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? It might be useful to keep track on a monthly basis how much you are spending.

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? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? B1
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? I would recommend living with people who speak the language!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • I enjoyed the students who were part of the program with me
  • I liked the academic rigor
* What could be improved?
  • I think that the academic requirements need to be improved.
  • I also would have appreciated a program center in Berlin instead of skype meetings with tutors and director of the program in Mainz
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish that I had known how challenging the academics would be and also how independent you have to be especially in terms of finding housing during your first weeks.

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!