Meet Quill

Why did you choose your Major?
I struggled to choose between Governance and Culture and History. Back then, my drive to go out and not only change, but save the world was my key motivator, and after attending a truly fantastic political simulation, I thought my path was sealed.

However, the introduction to Culture and History encouraged me to engage with all things that (in my opinion) make life beautiful: literature, art, music, and the whole span of human (and even non-human!) experience across all of history. On top of that, I became more disillusioned about politics, and just how much one person on their own would truly be able to change. So, in the end, I chose Culture and History, and enjoyed the escapism history has provided me with a lot. After all, I no longer had to solve any current problems – I just needed to understand the problems of the past.

Did you study abroad?
I did! I went to Prague in the Czech Republic with an ERASMUS+ Exchange for five months. Much to my surprise, it was a very challenging experience. The culture is definitely very different compared to Germany, where I grew up; people tend to be a lot more direct and a lot less polite, which can leave one feeling very small very quickly. Because I chose to stay at a dorm, I also found it a lot harder to make meaningful connections with people from Czechia, as all international students were housed in the same wing.

Thankfully, by the time summer rolled along, I had already found some nice spots in the city and fallen into a good routine, and the last month was a truly lovely experience. I’m still not sure if Prague is a good city to study in, but I’ve been thinking of going back there for work at some point in my future.

Overall, even if Prague itself wasn’t always kind to me, I would still recommend the experience of going abroad to anyone who wants to make radically new experiences and jump into a different metaphorical pool than the one you’ve been swimming in for the past two to two-and-a-half years and have gotten acclimated to the water temperature. Just be prepared that if you’re going to a big city, Freiburg might start to feel a lot smaller once you’re back!

When you started LAS, what did you find challenging and/or unexpected?
Most of my struggles didn’t have anything to do with the program per se. My mother had passed away recently, just a few weeks before my move to Freiburg, and as a result, I was in a really bad place mentally. But all the people in the program (staff and students both) were really, really kind and welcoming, even without knowing what was going on with me, and I never once regretted joining this wonderful community.

What is the strongest point of the LAS program?
I think LAS students are truly taught to engage critically with the material, much more so than students from other subjects. Whether it be Medicine, Law, or Computer Sciences, I’ve heard a lot of tales from people who needed to simply learn a lot of material by heart for an exam, and while there’s certainly lots of merit to those approaches as well (you do want doctors who are familiar with anatomy, after all), they do frequently come at a cost of critical engagement – i.e., learning and discussing why specific approaches are ideal, whether there are any alternatives, underlying biases, etc. I also think that LAS’ focus on essays over exams really allows students to pursue their own interests a lot more.

What are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years like?
You’re going to feel very mature and grown-up in your first year (You’ve graduated from school! You’ve probably moved to a new city! You started studying!); in the second, however, you’re going to realize just how young you still were and how much you still had to learn. If you didn’t have particular ambitions yet, they will probably kick in once you’ve declared your major or had a life-changing inspirational course. The 3rd year can feel very settled-in and Business As Usual, unless you’re going abroad. In that case, you’re probably facing the cognitive dichotomy of feeling both very advanced and like a rookie at the same time: on the one hand, you already know a lot in many subject areas, but you’re probably also enrolled in a study program that has a very different approach to LAS – not to mention the fact that you’re again in a fully new environment, maybe even in a new country where you don’t speak the language very well!

And lastly, in the 4th year, you start to panic (a little bit) and bundle your interests together into something that could work as a thesis. The first-years will seem like children to you now, even if the age difference might not be that big altogether. By the 4th year, you’ve also probably found your social circle at LAS and have some people you’re typically hanging out with!

(Many students also take an extra semester or two. The 5th year, to me, feels like leftover time. I wrote my thesis very early and by now, I can’t wait to go out into the world and discover even more.)

What is the most fun course you’ve taken?
My favorite course of all time was Space, People, and Power in the Roman Borderlands. It was taught by two ancient historians and archaeologists at the height of the COVID-19-pandemic, and the fact that it was online was used to great advantage. The lecturers had ensured that we’d have plenty of chances to interact with ourselves and with them as well, and put a lot of effort into answering all of our questions and guiding us as each of us discovered their interests. The course itself was about the geopolitics of the Ancient Rome, how we use maps to make sense of the world not only in a spatial, but also in a political sense, and why questions such as these are relevant to this day. The class was truly fascinating – we discussed many spaces that fall outside the layperson’s conception of Ancient Rome, such as North Africa, the Near East, but also some parts of Western and Central Europe – and we also learned about disciplines such as numismatics, i.e., coin studies. The class’ greatest strength was in showing its students why seemingly “boring” bits of knowledge, such as coins, were actually truly valuable and fascinating. It influenced the course of my studies for a very long time still!

What advice would you give to future LAS students?
As long as the course description sounds interesting, don’t be afraid to take classes even if you’re not sure how they’re going to fit into your envisioned trajectory! 

Can you explain LAS in one sentence?
You can do anything – but you will never be able to do everything, so make your choices with purpose and intent.

What’s next?
Creativity! I’ve been writing on-and-off for my own enjoyment and entertainment for the past few years, and now I want to try to move that hobby into the center of my life. I don’t see myself continuing on an academic trajectory at all, but I also want to emphasize that I don’t regret my studies whatsoever. I’ve made great connections, learned a lot, and I feel like I’ve taken exactly the path I needed in order to end up where I am right now. And since my major was Culture & History, I feel particularly confident when it comes to tasks such as world-building and creating overall contexts for stories to take place in.

(February 2024)