As a vegetarian, no problems eating the Austrian cuisine as long as I wasn't picky Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

More about cultural learning than informational learning. Workload = significantly less. Grading = letter grades +/-. Teaching = varied by course: German was similar to in language courses in America but with more field trips; Music in Performance had a lot of listening to music, field trips, concerts; Internship = field trips, teaching in local schools; Theater = read plays, discusses, saw them performed I wanted to take a course at the local university, but because of mismatches with the program's schedule, it was not possible for me to do that and have an internship back in America.

On-site administration of your program

Program was a good size, things got done, way too bureaucratic, knew a lot about host country, seemed to think American schools all required attendance. My expectations were not fully met; I wanted to live with Austrian students and have more emphasis on language/cultural learning

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

District 19 (Grinzing). Alfred-Wegener-gasse 1, A-1190, Wien. BEAUTIFUL area, posh district of Vienna. A 5-min walk from the vineyards, and a 2-min walk to public transportation. A little far out from the city center/program location (45-min commute), but so worth it. I was in an apartment with 5 other Americans, we each shared a room with another person. An Austrian RA lived across the hall. The apartment was spacious and beautiful, although it was a pain to share a room. <br /><br /> We were given a housing questionnaire. I loved my apartment and where it was located, but I was extremely disappointed to live with Americans as opposed to Austrians. BEAUTIFUL area, posh district of Vienna. A 5-min walk from the vineyards, and a 2-min walk to public transportation. A little far out from the city center/program location (45-min commute), but so worth it. It was incredibly safe. The apartment came fully furnished.

Even as a vegetarian, I had no problems eating the Austrian cuisine (which is known for its meat) as long as I wasn't picky. There were 5 grocery stores within a 5-min walk from my apartment and most of it was organic and local. Lots of local food stands popped up in the springtime. My favorite student place was Wiener Deewan, an all you can eat/pay what you will Pakastani restaurant. My favorite Heurigen (wine taven) was Mayer am Pfarrplatz in one of Beethoven's old houses. My favorite Austrian restaurant was Figls (which was also my local language buddy's favorite restaurant).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Great skiing trips to the Austrian Alps! I sometimes felt that the program focused more on this than on language/culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Vienna is INCREDIBLY safe; I felt comfortable going home alone at midnight (although some harmless homeless people around). I had to use healthcare for my ankle, and it was incredibly quick and easy and free, although it came with paperwork. The program provided health insurance and gave me the contact info for a local specialist. Very easily accessible (as is everything with Vienna's public transportation). No prevalent health issues.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I had a language buddy, a German grammar/culture class, a theater class taught in German, and I taught in Austrian schools. I tried to speak German with anyone possible. The program didn't have a huge emphasis on language immersion (although they did require everyone to take a German class), and you had to look for opportunities, which I definitely took advantage of. I was upset about being housed with 5 Americans--3 of whom had never spoken English--as opposed to being housed with Austrians for full language and cultural immersion.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans