An amazing semester of new experiences Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Salzburg College has two required classes: Understanding Austria and a German language class (placed based on your German ability). Both of these classes are geared to helping you know and understand Austria, which is a really unique part of the program. All of the classes are integrated learning-based: for example, we toured a concentration camp and Hitler's Berghof for the Art of Propaganda after learning about the propaganda of the Third Reich. The integrated-learning was amazing: it is not every school that you get to learn something and then experience it yourself, especially in a country with such a long history. Participation was a large portion of all the classes, which emphasized individual learning and understanding. The classes were not too difficult but still advanced your knowledge of the subject. All readings were posted online through Dropbox and were easily accessible; the only hard book I had to purchase was for Beginning German and it was inexpensive. Overall, I enjoyed the academic rigor and feel like I truly learned and gained from the classes.

On-site administration of your program

The administration of Salzburg College is very friendly and certainly willing to do anything to help their students. They addressed us all by name and made a point to communicate with us as a group each week through a General Assembly. They gave us recommendations for travel, safety, food, healthcare, etc..

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My living arrangements were perfect! Salzburg College offers the option of living with a host family (with or without children) or living in student dorms. I lived with a host family consisting of two parents and two young girls. Living with them was really fun- we played games a lot, we went swimming together, we would talk over dinner- and also very helpful on providing me an insight on daily Austrian life. I will never forget my time spent with them and would highly recommend a host family to anyone studying abroad! I took a public bus to the college (about a 15 minute ride), which operated very smoothly.

For lunch, all Salzburg College students ate at a seminary/hotel down the street from the college. The food was prepared by a chef and consisted usually of a meat, a vegetable or two, a side, soup, salad, and a dessert. Sometimes the food got repetitive, but it was still delicious and very convenient. Breakfast and dinner were provided by my host family and were also very good- I never went hungry!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I feel like this was the biggest downfall of Salzburg College. Salzburg College students are all American, and for my semester, there were only 10 of us. This made it more difficult to meet other college students, especially because the semester ran differently from the Austrian semester (which I understand is helpful for American students trying to keep a regular school schedule). The college did promote events, but there were very few and often they were inconvenient to attend. I wish I had met more local college students. However, my host family helped a lot with making me feel integrated and the administration strived to keep us up-to-date on local and national events. I participated in several events in Salzburg, for example, for Easter I decorated a palm bush, which made me feel more involved in the culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I personally did not have any issues with my health while abroad, but I know a few students from my program that did. The college administration offered to set up appointments for them at local doctor offices and helped them figure out what they needed from the pharmacy. The administration was very caring. There were no prevalent health issues in Austria and no specific vaccines were required.

Like all cities, you need to have some common sense, but I never felt unsafe in Salzburg. Not once. Traveling outside of Salzburg is really when safety was important: you need watch your personal belongs at all times, keep your passport secure, don't walk around alone at night in a strange place. I always looked up the news for an area before I travelled to make sure nothing was happening and registered all of my trips with the Smart Traveler program.

This program was a good fit for me. I had never really traveled before and Salzburg College taught me some travel basics and helped me build confidence in myself. Salzburg was just the right size city: big enough to have things to do but small enough I felt comfortable and at home. I really wanted a program where I could have fun and learn, and that is something this program strongly accomplishes.

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

While in Salzburg, my only expenses were transportation (month bus pass at 52 euros) and if I went out shopping or to a café. Almost all my meals were covered. I spent most of my money traveling on weekends and on our independent travel period. Austria is not the cheapest country to live in, but it certainly is not the most expensive, either.

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

Of course, every student took a German language class and we were highly encouraged to use German whenever we could. You could even do your projects for other classes in German if you so desired! The administration often held conversations in German with the more proficient students, to give them practice a well.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• integrated learning
• living with a host family
• time for travel

• more integration with locals
• more participants
• longer program