The Only American in Berlin Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/23/2019 to 02/06/2020 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Berlin
My writing skills in German were greatly improved.
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. |
Was not able to find suitable courses for my major. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Was not near any actual Germans |
| * Food: |
I was entirely responsible for food so this is irrelevant. |
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* 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? |
No
It was very isolating to be the only person in the program, and my living arrangements were not conducive to making friends. I would’ve been less depressed in, for example, London. |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $100 |
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? | Advanced |
| 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? | 400- level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* 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? | 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? | Berlin is a really big city and it takes at least an hour to get anywhere in the city |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
German Writing Workshop |
| Course Department: | German |
| Instructor: | Giacomo Cruci |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | It was pretty good, definitely helped with my German writing abilities. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I don’t think so |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Softwareprojekt: Mobilkommunication |
| Course Department: | Informatik |
| Instructor: | Katinka Wolter |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | All of the other students were graduate students so it was a little over my level. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not as far as I’m aware |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Rom im Mittelalter |
| Course Department: | Geschichte |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | It wasn’t very challenging but it was pretty interesting. I enjoyed it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I don’t think so, but I have to see about it still |
