Wien ist wunderbar! Past Review
By A student (Architectural History and Criticism., Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/16/2012 to 08/15/2012 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Participating in the IES Vienna program was completely worthwhile. I learned so much about Viennese art, culture, and German language from the program, and made friends that I will continue to keep in touch with.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Although the courses at IES Vienna were not as rigorous as the ones at my home university, I enjoyed and learned a lot from my courses abroad. My classes involved not only classroom discussion, but using Vienna as our educational environment, as well. There were many class excursions to art auction houses, museums, theaters, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site staff is extremely helpful and nice! They made the process of getting acclimated to a different culture very easy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
PASTRIES EVERYWHERE |
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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) |
Groceries were cheaper than I thought they would be. I would spend, on average, 30 euros a week on groceries at stores like Spar, Billa, and the Naschmarkt (a giant farmer's market). I would occasionally go to restaurants and spend about 10-15 euros for dinner. Cheap toiletries can be purchased at Bipa, which has several locations around Vienna. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do groceries and keep eating out at a minimum! The Naschmarkt is a great place to find good quality fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, cheese, pastries and spices for low prices. As for entertainment, standing tickets to the State Opera are 3-4 euros. There are also several free wine and music festivals. The IES Vienna staff does a great job with informing students about discounts around the city. |
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 |
There was a 3 week German-intensive course. During the intensive, students only had one German course for four hours, but we didn't spend our entire time in the classroom. Our instructors would take us to cafes and farmer markets where we were instructed to use our German language skills place take orders. We were also assigned an optional language buddy, a local Viennese student from the University of Vienna, according to our German level. We would help our language buddies practice English, while they helped us with German. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Continuing German (GERM 10b) |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Participate in the language buddy program and continue to use German to place orders in cafes, even after the intensive course. |
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? | Having access to course reviews before enrolling would have been helpful. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
