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Katharina Bruehl’s hometown of Leina, Germany, is enjoying a bit of a growth spurt. There are 735 people now, up from 700 when she came to the United States.
It’s fair to say that Bruehl’s transition to the small college feel of the Temple University Ambler campus wasn’t that big of a stretch.
“Just to be clear, it wasn’t like living on a farm. It was about five miles to a bigger city, where I went to school,” said Bruehl, a junior studying International Business Administration, with a minor in marketing. “Everyone knew everyone and everybody know everybody’s business, which is one of the reasons I left. It’s nice to go home once a year to see everyone and enjoy the ‘big’ events (the last one was her brother Sebastian’s wedding, the next is the birth of her first niece or nephew). Nothing has really changed.”
Bruehl has been in the States, on and off, for about four years. She returned to Germany for a year in 1998, studying at the Jena-Friedrich-Schiller Universitaet. She came back to the U.S. in 1999 and started at Montgomery County Community College in August 2000, where she received an associate’s degree in Business Administration. In spring 2003, she enrolled in her first classes at Temple University Ambler.
“I think the first time I came to the United States, I was interested in independence. Once I got a nice taste for it, I was given the opportunity to come back,” she said. “I was warned that there would be about two or three months of culture shock, but it wasn’t a big one. Some things take a little getting used to, like tipping — everything’s included in Europe. Sometimes you find the mentality a little different — just the attitude of my age group toward goals and responsibility.”
Bruehl’s approach to life at the Ambler campus has been an adjustment from just last spring to this fall.
“During my first semester, it was basically go to classes and that was it. This semester, I’ve gotten more involved with the student organizations on campus and going to events and I’ve met a lot of people,” she said. “That, in turn, makes it easier to talk to people in class because you’ve seen them elsewhere. This semester, I can hardly walk across campus without saying hi to someone I know and I love that.”
The ability to meet and interact with people, Bruehl said, is one of the basic differences between socializing here and in Germany.
“It is very easy to meet people and relate with them; people seem to be more open to that. In Germany it’s generally harder to initially meet and talk to people,” she said. “Maybe it has to do with socialization. In high school here there are afterschool activities and sports. In Germany, you were off at 1 or 2 p.m. and you were basically done.”
2 p.m. and done certainly doesn’t reflect Bruehl’s schedule this semester, which consists of an International Marketing course on consumer/buyer behavior, two finance classes and an operational management class.
“I like international marketing, in part, because of my own background. Finance has been particularly insightful, especially with the terminology,” she said. “There is so much more financial terminology here then there ever was in Germany. I have to say I love the advisers here at Temple University Ambler. They were very helpful with my transfer here, calculating credits, and ensuring I wouldn’t cram all of my hard courses together into one semester.”
Week one of this semester got off to an unintentionally slow start for Bruehl — her car battery died. That didn’t slow her down, however.
“I’m vice president of Ambler’s student chapter of the American Marketing Association and we’ve been meeting off and on since August,” she said. “My goal has been to go in to my classes and make other students aware of the organization — I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the interest.”
Though sometimes seen as an introductory event for freshman, Bruehl also attended Temple University Ambler’s Student Convocation and manned a table during the Week of Welcome to attract new members to the American Marketing Association (AMA).
“I was very interested in what the speakers had to say. (Student Government Association President) Cherine Morsi, I think, really had a grasp for what students are going through now and (guest speaker) Brenda Jorett’s advice to not waste your freshman year was excellent,” she said. “There are so many easy ways to get involved here on campus and it adds so much to your time here. You meet people and improve your own communication skills.”
Between classes and studying, Bruehl has been attending and helping plan AMA meetings and guest speakers, attending student government meetings, attending sorority rush events and special programs like the Beta Alpha Psi charity volleyball tournament, the Students vs. Staff volleyball game, and a night of “Say What?!” Karaoke.
“As a student professional organization, networking is particularly important for the AMA. It’s one of the reasons we focus on guest speakers; to network, to get advice on our resumes, to get some perspective on what life will be like after we graduate,” she said.
Bruehl also has a few special things to take care of from time to time, such as ensuring her International Students Medical Application is in on time — a little side project that needed attention during week three of this semester.
“It’s one of the ‘must have’ documents for international students…or they send you home,” she said with a laugh.
On the weekends, Bruehl often performs with the Saxy Pancakes, a cover band that performs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“It’s one of the ways I got to know Pennsylvania initially. This summer I really got involved — sometimes it’s lead vocals, sometimes backup harmony, sometimes saxophone or guitar,” she said. “Amid helping the host family I live with, time management becomes essential…and writing things down. I certainly want to keep my grades up so sometimes I have to stop, think, and prioritize. I think as long as you are enthusiastic and motivated, it’s manageable.”
This is the first part of an “A Year in the Life” feature on Katharina Bruehl. Kat, originally from Leina, Germany, entered her senior year studying International Business Administration at Temple University Ambler at the time of the series.
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