From Student to Student

Students share their most memorable moments at Wheaton

Laura M ’20: “ My most memorable moment in the German department was making Brezeln with my classmates’ sophomore year in the TA house. My class and I were practicing Relativpronomen while baking Brezeln and I remember being so excited to see the finished product, later that day. Then for dinner, we went back to the TA house and ate our homemade Brezeln and Kasespatzle.”

Wenzhuo S ’17:  “The day we visited Wheaton president Crutcher and Mrs. Crutcher in their Berlin apartment: it was an afternoon full of conversations, good food, and crazy stories.  I was awed by so many different Berliners who came to meet and greet us.  The image of that room, of that afternoon stuck in my mind throughout the rest of my years studying German, and became part of the reason for me to “go back” to Europe for my graduate studies.”

Shawn P ’12: “Hosting the German Club’s Oktoberfest was the capstone event at Wheaton for me. Pretty much any function or activity that the German Club hosted ranks highest in my memories.”

Haley G ’12: “Studying abroad in Regensburg was a life changing experience that I will always remember as a highlight of my time at Wheaton.”

Joe B ’06: “My most memorable time was when Prof. Lee took the six of us from Regensburg to Dresden (Spring2005) and we saw the house and literary works of Erich Kästner.”

Kym L-D ’04: “The most memorable year of college was my Junior Year abroad in Freiburg, Germany. It solidified my understanding and fluency of the language and brought me to the next level of study. I also enjoyed planning the Oktoberfest dance and the meals that we had as a German club. Because we were such a small department, we were able to bond very closely with one another and support each other.”

Rachel M ’04: “My most memorable college experiences happened during my JYA in Berlin. Though my life after college hasn’t overlapped directly with my German studies, the indirect benefits of my year abroad and German education are strongly felt in the ways I relate to the world and interact with new situations.”

Advice for Current Students

LM ’20:  “Do not be afraid to ask questions. Even if you think it is stupid or that you are being annoying, ASK anyway. Chances are if you do not ask you will fall behind, and it is extremely easy to fall behind in a foreign language if you are not being proactive enough. Everyone in the German department are literally some of the nicest people I have met at Wheaton, they will help you with whatever you need. In addition to that, utilize the TA for everything. The German TA’s job is to help you practice your German, so go to office hours (physically) or through zoom, etc. Learning German is easier and more exciting when you have multiple people to practice with.”

WS ’17: “Fully use the opportunities on and off campus to practice German, and take German classes continually in each semester! Consider learning German not only as a foreign language, but also to explore another culture.”

SP ’12: “Be persistent and focused, and practice [German] every day! .. Germany is a land of living history. It’s such a cool feeling to walk through a 1000 year old castle that overlooks the Rhine River, you feel part of it and that’s what makes it so great. .. Pursue your passions, follow your dreams and live with no regret.”

HG’12: “It is so easy to get sucked into the mentality that studying a foreign language is ‘silly’ or ‘a waste of time,’ but it really can end up being an intellectual pursuit that will change the course of your life forever. If I could go back and re-do my time at Wheaton I would have liked to have spent a whole year abroad instead of just one semester.”

JB ’06: “Simply do it [learn German]! German language and culture is so rich and deep and there is so much to learn. Wheaton has so much to offer and you don’t have to be a linguistic to enjoy it.”

KLD ’04: “Read, write and speak a lot [German], be the annoying person in class that doesn’t close their mouths, if you don’t use it, you will lose it. Get involved with clubs as well, the German Club is a small group, but everyone is so supportive! Make connections with teachers and/or businesses now, get internships, paid or unpaid, it will show you what you like and don’t like while in school instead of figuring it out after, when you are all on your own.”

RM ’04: “Develop yourselves as people beyond academics – travel, take classes that excite you, and don’t be afraid to look silly or be wrong. Schoolwork is important, but well-rounded, intellectually curious people are successful AND fun!”