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)