Becoming a Berliner Past Review
By A student (German, Marketing, The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 06/05/2012 to 07/22/2012 with
IES Abroad: Berlin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I gained a lot of independence and confidence, I feel like I can live on my own and function in a big city. My German also seems to have gotten more natural and much better. I love the city of Berlin, and I would go back in a heartbeat. It was definitely worthwhile, I would recommend this program to any German student, whether a beginner or advanced, who wants to go to a big city in Germany!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were perfect; they were challenging enough but not time-consuming, which I thought was important for a summer study abroad program. Although the work load was light, I feel like I learned more over the course of a summer than I might in a normal semester-long course. I was very pleased with my classes and instructors. I also liked that many sessions were excursions as opposed to classroom study. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration at IES was great. There were always people around to help you with any sort of problem. The staff is mixed with professionals as well as younger student helpers, which makes it a really comfortable and trustworthy atmosphere. The staff were always willing to help, and they were so friendly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was great. Personally I really liked my host, who was really friendly and knowledgable about the area. My apartment had everything I needed and my room was large. It was in a nice area and a reasonable distance from the IES Berlin center. I also liked that it was a home-stay as opposed to independent/dormitory housing, as it allowed me to get to know what it's like to actually live in Berlin. |
| * Food: |
The program didn't provide food, although they did give us access to a student cafeteria in the city. I mostly ate at restaurants or bakeries, or bought my own groceries and made food at home. It was fun to get to know German cuisine on my own, but it did get a little expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The IES Berlin program is conducted entirely in English, as students are all at different levels of German, some only just beginning. I feel like my language skills would have improved so much more if the program was conducted in German, but I also don't think that's the priority of IES. Otherwise it was great; by the time we left, I felt like a local Berliner. 7 weeks is slightly longer than many summer programs which was nice, I feel like I really got to know Berlin. It makes me want to go back! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Personally I didn't have any health issues, but I feel confident that IES would have been able to help me had there been any issues. They were helpful for my classmates who got sick, and in orientation they gave us good information for what to do if we got sick. |
| * Safety: |
Again, during orientation the program gave us lots of valuable information on how to stay safe in Berlin. I also always felt safe in Berlin, even if I was walking alone at night. IES made sure to give us Berlin-specific tips on how to stay safe, which really helped. |
| 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) |
I would withdraw about 200 Euros every week, and that was plenty to cover me on food, sightseeing, shopping, etc. I feel like I could have lived more cheaply, as we often went out to eat and went to museums a lot, but I also feel like it was reasonable. Berlin is a cheap city to live in, so I feel like the amount of money I spent was very reasonable. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 200 Euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Look up attractions before you go, they might offer discounts at certain times of the day/days of the week. Find cheap restaurants that you can go to when you don't feel like spending too much money on a meal (for me, this was a small bakery where I often went for quick lunches). Make meals at home, as it is SO much cheaper to buy groceries than whole meals at restaurants. |
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 |
The program wasn't conducted in German, but that was because the program is designed for students at all levels of German, including beginners. If you are looking for an intensive German program, IES might not be the best choice, but they do encourage you to speak German when you can, and the staff would often speak German with me. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | German 320 - Great Moments in German Literature |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | It can be tempting because most people in Berlin speak English (many speak English better than we speak German), but don't just automatically speak English. Try speaking German. A lot of them will realize that you are an American and just start speaking English with you, but give it a shot. Also speak German with your host. They understand that you might not be very good, so they will help you out and not laugh at you! |
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? |
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? | You have to be independent sometimes. 7 weeks is not a lot of time in the end, so if you want to do something, go do it! |
