Challenging Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 03/22/2017 to 07/12/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Mainz
German skills, independence. Yes, but the hair-ripping stress wasnt.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My German skills improved a lot and I learned more than I expected in JoGu course. Tutoring from Middlebury was not nearly as helpful as it could have been and stressed me out more than it needed to. (i.e. I received the best grade on the final paper that I barely showed my tutor) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
JoGU was not bad at all. My professors were extremely friendly and for the most part I enjoyed the course work. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The room itself was great (kitchen, bathroom, etc.) I felt fairly isolated because the regular bus was always late or didnt show up at all, so I had to walk everywhere. I also got charged for black mold that was there when I arrived. |
| * Food: |
if this is about the dining hall food, it was fine |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt very comfortable. German people are awesome. They werent rude when I didnt understand something or wasnt clear. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
Safe |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I'd rather just go to Germany and travel around and speak German, than do it through Middlebury. |
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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Aldi is cheaper than Rewe, but Rewe has fresher ingredients |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Used German except for the final week and when family/friends visited |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 350 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Dont speak english unless you need to |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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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? | dont know |
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 LinguistYou 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: |
GRMN 2409 |
| Course Department: | German |
| Instructor: | Anna |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | This was literally the bane of my abroad experience. Frankly, I rarely get stressed over grades and courses, but in this case I was convinced I was going to fail all of my classes because my tutor told me my writing was bad. Either I was entirely unprepared or the expectations (at least what I thought they were) were way too high for my level of German, but I was certain I would walk away from Germany with a gpa crushing series of grades. I never travelled because I was concerned that I wouldnt have enough time to put the work in necessary to receive a decent notes on my assignments and papers and it made me depressed and lonely. The most ironic thing is that I got the best grade on the paper I spent the least amount of time on and never let my tutor read!!! I wasted so much emotional energy concerned that my german wasnt adequate and it made me so self-conscious that I shut myself down. I guess it was a learning experience for my mental health, but unfortunately it was detrimental to the fun one should have while abroad. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
