Erin Hoy is a UW-Madison student studying Neurobiology and German. While studying abroad in Germany she was nominated to be a DAAD Young Ambassador. Young Ambassadors are undergraduate students from North America that recently studied abroad in Germany and promote study in Germany at their home universities with help from the DAAD. Below is a testimonial from Erin about her experiences.
“In 2016-17, I did the Academic Year in Freiburg program at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität and Pädagogische Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany. I had two very different experiences with studying in Germany. The first semester, all courses I took were taught in German, which allowed me to complete my German certificate. However, in the second semester, I took all my courses in English for my Neurobiology major. Studying abroad for a year in Germany allowed me to drastically improve my German and experience other fields of study from a non-American perspective. I strove to avoid the “exchange student bubble” by truly integrating myself into local life. I worked three different mini jobs over the course of the year and went on short cycling tours to the neighboring countries of France, Switzerland and Austria. I even met my fiancé in Tunisia. I think that every student should study abroad at some point in their academic career. As for Germany, its universities are world-renowned for academic excellence and its central location in Europe makes it easy and inexpensive to travel and discover other countries.