I wouldn't recommend this program Past Review
By Sarah K (International Communication and Media, Texas A&M - College Station) for
USAC Germany: Lüneburg - German Language, European and Sustainability/Environmental Studies
I absolutely loved being in Germany and there was time to travel around the country and see how diverse of a place it is. However I really went to Germany to an educational experience and I didn't get that. Part of the problem with the summer program is that it does not match up with the German university schedule. For half of the summer, the university was closed and it was a ghost town. Overall, I would not recommend this program. I was looking to get a really great experience of German culture and German language. On the group trip to Berlin, we went to see a British play at the English theater. That would have been an excellent opportunity to take us to see music by a German composer or a German film or opera. There were so many opportunities for us to experience German culture or the German language where we were instead given English culture in English. The most educational and interesting parts of my time in Germany were when I went off on my own and tried to actually interact with Germans.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some of the classes were way too simple and some of the classes required far too much effort for the amount of credit that they were worth. All of the classes were interesting, but some were excessively challenging while some were just plain boring. |
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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? |
I lived with a French woman, a Chinese man and a German man. Only the German man would speak to me in German and even he prefered to switch to English. I tried to speak to my roommates in German, but none of them would ever respond to me in German. The room itself was nice and well furnished. |
| * Food: |
The on campus dining hall had a small selection, but there was always some sort of vegetarian option, which was helpful for me because I do not eat pork and pork is a popular option in Germany. The downtown area had a very wide selection of food and I was never at a loss for somewhere nice to go grab something to eat. I definitely recommend going and grabbing a Doenner at some point (turkish fast food)! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were paired with a German "buddy" at the outset, but my buddy basically abandoned me after helping me to move my bags into my apartment. She called me once to ask me how I was doing, but after that I never heard from her again. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was very safe. Any time that the program coordinators thought we might not be completely safe, they openly talked about the risks and took measures to reduce those risks. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The language classes were very good. They challenged my speaking ability and helped me to gain confidence. Because the class sizes were so small, they were really able to focus on the specific issues that the students had. However all of the trips that we took and the educational programs that happened outside of the classroom were conducted in English. That meant that I didn't get as many opportunities to try and work on my comprehension of spoken German. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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? | If you're looking for a fun time abroad, then pick this program. However if you're looking for an intensive German language, then look elsewhere. Although the classes were educational, the overall experience of the program wasn't helpful for speaking German. Because the program is open to so many levels of German speakers, those who are in the most advanced classes get short changed. I saw many opportunities where my German could have been improved where I insteaad found myself being spoken to in English. |
