Weixuan Chan
Klagenfurt,
Austria, July 7-August 1, 2003
Weimar,
August 4-29, 2003
Bayreuth,
August 29-September 19, 2003
Study Abroad Survey
1. Where and when did you study abroad? (Which program ?)
Klagenfurt
University in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Sommerakademie
at BauhausUniversity of Weimar, Germany.
Summer
University at Bayreuth University, Germany.
2. How much German did you know before you left for Europe?
I had two years of German at NU before I left. It was sufficient for me to ask simple questions but I don't think I was too capable of holding a conversation with a local.
3. What was your major and how did German fit in with your overall academic plans?
Biomedical Engineering. I chose German as my Theme in order to fulfill the elective thematic requirement for engineering students.
4. What foreign contacts did you have before studying abroad?
I have a cousin who is living in Germany and a good friend who is studying in UK. They are the only contacts I have in Europe.
5. Which courses do you wish you had taken before leaving for Europe?
Some history classes. Even until now, I feel that I understand too little Europa's history.
6. How do you feel you could better have prepared yourself for your study abroad experience?
Also, it would have been better if I had read up more on the politics of Austria and Germany
Program
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?
Klagenfurt -
There were about 60 students and already was there a group of about 20 students from Alabama. This followed by a huge group of Italians. Of course one expects that the Americans only spoke English to one another and they mostly hung out with one another. The Italians of course only spoke in Italian with each other. I feel that there was too much segregation within the entire program and it was not too condusive to improving your speaking and to expanding your social circle.
There are about 10 students in each group (according to the level of proficiency) and sufficient attention was given to the students. There was one main teacher who taught grammer, reading etc and there was also one teacher for phonetics and another one for culture. Phonetics and culture were taught only once in a week. There was a lot of attention given to grammer so I had a chance to polish up my grammer, and I think my grammar improved the most during the program in Klagenfurt. The proficiency test was really rigorous and I feel that the grouping was done pretty well. However as I have said earlier, since participants there mostly spoke English, there wasn't a lot of chance to practice my German. At times I also felt really bored because there was just too much grammer, especially during the afternoon sessions. The teacher who taught culture was particularly bad in catering to the class's needs. Her session was really boring and taught nothing much about Austrian culture and despitethe fact that we had voiced out our discontentment, she did not do anything about it.
Weimar -
There are so many participants in this entire program that I can't even remember exactly how many there were. There were about 10/11 people in each group. Each group had a good mix of people from all around the world, not like the program in Klagenfurt where there were dominant groups of participants from certain countries. I spoke a lot of German in Weimar and had the best time with the participants in Weimar. They were really friendly and open to everyone. There were many Germans who were learning Spanish, Italian and French at the program too so we had a chance to get to know the locals, which is really good.
There were two teachers to each group; morning and afternoon sessions were taught by two different people so we didn't feel too bored. A lot of discussion on social issues, politics and culture in Germany were done and it definitely strengthened my conversational skills. I was placed in the middle to upper level so we did very little grammer but since I had already done so much of that in Klagenfurt, it was a really smooth progression.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we had project hours when we spent time outside the classroom learning about the Goethe, Schiller, Weimar, going to neighbouring cities and going to Buchenwald, the concentration camp in Weimar. Besides that, there were many activities planned for each day and there was so much to do that I didn't even know what to pick. I also had a chance to participate in the Multi-Kulti tour to Berlin and it was a very enriching experience to learn more about East and West Berlin, the problems that immigrants face etc.
Bayreuth -
There were only about 55 participants. There was one teacher to a group of 10 particpants. My teacher was particularly knowledgable and I learnt a lot from her about the problems that Germany faces. It was very informative and thought provoking. We did a lot on both grammer and discussions so learning-wise during class hours, Bayreuth had been really helpful. The seminars, on the other hand, were quite a disappointment. The topics also sounded really interesting but I really didn't learn a lot from them. The company I had in Bayreuth wasn't too great either. I guess the cold weather in Bayreuth was one of the reason for this lack-lustre bond among the participants. Moreover, many of them had already done a program at the same university previous to mine and by the time the September participants came, they were not that enthusiastic anymore.
2. What were the strongest aspects of the program?
Klagenfurt -
Good proficiency test. Strong in teaching grammer.
Weimar -
Very informative and interesting class hours. I seldom got bored even though I could get lazy sometimes to walk to class. Participants were great and there was a chance to get to know the locals.
Bayreuth -
Great teaching by my teacher. I learnt a lot from her. Veryhelpful and personal attention given by the program directors. 3. Where do you feel the study abroad program needs improvement?
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?
Klagenfurt -
I lived in a student dormitory, in a double room. It was very comfortable since we paid so much for it (as compared to the other programs). There's a small kitchen right in the room itself so it's very convenient. There was also a meeting room with TV so since it could get pretty boring in Klagenfurt most of the time, the TV room became one of the best places to go. I didn't speak a lot of German since the program people did not speak that much German.
Weimar -
I stayed in a student dormitory right in the heart of the town, in a single room. It was very convenient but the student's club is just next to it. It was very difficult to sleep at times but I was very often one of those people who stayed at the club till it closed so it wasn't too bad. Many people found it really hard to sleep though. 4 people share a unit and the chance to practise German really depended on the nationalities of the people with whom u stayed. I was with three other girls who spoke English so I didn't speak German in the dorm. Since I didn't spend a lot of time in the dorm, it wasn't too bad. There is a kitchen in each unit.
Bayreuth -
I stayed in a Studentenwohnheim which isn't exactly like a dorm. 4 to 5 people shared an apartment unit and there is one common kitchen. Each person has her own single room. I didn't feel very comfortable because those rooms are actually rooms of current students who leased out their rooms for the summer. They still have some of their stuff in the room and you feel very imposing, even though you had paid for the accommodation. In addition, there could be current students inthe university who continue to live in the apartment during the summer; with all their stuff already in the kitchen, you don't feel too comfortable using the common equipment since you really don't have much to own from there. The participants in that program did not live in the same apartment building but were scattered across the town so you really don't get to meet up with them a lot unless you make a special arrangement. I found this to be really detrimental to making new friends in the program.
5. Describe a memorable experience where you made effective use ofyour German.
There were so many times! The most memorable and recent incident was in Munich when I was there for Oktoberfest and had met up with friends from NU who were in Europe as well. We got back to the hostel past the curfew hour and had to resort to climbing through the back door to get into the dorm. Of course, things didn't go that smoothly and I was left behind when the security guard came. I spent a tremendous amount of time talking and negotiating with the security guard in German and finally he let me off and sent me back to my room. It was great how I was able to do that in German!
6. What do you wish you had done while studying abroad?
I wish I had time to read books in German. It takes a tremendous amount of effort, time and energy to do that. I heard that Harry Potter is quite easy to pick up but I had spent most of my time reading magazines and newspapers. I had also wished to do more research into the welfare problems that Germany faces now, this topic became very real and interesting to me after reading much about it in the newspapers and talking to the teachers.
Location
What were the advantages or disadvantages of the town or city where the program is based?
Klagenfurt -
Worthesee is really beautiful and it was great to be there during the peak of the summer. To get to bigger cities, one needs to take a train for at least 3 hours in order to get to Salzburg or Vienna. Even Graz is not all that convenient to reach by train, it's only easier by bus. I'm a very city person so I like to be able to get to a city easily whenever I want. However I was quite deprived during the week and only had the luxury to do that during the weekends.
Weimar -
Weimar itself is very small and there isn't all that much to do either. However with the student pass, one can travel to neighbouring cities like Erfurt, Jena very easily and fast and it was great! Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia with beautiful architecture. It was definitely a nice getaway from Weimar. One can do that even during the week!
Bayreuth -
Bayreuth is bigger than Weimar and there were more things to do in Bayreuth. The rich Bavarian or rather Frankish culture makes it really interesting too. Travelling to neighbouring cities like Nuremberg, Wurzburg takes about 1-2 hours, which isn't too bad.
Travel
1. What were the most memorable and valuable trips which you took during your stay abroad?
I did solo backpacking in cities like London, Paris, many cities in Italy before I started my first program in Austria then finally the other two in Germany. It was a great experience learning so much about history, art and music. There was one time when the budget airline missed my baggage when i touched down in Paris and then I missed my flight out of Paris af ew days later. All those times were indeed very thrilling to me especially when there was a language barrier. The Multi-Kulti tour with some participants from Weimar was very enriching too. Berlin seems more special to me because of her rich culture, architecture and the divide between the East and West. It was too short, however. My trips to Nuremberg and Munich were haunted by the scare of the Neonazis and for the first time did the threat of the Neonazis became real to me.
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'm graduating early so I cannot accommodate any more non engineering classes. I do hope to be able to attend the screening of German movies and continue reading German newspapers online.
2. How did you get credit for the academic work you did in Europe?
I obtained the certificates from the programs and I have to talk to Prof Lys about this. I think it's the process called retroactive credit transfer.
3. How did your academic plans change, if at all, after you returned to Northwestern?
Academic plans have not changed due to my early graduation. It's a pity.
4. What advice would you have for students contemplating study abroad?
Go for it! all the way!
Budget
1. Please provide a basic budget for prospective students. What is the minimum needed to participate in the program?
Klagenfurt
Program
Costs$___790________
Housing $__480_________
Food $__200_________
Transportation in town $___45________
Books and materials $____0_______
Incidental expenses $____150_______
TOTAL Klagenfurt Euro 1665__________
Weimar
Program
Costs $___490________
Housing $__210_________
Food $__200_________
Flight to Europe $____450(i
managed to get a really good
deal)_______
Transportation in town $___10_______
Books and materials $____0_______
Incidental expenses $____150_______
TOTAL Weimar - Euro
1060
Bayreuth
Program
Costs $___490________
Housing $__195_________
Food $__150(i
cooked and didn't eat out much)_________
Flight to Europe $____450(i
managed to get a really good
deal)_______
Transportation in town $___0(they
gave us a guest card)________
Books and materials $____0_______
Incidental expenses $____150_______
TOTAL Bayreuth Euro 985
Flight to
Europe $____450(i
managed to get a really good
deal)_______
Transportation to Program Sites $____250_______
TOTAL 3 Months - Euro 4,410= $5,125
How did you find the cost of living in Europe? What financial advice would you give prospective participants?
I found the costs of living in Germany lower than US. Austria is relatively more expensive that Germany. If you want to cut down costs, cooking can really save you tonnes of money!
Practical Advice
1. List the three most important things that you wish someone had told you before leaving.
1) The weather in that particular city
2) If I had needed to bring my own reference books
3) The living expenses in the cities
2.What special things did you discover during your stay that other students might profit from knowing?
There are many good train ticket deals that Deutsche Bahn offers andthat makes travelling over the weekend really cheap! One doesn't evenneed to buy a rail pass especially when they have at least one other travelling companion.
3. Why would you encourage another student to consider studying abroad?
I am already studying abroad by studying in US. However English is not a foreign language to me and I don't think I have learnt as much about US as compared to my two months in Germany. IT's really different when one learns about one country through learning the language. It's such an amazing feeling when you can get by speaking the foreign language, and looking at the country beneath what a tourist sees.
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?
America is such a big country and many americans are caught up in their own world thinking that the entire world is just their state or the entire America. Also, though Americans can be as independent as they can be (for example by working and making their own keep), they can be very ignorant about the rest of the world and hence the fear about travelling and surviving in a foreign land. I think by talking to people like me who have experienced the wonders of studying abroad helps a lot.
5. Did you find any work or internship opportunities during your stay in Germany?
Nope.