Nine Montclair Students Return from a Month in Munich

On September 1, as some Montclair students were finishing up local internships or a family week at the beach, nine students boarded flights to return from a month of intensive language training at the renowned Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.

While this past May, 17 other students traveled on a faculty-led program with German program faculty member Thomas Herold, these nine Munich students chose a more independent route, staying in LMU housing, managing their own public transportation, and immersing themselves in German language and culture alongside daily classes with students from Korea, Czech Republic, Ireland, and many other countries. The course included outings to the iconic Neuschwanstein castle and other excursions and affordable student housing in the Olympic Village in Munich.

International Business major and German minor Jason Kleinschmidt says of the trip, “The places I got to see both in and outside of Munich were beautiful and these were experiences I’m so glad to have had. Doing all this while being able to develop my German skills further and practice every day was a great combination of immersive and practical.” Family Science major and German minor Leysel Romero says, “I loved exploring the different areas in Munich. My favorite place to go to is Marienplatz as it has unique architecture and a variety of stores. My experience in Munich has changed my life in different ways and it has made me want to return someday soon.”

“Munich was absolutely incredible. I was able to meet new people and gain new knowledge of their culture and different global perspectives. I now see these people as my friends, which is so amazing.” – Jason

Seven of the students benefited from generous $1500 scholarships granted to Montclair State University students from the Max Kade Foundation (specifically for this program). “We are so grateful for these generous scholarships that put this program within reach for our students,” says Ruth Kunstadter from the Montclair State University Development office, which has helped secure scholarships for students traveling to Germany over the past three years.

“These Red Hawks are part of a new wave of students finding that study abroad opportunities are indeed available to them, even if they didn’t think so at first,” says Director of International Academic Initiatives Tim White. “In 2023-2024, we had 38% more students studying abroad than at any point in the past 15 years, and we expect this trend to continue.”

Indeed, signups have already opened for Montclair’s full-ride full-year Sister-City Scholarship, semester exchanges at partner universities in Graz, Austria and Konstanz, Germany, summer 2025 in Graz, and next year’s August programs in Munich as well as Konstanz.