Duke's summer in Berlin: neither more nor less than what you chose to make of it Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Though the professors exerted an admirable effort to challenge their students, the absence of important accademic resources, such as a library, tended to limit the academic depth of the courses. I also felt that some of the professors placed to great an emphasis on comprehension exercises when they should have dealt more extensively with the concepts under examination in the course.

On-site administration of your program

Support services, handled by duke university staff, were quite accessible by E-mail or cell phone, though I seldom needed to invoke them personally. Often, though, I had a sense that the planning of the program was not altogether organized

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment itself was of the vary highest quality, with all necessary amenities-- towels, bedding kitchen utensils-- all thoughtfully provided. The rooms were spaceous, clean, well lit, and generaly in excellent repair: no items besides food and garbage bags had to be purchased upon arrival.

Food was readily available in the area of the apartment and was generally of very high quality. The faculty often treated students to rather expensive restaurants meals, which were payed for by the program.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

One of the chief advantages of the program is that it includes a variety of excursions to other German cities, each of which can be signed up for at a minimal cost; the trip to Munich, which was by far the most expensive, cost merely 100 euros.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

So far as I am aware, no health issues arose during the program, so my oppinion on this aspect counts for rather little. Berlin, as a whole, is a very safe city, and members of the staff remained constantly on call in case of emergencies: the thought of being in danger never crossed my mind.

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

The classes I took were instructed entirely in German. One involved interviews with native speakers, while the other entailed excursions to local theaters. In this respect the program was quite conducive to language developement. as noted, however, the program was suprisingly disapointing in other regards, such as the prevelance of english among the students themselves.

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• Apartment

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• International Students