A worthwhile look into an incredibly unique city and culture. Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/13/2016 to 05/20/2016 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I learned what it is like to live under the shadow of having lost two world wars, how different Europe is to the US politically and culturally speaking, and a great deal of German. I believe it was worthwhile.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I received the necessary support for my needs, and never felt as though I was left wondering whom I ought to speak to. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I enjoyed my apartment, though I think I was lucky - getting a single was very helpful. |
| * Food: |
I was able to purchase food, and the food at the hostel we were at for the first three days was good. I think mostly this was my lack of initiative that burdened me here. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were in a palace learning from both Viennese and Hungarian professors. Walking along the streets, one heard mostly German. It was highly integrated, albeit not so integrated as it might have been - we were isolated, after all. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Not applicable to me - I had no need of healthcare during my stay, but from what I could tell, they were definitely ensuring all things were available. |
| * Safety: |
Vienna was an incredibly safe city - I did not once fear that I was in a "bad part of town" so to speak, and I heard only of one incident where people felt they needed to run away, which may have been from the police or the like. It was unclear to me. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I feel that it was a good choice for me, personally, and that I grew due to my experiences there in respect to my own chosen place of study. |
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) |
It was fairly easy to live. Not pleasant, necessarily, or healthy, but it was livable. |
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 |
We had a three-week intensive in German, and then there were several courses that were taught in German, but I do wish there had been more of the latter. |
| 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 |
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? | 0 |
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 had taken a Viennese history and culture course in German rather than the Judaism course, enlightening though it was. |
