Semester in Mannheim Past Review
By Joshua Brecker (University of Maine - Orono) - abroad from 08/26/2016 to 12/19/2016 with
University of Mannheim: Mannheim - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot more about getting things done on my own. Whether it was cooking, taking care of financial issues. or whatever other issues I ran into, I was able to overcome them, and I think i grew from those experiences. I learned a lot from my classes, and was able to get a lot of valuable information and experience from my academics as well. Everything was new and exciting to me, and I learned to appreciate the differences between my home in Maine, and my stay in Germany.
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. |
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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: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would do the same program, but having learned from all of my mistakes, I think I would have saved myself a lot of trouble, and maybe saved myself a lot of stress. The experience in terms of academics and social life was great. Government administration was the biggest headache I had to deal with consistently. Overall though, the things that I traveled for ended up great, and I was lucky to have fantastic roommates that helped teach me things like cooking, and bring me to places that I otherwise wouldn't have gone to. |
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) |
I used Aldi supermarket, known as a cheaper supermarket, the most often, so my food costs were pretty low. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I didn't keep an exact number, but 50-75 euros a week maybe. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Find the discount stores, like in Germany supermarkets like Aldi. These stores don't have all the name brands, but they offer good food at low prices that was overall still very good. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I didn't have to use the language often, and I was nervous at times to use the language where I could have. The people that spoke German to each other spoke it fluently, too quick for me to really learn and understand. The others that didn't speak German often didn't know the language at all. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2nd Semester German |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get confidence and use the language. Take classes while abroad. I didn't take any language classes in my time in Germany, and so I didn't really grow in my overall understanding of the language than when I left. I picked up some vocab, but nothing major. I think classes would have really helped me use and understand the language better. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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 had known about some of the issues I would have with insurance, residence, and administration. A lot of these were personal issues that may be only things that I would experience through my individual circumstances, but knowing how to better prepare for these things would have made some things much easier. |
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! |
