Program Calendar
Students have three schedule options: Full-year, Fall Semester, and Spring Semester. However, students should note that this program runs on the German university academic calendar and the fall semester does not end until early February. The dates below are the approximate dates for 2013-14.
Full-Year 
(July 2013 – July 2014)
July 8 – August 30: Eight-week language study at a Goethe Institut in Germany
September 2 – October 4: German Compact Program
October 14 – February 8: Winter semester, Tübingen University
February 9 – April 6: Semester break*
April 7 – July 19: Summer semester, Tübingen University
*Many students elect to travel or engage in an internship during this time. Their dorm room remains their own.
Fall Semester (August 2013 – February 2014)
August 5 – August 30: Four-week language study at a Goethe Institut in Germany*
September 2 – October 4: German Compact Program
October 14 – February 8: Winter semester, Tübingen University
Spring Semester (February 2014 – July 2014)
February 3- February 28: Four-week language study at a Goethe Institut in Germany*
March 3 – April 4: German Compact Program
April 7 – July 19: Summer semester, Tübingen University
*Single-semester students can enroll for an additional four weeks of language study in July or January at extra cost.
Daily Life
One student from the Spring 2010 program shared her typical daily schedule with us. This has been left in her own words:
Jan/Feb at Goethe Institutes (Bonn and Dresden)
8 am-1 pm: class at Goethe
1-5 pm: lunch, errands (grocery shopping, etc.), homework
5-8 pm: Goethe cultural activity (preceded or followed by dinner)
9 pm-bedtime: more homework, or hanging out/watching movies/etc.
March at Deutsch Kompakt
9-12: class (focusing on grammar and written German)
12-2 pm: lunch break
2-4 pm: class (focusing on culture and how young people talk to each other)
4-7 pm: errands, homework, hanging out in my room
7-9 pm dinner with other Kompakt students, either at someone’s dorm or at a restaurant in town
9 pm-bedtime: post-dinner hanging out, homework
Regular semester
My schedule changes a lot from day to day because sometimes I have class only in the morning, sometimes only in the evening, and sometimes both. When I’m not in class and the weather’s nice I’ll go for a walk or lay in the park and read, or if the weather’s really nice and sunny and warm I’ll go to the Freibad (public outdoor pool). I usually go grocery shopping after class two or three times a week, and almost always cook lunch and dinner at home (though not usually with my roommates… everyone does their own thing here). In the evenings I do homework. On Saturdays or when I have large chunks of free time (like Wednesdays where I don’t have class until 4 pm), I go to the library for a few hours to try to make myself be productive and get schoolwork done. Since the World Cup started in June a lot of my free time has been spent watching that, too. Thursday-Saturday nights I usually go out with other international students.
