Alumni on ECLA
Cristina Groeger, USA
Attended: Project Year 2008/09
Currently: Studying MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History, University of Cambridge
Whenever I explain what ECLA is to friends back in the States, I usually end up making the claim: "It is what a liberal arts college should be like." ECLA is certainly smaller than even the "small" liberal arts colleges in the States, it doesn't have a typical array of majors and concentrations, but from day one, it was evident to me that this was an institution that took the idea of liberal arts very seriously. Most impressively, I believe, is that this fact did not preclude debate about the definition or vision of "liberal arts" education; in fact, ECLA fostered and encouraged continued self-reflection about education itself. To me, this self-reflection might be the most valuable practice an institution that claims to provide a liberal arts education can afford. Aided by the small size and the young age of the program, ECLA is an institution in which every individual matters and has a great deal of influence in shaping the learning environment. During my time here, constant self-reflection was therefore not idle talk; it could have immediate effects on the school community. Participating in this close-knit intellectual community, surrounded by students and faculty willing to engage with each other as fellow-learners in class and at meal-times, ECLA was an experience I felt I had been searching for for a long time.
After graduating from college in the US, I decided to enroll in ECLA's PY year, which I found to be a great combination of regular seminars, from which there were always an array of interesting topics to choose from, and independent research. For me, the seminars were a way to explore new areas of literature or philosophy that I had not had a chance to in college, as well as participate in discussions and get to know my classmates and professors. The independent tutorial structure of the PY program was also wonderful; I had the flexibility and freedom I wanted to pursue my own interests, even as they morphed through the year. I always found the faculty I worked with extremely helpful and supportive; they always had my own interests and intellectual growth at heart. Being in the vibrant city of Berlin, encouraged through ECLA facilitated trips and transportation/museum passes to go out and take advantage of the cultural opportunities was also an incredible boon, and dovetailed with my own interest in German history and the German language. For me, ECLA was a time of reflection, growth, and exploration, and I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone who is intellectually curious to take part, and contribute, to the community of ECLA.