Bryan School Study Abroad Program
Skylar Cherniack
Heilbronn University, Germany
Expectations
I choose to study in Germany because I have been studying the language since I was young and I was very excited to see the cultural variations between the United States and Germany. My study abroad experience in Heilbronn is one of the best experiences of my life. The people, culture, and the university were extremely helpful and caring. I would recommend studying abroad in Germany to anyone.
Accommodations
My accommodations in Heilbronn were a 5-minute walk from the university. The dorms were set up apartment-style. I had a single room, which is common in Germany, with three other roommates. One of my roommates was a student from Greece, one was German, and the other was from Malaysia. It was really wonderful getting to know them and living with them. Culturally, it took more time for me to get to know the locals, but the German students at the university, as well as the people of Heilbronn are very friendly and open. They were very interested in meeting someone from the US and we always had good conversations about our different lifestyles.
Classes
The university was very helpful and very informative during my first days in Heilbronn. For my courses, I decided upon Marketing Projects, International Management, Behavior Science and Mittel-Oberstufe German. Throughout the course of the semester I was very satisfied with all of my classes. All of my professors were very friendly and knowledgeable about their specific areas of teaching. My professors did an amazing job connecting with the students and I feel that I learned a lot from my classes. A few things varied from the norms at UNCG. For example, there is a numerical grading system in Germany rather than the alphabetical one in the United States. Also, in Germany, homework is often optional, if given at all. Depending on the class, we were given a midterm and a final exam in the course of an entire semester. This encouraged students to study more independently outside of class.
Travel
Traveling around Germany was convenient, because trains were always running. I took a train to Würtzburg, Mannheim, Heidelberg and many other cities throughout Germany. Travel was one of the most exciting things that I was able to experience while abroad. I traveled to Berlin and saw the Siegesäule, Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburger Tor, and the Holocaust Memorial. I also traveled to Prague, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Dublin, Rome, Barcelona, and Florence. Those are places that I will never forget. When visiting these places, I never traveled alone. I traveled with the international students and they became my family for the rest of my time in Heilbronn.
Advice
- Be able to adapt to your surroundings. Oftentimes there will be things that are different then what you are used to, but being able to adapt will help you make a lot more friends and make life less stressful.
- Never pass up the opportunity to travel or to go out and do something. It is very important to go out and experience the culture and environment while you still have the chance.
- Be aware of how much money you have, and put some effort into budgeting. It is very easy to waste money on little things, and then run out.