Learning your first language is a breeze. You get it easy as a toddler- Mama, Dada, Juice, NO. Whatever your first words were, they were the only way to communicate with anyone else what you want or need.

I grew up in the United States. When I was in elementary school, English was the only language we spoke or were taught. Spanish had not stared being taught in schools yet, and our first option to learn another language was in seventh grade. As I entered high school, it was heavily influenced on us to take Spanish. It is now the final semester of my senior year of university, and after a very, very long story, it's time for me to learn German more deeply than "hallo" and "ich liebe dich".

There have to be girls here who started learning a language on their own. Because it is my final semester, taking classes at a university is not an option for me to learn German. It is extremely important to me, and I don't really want to shell out $700+ for Rosetta Stone without knowing that it works, especially being an extremely broke college student.

What are more economical options to start getting immersed and learning a language? I know that spending time in Germany would be the best option for me, however that's not a permanent option until at least January. What worked for you in the past or what advice do you have to offer?