IES Abroad Freiburg

I simply cannot say enough wonderful things about this program and this city. I felt right at home in Freiburg while taking intriguing and challenging courses and still getting ample opportunities to travel. I was forced to use German about 80% of the time, which really improved my language skills. I lived with an amazing host family on the outskirts of the city and I felt that was a great living atmosphere. I highly recommend the IES Abroad Freiburg Language and Area Studies program to anyone interested in furthering their German language skills in an adorable little city!

I gained close international and American friends, German language and cultural skills, more confidence, urban planning and forest ecology knowledge, and fond memories for a lifetime. I lived in a suite-style apartment with five Germans and one other American on my program -- communal living, hiking and becoming very close with both Germans and Americans made my time unique. I bought a bike at the beginning of the semester to get from point A to point B as the Freiburgers do (along with walking and taking the light-rail tram). Freiburg's urban planning is an amazing green exemplar for the world. While learning about sustainability, we were also able to practice it every day. Freiburg is nestled into the Black Forest, where we would hike often in our free time, many places based on suggestions from our IES staff. Our program's staff in Freiburg were truly wonderful -- extremely helpful and caring. They crafted our time there so we were not too overwhelmed in the beginning, gradually introducing more information and opportunities as we were there to explore the city, the surrounding areas, and meet Germans and learn the language and culture. My experience in Freiburg was a surreal chapter in my life that will inform new experiences of mine and provide a wider perspective on the world.

This program is an extremely unique opportunity for two reasons. The first is that it is so focused on a single topic: the European Union's history and structure. The second is that the cross-continent field trips such as to the European Parliament in Strasbourg or to the rest of the EU government in Brussels are built into your classes. For an Economics and Political Science double major, this was a great opportunity that I am confident will reflect well on me in my professional life. IES is very well organized and will really take good care of you. I never felt like I was "stuck" or mixed up in a situation that couldn't be solved, which is a reasonable worry for someone going on study abroad. Being based in Germany, some people might have worries if they don't speak German. I will say as someone who speaks German that I had an advantage, but the overwhelming majority of people in my program had zero German experience and did just fine. All in all, this is a great program that you won't find a duplicate for and is very well-run.

The time I spent abroad on my IES Freiburg trip was the best time of my life. I ended up on the program in Germany partially by accident; I had wanted to go to France but happened to find the IES program, and because it focused in environmental studies - my area of focus - I decided to just go for it! And I couldn't have made a better choice. The classes were amazing: my program had a really unusual course schedule, where students would focus on one class for weeks at a time, instead of taking several classes at once. This structure allowed me to really delve deep into the subjects we were learning about, and it allowed me to have a lot of time to learn outside the classroom as well.

IES did an amazing job of scheduling trips and excursions for my program to go on, especially hiking trips. We were situated in the Black Forest region of Freiburg, and there were a ton of program-led trips to hike into the forest during the course of my semester. Our program also took us hiking in the Vosges mountains of France, and we event took a class trip to the Swiss Alps, where we got to study the forestry and management practices of scientists within Switzerland! Of course, not all of our trips were focused on hiking. We had multiple class excursions to France to see the Christmas markets in the winter before we left, and we also were given the chance to take tours of our city and learn more about its history and culture. The trips I went on with my program were awesome, and I don’t think I will forget a single one!

I was also extremely pleased with my housing situation. IES had us fill out a housing survey before we were assigned our flats to match our personalities with other students and the different neighborhoods of Freiburg (which each have their own character), and I was placed perfectly! I lived in the Vauban neighborhood and loved the quirky but homey feel of the place. My flatmates were all really inviting and helped me get comfortable living in Freiburg, and were always willing to help me practice my German! I still keep in touch with them after having come back to the States - I really clicked well with them, and I think I made lifelong friends.

Finally, the people running my IES program were some of the most amazing and helpful people I’ve ever had the opportunity to interact with. My program director, Katie, made herself available 24/7 to help us adjust to life in Freiburg. She was there to give us tips on where to eat, which clubs to go to, and she even helped me buy a cell phone when I first got there! She really made an effort to get to know us all and listen to our suggestions for programming and events, and that made my experience 100 times better. And though I didn’t get to see the rest of the IES staff as much, the interactions I had with them were all super helpful and helped me have an incredible time in my city!

Overall, I cannot express enough the gratitude I have towards IES for creating such an amazing experience for me abroad. I made lasting friends, had incredible experiences, and learned lessons - both inside the classroom and out - that I will never forget.

Choosing the IES European Union Program was the best decision that I have ever made. Because the program included travel, I was able to visit 9 different countries across Europe at no extra cost, including places like Bucharest and Budapest. Cities that I would never really think of visiting on my own. More than that, studying abroad gave me a sense of independence and confidence that I would never have been able to achieve otherwise. Having to figure out how to navigate so new places forced me to rely more on myself and pushed me out of my comfort zone. However, I still had support and help from the IES center staff when I needed it. They did a perfect job of making us feel at home and cared for, while also giving us space to challenge ourselves. While there was not as much cultural immersion as I expected (it was difficult given all the travel and being a program full of Americans), I would not change anything because I had so many great experiences and met so many great people in my program that I still talk to today.

Absolutely loved my program. With the program visited 12 countries. It is a lot of traveling, but the semester is built the way that you don’t get tired or exhausted. Freiburg itself is a safe picturesque city. A lot of good places to go out, weather you want to go hiking or to a nightclub. If your level of German is low or non-excitant, it is not an issue. Pretty much every country we went to and in Freiburg, Englsih is widely spoken, so it was very easy to navigate and live there. IES stuff is incredibly caring and attentive. They helped me and any student who needed help or advice. Living situation is very nice. All buildings are located in safe area, close to a grocery store, downtown and IES center. Even not being a political science or related majors, you can definitely benefit from this program. There is a good variety of classes you can choose from.

My semester abroad was more than I could have ever hoped for. I spent my semester improving my german, making new friends, immersing in the culture, and learning how to navigate a new country. I was supported by the IES staff and faculty the entire time I was in Freiburg. If someone got sick a doctors appointment was made available that day for the student. I personally had a medical issue and I was able to recipes antibiotics and the medical attention I needed the day I asked for help. IES planned trips for us: one was to Venice and Padua, and another one to Berlin. I attended both trips, although both optional, and they were very fun and exciting. The trips were a good balance of planned activities and free time for us to do what we wanted to.
We didn't have class on Fridays which allowed for travel and exploration of Freiburg and surrounding areas. The classes were exciting and informative, they were taught at a level of German that was easy to understand. The individual classes had various excursions pertaining to the class.
The social aspect was very fun, we had 32 people in the language and area studies program and I got to know each of these people on a personal level. We spent most of our time together cooking, exploring and immersing in the culture. Our living situations were all slightly different, no room was identical. But everyone had a shared kitchen and bathrooms for the apartment. We also had a few people do home stays.
Overall my experience was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is confident in their German skills and want to see a smaller town aspect of Germany.

I enrolled in the European Union program in Freiburg to gain a better understanding of European culture through the Political Science and International Relations lens and have the ability to visit famous European cities that were also relevant with our studies.
As a Business major, it would seem that my studies were not exactly compatible with my major. However, I was able to fulfill some of my major requirements while still being able to take some Political Science and International Relations classes that I thought were very interesting and could diversify my academic background.
The semester when I studied, the Fall of 2016, could not have been a better time to study abroad. With Brexit and very similar elections occurring in nearly every major European state coupled with the US elections, the subject matter was relevant to everybody and we had plenty of material to discuss in class and when we visited the different bureaucratic cities.
The relevance of the material we study in class were extremely relevant with the current events and that was vital for me as there was the study aspect in my study abroad and also in practice, as I was able to combine the two together and gain a better understanding for European political culture.
As this program is geared towards Political Science and International Relations majors, there were times where I felt I was out of my element, as I did not possess the foundational knowledge of the subject matter we would study. However, it was still very beneficial for me to study different subjects as a Liberal Arts student.
The program did a fantastic job of balancing class work with our travels, as the professors had a great understanding of our time constraints as our schedule had us outside Freiburg almost every two weeks.
With my college tuition and the study program expense being equal, it was fantastic to be able to visit these cities without paying more out of pocket.
Freiburg is also a vibrant, university-driven town to be in, and in close proximity to France, Switzerland, and other European states.