IES Freiburg - Best 4 Months Past Review
By Lindsay Boyer (Wake Forest University) - abroad from 08/30/2016 to 12/18/2016 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union: Politics, Law & Economics
I became a lot more independent, more of a risk-taker, and more adventurous. Very worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The majority of the classes were focused on the EU, which I enjoyed as a political science major. The classes themselves were interesting but the workload was nothing major. Each class usually had readings but there were only a few exams and papers. It was very manageable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I think the Freiburg IES center did a great job during orientation week getting all of us comfortable with Freiburg. They continued to provide activities throughout the semester, such as excursions to Switzerland and cooking classes. A few of my friends got sick and had to go to the doctor and I know that the center helped them a lot in finding doctors and dealing with insurance. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
All of the IES students lived in about 5 different flat complexes. My flat building had only 4 other IES students, which did cause me to feel a bit isolated from other students in our program in the beginning. But I also got a long really well with my German flatmates. I ate dinner with them, went to their friends' homes, and went out with them a lot on weekends. It made me feel welcome and was a great aspect to my experience. |
| * Food: |
Food in Freiburg is really good. There a million grocery stores, with a lot of very cheap ones for students. I did a lot of my own cooking and didn't have much trouble finding the foods I needed. Restaraunts in Freiburg are also really really good, I don't think I had one bad experience. Most also have English menus so the language is not generally a problem. I recommend going to get a doner at a Doner shop (there are a million of them) or you can't go wrong with a butter pretzel from any bakery (also a million of them). Or the gelato! Amazing - 1 euro cones that honestly tasted better than the one I had in Italy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think I felt as integrated as I could with the local culture. It helped that I become friends with a lot of Germans thanks to my flatmates, so they took me to places that I probably wouldn't have found myself and also made me not feel as much like a tourist. I also got a bike which was fun because it made me feel like a local (everyone bikes everywhere!). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't personally have any health issues but I know others who did and it seemed to be handled fine. The center directed my one friend to a doctor when she had bronchitis. Another friend had to get stitches and she didn't have any trouble at the hospital. |
| * Safety: |
Freiburg seems to be a very safe city. I walked around the city by myself, even at night, and I felt relatively safe. They did have a criminal incident within the first few weeks that I was there, but it was a very rare thing and didn't scare me from the city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I love living with German students. I absolutely loved living in Freiburg. And I liked the a lot of the travel was included. |
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) |
During our non-travel weeks I cooked the majority of my own meals. Groceries for me cost about 35 euros a week, so it was pretty manageable saving money on food. Going out in Freiburg is pretty inexpensive too - most places do not have a cover charge and the drinks are usually pretty cheap. During our week-long excursions it is a bit more difficult to save money because you are eating out every meal (except breakfast provided at the hotel). But if you budget properly it should be fine. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | In general I probably spent about 50 euros a week on food, going out, and other activities. It really changed though - some weeks I spent only 20 euros and others would be more if I went traveling on my own over the weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own food in your flat during the week! Saves you so much money. Make your own lunch and bring it to the IES center to eat. The cheap sandwiches in the corner bakeries seem tempting but that adds up after a while. |
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 |
I knew no German before going on the program so I was put into the intro level class. Besides trying to speak as much German as we could in that class we were not forced to try to speak it at any other time. |
| 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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | a 200-level Spanish 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? | Download apps before you go, such as Dulingo. They helped me know a few words before I went so I wasn't 100% lost. Definitely focus on food words because that will help a lot at the grocery store. |
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? | That the language wouldn't be that big of an issue. |
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.' |
