Lebenserfahrung in Deutschland Past Review
By A student (Civil Engineering., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 02/28/2012 to 07/27/2012 with
Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg: Wurzburg - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My first class had kids whose first language was Slovenian, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Farsi, Polish, Dutch, Greek, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. I literally couldn't communicate with anyone at my table unless it was in German. You have no safety blanket, no one explaining a concept in your first language, no one giving you a sheet with important vocabulary translations on it. You will struggle through the first few weeks until you become comfortable with speaking German more than your first language. But at the end of your time abroad you will have broadened your German-speaking ability far enough to have learned much more about the other kids in that classroom on the first day than you have learned about the German culture you have been immersed in during your stay. You will have learned politics, food, customs, language, and culture from 20 different countries, but most of all you will have learned something about yourself and your ability to adapt to a situation where every single word counts.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes at the University of Wuerzburg were challenging but not impossible, while the classes at the language center were geared more towards international students for language development. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The international office has tutors to help you out at the beginning of you stay but after the school year begins you are expected to rely on the tutors in your housing unit. These tutors all have the same office hours, generally at night, so if you can't make the hours then it will be difficult for you. The international office is also mostly only open from about 8-12 during the week, with 1 or 2 days where it is also open from 2-4, which can also be difficult to make if you take the intensive language course for the first month you are there, as this course is generally 4 hours per day directly conflicting with the hours the international office is open. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was a typical dorm room from my experience as a freshman at UT with the added bonus of your own bathroom and a small kitchen. The dorm I stayed at was farther away from the city center and it would be highly advisable to find a map of the city and a bus schedule with times and stops to familiarize yourself with the city before choosing the dorm you wish to stay in. |
| * Food: |
The german food was all very good and there were multiple cafeterias on the college campuses offering cheap meals for students. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The german culture is difficult at first to become comfortable with, especially coming from Austin to a city such as Wuerzburg that is very religious and closes almost everything on Sundays, not to mention the numerous religious holidays throughout the year. The people in Wuerzburg were generally friendly and it is very much a college town, with about 1/5 of its population attending the University there. City offices are also generally open only about 4 hours per day with varying times, which was personally the most frustrating aspect of the whole stay. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues during the length of this program |
| * Safety: |
Wuerzburg is an extremely safe city. Rarely do people even lock up their bikes and you can be just as comfortable walking down the street at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning. I saw no crime during my stay and only heard of 1 or 2 instances. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It is easy to spend a lot of money in Germany if you are not careful with your expenses. It is a good idea to have some sort of a budget for what you wish to spend per week. Also, my fridge was very small so I ended up going to the grocery store 2-3 times per week which made me more aware of how much I was spending. I would estimate I spent about $70-$120 per week on food and personal expenses and I usually ate out 1-2 times per week. The range given would really depend on the week and what was going on at the time. My costs were also higher at the beginning coming from the US because I was limited in what I could bring and needed to buy quite a few things once I arrived. Your costs will also rise quickly if you plan on taking a lot of trips through Europe so that should also be planned in advance. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $70-$120 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep a record of what you spend for personal expenses vs. grocery store expenses or other necessities to get a better picture where your money is going. You should probably expect to spend more money per week than you would in your home 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 |
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| 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? | College courses |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take advantage of being forced, for lack of a better word, to speak the language. In class you are constantly hearing a foreign language but you are not challenged to speak it on a consistent basis. Many of the classes I took at the language center required us to speak regularly. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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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 know now that it pays to do more research on the city you are going to live in for the next semester/year in order to ensure a smoother transition. I wouldn't chose the same program not because I disliked it but because I would like to live in a different city and be able to compare and contrast my experience. |
