Study Abroad in Austria: The Most Magical Months of My Life Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/15/2018 to 05/11/2018 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I learned how I fit into the world, and that it's possible to make your home anywhere. I would absolutely do it again, and wish I could.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were on interesting subjects relevant to Vienna, but were much easier than classes at Brandeis. This excludes my German language course which was excellent. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't need any healthcare but friends who did had only good things to say. |
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Everything from the location, to the language, to the food, to the culture was perfect for me. |
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own food even though going out to authentic restaurants is fun. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I took a german-taught class on film in addition to my german class, and was not allowed to speak any English in either. However, friends with less of a background in German did not experience the same level of immersion. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | German 104 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | When you go out to eat, order in the language. Watch TV shows in the language with subtitles. Definitely learn songs in the language; lyrics are easy to remember and you can get a lot of vocab and conjugations that way. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It's okay to take time to travel instead of studying all weekend like I would at home. |
