Salzburg Changed Me for The Better Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I hated how I was taught German. I honestly didn't learn anything in my German 102 class. They really need to cater more to US learning styles, like all of my other professors did. They need to be more repetitive and not move onto something new each day. I also think in the elementary level classes they should teach you useful things like how to buy a bus ticket or a train ticket, how to ask for directions, etc. We did go over ordering in a restaurant, but I think that needs to be repeated more. Perhaps a field trip to a cafe to try out our skills would be good. The workload wasn't difficult at all, I was always able to finish my work and still have plenty of free time to enjoy my time abroad. Besides my German classes, I did enjoy the experience. Stefan Wally's classes were particularly interesting and well taught and were by far my favorites. Renate Langer's Literature class wasn't that spectacular in my opinion because I didn't like the book choices. I learned a lot in my Central Europe and WWII class, but I didn't particularly care for Alexander Prenninger's teaching style.

On-site administration of your program

Andreas was creepy,but knowledgeable. Ingrid was completely disorganized and Nicole was a sweetheart.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I wanted a homestay, but I didn't send in my form in time so my consolation was an Austria roommate. She was just plain weird and really not interested in being my friend. I always felt safe in my location and St. Seb's was close to everything which was really nice. I did buy a few things to subsidize what I was given for cooking ware, but nothing exorbitantly expensive.

There were some things that I couldn't find in the beginning, but eventually I ran across them. I didn't find food to be too expensive and Spar and Billa were right near by. Dining out is ridiculously expensive, but Reyna's is awesome, I love Floeckner's, and Prima Donna. The Italian places on Linzergasse are good and just about any Chinese restaurant is awesome (I believe I frequented four of them). For traditional Austrian food, Augustiner. The Cordon Bleu Schnitzel with the Kartoffel Salat is to die for (and only 8 euro)! There are also some places in the Altstadt, but they're pricey. Cafe Furst is also a recommended stop for original Mozart Kugeln and some awesome pastries.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I liked the stop in London in the beginning, but maybe a day or two more would be nice. Innsbruck is something less to be desired, I didn't really see the point in going there. I think a trip to Klagenfurt or Graz would be more beneficial. Vienna was cool and so was the sleighride. A tour of the Eagle's Nest would be good. We went there but Andreas didn't seem to know that it wasn't open, even though we all knew it wouldn't open until May. It was upsetting.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Salzburg is extremely safe. There was never a time I felt uncomfortable walking home late at night from one of the bars. I would leave my laptop sitting on a table at the university while I went to the bathroom and nothing would ever happen to it. I never had to use the healthcare system, but I only ever heard good things about it.

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

Almost everyone I encountered spoke English. I hated my German language classes. After the intensive two weeks, I didn't really learn anything new. They really need to be more repetitive and insist we speak in German. I also think field trips out into the city with our professor would be a good thing to help us practice.

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