Athena Study Abroad at ESC in Heidelberg, Germany

Absolutely fantastic experience in Germany. Athena made it relatively easy to get overseas and once I was over there, the staff at the ESC were fantastic, probably my favorite component of the trip overall. Thomas was the real OG and the interns were some of my best friends there. Great company.

The school work is relatively easy compared to my work at home, but it was okay because it gave me the opportunity to adventure more than if I had the coursework I would at my school.

The excursions with the school were nice because you had to plan very little. Just show up and you're good to go. However, my favorite trip was when I got to go to Ireland for spring break with a few of my friends from the ESC. Germany, specifically Heidelberg, is great because you are so close to so many different places that one can literally go to a different country every weekend without breaking the bank. Heidelberg has an easy to use train station that makes longer distance travel a breeze and their public transportation makes going to the historical area of the city really easy. Though many enjoyed the tram, I enjoyed the 20 minute walk to the Alt Stadt along the river.

The house is an amazing prewar mansion that complements the surrounding city's architecture. Situated in a very nice and posh area of the town, I never felt in danger, even in the middle of the night. We studied downstairs in the house while we lived upstairs so we never had to leave for class more than 5 minutes in advance and many of my classmates showed up in pajamas. If you want to get to study with German students, there are opportunities for this as well. For me, I studied German at a language school which shares a few classrooms in the house, which was very convenient and I got to meet people from all over the world including Sweden, France, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. Though I didn't take the classes, there is also a business school a short tram ride from the school where one can study with German students as well as students from other areas of the world.

Another advantage of living where we did was the hiking trails. Heidelberg is surrounded by mountains with great views of the city and surrounding areas and many trail heads are within 5 minutes of the house. Some of my fondest memories are when we convinced Thomas to take us for hikes up the mountain the house was located on and in his dress shoes and sport coat, he led us up the mountain to discover ruins of thousand year old churches and a nazi amphitheater. Once we finished our hike, we all drank some fantastic hefeweizen and shared stories in a little hut on the top of the mountain.

I 150% recommend this program to anyone interested in travel and getting out of their comfort zone. The area and the people are incredible.