At Home in Berlin Past Review

By A student (Linguistics, Psychology, Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/10/2014 to 07/26/2014 with

IES Abroad: Berlin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad

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

I learned to be independent, to figure out how to navigate and feel at home in a big city, and to balance school work with fun. It was most definitely a worthwhile use of my summer.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I took two classes, one of which was taught by an amazing professor; the other was taught by a mediocre professor who discouraged class discussion by rambling and getting side-tracked. The former course was sufficiently challenging and helped my German; the latter was not challenging at all, and I mostly learned from the readings rather than from class time.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Very friendly and helpful staff that cared about the safety of the students. However, they were not always as organized as they could be; there were a few instances of confusion with class scheduling and meeting times.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Living in a home stay was a great opportunity to live like a local, meet a German family, and speak German with them. Because of our different schedules, we did not spend a lot of time together. But, overall, a good experience.
* Food:	Easy to buy groceries from the supermarket (or other outdoor markets), but also many options for prepared street food and restaurants.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Loved it.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Did not have any issues.
* Safety:	Berlin is a pretty safe city, especially compared to some in the U.S. Never had any issues, especially while the city is still awake late into the night. However, as in any city, just be aware of your belongings and stay away from questionable people.
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?	usually between $60-$100 a week; it really depends on whether you go out to eat or cook your own food
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Cook your own food (you can get pasta and vegetables for cheap, and make an easy meal out of it). Of course, you'll want to go out sometimes, just make sure you know the prices before you plan to eat at a restaurant.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	Of course, in my German class, we spoke only in German. Outside of it, however, we were not encouraged to speak it very much. Also, since people were at all different levels of speaking (some very, very little), it was too easy to only speak English amongst ourselves.
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 Culture Through Film (4th semester course)
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?	Start by ordering food and asking for directions in German. Then, try to converse with your host family on a regular basis. Don't be afraid to speak, even if you aren't sure you are saying everything perfectly. Germans may or may not correct you if you are wrong, but they generally don't care so much; they'll get the gist of what you're saying.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* 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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	the freedom to do whatever I wanted in the city
* What could be improved?	more encouragement/opportunities to speak German
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known just how much German I would be using daily. I may have chosen one that concentrated a bit more on the language aspect.

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Literature in Berlin - Berlin in Literature (LT450)
Course Department:
Instructor:	Carola Opitz-Wiemers
Instruction Language:	German
Comments:	Was definitely a challenge, but Carola pushed us all and helped us through the difficult texts. She is very knowledgable about the literature and writers and made us discuss and think in ways we never would have.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Modern German Jewish History (HS 390)
Course Department:	History/Jewish Studies
Instructor:	Wolfgang Bialas
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course material itself was interesting (which is why I chose the course in the first place), but Wolfgang was an ineffective instructor. Instead of encouraging class discussion, he took up class time by talking in circles and repeating information from previous classes. Repetition is good for learning concepts, but his extent of repetition meant that we did not cover all of the material. Additionally, he was somewhat rude to students when they answered questions; he would respond by telling them how their answer wasn't quite right because it wasn't exactly what he was thinking. We were only assessed by a final paper and a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: