Hochschule Reutlingen Study Abroad Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This isn't a category that I can answer in one lump, nor can I answer the above questions on education in one answer. For instance, “Quality of Instruction” for all professors except Prof. Szaniszlo would be five globes, and Prof. Szaniszlo would get one. Art class with Herr Springer was fantastic. He has an incredible knowledge of European art which he shared through engaging "living art." I also enjoyed his teachings on church architecture, which were extremely appropriate for the experience. German class with the Brixners was also good. They were extremely willing to help the students with extra German problems as well. For instance, Herr Brixner contacted my German only speaking relatives for me and helped me to travel to meet them which turned out to be an incredible experience. I could not ask for a more willing to help German. As for my experience in Frau Brixner's class, she was a very good teacher. At times it seemed like we were studying German which would not be helpful while traveling; however, this was due to the university curriculum, not her own teaching style. Perhaps it would be possible to have an extra credit available for more class time to learn useful beginner German like how to order food. Economics with Herr Veit was captivating. He has a totally different perspective on economics which you cannot learn from an American professor or the economic reports on CNBC. I found it incredibly stimulating to learn about all of his chosen topics. German Life and Culture was a disappointment. I learned nothing that could not be found on a basic Wikipedia search. Since I was already reading a significant amount about the country from travel guides, basic info on the geography and such what not interesting. Then I was expecting to learn about German holidays and their celebrations, historical customs that have changed over time, things that fit into the “life and culture” category. Instead, we learned some history, spent multiple classes discussing where we traveled to over the weekend, and watched German movies. I guess that the movies showed German culture, but three movies that showed the difference between the east and the west were hardly representative of all of German culture or an educational way to teach a class, in my opinion. Basically, I was neither satisfied by the content or the presentation of German Life and Culture. Based on my experience in this class, and what I heard about the math class, I am grateful that I decided not to take that class. I believe that offering a math class to students while traveling abroad is a very poor choice in a class topic to offer and would not in any way enhance my experience traveling abroad.

On-site administration of your program

Her strengths were arranging trips that the group when on. Here I would still recommend that the trips include more group meals and visits to specific museums and locations rather than broad city tours which give only shallow information available in tour books and on the internet. That would make the time in those cities more efficient. Weaknesses: She was from Eastern Europe, but even when we were in her home country, I did not learn any real information about how living there was different for her. Instead, she was distant and relied on movies that portrayed it well. Because of this, I feel like I missed out on learning about the different culture from her. By comparison, when I was seven my family had a college student from Easter Germany live with use and I still remember what she told me about how it was different. Considering I was seven and learned something that I still remember, I know there is much more that could have been said that was not covered in class or while we were traveling. In other administrative positions, I was disappointing in the communication. For example,we were not made aware of what things the program had to offer us other than the items left from previous years. I was extremely disappointed to learn that there had been bikes for the program that were disposed of because me and others wanted to use a bike all semester and were never told that they were available. Then when I recommended the program should get bikes, I felt like I was being scolded for such a suggestion because I was told before that they had them. Other students confirmed that we were not told this too. There were many times throughout the semester that I felt like her responses were too strong for her audience. Her strengths were arranging trips that the group when on. Here I would still recommend that the trips include more group meals and visits to specific museums and locations rather than broad city tours which give only shallow information available in tour books and on the internet. That would make the time in those cities more efficient. Weaknesses: She was from Eastern Europe, but even when we were in her home country, I did not learn any real information about how living there was different for her. Instead, she was distant and relied on movies that portrayed it well. Because of this, I feel like I missed out on learning about the different culture from her. By comparison, when I was seven my family had a college student from Easter Germany live with use and I still remember what she told me about how it was different. Considering I was seven and learned something that I still remember, I know there is much more that could have been said that was not covered in class or while we were traveling. In other administrative positions, I was disappointing in the communication. For example, we were not made aware of what things the program had to offer us other than the items left from previous years. I was extremely disappointed to learn that there had been bikes for the program that were disposed of because me and others wanted to use a bike all semester and were never told that they were available. Then when I recommended the program should get bikes, I felt like I was being scolded for such a suggestion because I was told before that they had them. Other students confirmed that we were not told this too. There were many times throughout the semester that I felt like her responses were too strong for her audience. I know that this is partially due to the different culture in Europe, but ever the German professors changed their tone and conversation style to accommodate the students from the US.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was clean, spacious, and nice. <br /><br />

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

For the social part, my group was extremely small but still had cliques. I do not think that the director did anything to improve the social aspect of the group. I would strongly recommend studying abroad with a larger group of students in order to have more people to talk to and travel with as well as to relieve some of the tension between some students that did not get along with one another.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I expressed interest in a flu shot at the beginning of the program right after they became available in Germany. Three weeks from the end the director finally ordered one. I left Germany without reciving a flu shot. I felt like this was extremely inadequate for a preventative health measure. Especially considering the the US government sent an email while I was there recommending travelers to get a flu shot.

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

I found it easy to travel around the country without knowing the language extremely well. There were always people that could help in cases where I had problems. Also, I knew the language needed to order food, pay for items, and understand transportation so I did not experience any problems. I found that I had much more confidence when I was traveling alone in German speaking places because I would try to talk with people on the train or in a hostel because I was not around English speakers from the group. I found that be how I improved the most.

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• Dorm

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• Americans