I’m looking back at a particular moment in early November; I was looking out of a huge window of a modern building, at a snow-covered campus. Time seemed to be standing still. It was already about –10 °C outside and the students were walking by at steady pace. Big snowflakes were slowly falling and softly touching the ground, from which the snow would not disappear for the next half-year. The only reminder of time passing by was the melodic jingle of the bell tower at the center of the campus. Inside, voices blended into a blur of English. In Germany, I would have tried to catch a glimpse of and maybe even approach any Americans, because there they were special. In Moorhead, however, all I could do was turn around and smile. Because I was in America, surrounded by Americans, immersed in the English language. I had had my heart set on this dream for so long. I wish somebody would have pinched me.
Welcome to Minnesota, a state some might dismiss as a “flyover state”. Despite the isolated location and truly oppressive cold, the warmth of the people more than makes up for it. Minnesota is located in the Upper Midwest, extending further north than any of the other connected states. The Land of 10,000 Lakes is so far north, in fact, that it punctures the Canadian border, and it is pretty much centered, looking at a map of the USA. As Moorhead, my new home for the year, might not ring a bell, does Fargo? Yesss, that’s the movie, right? And isn’t there a series, too? Exactly! Fargo — with merely 100,000 inhabitants — is the biggest town in the entire state of North Dakota, effectively dwarfing its neighbor. Fargo and Moorhead are separated only by the Red River of the North and have basically merged into one “large” city. As there are (luckily) two other colleges besides Concordia College in Fargo-Moorhead, the city has a large student body and many activities to offer.
For example, sports have become part of my American college life. I joined “Valhalla”, Concordia’s ultimate frisbee team, which has pushed me through practices at which we were nearly carried off by mosquitos and soaked by rain or sweat. We once drove eight hours to a weekend of competing against other college teams, where we lost against almost all of them. While such games have not only showed me how far Americans are willing to drive, they have taught me that losing does not have to be bad if you do it alongside your friends. As you can tell, our team was not very strong, but there are other teams on campus that took practice way more seriously and would meet for several hours every day. The rest of the students supported the teams on weekends and cheered them on passionately. The enthusiasm around college sports is one of the major differences between Germany and the US. Living in the States, I knew exactly which athletic “season” it was, and the respective athletes would be the stars on campus during that time. Particularly with the beginning of the hockey season, the hockey players would displace the football guys from their throne. Ice hockey, which is obviously what’s meant by the simple word “hockey”, is one of the most popular sports in Minnesota, which makes sense because of the long and cold winter. With less prior athletic experience, you can also meet people on intramural volleyball or basketball teams, which meet for fun. Concordia even offers Jugger and Quidditch, so everybody can find their bubble.
No worries if sports are not your thing at all; there are also many other events on campus that keep you distracted from the cold and away from studying. Almost every other night, there are activities such as karaoke, grocery bingo, Zumba, yoga, speech groups or talent shows. Concordia is also known for its many famous choirs and bands. For example, there is a huge Christmas concert and many theater performances such as Cabaret, Men on Boats, etc., which are free for students. Another thing I really enjoyed about Concordia College were the invited guest speakers, publishers, artists, and politicians, among others, discussing women’s rights at a symposium. All those great extracurricular activities lead to a stronger connection to, identification with, and enthusiasm for your university. This joy is one of the greatest differences I see between college life in the US and Germany and a major reason for me wanting to go abroad to the United States.
As far as the classes are concerned, the situation is different from Germany as well. At home I take between 6 and 8 classes that meet for a few hours, and once or maybe twice a week. In the States, however, I took 3–4 classes, which would add up to less time in the classroom. Those 3 to 4 classes cannot be underestimated, though. It might look like less of a time commitment, but as the workload of homework, assignments and readings was way greater in the US, your afternoons could and would easily be filled with preparation for the next class. The long reading assignments in my ethics class and written reflections for my literature class were challenging in the beginning. As the semester proceeded, though, I got better and faster.
What surprised me was how interested and invested the professors are in each student. Coming from a rather large university in Germany, I am used to the anonymity of large lecture halls. At Concordia, however, due also to it being a small private college, the class sizes were very small and the relationship with the professors a lot more personal. They were more approachable, eager to help and to support you in any way possible. They even know your first name! At my home university, though, you would rather ask all your classmates or a tutor for help before approaching the professor. While I really enjoyed — and particularly as an international student profited from — how accommodating the American professors were, I also believe the German system of knowing you cannot get help as easily helps you grow up faster and become more punctual. 😉
The grading process is different in the States, too; instead of one big test or paper, at Concordia, your grade is a sum of many smaller project grades, oral grades, and assignments. Similarly, the system of grading is more like back in German high school. Not only does this motivate you to study throughout the year, not solely before the big final; it also gives you several chances to make up for a poorer grade on a test or assignment. The professors were not only helpful in class; they also showed us part of their personal side. I remember three instances that stood out to me: first, one of our professors once brought quiche for everybody to class after an exam. Second, a professor invited the whole class to her own home (within walking distance) and had prepared hot chocolate and small pastries. Third, our linguistics professor invited us to come to his family’s Thanksgiving dinner party, which I secretly believe he did out of a concern that I wouldn’t have anywhere to go to as an international student. All in all, the relationship to the professors was astonishingly cordial, yet still respectful.
To me it seemed like not only the student-professor, but also the student-student relationships were more intensive than those we have at German universities. I believe that the main reason for this tighter network of the student body is the physical proximity of the off- and on-campus housing to the faculty buildings. All my friends lived very close by, and we ate meals together every day — my own mini-family. You did not even need a car, which helped a lot in the freezing-cold winter. In Germany there are not many campus universities, so the students are spread out all over town. In general, in Germany I have several circles of friends. By contrast, in the US, the college friends are the main group of friends, even for non-internationals, as the university programs are so interwoven with music, sports, etc., so one’s group of friends is a tight net of mostly college friends.
Con-cordia, which translates into “with” “heart”, or also “hearts together”, best describes my two semesters abroad. I grew so close to people from very different cultures and backgrounds, and they taught me so much. In a way, I am taking part of them, the memories, time, anecdotes, and Minnesota home with me. But I have also definitely left part of my heart in Minnesota.
Stella Schminke
Nominated by the German-American Women’s Club of Nuremberg
I’m looking back at a particular moment in early November; I was looking out of a huge window of a modern building, at a snow-covered campus. Time seemed to be standing still. It was already about –10 °C outside and the students were walking by at steady pace. Big snowflakes were slowly falling and softly touching the ground, from which the snow would not disappear for the next half-year. The only reminder of time passing by was the melodic jingle of the bell tower at the center of the campus. Inside, voices blended into a blur of English. In Germany, I would have tried to catch a glimpse of and maybe even approach any Americans, because there they were special. In Moorhead, however, all I could do was turn around and smile. Because I was in America, surrounded by Americans, immersed in the English language. I had had my heart set on this dream for so long. I wish somebody would have pinched me.
Welcome to Minnesota, a state some might dismiss as a “flyover state”. Despite the isolated location and truly oppressive cold, the warmth of the people more than makes up for it. Minnesota is located in the Upper Midwest, extending further north than any of the other connected states. The Land of 10,000 Lakes is so far north, in fact, that it punctures the Canadian border, and it is pretty much centered, looking at a map of the USA. As Moorhead, my new home for the year, might not ring a bell, does Fargo? Yesss, that’s the movie, right? And isn’t there a series, too? Exactly! Fargo — with merely 100,000 inhabitants — is the biggest town in the entire state of North Dakota, effectively dwarfing its neighbor. Fargo and Moorhead are separated only by the Red River of the North and have basically merged into one “large” city. As there are (luckily) two other colleges besides Concordia College in Fargo-Moorhead, the city has a large student body and many activities to offer.
For example, sports have become part of my American college life. I joined “Valhalla”, Concordia’s ultimate frisbee team, which has pushed me through practices at which we were nearly carried off by mosquitos and soaked by rain or sweat. We once drove eight hours to a weekend of competing against other college teams, where we lost against almost all of them. While such games have not only showed me how far Americans are willing to drive, they have taught me that losing does not have to be bad if you do it alongside your friends. As you can tell, our team was not very strong, but there are other teams on campus that took practice way more seriously and would meet for several hours every day. The rest of the students supported the teams on weekends and cheered them on passionately. The enthusiasm around college sports is one of the major differences between Germany and the US. Living in the States, I knew exactly which athletic “season” it was, and the respective athletes would be the stars on campus during that time. Particularly with the beginning of the hockey season, the hockey players would displace the football guys from their throne. Ice hockey, which is obviously what’s meant by the simple word “hockey”, is one of the most popular sports in Minnesota, which makes sense because of the long and cold winter. With less prior athletic experience, you can also meet people on intramural volleyball or basketball teams, which meet for fun. Concordia even offers Jugger and Quidditch, so everybody can find their bubble.
No worries if sports are not your thing at all; there are also many other events on campus that keep you distracted from the cold and away from studying. Almost every other night, there are activities such as karaoke, grocery bingo, Zumba, yoga, speech groups or talent shows. Concordia is also known for its many famous choirs and bands. For example, there is a huge Christmas concert and many theater performances such as Cabaret, Men on Boats, etc., which are free for students. Another thing I really enjoyed about Concordia College were the invited guest speakers, publishers, artists, and politicians, among others, discussing women’s rights at a symposium. All those great extracurricular activities lead to a stronger connection to, identification with, and enthusiasm for your university. This joy is one of the greatest differences I see between college life in the US and Germany and a major reason for me wanting to go abroad to the United States.
As far as the classes are concerned, the situation is different from Germany as well. At home I take between 6 and 8 classes that meet for a few hours, and once or maybe twice a week. In the States, however, I took 3–4 classes, which would add up to less time in the classroom. Those 3 to 4 classes cannot be underestimated, though. It might look like less of a time commitment, but as the workload of homework, assignments and readings was way greater in the US, your afternoons could and would easily be filled with preparation for the next class. The long reading assignments in my ethics class and written reflections for my literature class were challenging in the beginning. As the semester proceeded, though, I got better and faster.
What surprised me was how interested and invested the professors are in each student. Coming from a rather large university in Germany, I am used to the anonymity of large lecture halls. At Concordia, however, due also to it being a small private college, the class sizes were very small and the relationship with the professors a lot more personal. They were more approachable, eager to help and to support you in any way possible. They even know your first name! At my home university, though, you would rather ask all your classmates or a tutor for help before approaching the professor. While I really enjoyed — and particularly as an international student profited from — how accommodating the American professors were, I also believe the German system of knowing you cannot get help as easily helps you grow up faster and become more punctual. 😉
The grading process is different in the States, too; instead of one big test or paper, at Concordia, your grade is a sum of many smaller project grades, oral grades, and assignments. Similarly, the system of grading is more like back in German high school. Not only does this motivate you to study throughout the year, not solely before the big final; it also gives you several chances to make up for a poorer grade on a test or assignment. The professors were not only helpful in class; they also showed us part of their personal side. I remember three instances that stood out to me: first, one of our professors once brought quiche for everybody to class after an exam. Second, a professor invited the whole class to her own home (within walking distance) and had prepared hot chocolate and small pastries. Third, our linguistics professor invited us to come to his family’s Thanksgiving dinner party, which I secretly believe he did out of a concern that I wouldn’t have anywhere to go to as an international student. All in all, the relationship to the professors was astonishingly cordial, yet still respectful.
To me it seemed like not only the student-professor, but also the student-student relationships were more intensive than those we have at German universities. I believe that the main reason for this tighter network of the student body is the physical proximity of the off- and on-campus housing to the faculty buildings. All my friends lived very close by, and we ate meals together every day — my own mini-family. You did not even need a car, which helped a lot in the freezing-cold winter. In Germany there are not many campus universities, so the students are spread out all over town. In general, in Germany I have several circles of friends. By contrast, in the US, the college friends are the main group of friends, even for non-internationals, as the university programs are so interwoven with music, sports, etc., so one’s group of friends is a tight net of mostly college friends.
Con-cordia, which translates into “with” “heart”, or also “hearts together”, best describes my two semesters abroad. I grew so close to people from very different cultures and backgrounds, and they taught me so much. In a way, I am taking part of them, the memories, time, anecdotes, and Minnesota home with me. But I have also definitely left part of my heart in Minnesota.
Stella Schminke
Nominated by the German-American Women’s Club of Nuremberg