IES European Union: Past Review
By Andreas J (Political Science, Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union: Politics, Law & Economics
YES. it was amazing. I want to go back to Freiburg for a longer period of time!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors tried to maintain a very American experience in the classroom, which was good in some ways and bad in others. Many of the classes relied on student presentations to take up much of class time, which was too bad because no one had any real incentive to prepare something good. The workload was very manageable; I had almost no work to do on the field study trips. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff was very helpful and friendly if there were any problems (finding a doctor, figuring out basic things in Germany, etc.) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Freiburg is a great destination for vegetarians. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Many students in the program went to Oktoberfest or local harvest and wine festivals. In December, the Christmas markets opened, which were amazing and were a reason to check out the cities I had been to in September and October |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Freiburg was really safe. The students got sick when the weather changed, and doctors were easy to find and spoke English. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I probably spent about 75 euros per week on food, going out, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The tram passes for a month cost 35 euros, which is pretty expensive (but worth it). Some people in the program insisted on going out to eat a lot, which is pretty unnecessary and really expensive. Groceries in Germany are pretty cheap, especially for basics. For lunch I would usually get some cheese and bread for a euro, and then make a pasta or other easy dinner at night. Plan on spending a good amount to go out, as this was more expensive on the field study trips. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people spoke English. However, my German improved just by being in Germany and interacting everyday with Germans. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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