I attended a 2 week intensive course and I really learned a lot. I highly recommend Goethe and will be taking another class from them in the future.
Here's what you can expect - proficiency exam prior (grammar, written, oral) to place you into the appropriate class. Everyone in our class was really at the same level and this helped.
In the class you will learn speaking 1-on-1, in a small group and in front of a group. You will also learn active listening, reading, writing and grammar. All of these aspects are well balanced to each other.
The teacher was outstanding and she made good use of multi-media in the class.
I stayed in the on-site dormitory. It's a new building, clean with private bathroom and a small kitchenette. Note - the dorm rooms do not have air conditioning so take this into account if planning for July-August.
Mannheim is a medium sized city so it's very easy to get around. However it is not charming like a small village nor does it have the big-city attractions.
The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because of the internet. That was a terrible experience. It was completely unusable. Rather that spending much time complaining and ruining my stay, I went to Deutsch Telekom and bought SIM cards for my iPad to create a personal hot-spot. This took hours and caused me lots of frustration. Then one other student put a petition together and about 50 people signed it. Goethe called their internet provider, turned up the speed and voila, instant high-speed internet. While they fixed the situation (very late in the stay), none of that should have been necessary to begin with. read more