Amanda Harris
Jena, July 7-27, 2001
Bayreuth, August 1-29, 2001

Program and Preparation for Study Abroad
1. Where and when did you study abroad? (Which program ?)

I studied abroad in Jena ("Sprache und Kultur multimedial" at the Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena) in July, and in Bayreuth ("Sprache und Musikleben in Deutschland" at Universität Bayreuth) in August of 2001 

2. How much German did you know before you left for Europe?

My most advanced class had been German 205, Intermediate Grammar and Composition

3. What was your major and how did German fit in with your overall academic plans?

My major at the time was piano performance and WCAS undecided. I was trying to decide if I wanted to major in German.

4. What foreign contacts did you have before studying abroad?

None

5. Which courses do you wish you had taken before leaving for Europe?

I think that I was prepared for my trip after taking German 205 and German 203, Intermediate conversation. I took German 203 mainly to keep my language skills active spring quarter before my trip.

6. How do you feel you could better have prepared yourself for your study abroad experience?

I think that I would have been better prepared if I had done some more research on the cities that I visited. Reading tourist books really help.

Program Description

1. How would you describe and evaluate this study abroad program and the opportunities it provided for learning German? How many students in a class? How many students in the entire program? Teachers? Special features? Positive aspects? Negative aspects?

Jena: There were about 70 students in the entire program, and usually 10-15 students in each class. All of the teachers were native speakers, and each class was tailored to the students' needs. We had class every morning, even on Saturday. Late mornings and evenings, there would usually be a lecture from a professor from a different university. In the afternoon, we would have seminars on media and its influence on Germany. Sundays were always free. We went on excursions to different cities throughout the program (to a total of 6 cities in 5 trips). The lectures were extremely hard to understand, and meant for the highest class in the program, so many of the students in the lower levels skipped these lectures. The seminars were also difficult, but since there were discussions between the students, the level of German would be adjusted so everyone could understand the conversation.

Bayreuth: There were about 170 students in the entire program, with 15-20 students in each class. I was surprised to find that not all of the language teachers spoke German as their native language, but there were no problems with the teachers. The classes were larger than the ones in Jena, due to the number of people in the program. Once again, there were language classes in the morning, adjusted to the students' needs, followed by seminars after lunch. There were also activities in the evenings, usually something to do with introducing the city to us. The seminars in the afternoon were about the subject that we were in. I applied to the Musikleben program, but there were other programs, like Gesellschaft or Europastudien. Each of the different programs had a teacher who organized activities for us. The music program had a choir that met once a week, we had lectures on composers, and we worked on creating a small Kinderoper to present at the final concert that the music students held. Since Bayreuth is so musically famous, we also had opportunities to hear concerts, see the famous Festspielhaus that Wagner built, and see Wagner's and Liszt's house, which are both in Bayreuth.

2. What were the strongest aspects of the program?

Jena: I definitely think that the small number of people who were in the course helped a lot. Small classes meant a lot more attention from the teacher, and you actually got to know everybody in the program.

Bayreuth: I think that the strongest aspect of this program was the opportunity to live with a family. This was the most enjoyable and most educational part of my whole trip!

3. Where do you feel the study abroad program needs improvement?

Jena: The program was tailored too much to the advanced students. There were no alternate activities for the students who weren't in the highest level.

Bayreuth: There were too many things scheduled! There was no time to explore Bayreuth or other cities, because every single moment of your life was scheduled. I ended up skipping classes to enjoy things that I wanted to see in Bayreuth.

4. How would you describe the housing? (Where did you live? Who else lived there? Were there cooking facilities or a meeting room with T.V? Was there much opportunity to practice German?

Jena: I lived in a business hotel, just outside of town (about a 25 minute tram ride). During the summer months, the business hotels will rent out rooms to students at a low price, since the business travelers are on vacation with their family. We got to choose between a single and a double, and I tried to get a double, so I could practice talking more. Unfortunately, they seemed to pair up the doubles according to nationality, since Italians roomed with Italians, Russians with Russians, etc. Since there wasn't another American student staying in the hotel, I ended up in a single. This grouping of nationalities then also allowed each country to form a group, that was sometimes hard to break into. It was a very nice, upscale hotel, with private bathrooms, phone, and T.V. in each room. Unfortunately, since it was an expensive hotel, the food was also expensive. I ended up eating in Jena every evening before returning to the hotel. There were cheap student restaurants where you could buy dinner for only a dollar or two, compared to the $10-$20 for dinner at the hotel. I ate breakfast at the university, for only a dollar or two per meal.

Bayreuth: I stayed with a family, which I highly recommend. The family that I had housed two girls for many years for the program. I had my own room, and the other girl, who was from France, got her own room too. We shared a bathroom, and had as much privacy as we wanted. There was a T.V. in her room, and we could watch T.V. whenever we wanted to. Most of our time at home was spent downstairs with the family, a retired couple who liked to go on vacations. We ate together almost every night, but it was no problem if we wanted to go out, if we told our guest family ahead of time. They took us on trips on Sundays, since they were left unscheduled in the University program. We went to their camping spot, and traveled to the Czech Republic. They also had enough bicycles for us to go biking when we wanted to. We took a trip to Nürnberg, bringing the bikes with us on the train. Then our guest family showed us Nürnberg by a bike trip through the city. Another reason I liked staying with a family was because it forced us to talk in German, every day. We had an environment where we could talk about our day, and have pleasant conversations with real Germans, who would help us with our German (after the first week or so, they would correct our grammar if we kept on making the same mistakes, which was very helpful). It was also educational to see their perspective on life, from immigrants moving into their community, to the Americanization of their city, and even down to the brands of beer that you should never drink.

5. Describe a memorable experience where you made effective use of your German.

When I finally got to Jena, I discovered that both set of directions to get to the hotel were outdated and incorrect. I ended up walking up to the market in the rain, and trying to figure out the tram system in Jena so I could get to the hotel. I ended up asking an old lady sitting at the stop for help. She explained how to buy a ticket and then pointed me to the tram that I wanted. Or so we thought I wanted. She accidently pointed out the wrong tram to me, and I had to ask another old lady (there are a lot of nice old ladies in Jena who will help you out) who was sitting next to me for help. She finally figured out where I needed to go, and offered to even go with me, but then the tram driver turned around and said that he'd point out which tram I'd need to take to get to the hotel. This was the first time I had a conversation entirely in German, since previously every time I opened my mouth, people would switch to English when talking with me.

6. What do you wish you had done while studying abroad?

I wish that I had traveled more. I know I traveled a lot, but my favorite part of being in Europe is getting on a train to go to a new town and exploring it.

Location

What were the advantages or disadvantages of the town or city where the program is based?

Jena: I loved the town of Jena. It was noticeably an old East German town, with lots of construction going on, and there are even some of the old, noisy street cars being used. I absolutely loved the area that Jena was in, and the hikes that we took around Jena are wonderfully scenic. It is also a very safe town, and I never felt threatened while I was there. The city is also close enough to other interesting cities for lots of day trips.

Bayreuth: For the music program, the location was wonderful. The program runs during the same time as the Wagner festival, so you can go and look for tickets to an opera. We had a private tour of the Festspielhaus, so even if you don't want to spend money on the opera, you can still see the famous opera house. The town is small enough so that you feel safe walking down the street late at night, but large enough that there is something to do in the evenings. I loved Bayreuth. It has museums, stores, and you can always relax in the Hofgarten. It's only about an hour away from Nürnberg by train, from where you can transfer to go anywhere in Germany.

Travel

1. What were the most memorable and valuable trips which you took during your stay abroad?

My favorite trip that I took was to Salzburg, after the end of the Bayreuth program. I went with another Northwestern student, and we got to see München and Salzburg. It was wonderful to be able to travel around by ourselves and see the area, and by then our language skills were comfortable enough so that we weren't troubled by a language barrier. I also loved the scheduled trips that the programs offered, but I loved being able to pack up and travel to another city and explore it.

Back at Northwestern

1. Which courses did you take or do you plan to take to complement or expand on what you have done in Europe?

I am taking German literature classes, and working towards my major.

2. How did you get credit for the academic work you did in Europe?

I didn't. It was for the experience only.

3. How did your academic plans change, if at all, after you returned to Northwestern?

I declared my WCAS degree in German.

4. What advice would you have for students contemplating study abroad?

GO!!! There are too many reasons to travel abroad, and nothing should prevent you from doing so. You improve language skills, you see parts of the world you wouldn't otherwise have the chance to see, you meet hundreds of people from all over the world, and you will never forget the time you spend in Germany.

Budget

1. Please provide a basic budget for prospective students. What is the minimum needed to participate in the program?

	Jena	Bayreuth
Program Costs	$280	$440
Housing	$200	$440
Food	$240	$240
Flight to Europe	$600	See Jena
Train Tickets	$175	See Jena
Transportation in town	Free with program	Free with program
Books and materials	None	None
Incidental expenses	$75	$100
	$1570	$1220
	Total Costs	$2790

2. How did you find the cost of living in Europe? What financial advice would you give prospective participants?

The cost of living in Europe, especially in old East Germany, is less than that in America. The students that come from countries that were once East Europe find prices in places like Bayreuth to be very high, but for Americans, the prices are reasonable to low.

I had problems finding a cheap flight to Germany, since I didn't know until about a month beforehand if I was going to be studying in Jena. By then, there were no more cheap tickets that I could find from the USA to Germany. I ended up flying out of Canada, since I live so close to the border. A two hour car drive saved me over $1000 in travel costs.

Practical Advice

1. List the three most important things that you wish someone had told you before leaving.

Pack light (if you don't, you will regret it!), ask someone who has been to Germany about paying for public transportation, and do everything you possibly can while in Germany- speak as much as you can, see as much as you can, and travel as much as you can!

2. What special things did you discover during your stay that other students might profit from knowing?

3. Why would you encourage another student to consider studying abroad?  

It's an experience that will stay with you forever. I always heard from people who studied abroad, even for short periods of time, that they loved their experience. It's like nothing that you can experience in the USA. You can see that there is a world, and you can see how people from all over the world live.

4.Why do you think that so few American students study abroad and what could the German Department or Study Abroad Office do to encourage students to study abroad.

I think that some Americans are scared of the language barrier. Europeans' language skills are usually much better than Americans' skills, and Europeans don't have the Atlantic separating them from the rest of the world. I think that speaking with people who have studied abroad would help students feel reassured in traveling to a country that speaks a foreign language.

5. Did you find any work or internship opportunities during your stay in Germany?

No, but I wasn't looking for any.