![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/files\/2025\/09\/Kaedyn-Frankfurt-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hey everyone,<\/p>\n
Finals are coming up here in Germany, and let me tell you, there are definitely some differences between the German and American education systems when it comes to testing. For one, the idea of a \u201cfinal exam\u201d isn\u2019t always a guarantee. Professors here have a lot more flexibility in how they assess students, which means that instead of a written test, you might be asked to do a final project, give a presentation, or complete some other kind of assignment that demonstrates your understanding of the course.<\/p>\n
In my case, I\u2019m taking five classes this semester. Out of those, two are actual final exams, two are final projects, and the last one is a presentation. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I don\u2019t have to cram for five big exams back-to-back like I probably would in the U.S., which definitely eases the pressure a bit. On the other hand, if you\u2019re someone who dreads public speaking or just doesn\u2019t enjoy the idea of big projects, this kind of system might be a little overwhelming. I\u2019ll definitely report back once everything\u2019s wrapped up with my thoughts on whether these finals are more or less difficult than their American counterparts. For now, though, I\u2019m crossing my fingers, saying a prayer, and hoping for the best.<\/p>\n
Another thing that still catches me off guard, even after a few months here, is how cheap groceries are. Like, shockingly cheap. Whether I\u2019m at Lidl, Aldi, or even some of the smaller neighborhood shops, I keep doing double takes at the prices. One example that sticks out is my favorite drink, Arizona green tea. Back home in the U.S., those tall cans go for around 99 cents each at Walmart. Here in Germany? You can snag two whole liters for just about one euro. It\u2019s bizarre. It feels like I\u2019m getting away with something every time I walk out of the store with a full bag of food for the price of a single meal back in the States. Safe to say, I\u2019m not complaining.<\/p>\n
As I continue to immerse myself in the culture here, I\u2019ve also come to appreciate just how essential it is to know at least some German. I knew coming in that not everyone would speak English, of course, but I didn\u2019t fully realize how much not speaking the language can limit your experiences. It\u2019s one thing to navigate a classroom or order food at a restaurant, but it\u2019s a whole other thing to try and go out solo whether that\u2019s clubbing in Frankfurt or grabbing drinks in Hamburg without a solid grasp of the local language. I\u2019m currently at around an A2 level in German, and I still make sure to bring a friend who\u2019s more fluent whenever I head out into the nightlife scene.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s my friendly but serious pro tip to anyone thinking about studying abroad in Germany: start learning German. Even if it\u2019s just the basics, it makes a massive difference. Not only will you feel more confident and independent, but Germans generally really appreciate it when foreigners make the effort to speak their language even if you mess up a little. Plus, picking up a new language is a pretty rewarding hobby in itself.<\/p>\n
Well, that\u2019s all until next time, wish me luck on my final’s guys.<\/p>\n
Tschuss!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hey everyone, Finals are coming up here in Germany, and let me tell you, there are definitely some differences between the German and American education systems when it comes to testing. For one, the idea of a \u201cfinal exam\u201d isn\u2019t always a guarantee. Professors here have a lot more flexibility in how they assess students, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,57,58,59,62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-atuglobal","category-germany","category-giessen","category-study-abroad","category-thm","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2261"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2323,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2261\/revisions\/2323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.atu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}