I backpacked the Czech Republic! Past Review

By A student (Economics., The College of New Jersey) - abroad from 08/23/2013 to 12/21/2013 with

European Study Center: Heidelberg - Study Abroad in the EU

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

So many personal gains come from studying abroad. I do recommend students get out of their comfort zones and see the world! I would be careful and conscious of what you want out of the experience when you choose the program and remember that they are selling the program to you so do some digging before committing.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The Operations Management professor does not teach at all, one of my worst experiences in a college classroom. The professor from TCNJ is good. The accounting professor at SRH is good. Serena, the experiential learning teacher, is horrible. The class is insulting.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Administration can be condescending and adds rules as they please. I do not feel comfortable living near them or talking to them. They have put a damper on my experience. I do not find them particularly helpful and I do not find them approachable.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	While the building itself is cool, we are far removed from the actual university. Even getting to a library is a trek across town. Also, one kitchen is not sufficient for the amount of students on each floor. The bathroom situation is fine. I did not appreciate the constant rules and berating from the administration nor did I like living down the hall from an admin. I am a 22 year old adult. I do not need supervision.
* Food:	We cooked our own meals, nothing to rate here.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	There is absolutely no integration with the local culture. It is actually amazingly difficult to have a real cultural experience living in the ESC. I feel like I am living in "little America."
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I did not have any specific health issues here and those who did were taken to the doctor by a staff member.
* Safety:	Very safe neighborhood and environment
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Cook meals with other students. Do not buy dumb things like clothes unless they are things you cant get in the USA. Do not eat out often, and when you do make it count! Pre-game your nights out.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	I was able to travel to other countries They secured cell phones and tram passes for us
* What could be improved?	real cultural experiences/learning better professors living with internationals, not just americans
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	You do not experience locals living at the ESC. There are much stricter rules than implied (even though you sign a house contract). I really wish I knew that I would be surrounded by Americans all the time. I did not realize how much effort I would have to put into having experiences with international students.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Experiential Learning
Course Department:
Instructor:	Serena Bahn
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class literally insulted me. The lessons were geared towards middle school or below. I did not learn anything. I would recommend this class be used to learn about German business, politics, and culture. I was under the impression it was a business course. I also find it ineffective to try and force someone to have experiences on paper. I was required to write a reflection about a required wine tasting. In it I had to write what I learned and what goals I accomplished. I did not have a goal, it was a required to trip. This was a typical assignment. I also find it redundant to have students report to the class on the excursion we are going on. Could this time not have been used to learn about other aspects of Germany that we werent otherwise going to hear about? We heard the presentation and then went on the tour, waste of time.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Operations Management
Course Department:
Instructor:	Mitchell
Instruction Language:
Comments:	The instructor's powerpoint slides can be found on other institutions' websites (he ripped them off). He put no effort into teaching and engaging students. He made culturally insensitive and offensive comments on a regular basis. He was never able to provide examples for the concepts he read off the slides during class. He had no rubric for grading and did not allow students to keep their graded works. His case studies could also be found online on other school's websites. It was frustrating to know that he put no effort into teaching and then was very rude.
Credit Transfer Issues: