The Host: Hello everyone and welcome back to the Student Affairs Podcast Series. My name is Sasha Gornaychuk, and I will be hosting this episode. Today we are joined by an interesting guest, she spent a year studying abroad in Germany, and we would love to know more about the European culture, language, and opportunities that the University of Louisville provides. Rebecca Eaton, thank you so much for joining our podcast today, we are so happy to have you here with us. How are you doing?
Rebecca Eaton: I am doing well. How are you?
The Host: I am doing good, too. How was your experience studying abroad in Germany?
Rebecca Eaton: So, I'm actually still studying. I'm here until the end of July and then I'll head back to Louisville, but it's been amazing so far.
The Host: That's good. How is the European culture and what opportunities have the University of Louisville provided you with?
Rebecca Eaton: So, European culture is a little bit different. One thing is they are definitely a lot more laid back—relaxed; they have a slower pace of life.
But I mean, Louisville has thankfully had this opportunity lined up for years as far as I know; the program I'm doing is what's known as an exchange program. So, it's a direct transfer between the universities. So, Louisville and then the university I am at, which is Johannes Gutenberg University, due to what is called a sister city exchange because Louisville and Mainz, which is where I'm studying, are sister cities.
The Host: That is really nice. Please tell us just a little bit about your study abroad experiences and how did you apply for the program and why did you choose Germany?
Rebecca Eaton: So, like I said, I'm starting in Mainz, Germany, on an exchange program, and here I'm studying German—pretty much kind of a continuation of my studies from what I began while I was at Louisville. So that includes learning more of the language, taking literature courses, and then learning about the culture and history in Germany.
The application process was—it was pretty simple for me. I was the only applicant for the program, so I just reached out to the Study Abroad Office, and I spoke with my advisor, the head of the exchange program, which is one of my German professors and all of us really worked together to make sure that I was able to get this opportunity. But like I said, I just reached out to the Study Abroad office and they just sent all of the forms my way that I needed to complete before studying abroad and it was kind of that simple.
The Host: Perfect. So that's good. And then my next question, how does it contribute to your future career?
Rebecca Eaton: So actually, back in Louisville, I'm a secondary education major with my track in biology, which a lot of people kind of think is weird. Why am I studying in Germany if I'm going to teach biology, but the more I've spoken with my advisor at Louisville, we're trying to figure out a way for me to also get a certificate to teach German, so I'm using it as a way not only to brighten or widen my range of knowledge of education systems in different countries, but also use it as a stepping stone to possibly teach internationally in the future.
The Host: Okay, and last, but not least, did you get a scholarship for this or was it self-paid?
Rebecca Eaton: So, for this specifically, exchanges are a little bit different than a normal study abroad program. So, with my exchange, how it kind of worked was:
So, I still pay Louisville tuition, actually, but thankfully I've received enough scholarships that I can pay full tuition at Louisville and then anything else that I receive actually go straight into my bank account and I'm able to use that for all of my semester fees here or for my housing. So, I did receive scholarships, but it's a little bit different than another program.
The Host: Thank you so much Rebecca for sharing your amazing experience with us. All of the best and good luck in the future.
Rebecca Eaton: Thank you.
For our listeners for more information about student services go to louisville.edu/studentaffairs.
If you are interested in study abroad programs, visit their website at louisville.edu/studyabroad.
Did you know that REACH is a great resource for students who need academic help? REACH offers study sessions and tutoring for 100, 200, and some 300 level undergraduate classes, academic skills development, workshops, and graduate/professional test prep, and more. Go to reach.louisville.edu.
Finally, we would like to congratulate the LGBT community as all of June is pride month, and we want to celebrate the achievements of the movement, celebrate individuality, and highlight the ongoing struggle for rights around the world. Happy pride month! And last but not least for our listeners, thank you for spending time with us and stay tuned. We’ll have another podcast out soon.