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Environmental Sustainability in Germany : Reviews (Freiburg)

The following program review responses have been selected for publication by Study Abroad & Global Engagement
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Summer 2012 Participant
I really enjoyed all of the afternoon field trips. Taking trips to the European Parliament, the organic winery, and the ecologically friendly hotel made for great supplements to the classroom content.

 

Summer 2012 Participant
I enjoyed living in the city of Freiburg. It was a vibrant, fun place with many cultural attractions and was easy to navigate.

 

Kara Rose Lewis, Summer 2012 Participant
I loved meeting new people, whether from KU or other schools. I enjoyed learning about my German roommates and the different cultural concepts and avenues. I also enjoyed having free weekends to travel to other places on my own or with the group.

 

Summer 2012 Participant
The ability to experience another culture is something that you'll never forget. It's hard to imagine how different peoples lives are in another country, until you go there. Once you're there, you're able to appreciate your homeland and the foreign one because they both have things to offer.

 

Summer 2014 Participant
The city of Freiburg is an excellent and beautiful place to study and explore. The field trips were a lot of fun as well.

 

Summer 2014 Participant
The fact that we learned from the city more than we did from power-points or examples. The city itself could've been used as our textbook.

 

Summer 2016 Participant
My favorite part of this program was being able to live and experience the different planning methods in Germany, and learning how much of a difference they made.

 

Summer 2018 Participant
My favorite part of the program was the connection between classes and the city. After every class I would walk around my temporary home city and see it in a whole new way, thanks to the topics we had covered in class.

 

Miranda J Doores, Summer 2018 Participant
I loved that we got to live with other German and international students in the student living quarters. That really helped us make friends and get more involved in clubs, groups, etc.

 

Mackenzie Kay Davis, Summer 2012 Participant
The most rewarding parts of the program were being able to travel and experience a new culture. It was great to see how other countries view things and how different their customs and values are compared to ours in the United States.

 

Summer 2012 Participant
I loved hearing from guest speakers and learning more about sustainable urban planning. It was great to see the principles applied in Freiburg firsthand.

 

Kara Rose Lewis, Summer 2012 Participant
The trip as a whole was very rewarding, especially in terms of environmental studies and understanding urban planning and development concepts geared toward sustainability. The trip was rewarding because I not only learned and saw a "green" way of living, but I actually lived it myself; and it was a very different lifestyle.

 

Samantha Jean Harms, Summer 2016 Participant
The most rewarding was the lifelong lessons and lifelong friends I gained from the program. I made friends at KU, throughout the states, and throughout the world. I learned how to be environmental friendly, how this world could be sustainable, and was taught that everything we taught about in class is possible out in the real world. Other elements I found extremely rewarding were traveling, both by myself and with the class, learning about the outside world, learning about myself, hiking daily in the most beautiful place, and simply just being in Freiburg. This place can change someone's soul, and it certainly changed mine for the best.

 

Summer 2018 Participant
The elements that I found to be the most rewarding were the opportunity to learn through observing and experiencing the local culture of Freiburg and having three-day weekends to travel and explore other countries and cultures!

 

Summer 2012 Participant
Take full advantage of the black forest region. Trips to large European cities can be fun, but there is a lot to see in the Freiburg area.

 

Mackenzie Kay Davis, Summer 2012 Participant
I learned a lot about myself and how Americans live as a whole in comparison to another country. At first I was worried about the dramatic change in culture, but realized I should not be scared of the culture, but embrace the differences it has with the United States. It was a really great eye opener to another part of the world.

 

Summer 2012 Participant
Bring a laptop. Don't be afraid to speak German to the locals. Absorb as much as you can from the field trips.

 

Kara Rose Lewis, Summer 2012 Participant
This is definitely a program worth doing whether your major is environmental studies, architecture, or engineering. This program offers a variety of learning opportunities within different majors.

 

Summer 2016 Participant
Pack light and be open to meeting new people.

 

Samantha Jean Harms, Summer 2016 Participant
The most vital things that I learned deal with sustainability, living life greener, and how clean energy is actually possible. For everyone on this program, and everyone in general, it is critical we learn this in order to save our planet. This program taught me that and gave me faith that it could be possible.

 

Summer 2016 Participant
I learned that although we don't seem that different than Europeans, that we do have a different culture and lifestyle, and instead of criticizing them or thinking they're weird, that its better to embrace it and be understanding. It will open your mind to all sorts of things that you used to be closed-minded about.