Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Art and Architecture with German on the side. Past Review

By (Tourism and Travel Services Management., Brigham Young University) - abroad from 04/30/2012 to 07/26/2012 with

Brigham Young University: Traveling - Berlin and Vienna Study Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to be self-sufficient and how to deal with many different personality types. I learned a lot of interesting history, and my vocabulary was certainly expanded in the language. It was definitely worthwhile to travel abroad and to take some of the classes. However, I don't think I would choose the same program, just because I didn't reach many of my personal goals for the trip.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Goethe Institute Amerika Institute
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This is a bit low because the classes at the Goethe Insitute were extremely easy and boring.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Although we were promised breakfast every day and dinner once a week while in Vienna, our host mother was too old to do that, and we were compensated monetarily. However, I feel that this time spent with the host family is critical, and my roommate and I missed out on that opportunity to really connect with a Viennese person.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I personally did not require any healthcare. However, when I was trying to help a friend on the program find appropriate and adequate healthcare, it was practically impossible. Doctors were unavailable at the times, or did not accept the health insurance with which we were provided. We had to try to find these doctors on our own, with no assistance from anyone with more knowledge concerning the system. Going through this experience with my friend made me feel very insecure regarding the healthcare provided by our program.

* Safety:

I almost always felt safe. If there was ever a time when I did not feel safe, it was because I was traveling back home alone at night. Looking back, this really isn't a good idea, so I would caution future students to always have a companion (preferrably male) when traveling late at night.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Personally, I had saved enough money on my own that it was never a problem. However, food was terribly expensive, and I found myself spending $150 over 2 weeks in Germany, and a little less in Vienna. Consequently, many in our program discovered their funds disappearing faster than they expected.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? It is very tempting to eat out a lot, just because there's not a lot of time to prepare a meal or it's expensive to buy all the ingredients. However, in the long run it will be cheaper to utilize grocery stores, and not to eat out at restaurants for almost every meal. Also, it is helpful to form a dinner group with others, as it will alleviate somewhat the cost of food.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

We were frequently encouraged to use the language, and we honestly did. However, as with any program of this nature, we were all at different levels with the language, and thus our classes as a group had to be conducted in English. This set the tone for the rest of our time together, because we would almost always speak English as a group, instead of 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? I had taken German 302
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? Try to always speak the language with your roommate or those you hang out with. It's tempting to just speak English because we can communicate much more easily, but eventually you will be able to communicate almost as easily in that language as long as you keep trying.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • We were a pretty tight-knit group, and we did lots of things together.
  • There was a strong support system from the Church, especially as far as institute was concerned.
  • We were well-encouraged to attend cultural events because of the stipend with which we were provided.
* What could be improved?
  • Although we were a fun group, it was difficult to learn all together. It would be easier to be split up into smaller sections for our classes.
  • We really connected and had fun with our program director, but she had a family to take care of, so we often felt that we were a lower priority--which is totally how it should be, but it would be better not to have that issue in the first place. We pay a lot of money for this experience, and it is preferable to have our program director's undivided attention.
  • We often felt that there was little time to do much else because we had so much homework and so many big assignments. I would have appreciated more free time to explore the city or travel to other places, rather than being cooped up in our apartment or at the institute building trying to finish up homework.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known how intense the focus on art and architecture was going to be. I knew we would have classes on it, but those aren't necessarily my interests, so I should have taken that more into account when choosing the study abroad. I also wish I had known how little time we would have to travel. While we were promised at the beginning that there would be plenty of opportunities to travel on our own, we were strictly prohibited from doing so by the lack of free days and the restrictions on missing class. I really regret that we didn't have more time to travel on our own to other places.