Germany: 7 months of great memories and great friends! Past Review
By Alexandra P (Accountancy, Illinois State University) for
Paderborn University: Paderborn - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Never judge a book by its color. I have never met so many amazing people out here. I know I will keep in contact with all of them.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
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 |
Strengths- Faculty and Staff were extremely helpful. Buddy program helped get all my living situation settled in. Weakness- unorganized with selecting courses. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Apartment Included - Kitchenware, Bed, Desk, Wardrobe, Shelving. Needed to buy Sheets, Towels, Toiletries, Curtains, Hair Dryer Apartment was right across from University. Most International Students lived in this apartment complex. |
| * Food: |
Eat at the Mensa. It is simple to cook food at your apartment. There are two grocery stores conveniently located by Vogeliusweg (student apartments). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Uniparties, Tuesday night bar crawls with Erasmus students. Weekend trips provided by Eurobiz. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I have never experienced being uncomfortable while walking home late at night. The Germans are very nice and have not fell into an incident where I did not feel safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | Around 50 Euros a month. It varies week-to-week due to traveling, rent, nightlife, going out to dinner. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You will feel like you lose a lot of money after paying rent each month. Traveling can be quite expensive. Make sure to stay in Hostels, CouchSurfing, Ryanair.. in order to save money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
3-Month Intensive Language Course, Most people spoke English. |
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?
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? | Any student that is willing to come out of their shell and experience new things. You take out as much as you put in it. |
