Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Academic
Course recommendations
The FH Wiesbaden has an excellent design department, but it is not as good as the faculty thinks it is. The Communications Design portion of the department has more students and more resources than the Interior Architecture half. The photography courses are good. Some of the "Projekt" courses are not. The drawing teachers are not so great at teaching, even though they are successful artists.
Read more >
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Design is taught very differently in Germany than in the U.S. In America, we had several short projects throughout the semester to do. We worked very quickly, and all the time! In Germany, and maybe Europe as a whole, students tend to have one semester-long project for each class that they take, and they only really do any work for the last month or so of a class. German design students do not "really" take any other classes besides design-related ones (e.g., Art History courses in which one studies, has exams, and writes papers, or any sort of course in which you write anything!).
Read more >
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Languages
Language of instruction: German
Was learning German a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my German
How much did you improve your German?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The FH offered a short, two-week language class for exchange students before the semester began. This was very good, and my German imporved a lot. But during the semester, the same teacher offered a German class that only met once per week. It was not as good, and I dropeed it quickly. Really, everybody can speak english. You have to "try" to speak German in social situations?
Read more >
Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Overall
I wish I had known...
I wished that I would have learned more German before I arrived.
Read more >
In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Germany is a great country to study in, but if all things are equal, study at another school! I studied design here, which was OK, but there were certainly better design schools to choose from. I imagine that the same thing is true for every other subject.
Read more >
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Wiesbaden is the scond most expensive city in the country, only Munich costs more (albeit, a lot more!). While almost everything was cheaper than in the U.S., some of that was do to a favorable exchange rate, which doesn't exist anymore. If you go, you'll have fun, I promise. But if you go somewhere else, you might have more fun, too!
Read more >
Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Other
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
Deutsche Telekom is an evil company, designed to take all of your money.
Read more >
Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Nightlife, Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Travel, Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Food can either be quite expensive, or quite cheap in Germany, depending on what you do. Cheap supermarkets, like Plus or Aldi, are great. Some supermarkets are quite expensive. Same deal with restaurants? Don't go to McDonald's. I like the school Mensas; the food was always spectacular, but it was cheap, and afterall, there are only cafeterias?
Read more >
Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
The two student dorms in Wiesbaden are nice, but they have their drawbacks. One is very close to the school, but has a sanitized, hospital-institution feel to it. The other has a friendlier atmosphere, but is located in the suburbs, quite a bus ride away! Apartments are available all over the city, and living with several actual German students, like I did, made socializing easy, especially when I first moved in.
Read more >
Personal comments
Housing, any way you arrange it, is expensive in Wiesbaden, at least in comparison with the rest of Germany. The dorms do reserve places for foreign students though, so anyone should be able to get in for a semester or two.
Read more >
Useful |
0
netamisakima
Rhode Island School of Design, Providenec, United States
Design (Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Web), Undergraduate, Independent
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
Read more >
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel, Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Wiesabaden has a lot of small bars and cafes, but only a few clubs, which usually are too expensive for students. Mainz has alot of everything, and it much cheaper. A few cafes by dar, bars by night are worth visiting, notably Spital and Haltbar. Occasionally, the Schlacthof, Wiesbaden's Kulturzentrum, throws a decent party, but thousands of people might show up. The school has at least one party a week it seems, hosted by a different department. Some departments, especially the designers and the architects, throw good parties within this school setting.
Read more >
en 
English
Español
Français