Die beste Entscheidung meines Lebens Past Review
By Peter (Professional Sales & German Language Studies, Manchester University) - abroad from 08/01/2016 to 12/22/2019 with
Achievement Study Abroad - Two Countries, One Amazing Program!
I am not sure how to encapsulate all that I learned or gain in a few sentences (not possible). There is so much that I could put here, it is unreal. I would say this, "I learned about myself, and to do it in a place that fostered my passions, was simply a gift" This program was extremely worthwhile. I gained awareness. Awareness of myself, my community, the world, and how I fit into it. Everything this program is about is worthwhile. The people make the experience, and everyone I encountered on my aboard journey with Achievement Study Aboard were simply fantastic.
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Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Tough, but fair. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The team as Achievement Study Abroad was great. They were experts in each of their respected courses. Their combined experience between all of them served us well. They could provide a lot of feedback and support with every situation. This made class time a lot fun and extremely meaningful. I often found that the course works found its way into my every day experience in very impactful ways. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was great. In Vienna, I lived in student housing with a roommate. I still talk with this roommate and we became good friends after my time there. He spoke three languages, showed me around the city, and we often ate together in the evenings. In Marburg I lived with 10-15 German students in a castle and found that time to be immensely impactful to how I would learn the language. Both places were clean, safe, and fun. |
| * Food: |
Food was wonderful in both places. I enjoyed trying the local favorites in Vienna. The city is so large that you can eat something new everyday. In Marburg, everyday for lunch we would all eat together. Some of my best memories came from time share over a meal with other people. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In Vienna, I was going to school at an international school, so many of my classmates were experiencing similar feelings to me in the realms of social and cultural integration. This made my time in Vienna less stressful and I found the integration was not super difficult. In Marburg, I lived with 10-15 Germans speaking students so I did not have a choice but to integrate. However, it would be in the castle with all my German roommates that I would learn so much. I never felt that it was too difficult to integrate. When you don't have a choice, the choice therefore, becomes easy. Integrate or don't have an experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never experience any issues with my health care while aboard with Achievement Study Aboard. At one point, I had experience flu like symptoms, but found access to medicine easy and simple. I found a local drug store and purchased medicine. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt that my safety was in danger in either Vienna or Marburg. For many year Vienna has been ranked one of the safest places with the highest quality of living standards. In Marburg, it is a university town and the people there were always friendly and helpful. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program opened my mind, heart, and soul to the world in so many meaningful ways. It enriched so many of my passions and I strongly believe that through this program I learned more about myself than any other things. That is the ultimate goal of any study abroad experience, whether intentional or not. This program supported that sacred self-discovery experience. The learning language part of the experience is only an added benefit, which is equally as great as the other. For these reasons, I would choose this program every time. |
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? | Less than 40 Euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy things you can get on the internet or in your home country. Only buy things that you would otherwise not have the opportunity to buy anywhere else. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | A2.2 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | When you eat with Germans it's polite to say, "Guten Appetit". However, it is a more serious matter than I originally thought. I thought it was just a nice thing everyone said. But, it is really to say " I hope you actually enjoy your meal". I learned quickly that it wasn't beneficial to have any expectations. You take on experiences aboard as they come and find ways to make the best of them -- and usually they become great. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
