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Study Abroad--What Students Say

While all Macalester German Studies majors participate in the Macalester German Study Abroad program, an increasing number of German Studies minors as well as German majors and minors from different institutions are participating as well.

Erin Garnaas-Holmes ('09), German Studies major, Studio Art minor, Macalester College

The Macalester German Study Away is an opportunity to experience two very different German-speaking cultures that excellently complements almost any plan of academic study. The first two months of the program spent in Berlin brought my German language skills up to speed and let me explore the lively streets of that world metropolis. The second component of the program in Vienna, Austria, exposed me to the unique Viennese culture and the bureaucratic nightmare but exciting student hub that is the University of Vienna. The schedule of the required courses in both Berlin and Vienna left ample time for me not only to explore these cities and travel to others, but also to take other courses that could fit into any double major or minor. The program provides enough structure to keep you immersed in German and Austrian culture and history, but is loose enough to let you pursue your own academic goals and cultural experiences. Also, living with other students in Vienna let me meet new people from far away places and practice my German with “real” German speakers.

Hanna Kinney ('09), Linguistics major, German Studies minor, Macalester College

As a Linguistics major and German Studies minor, neither study abroad, much less a specific program, was required for me. I could choose whichever program I liked that I could link to my Linguistics major.  I had taken both Spanish and German courses and considered going to a Latin American country, but I chose the Mac German program and am glad I did.  The freedom the program offers to take any of the numerous courses at the University of Vienna allowed me to take an historical linguistics course, as well as attend a lecture course on Indo-European languages; my studies in Vienna were aligned with my major objectives, which were different from those of all the other program participants.  The portion of the program in Berlin focused on improving German language skills; proficiency in a foreign language is important no matter one’s major.  And we had lots of free time to explore one of the hippest, cheapest capitals in Western Europe, experiencing modern life there while learning its history through the presence (and lack there of) of old buildings and monuments – an experience that was fun and interesting for all of us, German majors and minors alike.  I was able to count half of my courses abroad toward my major and the other half toward my minor, a perfect mix.  Combined with the opportunity to live in two major German-speaking capitals and spend 6 full months in Europe, the Mac German study abroad program was the perfect addition to my Macalester experience.

Natasha Meyer, Biology major, German minor, Davidson College

I'm a biology major at Davidson College in North Carolina. Before I went abroad, I had finished the introductory language classes and had moved on to classes studying German literature and contemporary Germany. I decided to go on the Mac program my sophomore spring. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, since everyone seemed to know each other, but by the end of the first half in Berlin, I was going out to clubs or out to Kaffee und Kuchen with almost everybody in the group. When we went to Vienna, I used the opportunity to take two biology classes at the Uni Wien in addition to the two German classes required by the program. I took one class, Genexpression, completely in German, which turned out to be a rewarding challenge, and then I took a class offered primarily to graduate students, The Biochemical Basis of Neurological and Psychological Disease, in English at the Neuroscience center. Both of the classes met once a week, but Genexpression met in a huge lecture room with at least 200 people. It was the first time I had taken a class with so many people. The Neuro class, on the other hand, only had 15 on a good day. I don't know many other programs that offer the opportunity to study abroad and truly learn the language while continuing a science major. It was great because I got 2 credits applied to my German minor and 2 applied to my biology major.

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