Hermann Hesse Kolleg

The teachers are nice and with good quality of teaching. I learned a lot and picked up my German speaking quickly under their guidance. The lessons are fun and lively with games sometimes and I loved that.
The location of the school is perfect and the facilities and staff are very nice.

First of all it was impossible to get any information directly from the school before I arrived, in spite of two messages to them. So I did not know what to expect. Fortunately the couple who hosted me (Suzanne and Helmut) were perfect - friendly, generous and supportive. It was only on the first morning that I found out that the school currently had a total of about six students, and we were all together in one class, with levels varying from A1 (beginner) to B2 (upper intermediate). I understand that at other times of year there are larger groups, from California. The other students present were all living and working more or less long term in the area, and preparing for exams for residence, work or study. The main advantage of the school for me was the informality - I could start and finish on any date since there were no fixed courses. However the quality of teaching varied - I had four teachers over the two weeks (two were substitutes). One, Sigi, was well qualified and was able to give us all suitable tasks and juggle the support she gave to each of us. Others were less proficient and so the material was often completely inappropriate for some of us. Fortunately I did not have specific expectations - I just wanted to be able to improve my speaking skills and consolidate what I'd studied at home. There were also no social activities organized. So in spite of the above, I would say that the trip was a success and I got what I wanted. However it may not suit everybody.

These three weeks that I spent studying German in Horb am Neckar were probably some of the happiest weeks of my life. I loved being able to connect with people from lots of different cultures and find friends all over the world. The teachers were very positive and encouraging, and our lessons were super-informative but not exhausting, so I didn't even notice how much I actually managed to learn in a relatively short period of time. My host family were amazing and they really helped me feel at home and navigate German culture. I feel that this trip gave me a rare opportunity to see a different country not simply as a tourist but from within, and it is a truly unforgettable experience!

I really enjoyed my experience at Herman Hesse Kolleg. The location was peaceful and calm, teachers were really good in communication with the class and the atmosphere itself encouraged me to speak German with everyone everywhere. Furthermore, I really liked my guest family, especially Günter Zeyer, very friendly and good man. I thank Herman Hesse Kolleg staff for this experience. The only bad thing about it is that I spent only 1 week here. Hope to come again this summer!

I had lessons for 2 weeks.
However I had a great time together with international classmates.

I loved my class at Hermann Hesse. The teacher was very helpful and willing to work with me even though I knew very little German entering into the class. The class size was a huge advantage in learning with small classes and individual attention. The location in the city was great but the city is very small. I stayed with a host family and my experience with that was very good.

I've started my course in October, and in 10 weeks my fluency and understanding of German have improved.

We liked most of the teachers and enjoyed meeting other students. We did 12 weeks of daily classes, then did several weeks of once a week private lessons.
I would have liked a more systematic approach to reviewing the language, but that may have been because we were in the advanced class.
There were no field trips planned on Saturdays while we were there.

Classes are taught only in German so total immersion was very beneficial. The teacher was good. We had about 14 people in our class. On the first day of class, the school gave a tour of the city but other than that, there were no other planned activities arrange by the school. Planned activities would have been nice.

My host family lived outside the city. Transportation was easy and convenient. The school had ping pong and foos ball that was fun to play with other students.

I choosed this college because it was not far from my home. The most I liked -small groups, so we all had opportunity to talk, techer could explain everything if you didn’t get something.
My teacher was very friendly, helpful, giving us explanations about everything. If we’re looking for some extra information, she always took time at home to find it.
I cannot tell you anything about activities or any facilities because I didn’t have. After classes everybody were going home.

The teachers are all extremely friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the course and found it very helpful!
The location was perfect for me. It is very close to where I live.

When I just arrived I did not speak German. It was very difficult to understand teachers. But teachers pay individual attention to every student. By the help of teachers and support of director I learned German quickly

I liked my teacher and all my friends, the class was really comfortable, the location was really distant, but I liked walk so no problem. The activities were very interesting and beautiful. Frau Kohl was very kind and I haven't got problem with her.

The staff and teachers were courteous and helpful. The location was conveniently situated by the bus route and some local shops. I found that even for beginners I thought the small class size and dialogue type instruction in full German with one of the teachers for one day was more helpful than just going through a book with more English explanation in some other days with another teacher. Overall I enjoyed my time and I was able to communicate with my host family (not connected to the school) better by the end of my two-week stay!