Posted By: Career Enrichment Network
Photos and Content contributed by Marta Millar
Marta Millar spent last Spring studying abroad in Germany. She is triple majoring in History, International Politics, and German, with minors in French, and International Studies. Read more about her experience below.
I studied at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg; I chose this program because I wanted to do a direct enrollment program at a German university to get an authentic German university experience and approve my language skills by interacting with native speakers daily. Additionally, I found the geographical location and culture of Freiburg attractive. It’s located in the beautiful Black Forest near France and Switzerland, and I also study French, so I liked the idea that I could also easily visit France to work on those language skills. This experience will account for a good portion of my German credits and allow me to almost finish the requirements for that major.
I chose to study abroad the spring of my sophomore year. Because of the German academic calendar, it’s not possible to study with my program for the fall semester here, because it would not finish before spring semester starts at Penn State. I chose to study my sophomore year because when I talked to my advisor freshman year, he thought this schedule would be better in order to have more flexibility in picking a thesis advisor and preparing for my thesis junior year. Additionally, I have found studying abroad sophomore year is advantageous because I didn’t have to worry about missing out on preparing for club activities next year or worry that I wouldn’t be able to run for a position because I was abroad, like some of my junior friends here worried about.
Although clubs and organizations here function differently than at Penn State, I have attended various events host by the International Club here. Through the club I have gone hiking and on tours of local wineries, attended cultural nights, and participated in “Stammtisch” — a weekly meeting where both international students and Germans get together just to talk and practice their language skills.
Upon graduation, I want to work for the State Department or an NGO that works internationally, so studying abroad has given me both practical and academic experience in that regard. Being abroad has allowed me to improve my German, which was a major goal of mine, since I would like to eventually be fluent. I received Enrichment Funding which certainly helped me with my experience.
Studying abroad has provided me valuable insight in a number of fields. I’ve gained a greater appreciation and empathy for the struggles that immigrants and non-native speakers of a language face in their daily life, and I think it’s important others come to understand these. Additionally, I’ve had many educational experiences that could never have come from the classroom, especially because of the amazing historical sights I’ve had the opportunity to visit.
If you have the opportunity to study abroad, take it. You will see the world — and your Penn State experience — through fresh eyes. Read more about Marta’s experience on her blog.
To learn more about study abroad, be sure to attend the Education Abroad Fair this Fall, taking place in the HUB on October, 12 from 11am-4pm. You can also schedule an appointment with Jackie Smith (jds54@psu.edu ), Global Experiences Coordinator on Network Symplicity