BU Dresden German Studies Past Review
By A student (German Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/14/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
Boston University: Dresden - University Studies Program
I learned a lot about how to be independant, and navigate for yourself. I also learned about what things I should and shouldn't do the next times I live and travel abroad. It was definitely worthwhile!
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. |
All of my courses were fine, but just the experience of being at teh university for only a few months was very strange, so it was more difficult to meet other students or find classes that would allow you to do your final assessment early was a challenge. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The BU Dresden team was very good and all very nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorms were okay, but at the end of the semester I had a problem with Studentenwerk that was very frustrating, but the Program Director helped me with it, but I was still charged some extra money. |
| * Food: |
The Mensas were all really nice and always had something vegetarian that I could eat. They were a lot better than back home. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The RAs helped with us interacting with more Germans and people outside of our programs, or organized for us all to go out, and were very social. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The BU team was very helpful when I had to get a perscription filled and took me to the doctor to help me navigate and translate, but Geoblue the insurance provider is terrible! I've filed three or four claims with them and none of them were filed without some oversight or error on their part, and I still haven't resolved one of the issues. |
| * Safety: |
I generally felt safe, and always when in the care of the program. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was great! You get out of it what you put into it, but it was also just very fun, so I'd want to have that kind of fun again. |
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) |
I stayed within budget the whole time though. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Scholarships |
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 |
If we went somewhere with only German Studies students, and in our BU led classes, we were asked to speak only German. |
| 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? | A2 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | Eh, you'll learn whatever you need when you're there. |
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.' |
