The choice was Mainz: Accountability in Academia and Thriving Alone Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I felt like I was constantly challenged and that there were a great deal of resources that were made available to us, and I certainly learned more in this semester than I ever could have predicted. That being said, many of the most valuable experiences I was personally able to take part in weren't part of the program.

On-site administration of your program

The support and direction we were given and offered was extremely helpful.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I found it actually tastier and more economical to cook for myself in Germany. The food in the cafeteria at JoGU was pretty standard cafeteria fare that I avoided if I possibly could.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I challenged myself to put myself out there and ended up meeting a fair number of absolutely wonderful people— the groups with whom I became involved with, whether through a running club I joined or through classes, were part of the reason why I chose to spend a second semester in Mainz.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The heathcare was excellent, especially from the perspective of someone with a chronic disease. I found that the doctor's were much more willing to consider my point of view on my condition and seemed to have my best interests at heart—for example, even recommending another practice that was more conveniently located. There were no prevalent health issues in Germany that I was made aware of, and I didn't require any specific vaccines to participate.

Mainz feels extremely safe, rarely did I see even a disagreement in public. The most dangerous aspect would probably be the traffic—buses don't stop for jaywalkers, and other drivers aren't expecting people to cross the road when the light isn't giving pedestrians a green light.

Mainz felt like the perfect city to make the mistakes intrinsic to a first semester abroad, and the diversity of experiences I had allowed me to envision so many different futures for myself that I can't be anything but excited when I think about the possibility of returning.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Relatively easy. I worried about money frequently, especially when going out to eat, to a bar for a drink or attending a party with other students. However, for the most part it was manageable and surprisingly economical, even cooking so frequently for myself.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We were under the language pledge, which of course makes the language component mandatory. That being said, I felt like even without the pledge, the general atmosphere of the program was one of encouragement to relax into the language and use it at every possible opportunity, without getting stressed if we had trouble articulating something.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans

• Small size + accompanying camaraderie
• Location
• Kaffeestunden

• More clarification on finding specific classes according to particular interests
• More general language help