A mature approach to being abroad August 01, 2023
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 03/28/2023 to 07/31/2023 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Mainz
I learned a lot of german, a lot of social skills- German's aren't the most forthcoming. I think personally, it was worthwhile. Academically, no.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Well organized after the first three weeks. The first three weeks were filled with unnecessary events that took time and attention away from more pressing logistical/ living needs. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great. I had my own bathroom and room, great location as well. |
| * Food: |
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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
Unsure if I would or wouldn't- but I would have definitely taken more time to research a variety of programs before deciding on one. |
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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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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| 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? | I don't need to travel a lot to enjoy my experience abroad. I spent a lot of time traveling at the start of my program which was amazing, but it kept me from making friendships at my host university. Once I started travelling less and connecting with new friends, the experience felt much more personal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Time Series Analysis |
| Course Department: | Economics |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | It was good, I learned the surface level contents of the course. The lecture style made it difficult to digest everything. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | N/A |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Schopenhauer: On the freedom on human will |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | Such an interesting philosopher, though I understood very little of the discussion during class. A lot of earning outside of the class, though. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Jugend und Protest |
| Course Department: | Germanistik |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | Such an interesting and engaging course. The professor was always well prepared, and group work every class was interesting. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
