Best semester of my life! Past Review
By Melissa Lee (The College of New Jersey) - abroad from 08/24/2016 to 12/17/2016 with
European Study Center: Heidelberg - Study Abroad in the EU
Very worthwhile! I learned travel skills, cooking skills, social skills, and overall life skills.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were interesting and relevant to Europe and the overall experience we were having. Professors are pretty lenient with student travel schedules as well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Staff was extremely helpful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Beautiful building and great location! |
| * Food: |
Food in Heidelberg was really good, definitely try Doner Kebabs! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is pretty easy to adjust to German culture, public transportation is simple as well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A because I did not have any health issues. However, students who did were taken to the doctor with a staff member. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe, even walking home alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Heidelberg is a cute town that has the beauty of the suburbs, but public transportation and night life of a city. It is centrally located in Europe and therefore it is easy to travel around other countries. The classes were more manageable than they are at my home university and I felt that I was able to have fun while learning as well. |
Finances
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* 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) |
Grocery shopping is extremely affordable. I chose to go out to eat a lot and travel often, therefore I spent more than the average student on expenses. However, Heidelberg is definitely possible to stay on a budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $100- $300 a week, not including weekend traveling |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save a lot of money the semester prior! Travel a lot for great experience (if you have the money) and try to save money where possible (food). |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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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 German class while here, but some students did. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High School Italian |
| 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? | I did not really attempt to speak German, mainly because most people in Heidelberg speak English, however, students who were studying German found that talking to locals was helpful for their learning experience |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | Classes are subject to change |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
