So, just a brief update from my last post: I have officially booked my flight from O'Hare to Frankfurt International Airport! I will departing Chicago at approximately 6 pm and arriving in Frankfurt at 9:45 in the morning. I also received another acceptance letter from Goethe, however, it's still not 100% "official." I'll have to wait until August to be officially accepted and view the class selection for the upcoming semester.
My summer so far has been a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of finals week. I've tried to read or study German each day for a minimum of 1 hour/day, in order to stay reasonably fresh. I hope to allocate more time into my studies as the summer progresses.
Other exciting news: one of my high school friends is planning to visit me during my time abroad. Right now, our plans are very tentative, but he would probably arrive sometime in mid-late December. I'm very excited about this possibility and still seems very surreal that I will be studying abroad in about 3 months.

Thanks for reading and I hope to write another post once I'm "officially" accepted and have more details regarding my stay.

Matt

As many of you know, I've taken an interest in German language and culture. I'm happy to announce that I will studying abroad in Germany next year. I hope to study at the Goethe University in Frankfurt for the entire academic year, in order to enhance my German language skills and understanding of German culture. Frankfurt, in particular, intrigues me, because of its financial connections throughout Europe. The EU central bank is located in Frankfurt, as well as Germany's stock exchange.

I'm writing my inaugural blog to happily announce that I have received the 2015/16 DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) undergraduate scholarship, which provides a generous stipend throughout my stay. I must thank my German professor for all of his help and patience! As of now, I haven't officially heard back from the Goethe University, however, I have been "unofficially" accepted as a guest student. 

This upcoming summer will be spent touching up on my German and arranging all my accommodations for my upcoming travels.

I hope to write another post once I hear more from DAAD and Goethe.Thanks for reading.

Matt