Think Carefully About Your Goals Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/07/2018 to 12/13/2018 with
Constructor University: Bremen - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I am still glad I went abroad because I had some invaluable life experiences and got to do a lot of travelling. I think that in concept, this program is a great opportunity for pre-medical students, but the university accommodation needs to be fundamentally changed.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Coming from Wellesley College, I did not expect the academic rigor to be comparable to the rest of my college experience. At Jacobs, however, I felt that I went backwards academically. It will be a tough transition for me when I return to the expectations at Wellesley. The courses that I took were mostly at the high school level of rigor. The more difficult classes were completely memorization-based and had unreasonable expectations, and as a result I feel that I did not leave the course having learned anything substantial. Additionally, there seems to be a problem with academic integrity at Jacobs. It was a struggle for me to perform well when it was apparent to me that most of the students in the class were cheating or not being truthful. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
At every turn, there seemed to be a miscommunication between the administration and the students. Additionally, an injured student was left behind on an excursion to a different country, and when other students tried to communicate with her, we were encouraged by the administration to turn off our phones, as we were in a museum. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The rooms were clean and spacious. The hallways and communal kitchens were sometimes messy, but some dorms were better than others. I would recommend living in Krupp College as it is most quiet and probably cleanest. |
* Food: |
Try to see if you are able to opt out of the meal plan. The meal times were not really accommodating to a student's schedule and the food was not great most times. The coffee bar, however, is awesome and I spent a lot of my time and meal points there. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The school was very cliquey and I spent my time with other students from my program. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no personal experiences with the health care system. |
* Safety: |
The town was quiet, but I would recommend being careful in the main city of Bremen. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I ended up having to leave this program earlier than my original booked return date. I could not spend any more time at the university. |
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) |
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Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~100 EURO |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would suggest shopping at the local grocery store. Most times when the meal in the dining hall wasn't good, I would spend a lot of money on take-out. When I figured out it made more sense to shop at the grocery store and use the kitchen, I spent less money. |
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 |
I did not take a language course at Jacobs. |
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Beginner Intensive German |
How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you would like to learn German, I would suggest seeking out your own opportunities to practice. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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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? | I wish I had known many things about Jacobs. I still think it is absolutely worth going abroad, and even to Jacobs, but I would have liked to have more information about the program before I made the decision to leave the resources at Wellesley. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Molecular Information Pathways |
Course Department: | BCCB |
Instructor: | Dr. Hammann |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | |
Credit Transfer Issues: |