The Best Decision I've Ever Made Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Courses were challenging, but there was plenty of support whenever I needed extra help.

On-site administration of your program

Kris is very knowledgeable and capable of handling administrative and cultural issues - also

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a FREAKING CASTLE.

Almost everything I tried over there was incredible - especially Julietta's cooking!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I've never felt more at home than when I was in Marburg; people even started to mistake me for a German. It was awesome.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The insurance certainly worked while I was there. I had a few health issues during my year, and while the system felt a little user-unfriendly and weirdly complicated, I ended up being reimbursed for all of my costs and saw doctors without being financially burdened.

I felt very safe in both Vienna and Marburg. I wore my backpack behind me for the majority of my stay in both cities and was never pick-pocketed once.

I could write on this topic for hours. I suppose part of my overwhelmingly positive experience was being in the right place at the right time of my life; but in the best way possible, I got more than I bargained for in my experience abroad. Living in the castle with a community of almost all native Germans was, for me, the perfect blend of dorm and host family accommodations. Although nobody in the castle is related by blood, being part of such a unique community and supporting one another through personal and academic struggles forms very rewarding bonds between members of the community that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Additionally, other perks of living in the castle include frequent group activities (such as bi-annual castle-wide excursions to the country-side), group lunches Monday-Friday prepared by the castle chef, and bi-annual homecoming parties, where past castle residents are invited back to catch up for a day and night of activities (I was lucky enough to come back to Germany a year after I graduated in the castle, and it was just as cool, if not better, than when I was a current resident!). As far as studies go, I certainly felt a sense that I was able to control how much I wanted to challenge myself. The Philipps-Universität Marburg offers classes in both German and English - so if you don't feel confident enough in your abilities to study advanced topics in German, you can (for many, but not all classes) opt for a potentially less stressful course. However, if you're up for a challenge, I would definitely recommend taking any course you can in German (it's a great opportunity for advanced vocab)! Even if it ends up being too much (which happened to me in a Developmental Psychology class taught in German), I certainly found giving classes taught in German worth my time. In addition to taking courses in German to English translation, literature, and poetry, (which were provided by instructors via the program - another cool perk of the program) I also decided to take a French class taught in German; and while that was definitely overwhelming for the first half of the semester, it was a super rewarding experience, and my French improved a staggering amount given the minimal language knowledge I joined the class with. Another unexpected perk of studying there was how much down time there was between classes (usually classes last around two hours but only take place once a week). Coming from a standard American institution, I had much more free time than I was accustomed to, which allowed me to travel, visit and hang out with friends, or simply slow down and enjoy some of my hobbies. After adjusting, this extra downtime was definitely a huge plus for me. Finally, in my experience, Kris functioned as the glue for all the awesome parts of the program. Whether it was helping me to sort out idioms or difficult to translate bits in German or idle chat over a coffee, his availability was a hugely positive influence. I honestly cannot recall a single instance where I was in need of help and Kris was unable to help me sort out the issue. He even invited all of us students over during the holidays for a meal and company so that we wouldn't be alone (and damn, can Julietta cook - honestly some of the best food I had while I was over there). Given all of the individual parts and pieces together, I actually can't imagine having a better experience. If I could do it all over again, I would certainly do so: again, and again, and again.

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

With the meal-stipends provided, my personal costs were so low (given I don't eat out much) that I actually ended up saving enough money to extend my stay 3 more weeks.

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

If you live in the castle, you have to speak German or you won't be able to keep up. That was a fantastic learning environment.

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• Dorm
• Apartment

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• Local Students
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The castle and the castle community of students
• The program director (Kris Riggs) and his family
• The food

• As far as the program and director are concerned, I actually don't have any complaints.

The Academic or Linguist