Vienna expanded my horizons! Past Review
By Maria Andrea R (International Business., Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Vienna really impacted me, I learned so much about culture, history and music. It was nice to be studying about europe and actually being there. I also really enjoyed my internship, and the small business environment in Austria.
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 teachers within the program were sometimes hard to understand, because their english wasn't always comprehensible in a classroom scenerio. Some teaching methods I found to be very good, some teachers took us on very instructive fieldtrips. Other teachers just lectured and spoke in monotone. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very effective at getting things done, and they planned some very amazing group trips. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my apartment. All my roomates spoke very good german and that was helpful. We have a very nice, clean and new apartment. The only negative thing was that it was on the last floor, so we had to climb many stairs. |
| * Food: |
If you want to eat austrian food do not go to the touristy places because you can get the same dish at a much cheaper price elsewhere. And its delicious! Get used to eating some Hotdogs! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had thanksgiving at a small town in Austria that they arranged for us, it was very nice. The program always kept us up to date with things happening around Vienna, like balls, concerts and good parties. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I got sick one time, and it was very hard for the insurance company to find a doctor. |
| 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? | Vienna is very expensive, so if you decide to go there be sure that you are prepared to spend. I usually spent around 100 euros in like 8-9 days. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | At the very beginning we had to pay our landlord around 150 euros, that I did not expect. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate German II |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced my german with my roomates and my austrian R/A. I also had a language buddy. |
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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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Someone interested in the german language, the austrian culture, the history of the austrio-hungarian empire, psychology or classical music (opera). |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Vienna Past & Present |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Antonia Hanreich |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | It was challenging but also extremely interesting, because we were studying the history of Vienna and we could use the city as our study place, we visited many of the buildings,the museums, and the churches. It was an amazing class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | - |
