Marlene's Blog: eye-opening experience

I never imagined studying abroad would have had such a HUGE impact in my life, one in which I am TREMENDOUSLY thankful for. Not only was I able to make more friends at my current school, Cal State Fullerton, but I was also able to network with various people within the states and other countries.
I had the best experience at SRH Heidelberg due greatly to the fact that I became part of the German family, by the open arms the professors and staff at SRH Heidelberg and the amazing students that were involved in the Study Abroad Program and their friends who weren’t in the program but still made every effort to hang out with the international students coming to stay at their school.
I learned so much in this short 3 week period than I normally learn in a traditional semester at school. This experience was eye opening for me in several ways, I discovered a lot about Europe, especially Germany and their culture and a great deal about myself as well.
Since I’ve been home I have had the pleasure of talking to many of my co-workers and other students that are attending college and this program is something I would highly recommend, being able to receive 6 units in three weeks is nice, but the EXPERIENCE itself was something I wouldn’t trade for the world. I made some pretty good connections with the diverse group of students that were in our program and have also been able to connect and meet different people from my school with whom I still talk to and have recently had the opportunity of having a mini reunion with them since we’ve returned back to the states.

Back in China

Guten Tag(Beijing time 17:00)
It has been over a month since i back home. Everything is ok. The 3 weeks spent in Germany is memorable.I had a lot of fun there.
Through this program,I made friends from US,South Korea& Germany. And I miss the days we hang out together and the parties we joined in. I adjusted the different culture I never had before. I enjoyed the parties cause i could be their friend.What's more,i even could improve my oral English. I think that “do as Romans do” is the most available way. So it left me a great many memories.

And we all keep in touch by facebook. I managed to hacker with my friend's help.
Have you watched the movie called yet? I like it. We Chinese guys also like the social network, no facebook, but renren(people-people),here's its website: http://www.renren.com/.com. If you want to know more about us,contact me:)
Last month, I went to travel with my friends in southwest China. It was really nice, you can see some pics here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.133732433386629.28959.100002496204127

Best wishes!
--
Jessica
Chongjun Pan (Zheijang University of Science and Technology, China)

Wow, what an experience!

"Wow, what an experience. Definitely 3 of the best weeks of my life. As I soon learned after arriving, study abroad is not just about taking classes and doing your homework, in fact, that's just a small part of it. The whole trip was part of the experience.

We had a great group of 29 students from all over the US and Mexico, and everyone quickly began to bond after arriving. All of the summer school staff and German students were amazing. Dr. Welford and Nikki were awesome teachers, I think I learned more in 3 weeks of class here than I did in a semester back home, and by the way, I have been using my survival German all around Germany! Learning a little bit of German was really fun when you could put it to use everywhere around you and it has inspired me to learn more. The German students also made us feel like part of the community and took us all around the town, I feel like I have lived part of my life in Heidelberg, it has become like a second home. Thanks for everything SRH Heidelberg, I hope to be back to visit in the near future! Please send more students to Cal State Fullerton, I would love to help them out however I can. Titan Pride!
- Tucker Singletary, Heidelberg Summer School 2011" (California State University, Fullerton)

Chris is coming home to Heidelberg

(Bettina Pauley wrote: thanks Chris for this lovely post - it was wonderful to have you here again)

SRH I’m coming home,
SRH I’m coming home,
Tell Norman and Bettina, I’m coming home,
Let the rain go away so sunny days remind me of yesterday,
I know my Deutschland awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes,
I’m coming home, I’m coming home,
Tell the Germans I’m coming home.


I’m coming home… Last year I was here for the first session (Summer 2010) and had the most amazing time of my life. I got to meet the most amazing German students and teachers which I have become very close friends with and keep in contact with even though were thousands of miles away. This year I decided to return to the program because I had so much fun last summer that I knew I had to return. The excursions, trips, Downtown H-Town, and riding the tram are the memories that I will cherish for life and I missed them so much when I was back in America, but I’m back. Even though you have to go to class during this program, the professors are amazing; Laurence Wellford and Nikki Eggers are amazing teachers. They understand that students want to go out and explore so they make class fun and exciting. Professor Wellford teaches the European marketing concepts which are interesting because they differ to the concepts in America. The lovely Ms. Eggers teaches the European culture and German language class. Without her I don’t think I would have ever learned how to order a BIER in Deutschland.

Norman and Bettina are amazing! Coming back and having them accept me back into the program even though I was not a student is amazing. Last year after summer school Norman came to America and we all met up from the summer school and also the students from the previous year, were like one big family now. And Bettina, oh Bettina, she was like a second mother to me and last year was kind enough to have a BBQ at here house and it was a lovely time, and meeting her again was even more amazing.
The German students… you guys are guile, so guile… It is the only word that I can think of right now. The German students do so much to assist the program that without them there would not be a program. They are there to answer all your questions and help you solve all your problems when they come up, and trust me they come up more than once. They take you out to the city to have fun and also take you to eat. These guys do so much I got to say Danke to Hendrik, Felix, Fabian, Mattias, Charis, Sebastian, Fedor

Welcome to Heidelberg 2011

Dear Summer School Students from Boise State University, California State University, Fullerton, Chatham University, Colorado State University, Ithaca College, San Diego State University and the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Mexico.

Welcome to Germany, welcome to Heidelberg, welcome to SRH University Heidelberg. The School of Business is organizing this Summer School Program for the fourth time and we promise you an exciting and highly enjoyable experience. We are all very much looking forward to spending time with you during the teaching sessions, the excursions and the social events that we have planned for you.

Your Summer School Team:
Frau Nikki Eggers, Herr Prof. Dr. Joachim Gläser, Herr Norman Glutsch, Frau Bettina Pauley, Herr Prof. Dr. Laurence Welford

Submerging in a foreign culture

When I first arrived here in Heidelberg, I had no idea what to expect. The weather was beautiful and the campus was more so. I was astonished by how warm and welcoming the faculty and summer school team greeted us. With a program like this one, in which a student is completely submerged in a culture foreign to their own, it is incredibly important that they are made to feel welcome. As each day passes, we learn more and more about the way business in Europe works and how to communicate with those in it. With a little over two weeks to go, I'm excited to know that it can only get better from here. (J., SDSU)

a wolf pack

"We tend to think of CSUF as the lone wolf school. But when we came to SRH we meet SDSU, we knew at that moment they were one of us. And our wolf pack grew by one. So now there are two of us in the wolf pack. At first we were alone in the pack, and then SDSU joined us later. Then, we were introduced to Boise and CSU, we thought, Wait a second, could it be? And now we knew for sure, we just added two more schools to our wolf pack. The four of our schools, running wild through the streets of Heidelberg, Germany, looking for fun and excitement. So now I say Prost!!
......To those that I met and for those that had to met me, Danke!!!"
SRH Heidelberg summer school 2010, was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life! Along with a great teaching staff, we had some of the greatest German students to show us around town and take us out at night, although some nights I think they regretted it. The school work was moderate to heavy at times and the tests were a little difficult, but working in groups made it seem more manageable. This was a great experience and I would recommend this summer course to anyone interested in studying abroad. I'd like to give a shout out to Chris, Claudia, Marlies, Stephie, Hendrick, Felix, CSU, SDSU, Boise, and CSUF. Danke for some great memories and unforgettable moments...(Chris, Fullerton)

We felt welcome and comfortable

The time in Heidelberg went by way too fast. It was such an amazing experience because of the nice people, teachers, and the beautiful city. I would highly recommend the optional trips to Munich and the wine tour. Everyone had a great time at both and it really helped everyone get to know one another better.
The city of Munich is great and it was a great way to see a big city and not have to worry about getting around and booking tours and hotels by yourself.
The best part of the whole experience was the students from Heidelberg that helped us. The first week went by so smoothly because of the German students. They were amazing. They opened up to everyone and became our friends. They took us around town and showed us places that we would normally have missed. They not only hung out with us when they had to, but also in their spare time. They put in a lot of extra effort to help plan things so that we felt welcome and comfortable. I came here wanting to make new friends and I think that has definitely happened.
I would recommend this program for anyone that is interested in doing a study abroad. The classes are intense but there is still a lot of time to explore, make new friends, and learn a lot about different cultures. As soon as I got back home I wanted to turn back and go back to Heidelberg! If there is a part two I will be there. (Skylar, BSU)

Heidelberg Summer School Survival Guide

After going through the awesome program at SRH University, there are a few things I would go back and change, as well as a few things I am glad that I did. Here is a quick guide to help out future summer school students.
1. BRING A LAPTOP- A laptop proved to be extremely useful, and the students who did not bring one wished they did. If you don't have one, get one.
2. Bring at least one nice outfit. We went to a couple places where it would have been nice to have a dress shirt and shoes. I ended up buying a shirt here.
3. Bring some comfort food from home- The food here ranges from decent to.."different". There are many opportunities to eat and a lot of places to try things, but I was really glad I brought some good ol' American snacks =)
4. Don't exchange money at the airport- Some people thought this was common sense but the airport gives you a very bad exchange rate. The best place to do it is at a bank in Germany or at home.
5. Learn a couple German words- Again, this is probably common sense, and many people speak English, but it will make the first couple of days a little bit easier. They do teach a Survival German course that is awesome though.
Hopefully this little list will be helpful to you. With all that said, this trip has been fantastic. I have met some of the coolest people here, and have gotten the chance to meet people and do things that the average tourist would never be able to do. I have also found the courses to be more interesting and informative than they are at my home university.
When you are here, try to get out and go beyond the classrooms, tours and bars. We went to the park and played soccer with some of the German students one afternoon, and that ended up being one of the highlights of this trip. If you have already decided to do this trip, pat yourself on the back, because it is an awesome experience. If you're nervous or undecided, like I was, don't be. Just be prepared to study a bit, walk a lot, and meet new people. (Frank, Fullerton)

Time flies, but memories will linger

It is currently my second week in Heidelberg and I have already made many life long friends with local German and American students. In my short time here thus far, I am experiencing and learning so much, that books cannot teach. I love every minute I spend here and am dreading the day we have to leave. I love Germany, I love German culture and I love German bier. I am very lucky to be here and I will be back someday soon.

If you are still debating whether you should come or not, do not hesitate, step out of your comfort zone and apply, I promise you won’t regret it. (Eric, Fullerton)