Germany= The discovery of delicious bread and of yourself. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload at first I found was lighter--but since everything was in German, at times it would take a lot longer to complete an assignment. The teachers here were not very hard graders--usually when we turned in our work and did a decent job, then we did well. But I found that IES did a really good job of finding that balance between academics and giving us time to explore Freiburg and ultimately discover our own interests and discover ourselves. German universities are much more individually-work based, in the sense of you would probably only have one or two papers for your entire class, and your grade would be based on those papers. In America there are always lots of little assignments here and there--but IES found a good balance between these two school styles.

On-site administration of your program

The size of the program was great--sometimes I was a bit sad because it was only Americans. If you wanted, you could just go to class and see the same people for the whole time that you were here. The program size was great--the classes were small enough to where you could always say something. The faculty was also awesome--whenever you were really sick, they could reccommend doctors, they were always there to say hi to, they greeted you by name, they were helpful to answer any questions, and you had their phone numbers in case you ever needed anything.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed in an apartment/dorm with 4 German girls and a girl from Norway. It was great--although hard to get to know them at first, especially because the IES program started so early, and they weren't here for that first month. IES arranged the housing, and it was perfectly located--they explained all the trains and how we could get to class. I didn't need to buy anything cookware-wise--my roommates and I shared all the dishes. Sheets and bedding were provided.

Don't be afraid to try new things! Going up and asking questions about the Wurst or the cheese is not as scary as you think it is.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

All the field trips were fantastic--the staff organized everything but also made sure we had enough free time to explore and discover on our own. They also provided a weekly e-mail filled with things we could do/cultural events.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Freiburg is a very safe city--just try and stay out of Runzmattenweg when it gets late and dark. It's always good to travel in groups anyways. If you buy a bike here, wear a helmet, even if you're the only person in the entire land of Germany wearing one--the autos watch out for you, but it's good to be on the safe side (and not squished on the-pavement side. When I was sick, IES helped me find a doctor and helped me take care of the billing--the insurance company also sent me back the money that I paid for the medication.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I could practice the language with almost everyone---it's helpful that there is a 2 year German requirement in order to study here. I could also talk with my roommates where I was staying--it's always fun to eat breakfast with one of them and have a nice, solid conversation "auf Deutsch"! Towards the end more people were speaking english, but I really think that our group was relatively divided--and you could choose whether or not you wanted to hang out the English speakers or the German speakers.

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• Apartment
• Dorm

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• International Students
• Local Students