Worthy experience of the country, not of the university Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 10/04/2016 to 07/28/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Berlin
I gained a lot from being alone in another country and figuring out how to be independent.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was disappointed in the classes offered by my host university, yet the program was very rigorous and not flexible at all when it comes to choosing classes and examinations. I learned German this year, but very little in my other majors. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It's not a bad program but I think could take easy steps to better support their students. Things like host families, language tandem are easy to put in place and would make a difference in learning the language. On the other side, I think it should also leave more freedom to students when choosing their classes, especially if you stay for an entire year. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Those were not taken care of by the program / |
* Food: |
Not taken care of by the program. |
* 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
* 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) |
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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 |
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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 |
How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | How disappointed previous students had already been in classes at the host university, something that I only discovered after. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Was heißt: realistisch? Die Wirklichkeit der Künste (Malerei, Fotografie, Film) |
Course Department: | Art History |
Instructor: | Peter Geimer |
Instruction Language: | german |
Comments: | |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Kunst und Migration. Perspektiven auf Nordafrika |
Course Department: | Art History |
Instructor: | Sarah Dornhof |
Instruction Language: | german |
Comments: | Interesting topics and readings, but the students and professor did not seem to prepare or care. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Internship |
Course Department: | Art History |
Instructor: | Anne Breiemaier |
Instruction Language: | german |
Comments: | My best class was not a class: Anne Breiemaier helped me in my research for the paper I had to write related to the internship I did at an art gallery. Really supportive and interesting professor. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Cultural Portfoliio |
Course Department: | Middlebury school abroad in Germany |
Instructor: | Heike Fahrenberg, Barbare Bosch |
Instruction Language: | german/english |
Comments: | I found some parts of it useful, like the IDI. However, the topics of the essays were tedious and repetitive. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Künstlergruppen |
Course Department: | Art History |
Instructor: | Fiona McGovern |
Instruction Language: | german |
Comments: | Interesting material, poorly led seminar. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Der Holocaust in West- u.Osteuropa |
Course Department: | History |
Instructor: | Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe |
Instruction Language: | german |
Comments: | Interesting readings and somewhat active discussion in the seminar. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |