A whirlwind of diplomacy, travel, and Spaghettieis. August 20, 2025
By Gabriella M (Politics, Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/25/2025 to 07/19/2025 with
IES Abroad: Freiburg Summer - European Union: Politics & Economics
Learned lots about a new region of Germany that I had never been to before, and visited plenty of new places.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The center at IES is beautiful. I was able to see the IES Center in Paris and Berlin as well, but nothing compared to the Freiburg location. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Was able to cook on my own. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
I was lucky to receive much financial support from my university; IES showed us free events that we could attend which was helpful, but besides that, we were pretty much on our own with budgeting assistance. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100+ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get a job and save leading up to your program, and make a budget plan as well (budget how much you'll spend on groceries, gifts, etc.) |
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 |
Our program was led in English, but being fluent in German, I was encouraged to use it outside of the classroom. We did have a crash course of German during the beginning of the program. |
| 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 |
| 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? | Practice spending a whole day just using another language. You will be surprised with how much you will improve your vocabulary after a few tries. |
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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| 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? | I wish I went during the semester instead of during the summer. I wanted to stay longer! |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
