Collegium Palatinum - International House Heidelberg

Most of the teachers were really good, kind and nice. The organization of classes and courses were not the best, too many changes on classrooms and teachers in such a short time. The activities were good, the people in General is very open to help and you have a really german experience now that you are surrounded by the german culture.

I was in a host family, the host mum was super kind and cooked so well.
Lessons were interesting and interactive, only 8 in each class was a real good point.

I spoke a lot in English because of the short stay there, but stauing there can really help to improve the German language and get to know a really interesting culture.

I really liked lessons, activities and also meeting people from other countries. I enjoyed the city and did many things.
The thing I didn't like was the family, because I felt really bad, like the host father wasn't that happy to have me in his House.

I enjoyed the teachers and the building and grounds, although the rooms were had a lot of echo. My teachers were very good, but I was surprised that out of my four teachers none of them were German.

I attended the Collegium Palatinum - International House Heidelberg for just 8 days, but my lessons were amazing. I am a beginner level German speaker. Even though I've memorized the grammar and vocabulary, speaking is still a little difficult for me. The instructor was very patient while I spoke (very slowly) in German, and the other students were at my level, so I never felt awkward. When I left I knew exactly what I need to work on moving forward. I will definitely return to the school for more lessons in the future.

Vielen Danke!

Julie Wilder

I really liked the class size, not too many people but not too few either, we were with around 12 students in our class.
We had a great teacher who was always cheerful and excited about teaching us, even though it was quite hard to understand her at the beginning for some students. As she couldn't speak English or only a few words, which wasn't a bad thing by any means. Some would say it was good she only explained things in German even though some students had trouble understanding, they managed to pick some of it up.

The school is located in a beautiful part of town and near a tram, so it's very easy to go anywhere in the city or any supermarket nearby.
Facilities inside the school were overall pretty good, had one toilet upstairs that was not functioning very well but luckily there were more toilets in the school. Other than that everything was fine.
Also the housing was standard but good enough, most of the time you'd be exploring the city anyway.

Every week we had a few activities, which were optional and you had to sign up to be able to join. For example: Sightseeing in the city, visiting the castle, attend to a typical German barbecue etc.

I guess I kind of wished the students who slept on the same floor as me were more open and inviting. Sharing information about the school and setting a standard time to eat breakfast / dinner and also telling everyone on the floor about it.
Besides that I am a pretty happy student.

Heidelberg is such a pretty city: traditional and modern German architecture surrounded by lush green mountains. For the most part the people were very friendly and courteous.

At the school, I found the instructors hard-working and dedicated to every student. I do retain some doubts as to the classes I was put into. While my level of grammar knowledge was mostly on par with the other students, my ability to comprehend orally and to speak was not. My lack of practice in speaking was noticeable even to myself. I know the rules, but my tongue didn't want to obey them.

I had decided to stay at a student residence. That was probably a mistake. I probably would have had more practice conversing in a host family setting. In addition, my room was not very comfortable. The mattress was very thin and the pillow was inadequate. In addition, I was not informed in advance that I had to thoroughly clean every part of the room before I would receive my deposit back. That cleaning included defrosting the refrigerator and mopping the floor. I had to buy some of the cleaning supplies myself.

I spent nearly 3 months in Heidelberg. It was the time of my life. I met awesome people and very quickly made good friends. The German level at the school was good. I improved myself strongly in just 10 weeks. Apart from this, Heidelberg is a very nice city for students. There is always something fun to do! I would go back there if I could!

The location is easy to find and is very beautiful. The teachers and staff were very nice to the students, and they took good care of us. They even served some tea and coffee.

I liked very much the teacher; the classes with her were very fun. The school's location is in a very beautiful area of Heidelberg and the campus had every kind of comfort.

The staff are just ok. My teacher is really nice and excellent, and the logic of grammar is very clear. Aside from the courses, we also talk about the cities around Heidelberg which I've been to. All the sentences are cute and close to daily life. I really enjoyed taking class with her.

The equipment in the accommodation is good; it has almost everything you need, but the check-in staff lack patience.

I loved the classes, especially when I had Carmen Bieltz as a teacher. I will always remember her. Her classes were always great. She made the hard stuff challenging and fun and her way of helping made everything simple. I lived in the student residence. The rooms were very nice, and because of all the people I lived with, every day was lovely. In two months, I lived next to to Egyptians who smoked weed and had parties during the weeks which was very disturbing. We always had to tell them to be quiet. I'm surprised that they could stay there for such a long time; they broke the rules completely!
The kitchen was nice, depending how clean we did it. But the cooking stuff was old and almost destroyed. So hopefully there are new things in the kitchen now. I loved the classrooms, the building, and yard. So much freedom! And it was close to everything in Heidelberg. So totally perfect! The activities were also nice, for example, the Wine tasting and trips to beautiful places. I did not participate in that many activities because I felt that I could not afford it sometimes. Also, I wish that there were more sport activities.

I met so many new people that I love, and I still have so many friends that I keep in contact with. I'm so glad I met them all and I know that we will be friends and keep visiting each other in the future! Love to you all!

The classes were small so it was easy to learn and to increase our German language level. My teacher (Svetlana Marx) was amazing! We had so much fun with her and I learned a lot of new things!! She was the best German teacher I have ever had.
The school was too far from the city centre; it wasn't easy to come back when we went out. And the school activities were pretty expensive.

The classes were small so, and it was easy to interact during the lessons. Moreover, the teacher could pay attention to each of us. During the lessons, we did different activities (from doing grammar exercises to playing tabu) which made them very interesting, and not boring. Moreover, I think that doing different activities improves every skill (reading, listening, etc..).
I stayed with a host family, and my host parents were extremely kind throughout the entire time I spent in Heidelberg. The food they gave me was always delicious, they gave me a very cozy room, and they helped me every time I needed it. Due to the time spent with my host family and attending lessons at school, I have certainly improved my level of German.

Kind regards

Carlotta

First impression is really important for many people, myself included. I did not have a good impression when I checked in as I was attended by a house keeper who speaks little English, and had to walk through a maze-like place to find his room. Other female residents I met had worse experiences, especially having to carry the luggage up the flight of staircase.

However thereafter, everything has been fabulous. Teacher Carmen is great as she patiently taught my beginner class. Ute is a great principal and her door is always open for students to enter into her room to speak to her. The activities were well organised and fantastic and they were the highlights of my time there. The housing is in an interesting building that grows on you, though the distance to the school was a little inconvenient. However, with the school being moved to the same location of the housing, it may be better for future students.

Will certainly consider going back there to upgrade my German in the future!

Everything was perfect. In the house I did what I wanted, without limits. It was not very near the school but with the public transportation it was really simple to get there. My teacher was really good and she paid attention to any help I needed.