Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I am majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in Chemistry, and have a certificate in Disability Studies. I have always wanted to study abroad and when I applied to Pitt a few years ago that was one of my goals in undergrad; however, I had no clue how I was going to accomplish it. To be honest the reason I choose Germany was partly accidental in that I signed up for German courses to meet my gen-ed requirements; however, I then fell in love with learning the language and knew that I wanted to study abroad.

I do however, plan on gaining a better understanding of other cultures and knowing first-hand what it is like to live in a country where I don’t fluently speak the predominant language. The idea of living in Germany and learning what it is like to navigate language barriers will be important for my future as a physician. Many patients do not speak English or very little English and therefore a translator is necessary. Because I understand navigating language barriers it will allow me to care for my patients better in the future especially when we don’t share any common languages. Intellectually I hope to gain a better understanding of the German language as I value trying to become bilingual. Also, being that I am a neuroscience major I value learning another language as some research shows that it increases neuroplasticity and prevents cognitive decline, while there is more research to do the research already looks promising.