Worth it. Past Review
By Seth Guerrero (University of the Incarnate Word) - abroad from 01/05/2017 to 05/13/2017 with
European Study Center: Heidelberg - Study Abroad in the EU
Experience. Absolutely.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Fairly standard college courses, mostly papers and tests for grades. Some papers and projects can be a tad lengthy or intense, and considering the lack of academic resources, "unfair". Nothing too serious, though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not the most organized group of people, but always friendly and smiling, and that was fine by me. I think it's a cozy reminder that we're all human, even halfway around the world. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was a double room in a villa but far from posh. Aside from the occasional bug problem the only complaint I have was the heater malfunction which was ALSO outside of anyone's control. Nothing too bad - though I'm not particularly delicate either. |
| * Food: |
Food is on your own. So any problem is your own. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Rough start at first, and the staff at the ESC themselves are also international, so not a lot of inside help. But I think it allowed a worthy growing experience to say the least. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Being epileptic, I ended up having a full body seizure during my stay. My program was just as panicked as anyone else. Healthcare here while vastly more accessible, is also a lot less impressive. EMS took about a half hour to respond on account of them visiting the wrong house. All in all, a bit frustrating, but no reason to avoid Germany. |
| * Safety: |
Fairly safe. Maybe you hear horror stories of refugees in Germany and the like, but there are bad people anywhere. German, refugee, American, whatever. It's pretty safe to say that any questionable situation you're in, you get yourself into (with very few exceptions). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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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 |
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| 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? | Beginner |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | No free refills. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
