Past Review
By Spenser S (International Relations and Affairs., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
University of Kansas: Holzkirchen - Advanced German Language at Freunde der Universitat Kansas
It was well worth it. Once again I discovered myself and discovered that I can do a lot more on my own than I previously though. Id do it all over again in a heart beat.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Work load is at a very laid back pace. Grading system is your typical A-F scale. Teaching methods is straight forward through the teachers with you reading books and taking part in group exercises. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dr. Keel has been leading students to Holzkirchen for over 25 years and many of the people involved with this program help to make it an overall great experience. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with a host family who were very nice and helped to make my stay as comfortable as possible. <br /><br /> You travel the first week and a half of the program. After that you move in with your host families who will supply you with any everyday items you may need. Families are interviewed and selected by professors so they make sure you get a family that suits your personality (they dont select your host families until the end of the travel portion). |
| * Food: |
Prepare for German style food daily. Including the quantities they eat; they dont eat as heavily for breakfast or dinner. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was great. I was there for World Cup 2010, I attended the Berlin Fan Meile and was in the front of this massive public viewing with about 250,000 Germans. The group trips are fun, you go to a brewery, schnapps distillery, and a winery. Also youre so close to Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Italy that they are easy to travel to on the weekends. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
No one really got sick. Its a small town of only about 15,000 so theres hardly any crime e.g. no one locks their bikes really because they dont really have theft problems. |
| 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? | Not much, maybe 20 or 30 euros a week. But every week youre given 40 to 60 euros by KU for the week, so its really hard to spend too much money. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be prepared to make some mistakes and this includes with your money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Youre placed with a host family and youre in a relative isolated town so speaking German everyday is a requirement. Do to this you greatly improve your understanding and speaking abilities. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do it. It was a great experience and Dr. Keel knows what he's doing. You wont be overwhelmed with work and youll always have something fun to do. |
