Past Review
By Danielle S (HISTORY., Pennsylvania State University - Altoona) for
Penn State Altoona: Traveling - Austria: Between East and West
It was definitely worthwhile. I got to use what German I already knew and build on it with new things that I learned along the way.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The adviser's knowledge was immense, and she was extremely willing to help with any "lost in translation" issues that arose. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program coordinator was with us for just the first day, but she got us to our hostel, distributed the ever-important map, and gave us our passes for transportation. All of these were extremely helpful, yet unobtrusive to the program that was planned by our adviser. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our housing arrangements were extremely nice, both the hostel and the host family more than met our needs. Everyone (employees at the hostel and our host families) were extremely willing to answer questions. The host family was extremely nice and did everything that they could to make our stay better. |
| * Food: |
There were only a few things that I did not care for that I had ordered, even though I am a somewhat picky eater. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everything was very nice and the group worked well together. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We encountered no major health issues, nor were we ever put into a situation where we felt unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | For the entire 10 day trip, I spent 260 Euro (less than $350) for both food that was not covered by the program and personal expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Unless you have the budget for it, do not use your trip to Europe as a time to expand your wardrobe or party every night...you may find yourself short at the end of the trip. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I picked up a lot while in Austria among the native German speakers, but this also meant that I was often only able to pick up about half of what was said in some of the guided tours, especially if there was a lack of context to which the new words could be associated. Otherwise, I felt able to apply what I new and expand my knowledge with what was presented to me. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | GO!!!! Don't worry about the language thing, there is enough common ground that some German and some English usually does the trick. Plus, you are still in a student group with an adviser and other students to lean on if you run into any problems. |
