Emily’s Story – Berlin, J-Term 2017; IES Freiburg, Fall 2017
Economics and Environmental Studies (minors in German and Classical Studies) – Class of 2019

What she would like other students to know:
Study away helped me solidify what I wanted from my college experience and helped me decide that I wanted to pursue a Masters degree in Germany after graduating from PLU. I made lifelong friends with both my American classmates and also with other students from around the world, which made the experience even more exciting. I studied a topic, resource economics, that I become passionate about and eventually wrote both of my Capstones on, and also what I hope to study and write my Maters thesis on in Graduate School. Without these experiences, I truly do not know what my post-grad plans would have looked like. I am excited to move back to Germany this fall to pursue my Masters degree in Economics!

Riederalp, Switzerland - October 12, 2017

A piece of advice to future study away students:
Don’t be afraid to break out from the group! Although my American cohort was great and I made good friends with them, I also actively tried to meet both Germans and other students. I got to know the city better and I started to feel like I was getting the true student experience in Germany.

What surprised her about studying away:
Just how many international students there were at my university. In one of my language classes I was the only native English speaker, which was amazing and fun and forced me to really practice my German. This was definitely an experience I would not be able to have in the USA.