Tübingen: Lots of Spaß Past Review
By Erin S (Greek & Latin, German, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Tübingen
My German improved immensely and at the end I felt like I belonged there. I gained a stronger desire to keep working on my German skills, since I totally fell in love with the culture. I plan on teaching English in a German-speaking country after graduation.
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. |
Professors are much more hands-off than in Germany, but the ones I sought out were still helpful. Two of my grades were completely dependent on a 20-minute oral exam at the end, which was a little frightening, but both professors were very nice to non-native German speakers. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Going on the Tufts program was part of the reason I loved my semester in Germany so much. Ute took care of everything, and the program was a good size with 15 students. Cultural Reimbursement and the trip to Berlin were fantastic. I definitely had the best program of all my non-Tufts friends. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in WHO, which was a little far from the city center and most of the Tufts students, but most of my other international friends lived there. My roommates were really nice; they helped me with my German and invited me when they went to parties. The housing administration sold bedsheets and comforters for pretty cheap and my roommates let me use their cookware. |
| * Food: |
It's way easier to be a vegetarian in Tübingen than in the US. Almost all restaurants have the veggie items labelled. The Mensa (university cafeteria) wasn't that great, but the salad bar was impressive and cheap. There's not much good ethnic food around, so get your fill of Mexican food before you go. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Berlin trip was fantastic - it was a week of hanging out in and discovering one of the coolest cities in Europe with the other Tufts kids. I also really enjoyed the weekly Kaffeestunde meetings. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I can't imagine a city safer than Tübingen. It was a little bit of reverse culture shock going back to Medford and getting emails about muggings again, because nothing like that happens in Tübingen. I had to see a doctor once; it was a little frustrating with the health insurance, but I got reimbursed in the end. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I travelled on mostly my own money and used the stipend for food and personal expenses, and had plenty of money left at the end. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | German Literature |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke English with most of my non-American friends and my roommates. Almost everyone in Tübingen speaks English and would love to practice it with you, but once you ask them to speak only German, they comply. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Take Deutsch Kompakt! It improved my German more in a month than in the rest of my time there. |
