This study investigated students' motives for participating in a short-term study abroad program in Germany, their expectations about learning progress at the beginning of the program, and their perceived progress in various language skills at the end of the program. Findings indicated that students' expectations were higher than their perceived progress in all skills with the exception of cultural learning. Correlations were found between reported frequency of listening in the L2 and gains in L2 listening proficiency, and between the goals "to be in contact with Germans" and "cultural enrichment" with expected gains in speaking and listening skills.