Best trip I've ever had! Past Review
By A student (University of California - San Diego / UCSD) - abroad from 08/06/2017 to 09/08/2017 with
UC San Diego Global Seminars: Berlin - Revolution, Industry, & Empire in Berlin
It's clichéd, but it really expanded my worldview, and boosted my confidence in general. Navigating a foreign country for the first time was at times scary and difficult, but always exciting and rewarding. The class material too was excellent and extremely interesting.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Excellent reading material and lots of work, with a great writing assignment that encouraged us to go visit places in Berlin and beyond. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
I loved the food in Berlin! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My German was extremely limited and most students on the program knew even less. Our living arrangements, coupled with being on the program with so many other students, meant that we could more or less avoid integrating with locals, which has the upside of being very friendly to those with no German language experience but the downside of not necessarily feeling like "living" in Germany. The course materials however incorporated a lot of German history which, when coupled with tours of Berlin, made it easy to feel connected to the city itself. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No health issues during the trip, so no comment. |
| * Safety: |
Berlin feels amazingly safe and clean, much more so than most American cities I have been to. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved Berlin, and would love to go back and spend more time there and in other parts of Germany. |
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) |
Overall program cost was expensive for someone with limited income (including air fare, food etc.) but worth it. Berlin can be pricey although using grocery stores rather than eating out every night certainly helped. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | I wish I knew how easy it would be to get around Germany so I could plan my flight to give me time there before or after to do more exploring on my own or with friends. I also wish I knew more German so I embarrassed myself less often (many Germans speak English, so it isn't a total roadblock). |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
