Greatly Exaggerated Expectations: Lessons in Individuality Smeared by Academics Past Review

By Stefan Pla (Middlebury College) - abroad from 04/17/2017 to 07/27/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Mainz

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Despite my deep disappointment with the academic climate in Germany, I found my semester abroad meaningfully worthwhile. I found my self confidence boosted by my ability to run my life in a foreign language, I discovered breathtaking areas of an unfamiliar country and I found myself making unlikely friends with other students from my home university who I will certainly see again upon returning to Middlebury. I learned that, above all, a semester abroad is a valuable lesson in expectation management - I should have walked in expecting nothing, which may have left the advantages of my semester feeling more pronounced and my disappointments feeling less dramatic.

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.
* 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 actually have any health care problems while I was abroad, so this doesn't really seem to apply to me.
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No I would absolutely return to Germany, but I would never study in German at a German university ever again in my entire life. I was already at a fluency level where living in Germany felt natural, but found the language barrier at the German university to be a 16-week long uphill battle that I never quite surmounted.

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?	Around 50 euros, more or less.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	DO NOT GET A CREDIT CARD. No one in Germany uses them, probably because they're running negative interest rates at the moment. I would advise students to come over with an insane amount of cash to avoid being charged an international transaction fee every time they try to take out money from an ATM.

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
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?	A few 300 level German courses at Middlebury College.
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?	Practice faking a German accent, and spend more time learning German colloquialisms. If Germans can pick out that you aren't a fluent speaker, they'll immediately switch to English, which is supremely frustrating for language learners.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	N/A
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans International Students
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?	Living in Germany Independence that came with an ease of international travel Carbs? lol
* What could be improved?	Advising prior to departure Less purposeful separation of home institution students via housing An earlier start to the research paper preparation schedule
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known to start the final research papers before Middlebury advised me to - if a student follows that exact schedule which begins in the 5th week of the semester, they WILL run out of time. I would advise incoming students to begin browsing courses online earlier so that they can begin preliminary research sooner. Many students during my semester took extensions past the programs end and I pitied them.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Arisierung im Nationalsozialismus
Course Department:	Neueste Geschichte
Instructor:	Pia Nordblom
Instruction Language:	German
Comments:	Like most classes at a German university, the entire grade in this course depended upon the completion of a final research paper. This meant that there was little point in preparing on a week to week basis, especially when the conversation in the classroom moved far too quickly for me to feel capable of getting a meaningful word in at the right time. That aside, the professor had clearly handled students from my program before and accommodated to our needs to meet outside of class frequently to discuss preparation for that final research paper, which was hugely appreciated. The topics covered in the course were largely thought provoking, especially when viewed in the context of Germany's racial history, but I do wish I had grasped a little more than perhaps a third of the material.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Gender Studies
Course Department:	Sociology
Instructor:	Stefan Hirschauer
Instruction Language:	German
Comments:	This was a lecture, which meant my entire grade was based on one exam at the end of the semester. Did I earn a 30% for the entire course? Did I earn a 100%? These questions remain up in the air, as I once again felt like the majority of the material went right over my head. What I did grasp, though, was a fascinating look at gender studies through the lens of various societies around the globe that view gender vastly differently than the western world does. Worthwhile content, nail-biting assessment. These seems to be consistent themes.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Food Culture of Change - You are what you eat
Course Department:	Anthropology
Instructor:	Annabelle Schülein
Instruction Language:	German
Comments:	I'm going to be honest, I skipped this class as often as was allowed without losing credit for the class. While we did receive syllabi on the first day, the professor might as well have just torn them up and tossed them in our faces, as I often felt surprised that each meeting had little to do with the topic for that meeting outlined on the syllabus, which lead to every class meeting kind of blending into a vaguely academic smoothie whose bitter taste left me wondering whether or not I can really say that I learned anything in this class. The professor did provide me with specific citation and structural guidelines for that (you guessed it) final research paper which would comprise my entire grade, a helpful anomaly during the semester.
Credit Transfer Issues: