Vienna became the city of my dreams. Past Review

Even though I had no previous German experience, I was set on going to Vienna which became one of the best decisions for me. IES has a great program that suited my academic needs, while keeping their system Americanized for familiarity's sake. There were plenty of interesting classes (taught in both English and German) to choose from, great professors, and of course, the rest of staff who we hung out with in the main office all the time and were always open for giving advice. There was a pretty decent balance between school work and free time, so I was always going out to do something, whether it was the opera, symphony, museum, park, Danube, you name it! I was never bored and didn't feel too tied down by assignments. I also really enjoyed the built-in trips that IES offered. They were all optional, but I signed up for a few of them and they were the kinds of trips that leave you with incredible memories forever... I highly recommend the week-long Cultural Heritage Tour especially. And, by the time I left Vienna, I was enamored with the language. I really learned a lot of German in a short amount of time when I was there, but it's up to you whether or not to take it to the next level. More fluent speakers still had a challenging time in their German classes though, and there was nothing more exciting than being able to use it in everyday life. I miss the quiet, reserved culture of the Austrians, the plethora of arts (visual and performing) everywhere, and the peaceful afternoons getting apfelstrudel in a cafe. Overall, Vienna was incredible, a city that you can fall in love with in no time, which I did. But it amazing because as of now, it has definitely shaped my own ambitions/desires for the future more than I could have ever known.