Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Past Review

By (HISTORY., SUNY - Binghamton) for

SUNY Binghamton: Graz - Study Abroad at University of Graz (European Studies)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, it was. I improved my German, met amazing people, and it is an experience I will never forget. I am glad I was able to partipate and would do it again in a heart beat.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Karl franzens university graz
The term and year this program took place: Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I thought my home university was harder on academics, but what was written above are my commentaries.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were AMAZING. She would answer ALL and ANY questions I had at ANYTIME.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Studentenheim <br /><br /> Location was GREAT, about 5 minutes away from campus. The students who lived there, not so much.

* Food:

I cooked my own food so it was excellent. The main problem was that the dorms did not provide pots and pans and IKEA came into the picture. I had to find someone to give the pots and pans to because I could not bring them home.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were MANY things available to do. Many Erasmus events and SUNY-only available events.

* Safety:

I felt very safe while in Austria. I traveled a bit during the time I was there and only felt unsafe while in Hungary. Student health insurance was available through my VISA but I never required it.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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? Between 60 and 100 euros per week, sometimes a bit less.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Food is more expensive in Europe and the exchange rate hit me hard.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?

I'm still nervous about speaking German, and there are people who I just can not speak German to, now that I have a relationship with them in English.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Go! It's a wonderful experience!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Austrian Literature
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: German
Comments: This course was good for increasing my knowledge of German. The only problem was the content of course. Our main liteature book on Austrian literature was the story about this perverted piano teacher. She teacher piano but has secret sexual fantasies about bondage and porn and imagines being beaten by her teenage lover. I am sorry, but is there not any OTHER Austrian literature we could have read? Is this really want I want to read about the culture of the country I am studying at?
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Austrian History
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: German
Comments: Our course reader was hard to understand outside of class and the lectures were the only decent part of class. The final exam was very unfair and it was an oral one. The professor gave it to me and then asked me if I would like to answer 2 more questions to improve my grade. Thinking I could be okay, I tried and got them wrong, and he dropped my grade like a game show. I had no idea that was a professional thing to do. He then offered me 2 choices, I could re-take the oral exam again or write a 7 or more page paper on issues we never discussed in class on Austria. Of course my grade could never be higher than my original grade.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

International Relations
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Other then my DaF courses, this was my favorite class. Our professor was very open to ideas and offered wonderful constructive critisisms on our papers. I learned the most from this class and our own individual case studies.
Credit Transfer Issues: