Meet 7-week German Immersion Student: Michelle Keefe
For Yale PhD student Michelle Keefe, who is typically very talkative, entering the German School at Level 1 was a daunting prospect. In the end, she was surprised to find that her impulse to communicate overrode her lack of language.
Hometown: Bear, DE
Program: 7-week Immersion
Current: PhD student in Medieval Studies, Yale University, focusing on early Christian art and architecture
I came in as Stufe 1, with no prior German knowledge or experience.
What surprised you about your experience at the German School?
As someone who loves to talk, I had been so nervous to take a Language Pledge® and essentially lose all of my language. I imagined I’d end up being very quiet and very frustrated those first couple of days and weeks. I was genuinely surprised by how forcefully my impulse to communicate overrode my lack of language. I was acting, gesturing, making sounds, speaking around a concept using whatever words I was picking up, describing ideas, giving examples and analogies - all to try to communicate. It was such an incredible experience realizing that even without my usual arsenal of words, there are quite a lot of ways to communicate a concept or thought and to be understood.
It was certainly frustrating, but it was also wonderfully rewarding to engage in the struggle.
Before long, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to operate in the language, and was shocked every time I thought about how far I had come, given that just a few weeks prior, I had known no German at all!
I was also pleasantly surprised as the weeks went on, by how freeing it was to be in a place for seven weeks with no other objective, no other worries, and no other goal, except simply to learn German. This factor enabled me to be more present in my courses, in conversations with others, in activities or sports I was participating in, etc. I was more present day-to-day, and thus more rejuvenated by the program than I had ever imagined.
Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?
I have had prior experiences with full-immersion language programs, and I know without a doubt that it is the best way to learn a language. With language learning, whenever there is an “out,” many people, including myself, will often take it – it’s easier, more efficient, less taxing, etc. to switch to English, even if just for a brief couple of moments. Therefore, I knew that being in an immersive environment where there was no “out” was going to push me to engage deeply with the language and not rely on any crutches in order to communicate.
I had heard that Middlebury was the best place to have this type of an immersive experience, and that the Middlebury system for learning languages works. It is 100% true.
Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury. How are you currently using or planning to use the language you studied in your daily life (job, personal, research, etc.)?
My language skills in German improved exponentially. Coming in with no prior German, I was expecting nothing but improvement! Even so, I was blown away by how much I gained. I absorbed so much and was shocked at how quickly I was operating in the language, even though I couldn’t actually understand everything.
Between morning coursework, mealtimes, and then all of the activities and events offered, it was an incredible environment to learn and practice the language in context right away.
My goal with German is to be able to confidently read academic and scholarly sources for my research. I am currently keeping up my German through regular meetings with a speaking-partner, in group events and bookclubs offered through the German Department at my school, by watching movies and listening to music in German, and also by reading small portions of whatever texts I can, whether it be academic articles or young adult books or comics.
What makes the German School a unique environment to learn the language?
The people at the German School are absolutely top-notch. I could not imagine doing what I did and being as successful as I was, without the incredible support, creativity, passion, and dedication from every single person there, especially the professors and staff members.
Furthermore, the German School is outstanding because of the breadth of activities, lectures, and events they offer for each person to continue implementing and practicing the language every day.
There was always something going on, things to do, and activities to participate in. No matter the event or activity, the faculty and staff were always eager to help me keep practicing my German skills.
Describe your typical day at Middlebury.
A typical day at Middlebury for me during the week started at 7:30 or so. I would wake up and get a bit of work done before heading to breakfast. From 9:00-1:00 I was in class - two grammar classes and one literature course. Afterwards, we would walk over to the dining hall for lunch together. Sometimes I would be at lunch for an hour and a half, just talking with whoever I was sitting with. Afterwards, I would have a bit of time to either rest or get some homework done. Then I was usually heading outside to play volleyball for a couple hours. Afterwards, I’d shower, work on more homework (work on my vocab notecards, study, etc.), head to dinner, and then usually had a theater rehearsal afterwards. Sometimes, on days I didn’t have theater rehearsal, I would head to one of the scheduled movie-nights, or play cards with friends, or just hang out on the patio and talk with friends. I would come back to my dorm and finish any homework and then head to bed.
What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?
I would say first, especially for anyone coming in at the beginner level, clear your calendar and let yourself have the gift of being fully present in the program. If you can, put everything else to the side for those 7 weeks - your other work especially.
Being able to focus 100% on German and not have anything else hanging over my head each day let me truly immerse myself in whatever was going on in front of me. It was wonderful to not have anything else pressing me for time or taking my attention away from learning German.
I would encourage prospective students to also think about ways to take the Language Pledge® as seriously as possible for themselves, - and to think about what music, movies, or level-appropriate books you might want to relax with at the end of a tiring day. One of the best pieces of advice for me just before taking the language pledge was “Youtube is your friend.” I started looking up every single musical score I know, and trying to find the music in German. That way, I was able to sing the German lyrics to songs I already knew and loved in English. But now, learning and singing those songs in German helped tremendously, and it was so much fun finding really cool connections with the vocabulary and grammar.
Finally, this was critical for me, as someone who loves to talk - don’t expect to be able to communicate at the same level as you normally speak in your native language. It was honestly both frustrating and freeing, to admit that my vocabulary and grammar levels were that of a child. Embracing this enabled me to just start speaking, without worrying about the fact that I was definitely going to be making a ton of mistakes. I had to let go of any fear of failure. I also had to let go of feeling like I needed to think so complexly about things - I had to be ok with “being a child.” Embracing that ended up being one of the most rewarding aspects for my own growth in the language.
If you’ve had other language learning opportunities, how would you compare them to your experience at Middlebury?
My other language learning experiences in typical classroom settings do not come close to what Middlebury offers. Middlebury is such an other-worldly experience for language learning.
Even when comparing Middlebury to my other full-immersion language experiences, Middlebury stands out because of the Language Pledge® and the supportive community. It was encouraging to know that we were all going through the same thing, and that we were going to help each other through it. It was so motivating and encouraging realizing that no one was going to just start speaking English to me as “an easy way out.” Everyone was operating under the same Language Pledge®, which made for a refreshing environment, knowing that our time was meant to be spent just being with each other and communicating together.
Taking the Language Pledge® meant that there was nothing else for me to do but learn and operate in German, and to do what I could to practice the language. It was incredible to let my brain focus on just one goal. No other program or language learning opportunity that I know of offers such an experience.
Applications for our graduate, immersion, and German for Singers programs at the German School open on November 3, 2025.
Gather your materials to apply now.
You can also connect with Michelle or one of our other German for Singers, immersion or graduate ambassadors.
