Tübingen - it's what you make of it Past Review
By Scott I (Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics., Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Tübingen
It was definitely worth while. I learned a lot and brought some things back with me. That said, I think there are better programs out there.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload was not bad; I took fairly easy courses though. The system is different, but the program director takes care of explaining all of the differences. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths: Program has a strong safety net and a lot of support. The program director really goes out of her way to help. Weaknesses: The program was rather insular. While people did branch out and make new friends, the kids on the program tended to spend a lot of time together. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Aesthetically, everything was fine. I just ended up in a bad location such that I had to take the bus to get everywhere, and I didn't like the grocery store across the street (limited selection, disorganized) so I would have to bus elsewhere. Living either in the Altstadt (old town, center of the action) or in the student village (W.H.O.) would have been better. Also, the bed was horribly uncomfortable. My flatmates were mostly friendly and inclusive which was nice. |
| * Food: |
the Mensa offers super cheap meals that are at least edible. 2 meal options a day: vegetarian or non-vegetarian. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Berlin trip was great. Otherwise, meh. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Tübingen is incredibly safe. Parents will let their 10 year olds ride the busses alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | 20€ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Deutsche Bank and Bank of America have a partnership - if you have a BofA account, you can withdraw € from a Deutsche Bank ATM ("Geldautomat") without fees. |
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? | German literature (61&62) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
While many people spoke English, my day to day interactions were in German. If anyone heard an English-speaker struggling though, they would switch to English. |
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? | Get involved in an activity that isn't dance or soaring - I knew I had to get involved, but the former resulted in me not actually meeting anyone because it was not very social, and the latter, while I met a lot of people, required me having a ride to the airport which rarely happened. |
