I fell in love with Germany and grew up a lot as a person in the process. Past Review
By Marian S (International Relations; German, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Tübingen
I gained confidence, but also humility. I became much more independent and learned to savor alone time. I am more serious about my education and my career plans, and I have language skills that I hope to use in my career as well. It was absolutely worth it, especially since I went for the whole year.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Professors are not as available via email or in office hours as professors at Tufts. There is more of an "you're on your own" attitude. Sometimes this was frustrating when I was trying to get extra help from a professor. One thing I liked about the system in Tübingen was that students are generally taking courses out of genuine interest and not because they have to fulfill a requirement. There is not weekly homework, and no one will check if you have done the readings, but the students do the readings because they are interested in the subject. People take responsibility for their education. The workload is less than at Tufts, with most of the work concentrated at the end of the semester with final exams and papers. I recommend taking one or two seminars in addition to lectures (Vorlesungen) because I learned a lot more and was more engaged in the material in my seminar courses. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Ute is the best!!!!! She is helpful for any problem you might encounter. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was living at Eugenstrasse 57 in the Südstadt. It was a good location - right next to a bus line, near Top10 (the club), and right around the corner from a big grocery store. About 10 minutes walking from the train station, 15-20 minutes from the city, and 20-25 minutes from most of the universtiy (walking). My housemates were nice but usually went home on weekends so I didn't see them very much. Don't bother bringing sheets since they don't fit the beds here. My housemates let me use all their cookware in the kitchen. |
| * Food: |
Not a ton of diversity of food options in Tübingen. Most restaurants are German or Italian. The couple Mexican and Asian restaurants there were pretty bad. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did a lot of fun travel, especially within Germany as well as Switzerland and Austria. The Tufts trips to Jena in winter semester and to Berlin in summer semester are a ton of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Tübingen is very safe. I didn't hear about any crime or muggings while I was there. I would walk home alone late at night (as a woman) and not feel nervous. I did go to a doctor a couple times and that went fine. |
| 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? | The stipend you get from Tufts (820€ per month) is plenty to cover normal expenses (including rent) while you're in Tübingen. It was mostly while traveling that I had to dip into my own savings. You could go out to dinner in Tübingen and not spend more than 10€. All the bars offer happy hours and specials, so you can go out drinking for very cheap too. It's not like being in a big city where you have to pay cover charges at clubs or anything. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I spent a lot of money the first couple weeks just buying things for my apartment. Going to a flea market (Flohmarkt) is a good idea to get cheap used stuff. They have them every weekend in Tübingen. I bought a bike for 40€ at a flea market - it was a little old, but worked fine to ride to the university and back. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken German 62 at Tufts (8th semester of German) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I used German in almost all interactions. Most German students do speak at least some English, and some are excited to speak English when they find out you are American, but I would ask them to only speak German with me. Eventually I made German friends who I spoke German with, and that combined with courses in German and everyday interactions in German meant my language skills improved hugely. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Go for a year!! It's much better than a semester and you won't miss anything at Tufts, I promise. |
