Eagles Abroad Scholarship Essay

In seventh grade I was able to choose a language to begin studying. I was immediately drawn to studying German and continued to take German through my junior year of high school. I have always enjoyed German and was inducted into the German National Honor Society at the end of my sophomore year of high school. In the summer of 2014 I had the chance to travel to Germany, Austria and Switzerland with my German class. This only strengthened my interest in learning more about the German culture.

At Juniata, I am a German Eagles Abroad Scholar. My freshman year at Juniata I took both Intermediate German and German Conversation and Composition. After freshman year I was able to study in Münster for the month of July with my Eagles Abroad Scholarship.

Having taken German classes for over seven years, it has always been my dream to put my German skills to use while studying abroad. This summer, as a result of my Eagles Abroad Scholarship, I was able to get a glimpse into what studying abroad would be like longer term. I learned so much in just a month studying in Münster. I know that studying for a semester would allow me to learn so much more.

In the fall semester of 2017, I hope to study abroad in Marburg, Germany. I want to study at Philipps-Universität with the IUSP program. There are many reasons why I feel this program would be a good fit for me. I like the fact that it would allow me to study abroad at a German university while still having a strong support system as an international student. My main goal of studying abroad is to become more confident in and strengthen my German language skills. The strong focus on learning the language that the IUSP program offers will be very valuable in helping me reach this

I am unsure whether I would directly use my German skills on a regular basis in my future career in psychology. However, I know that the skills and knowledge that I would gain abroad, such as connecting with others with backgrounds different from my own, will help me immensely in my everyday life as well as in my future career in the psychology field. For me, Philipps-Universität in Marburg, offered the best option to study abroad. The university offers a wide range of courses that I can use to help fulfill either my POE or FISHN requirements. The IUSP program is my first choice because the schedule of the program allows me the flexibility to study abroad in the fall semester and return to Juniata for the spring semester which is a feature that no other German exchange program through Juniata offers. My second choice study abroad program is the traditional exchange program at Philipps-Universität in Marburg. With this program I would study in the Spring semester of 2018 rather than the fall of 2017 because of the conflict with the German and American academic calendars. This program would still allow me a large range of classes to choose from but would not give me the quite the same level of student support that the IUSP program would provide. The traditional exchange program at Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany would allow me to enhance my level of knowledge of the German language