Salzburg: So Easy to Love. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Having classes completely in a foreign language is tough, but is suprisingly helpful in furthuring ones language fluency. The classes I took througr the Univeristy of Salzburg were very unique in the fact that students in the classes came from everywhere around the world and because of that, German was more of the common language than English. The only difference I really saw was that there wasn't a lot of one on one time between the professors and the students.

On-site administration of your program

My situation is slightly different when it comes to talking about Program Administration, because I was still a student from my university, Longwood University but I went through what I guess is one of our sister schools, the University of Maine. I am very pleased with how the people of both Administrations handeled the situation. Everyone was very nice and would always welcome the billions of questions I brought to them. My ONLY complaint is that the Salzburg Program through the U-Maine Schools has been canceled. I think it is such a shame that a fantastic program in an absoutely beautiful place had to come to an end. Salzburg is a great place to learn German.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The place I stayed in was very nice and was pretty close to everything location-wise. But, the company I went through, OeAD Housing, has a very rude staff who worked very specific hours and the website is very vague as to what to expect when you get there. The dorms were very tiny and not very sound proof and I had to buy the necessities for my dorm- like cookware and sheets, which are things that can be expensive and that you have to end up throwing away once the semester (or year) is over because they take up too much space in a suitcase.

I LOVED grocery shopping in Austria. All of the food is very fresh and pretty reasonably priced. The selection is pretty similar to what you would see here in the states- but familiar college student food, like Mac and Cheese or Oodles of Noodles, does not exsist in Salzburg. Be sure to stock up! I never had a bad resturant experience anywhere in Austria. It should be noted that beer is cheaper than water and soda at resturants in Austria. Also, it's an insult to ask for tap water at a resturant. If you are planning on going to Salzburg, be sure to hit the Humbolt Cafe in Altstadt. You get delicious food and HUGE portions for super cheap!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My program did a lot because we were the last group to go on this program. We went to Vienna, Berlin and took many day trips where we would hike to a waterfall or take a tour of a brewery. Berlin was the big trip of the program- We were the first and last students to go on such a big trip like that! We also participated in many cultural events like May Pole Festivals and Fairs. It was so neat to be able to see these things first hand!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Salzburg is very very safe! I felt completely safe walking down streets or along the river after dark. There weren't any prevalent health issues in Salzburg; in fact, they have one of the cleanest tap water in all of Europe.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Although everywhere I went, there was always someone who spoke English, I made sure to at least attempt to use my language with the native speakers. It definately was a challenge to try and keep the natives who were around my age from switching to English after hearing my accent: These people learn English in school, just as we learn foreign languages, it makes sense that they would want to practice with a native speaker just as we would. I absoutely loved being able to converse with the native speakers in their language. It is nice to know that all of my hard work learning the language really paid off in the end. I HIGHLY reccomend speaking the language you are learning as much as possible while you are over there: You not only become fluent, but you also earn respect from the people living there because you are taking part of their culture.

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• International Students
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