UC Design Student Studies Abroad in Germany Spends Christmas in Austria and New Year s in Milan

Early in her academic career in the University of Cincinnati’s

number-one ranked

industrial design program, Samantha Gustafason, 22, won

national attention

for her work – winning a $7,000 competitive prize and consulting/marketing session with IDEO, a prestigious global design and innovation firm.

But now, Gustafson, of Fairfield, Ohio, is going a step further and gaining international experience as well.

She is currently studying abroad in Wuppertal, Germany, at the Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, a school – like UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) – known for the quality of its design education.

“I thought that going abroad would give me a chance to experience new things and see design in a new way,” Gustafson said, adding, “Wuppertal teaches a design process that is a little different than DAAP. I thought this would give me a new perspective on the design process as well.”

And, of course, she is taking advantage of the opportunity for travel while studying in Europe – traveling to London, Milan, Linz (Austria) and other locales. In fact, Gustafson was able to spend Christmas in Linz, Austria, and New Year’s in Milan, Italy. And because of Wuppertal’s international study programs, she’s made friends from Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Ireland and Poland…and of course from Germany as well.

However, Gustafson is quick to point out that there are also challenges to her study abroad experience, including those of language and culture. “Learning German has been challenging. It’s a difficult language to learn, but the challenge is why I’m interested in this experience. In this new experience, you start to learn more about yourself and grow as a person. The challenge of being in an unfamiliar environment with new people really starts to show you who you are and what you are capable of,” she explained.

Gustafson will return to UC in late March for her final quarter before graduating in June. She hopes to work overseas in the future, perhaps in Germany. “I like the North Rheine Westphalia region where Wuppertal is located, so maybe I will return here,” she said.

Wherever she works in the future, Gustafson is certain of how she wants to use her UC industrial design degree – to solve problems. She explained that she was first interested in industrial design because the field focuses on problem solving and having an impact on people’s lives. “It’s the connection to the people using the products that I like the most. It’s also a large field that gives you a lot of choices when it comes to career paths,” she added.

• Follow Gustafson’s blog recounting her time of study at Wuppertal.
• See the national rankings earned by UC’s industrial design program.
• Apply to UC’s undergraduate industrial design program.