Past Review
By JoeMayo (Math, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Tübingen
I met so many people from so many different places that I'd never known anything about before. My German speaking skills increased hugely. I learned a lot about politics in Germany, and it was very interesting to see another way of doing things in government. Being able to drink legally was awesome, and the culture around alcohol in general was a lot more relaxed and cool. I am very happy that I went on this program.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The level of academics is similar to Tufts but with less involvement from the professors, more independent work on the part of the students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administrator, Ute Link, was very helpful in navigating both the German bureaucracy and the Tufts bureaucracy. She also made sure we had help when we needed it and we could talk to her if we felt like we were having trouble with the transition. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a dorm with suites, similar to Latin Way or Hillsides dorms at Tufts. The other residents were mainly international students from all over the world, with also a significant number of German students. The students ranged in age from 18 to around 30, although most were early- to mid-20's. <br /><br /> My dorm room was very large and the kitchen and balcony in the suite were nice. Location was a bit far from classes but the bus system is excellent so it was no problem. |
| * Food: |
I made dinner myself usually, and I'm not a great cook so that wasn't the best. Lunch I ate at any one of a ton of places near the academic buildings. There is a dining hall and it's very cheap but not great food; I ate there about once a week. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was a lot of fun. The pre-semester German course was a great place to make friends, and there are lots of fun places to go in town. It helps that the drinking age isn't 21. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I personally had no health issues. In the city I always felt safe, even at odd hours of the morning. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | Maybe 70 euros...depends how fun of a week it was. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The Tufts stipend covers everything pretty well, I had enough left at the end to travel around and stay in hostels for a week before leaving. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My German skills improved greatly; I got much more fluent in conversation. German 1 through 21 at Tufts prepared me well for the program. I spoke German often, with German students and students from other countries. I only wish I had made more German friends, but it was definitely cool to meet people from all over the world. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't get carried away. Make sure you make time for a bit of studying every week. |
