Vanderbilt Undergraduate Student in Leipzig
by Hannah Berke (undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University): My two months spent in Leipzig were a wonderful experience. The work in the lab was informative and enjoyable and living in Leipzig changed my life. My stay in Leipzig was extremely fun and gave me the opportunity to travel and experience Europe and Germany specifically. The city itself is a perfect size, very similar to Nashville, and I lived in an area that was about a 5 minute tram ride or 20 minute walk from the city center, or “Mitte,” that is full of shops and restaurants. The abundance of parks and cafes made it easy to spend time outside – barbecuing, reading, and relaxing with friends.
I was the only American undergraduate working in the lab that semester, which was challenging at first, but extremely rewarding. I made friends with my roommate and became very close with a group of German students at the Universität Leipzig. They showed me all around the city, both during the day and at night, and I travelled with some to their hometown of Hannover one weekend. Getting around in a country where I didn’t know the language was difficult, but having friends that spoke the language helped me enormously. There was never a shortage of things to do in Leipzig, and if there wasn’t a musical event or café open, I would just walk around the city and visit historical sites like the Völkerschlachtdenkmal, Thomaskirche, and the huge Clara-Zetkin Park.
I was also able to travel around Europe during my time there. I visited London and Paris before I moved into my flat in Leipzig, went to Berlin twice, Prague, Hannover, and a day trip to Dresden, and after my internship ended I stopped in Vienna and Munich. Leipzig’s main train station was only about 20 minutes away from the lab, so it was easy to catch a train on Friday after work and come back Sunday evening. I met many people from all over the world while travelling, many of whom I still keep in touch with.
My experience living in Leipzig was all-around incredible and I highly encourage all to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to live in Germany for a few months. The research experience I gained was extremely useful and interesting, and the opportunities I had to travel and interact with another culture were invaluable.