My experience
I took a intensive language course in Freiburg as a way to improve my German. I had only taken one year of German prior to the experience, and it was the perfect opportunity to really immerse myself in the language- something that you can really only do in a German-speaking country! As well as the language course, I took two cultural seminars which only improved my German further. The seminars were about the environment and intercultural relations. Both were in German, and both required participation in German. The two seminar classes were as pivotal as the language class in helping to improve my German.
How has the experience changed you?
Although I was only in Freiburg for a short time, I gained so much. This is particularly in terms of my language skills. I initially felt out of my depth in the language course- many other students who were in the course had been doing German for far longer than 1 year! However, in these situations I found it really helpful to look at the long term goal (which is becoming a fluent German speaker) and push through the awkward, often grammatically incorrect beginning of speaking German. And it definitely paid off. I feel a lot more confident generally with my German now, and the seminars meant that I learn a lot of vocabulary from themes not usually covered in class. I would definitely recommend going to a smaller town to learn the language. It really allows you to become immersed in it and stops you from defaulting back to your mother tongue.
Favourite memory
My favourite memory would be spending the day at Titisee. Titisee is a beautiful lake in one of the towns of the Blackforest. The drive there through the forest was stunning, as was the walk around the massive lake.
Top tips
I would definitely recommend Freiburg for an overseas study experience. It really is the perfect student city. In terms of accommodation, if you miss out on the university accommodation, WG-Gesucht is probably your best bet. The trams are very easy to use, but I would also recommend getting a bike- it's how all the Germans get around!
Funding
I received a $1000 scholarship and a OS Help Loan of $6000. I found this to be more than enough for the experience- this particular part of Germany is considerably cheaper than other parts of Europe. I think on average most people would pay 300-400 euros per month for rent, and you can get food quite cheaply as well. The course itself was 660 euros, which was well worth it for the amount of exposure to the language that you get.