Best Program to Experience Today's EU Past Review
By Seth R (Politcal Science, Tufts University) for
IES Abroad: Freiburg - European Union: Politics, Law & Economics
Only in conversations afterwards did I realize how much I really knew about European politics after my time in Freiburg and Europe.
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. |
I learned far more about the European Union than I had ever thought was possible. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff on site is amazing, but the IES Chicago staff is less than stellar. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The neighborhood was great, but it wasn't so clean. Also, the Internet was rather subpar. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The 3 Field Trips were unbelievable and the #1 reason to do this program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Freiburg is among the safest cities in the world |
| 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? | $100 in Freiburg, $250 when traveling and $500 when paying hotels (independent travel) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Not having dinner included can be very expensive if you don't cook. Remember the Euro to Dollar rate goes all over the place. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | German 1 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Even though we were in Germany and gained exposure to German culture, my German is not that much better than it was when I left the States. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You have to be willing to put in some effort in studying, but the travel makes the program well worthwhile. |
