An Amazing Nine Months Past Review
By Taylor O (History, German, University of Rhode Island) - abroad from 09/01/2014 to 05/28/2015 with
AIFS: Salzburg - University of Salzburg
The experience was extremely worthwhile, I would recommend going abroad to everyone! AIFS is a great company to go through and the Salzburg program is wonderful if it's a good fit for you!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic were not necessarily rigorous, but very rewarding and interesting. I really enjoyed all of my classes and instructors! The higher-level German classes were great for language learning. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone in the Salzburg office was incredibly kind and helpful. They were always there for us, especially in the beginning, but definitely gave us our space once we were accustomed to our classes and being abroad. They also offered a lot of great cultural activities. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed in a home stay and really loved it! I was a bit outside of the city but that definitely was not a bad thing. My host was wonderful and it was great seeing the Austrian way of life and practicing German. |
| * Food: |
AIFS gave us a meal card, and this stipend was really helpful when planning out our budgets. Salzburg can be a but expensive but that is only if you do not know how to grocery shop/cook or if you go overboard. The food is delicious! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Salzburg can be touristy which makes it hard to feel super integrated at times, you do have to make an effort. The people of Salzburg are nice but not over-friendly, so it helps to join a club, take part in a language exchange, meet other international students, etc. Or request to live in a homestay! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare that AIFS gave us was great and they were very helpful in recommending doctors and services. I was there for two semesters and never got more than a cold, but overall I think people are happy with how our health insurance worked, |
| * Safety: |
Salzburg always felt very safe to me. Be smart and aware of you surroundings and possessions! Obviously if you are at the train station at night and walking back to the city center it helps to travel in groups of friends. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Salzburg was an absolutely beautiful, smaller city with a lot to do. It is situated in a great place for traveling all over Europe, either by plane or train. Overall AIFS was an amazing company to go through, especially once we were on campus. I really enjoyed my classes. I made some amazing friends (both AIFS students and locals) and met some awesome people. |
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) |
Budgeting and being aware of your money is the most important. I saved up a lot of money from work before I went abroad and that was very helpful. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Look out for student deals, both in Salzburg and throughout Europe. Make sure you always have your University card on you. Travel off the beaten path and you will go to some great places for a lot less! There are a lot of free walking tours offered in almost every city. The more research you do the more money saving tips you will find! |
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 |
There was a language orientation at the beginning of the program that sorted us into different German levels, and you were encouraged to take German for the rest of the semester but it was not necessary. AIFS also offered a weekly coffee hour to practice our German. If you are motivated to practice and learn the language there are a lot of opportunities, on the other hand you can get by on only knowing a few German words after the orientation. |
| 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? | 4 semester of German, low intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Continue to practice daily, join a conversation exchange, and be persistent in not speaking English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | That it goes by faster than you think! And that some of the classes are independent studies. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
