Hi, I’m Lisa and I recently had the amazing opportunity to spend 9 months in the US as part
of the GEARE exchange program in 2024/25 – and here is how it went:
To be honest, when I first heard about the GEARE program in one of my lectures, I didn’t even consider applying for it. I didn’t plan on going abroad that early in my bachelor’s studies and, in addition, I also didn’t think I had a realistic chance of being picked as a participant anyway.
But after hearing about the program more and more, I got very interested and thought it wouldn’t hurt to just try and apply, as it’s a one-time chance – you can only apply while being a third-semester student. And well, here I am now 🙂
After getting accepted into the program, the 11 others and I had to tackle a few
organizational tasks such as visas, insurance, and finding an internship in the US. During the whole process, we received amazing help from AK GEARE, which made everything sooo much easier!!
Time flew, and suddenly I was already seated on a plane that took me across the Atlantic. We spent the first two weeks at Purdue University in West Lafayette, finishing paperwork and getting everything in line for the upcoming internship. It was amazing to explore Purdue’s beautiful campus and spend time with the other GEARE students from KIT and Purdue. We quickly became part of Purdue’s college life, bought merchandise, and even cheered for the Purdue football team at a college game (where they unfortunately lost very badly – but the vibes were amazing nevertheless)!!
I also fell in love with the cute little delivery robots called “Starships” that deliver food to most of West Lafayette and drive all over the campus.
Then, it was time for me to part ways with the other German GEARE students and travel to Farmington Hills, Michigan, where I started my internship at Robert Bosch in the Electric Machine Development Department. Of course, I was very excited and also a bit nervous about my first day, but everyone warmly welcomed me and I was quickly integrated into the team. I had amazing colleagues who even took me to an ice hockey game, a few bars, and taught me how to shoot guns in someone’s backyard (must-do when in the US). During my internship, I had my own project responsibilities and worked on designing a validation experiment and fixtures for a new component. I learned a lot about eMotors and working in an international team. I also had the amazing opportunity to attend the “Detroit Battery Show” – North America’s leading advanced battery tech event – and join a business trip to Charleston, SC to see the manufacturing line.
The internship went by extremely fast and because it was such an amazing experience, I was very sad when it ended. But my sadness didn’t last long, as I was meeting my family for Christmas in Washington, D.C. I drove my car “MURMEL”, which I bought during my internship, all the way from Michigan to D.C. and was so excited to meet my family at the airport. We spent a few days in D.C. and then took the train to New York City!!! None of us – my parents, my sister, or I – had ever been there before, so it was an extremely exciting trip for all of us!
After long days of exploring, I had to say goodbye to my family, but again, no time to be sad. The next day, I was already boarding the plane to my next adventure: Florida!
I spent the rest of my winter break road-tripping through Florida, exploring Miami, the Keys, Everglades National Park, Universal Studios Orlando, and even saw a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral! The whole trip truly felt like I was in a movie, and at times I really questioned if all of this was real.
In mid-January, the spring semester at Purdue started, and the first few weeks were quite tough for me – especially because of the cold, grey weather. But by the end of February, the weather slowly got better, and the semester started to get very exciting. The courses were very different from what I was used to at KIT. Many classes check attendance, sometimes you have to take in-person tests, you get homework every week, and you also have to take two midterms throughout the semester. Overall, I would say it felt a bit like high school in Germany. Even though it’s more work during the semester, this system also has positive sides. All of the assignments, homework, tests, and midterms count towards your final grade – so you get rewarded for continuously keeping on track throughout the semester and have a realistic chance of earning a very good grade in the end.
Despite the higher workload, we still managed to have a lot of free time and definitely made sure to use it to the fullest! During the semester, we GEARE students traveled to Cancun, Mexico together for spring break. I went on another spontaneous trip to Puerto Rico, traveled to Chicago countless times (it’s the closest big city to Purdue), spent a weekend in Nashville wearing cowboy boots, went to many Purdue basketball games, took a flight lesson from Purdue’s own airport, and did so many more activities that would be impossible to list here.
I definitely had a packed schedule during the semester with college work and free time activities, but it was SO worth it. I have never experienced so many amazing things in such a short time span.
In the beginning of May, we had our final exams and then – very suddenly – the semester was over. And once again, I felt very sad, but not for long.
It was time for my final adventure: driving all the way from Purdue, Indiana to Los Angeles, California and stopping at as many National Parks along the way as possible! Two of my friends, our car MURMEL and I worked out a 30-day itinerary that would take us all across the country. We bought a tent, air mattresses and other essential camping equipment at Walmart and started the journey.
Over the span of 30 days, we drove 8,483 km (5,271 miles) and visited a total of 13 National Parks. We camped in National Parks most nights – no running water, simple meals from our camping cooker, s’mores from our campfire and the most amazing night skies I have ever seen. All of the parks were absolutely stunning, but Yellowstone, Yosemite and Canyonlands National Parks were definitely the most memorable for me!
After we arrived in LA, we sadly had to sell our car MURMEL, which was really hard for me because I had gotten so attached. And then we said our final goodbyes to the US.
I would describe my time as a participant in the GEARE program as nothing short of amazing and would recommend everyone who is interested in such an adventure including an international internship and studying at Purdue to take the chance and apply for the program 🙂