IES Abroad Freiburg – Language & Area Studies

IES Abroad does a fantastic job of offering authentic experiences with the host country’s culture and educational system while catering to students with experience in the American education system. Orientation is in-depth for culture shock, language (whether or not you speak it), educational system, and so many opportunities to make friends with international and local students. IES offers a few faculty-led trips within the host country/surrounding area, which are incredible. They do a great job of picking cities with a rich history and that would be difficult for students to plan a trip encompassing the maximum number of highlights with enough time to enjoy the city. The staff also book tours of the cities with professionals who are always willing to speak at a lower level of fluency with students and explain concepts and events in several ways to that students all understand their point within the host language (if different that native language). Professors are the same and students can tell that professors genuinely enjoy both the subject they are teaching as well as interactions with students from all over the US and are very interested in comparing their experiences to students’.

I felt extremely comfortable in Freiburg from the first day I arrived to the last. A big part of this in my mind is down to the environment and attitude the city fostered. With its bike riding and pedestrian-friendly vibe combined with the fact that it felt just the right size. Not too big and dangerous but also enough people to feel excited. It is also a very beautiful and sunny city. This combined with IES gives us the freedom to learn while providing support and help to stay safe and enjoy. IES had the perfect balance of providing group activity but not restricting us or keeping us too busy. They understood that we would want to get out into the city and take risks. I appreciated how they showed us how to do this in the safest way possible and did not control us too much. IES did most of the hard work to make settling in very easy and the staff were very supportive and friendly. It felt like a family from day one. The classes and professors were all very good and I liked how they emphasized that we should be speaking German. All of this combined led me to enjoy and feel at home in Freiburg all while pushing my comfort zone and experiencing new things.

I was in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany for three wonderful weeks before I was sent home due to COVID-19. When I arrived I was greeted by a local German student who lived in my building. I had some time in my room to rest and unpack before meeting the group of IES students and student guides for dinner at a local restaurant. We got to know each other and made plans to find grocery stores, cook dinner, and explore the city together. I had been nervous about making friends, but once I was there it was pretty obvious that everyone wanted to hang out with everyone, since we were all in the same boat. This sense of group support and connection continued throughout my time there, and even when the program went remote. I also became friends with one of my flatmates! Our classes didn't start until we had already gone home, so unfortunately we never met our professors in person. Online classes were difficult because all online classes are, but the professors were really wonderful about trying to make the experience less stressful. The IES Abroad staff gave us mixed signals about COVID-19, which is understandable given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, but it was incredibly frustrating and stressful for the students. Our on-site staff told us IES would never send us home, but that was not based on any real policy, so when the Chicago office sent us home we had no warning at all. However, staff changes were made after the fact and they let us know by email. Ultimately, I had a really wonderful experience and I miss my time in person with IES. If COVID-19 hadn't happened, it would have been entirely positive. I definitely recommend going abroad with IES!