I met some of the best friends of my life

Location:
Freiburg is the German version of a college town. At first I was a little worried that I wouldnt be in a big city like Heidelberg, Munich, or Berlin, but I very quickly found out that Freiburg was the perfect size. Having a population of around 200,000, Freiburg felt like the perfect size. Campus and downtown were always bustling and there was always something going on, yet there were numerous hills, trails, parks and lakes that were quiet and not packed at all, so that you could have some nice alone time. With a great public transportation system, you could get to every corner of Freiburg in about 25-30 minutes. The city is known for being one of the wealthier areas of Germany and it is really evident that the city is well kept and aesthetically pleasing. The atmosphere of the city is great because it is very German, yet very multicultural and very student oriented, yet family friendly. It is important to note that I never ever felt unsafe in the city. Even walking 30 minutes home at 3 AM, I always felt safe in the city!

Academics:
This program is so unique because it mixes classroom learning with real world experiences. This blend of knowledge, centering around everything European Union related, is designed in a way for students to get the most out of the program. At first I was nervous about having to learn in a European system with European professors because their values and norms are so different, but I found out that IES really tries to cater to Americans. The best part of the program was the learning. Now hey - that sounds really nerdy of me, but everyone on the program was nerdy in some way. We would spend a couple weeks in class learning about current events and EU institutions. Then, what really brought it to life, we would visit the places that we talked about in class. It was super unique to see these things in real life, because how many people can say they have been to the Council of Europe?
The field study trips that accompanied the program were some of the best times of my life. Just with organized IES field trips, I got the opportunity to visit 10 different countries! Everything was planned perfectly and organized expertly. The travel was always on time, comfortable and not too long. The accommodation was clean, comfortable and always in a good location. We had a walking tour in every city we visited right when we got there, so that we could learn about the history, culture and layout of the city. We also had about three or four academic meetings in each city where we learned about the political culture and government of the city and country. This is where we got to meet very high up, important people who held good positions. We learned so much from just discussing and listening to these people. Although all of that sounds really academic, we still had so much free time. We had almost all afternoons and evenings off, so we could pick our own dinner restaurants, go see all of the touristy sites and then go out and experience the local nightlife. The truth is, even if you plan your own travel throughout Europe, it will never be as cheap and well planned as the IES trips.

People:
I met some of my best friends this semester! Studying abroad is kind of like your first month at college: nobody knows anyone and everyone is looking for friends immediately. I made incredible, lifelong friends through this program. The people are more academically driven than your usual university student. The kids are all quirky, nerdy, weird and fun. This basically means that during the day we would have political discussions and would watch John Oliver together, but at night we would go to bars and clubs together. The people come from many different universities all throughout the country, so it was really unique to share experiences. We all got so close that we are planning a reunion this year. The people really helped out on limiting home sickness and eliminating the side effects of cultural shock.

Housing:
We got to live in student housing! I was really excited about this prospect because we spent so much time with American IES students on the program that we didnt get to meet many Germans. The housing opportunity allowed us to meet and interact with German university students who were in the same boat as us! It really gave me a chance to compare and contrast American vs. German life. This was an added plus for the program.

Overall:
Even though places like France, Spain, Italy and England sound like the most popular places to study abroad in Europe, Germany is the hidden gem. Germany is right in the middle of Europe so travel is incredibly easy because everything is so close. Germany is also doing well economically so the country is thriving, yet prices are not too expensive. My favorite thing about the country is that it is very punctual and very orderly, so you know exactly what you are getting. I would recommend this program to many different types of students - as it really is a fantastic experience!