Past Review
By Mary G (LCST, The College of William and Mary) for
University of Muenster: Munster - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was definitely worth it. I learned alot about Germany, but most importantly, I learned who I am and what I can do.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
| The term and year this program took place: | Full-Year 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academics at Muenster can be amazing. However, academic advising is an absolute joke. You need to be willing to find and work out your own schedule with little to no assistance. The Erasmus academic advisor had at least 20 other students not to mention her own regular German students. Office hours are once a week for all Erasmus students studying Germanistik. If you wait until a week or two before classes start, expect maybe two minutes of face time trying to work out your schedule. Also all registration is done by paper and in person. You cannot sign up for classes on the internet. The same goes for grades at the end of the semester. You will be presented with a Schein which you need to hang on to until you are getting ready to leave. There is no record for the person preparing the transcript if you lose them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I chose to live in a WG instead of the dorms. (If you chose to do this you need to find your own housing just like if you were living off campus at home. I used http://www.wg-gesucht.de/) I found housing that was much closer to campus than the student dorms. Also my German roommates are amazing. They help me fit in and even taught me the correct way to recycle. We often went out together or just stayed at home and hung out. If you choose to live in the dorms, they are cheaper, but are not centrally located. You will need to buy a bike or use the bus to get from the dorms to school. Most people in the dorms are usually other exchange or international students because they get priority over German students. Muenster is a great little city though. |
| * Food: |
The bakeries are Germany's secret. They are literally everywhere and ofter cheap cappuccinos (way better than Starbucks though there is a Starbucks in Muenster) and fresh bakery products. For three euro, you can get an amazing breakfast or lunch. The student dinning halls are a little expensive but worth ever penny. I wouldn't bother to get a meal plan unless you eat their every day. They are not near the dorms though. So unless you want to take a 10 minute bus trip into town, expect to do your own cooking. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Muenster offers a little bit of everything. Its has a rich history (the Treaty of Westphalia was signed here in the 1600s), Muesums, a beautiful zoo, and a charming lake where all the students go to read and sun themselves in the summer. The people are fantastic, and the school despite some short comings is a great place to learn. However, in any situation dealing with a foreign country, you must expect some culture shock. Everything is closed on Sundays here but the gas stations. It i just a different way and pace of life. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Muenster is one of the safest places I have ever lived. I once lost my purse and someone actually turned it in to the Fündburo (city lost and found) without taking any of my credit cards. I had a friend break her leg while she was here, and she said that the doctors were amazing. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You must open a German bank account. The banking system is different than at home. Your account will not only be at a specific chain (ex. Sparkasse) but at a specific bank, which you must go to when you have problems. Also checks do not exist. If you want to deposit money into someone account (ex. paying your land lord rent) you have to go to your bank with the other person bank information (account number, which bank, ect) and fill out an Überweisung slip to deposit the money. It's not difficult, but it takes some getting use to. Muenster is over all a fairly cheap city; however, the night life isn't. Also expect to buy a bike. They say that bikes out number the population 2 to 1. You might think that I am exaggerating, but wait and see. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The Erasmus program can be complicated for English speakers. Most of the students living in dorms are international (regular students live off campus in WGs) and all Sprachkurs are for international students as well. You may find yourself getting to know other exchange students from all over the world better than the German students. This can be interesting, but almost all international students speak english. They often prefer to speak in english than german. You have to make an effort to remember and remind others that you are here to practice German, or in your free time, you might find yourself speaking english far too often. Students can live off campus, and I would highly recommend this. If you live with Germans, it forces you to speak the language, automatically make German friends, and learn how people truly live in Germany. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You must be self motivated and willing to go out on your own to get things done. It's a great program, but you have to make it work for you. There is no on site connection to WM and the system is different than at home. Use your first few weeks here to explore and understand how everything works. Go to every event offered because they are great ways to met people. If you have a question, just ask. I know I was a little frustrated at the beginning. It can be intense trying to sort out registering with the city and the college. However, it does get better. Also if you come in the fall expect it to be a little rainy and dreary. They have a saying here "its either raining or the bells are ringing, and if both are happening it must be Sunday." However, summer semester more than makes up the bad weather. This is a program that I feel grows on you. You start out unsure but end up loving it and wondering when you are going to come back. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sprachkurse |
| Course Department: | Sprachzentrum |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | The program that they place me under was the Erasmus program (an inter-European exchange program). For Erasmus students the Erasmus year is meant to be a time abroad exploring, and the Sprachzentrum classes are suppose to help those students with their German and adapting to regular classes. However, they are almost a complete waste of time. Imagine taking your 9th grade German class in college. There are no over arching themes to the classes. For example in Übung zum Leseverstehen we never read any novels, only short excerpts from magazines and did fill in the blanks for homework. The teachers are nice, and it is a good way to meet other exchange students, but if you are looking for challenging classes or something that just makes you think, I would avoid these. Muenster has a great selection of regular lectures...take those instead! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Deutsch Unterricht und Der Holocaust |
| Course Department: | Germanistik |
| Instructor: | Jens Birkmeyer |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | One of the best classes I have ever taking including those at WM. It was a small discussion based course. In Germany seminars are really seminars. Everyone talks and no one has a problem saying if they think the other is completely wrong. It was interesting to be a part of and watch. The book selection was amazing and it changed the way I thought about the Holocaust. Birkmeyer is friendly. Stil the class is not at all easy. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
