Global Ambassador: Christina Weiler

Christina graduated from Purdue with a PhD in Comparative Literature. Her research focused on German literature of the long eighteenth century and on metaphor studies. Her dissertation, entitled “The Romantic Roots of Cognitive Poetics: A Comparative Study of Poetic Metaphor in Herder, Novalis, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley,” was supported by a competitive year-long grant from the Purdue Research Foundation.

Read more about Christina's experience in graduate school below. Please note: Christina provided these answers while she was still a graduate student at Purdue.

Ambassador Q & A (Questions and Answers)

Why did you choose Purdue?

I chose Purdue because it has one of the top-ranked Comparative Literature programs in the nation.

Career goal?

My career goal is to become a professor to continue to teach, research, and be actively involved in a campus community. This is the kind of work that I love and that I would like to continue to do.

Favorite fact about Purdue?

One of my favorite facts about Purdue is that Purdue's Online Writing Lab, known as OWL, attracts users from around the world. I first came into contact with Purdue when I used the OWL in Germany.

Two words that best describe your work?

German & Comparative Literature

If you have free time, how do you choose to spend it?

I like going for runs and walks in nature, doing yoga, and going swimming. I also enjoy watching good movies, especially German Cinema.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

Since an essential part of my work is writing, I could not live without Microsoft Office.

What’s your workspace setup like?

I usually work at my desk in my office or at home. My desk is often packed with books for my research, and you will most likely also find a cup of coffee or tea and a candle or fresh flowers there.

What do you listen to while you work?

I like to listen to jazz, bossa nova, and classical music while working. When I am writing, I prefer silence.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?

I have come to really appreciate audio books. By listening to books while walking to campus, running, and doing housework, I managed to listen to over fifty books last year in addition to those that I read.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

I like to keep my to-do list as a living document on my computer. That way, I can easily access it while working.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

Besides my phone and computer, I can't live without my reading lamp because I love to read in bed.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?

I would not say that I am better at it than everybody else, but I have definitely become an expert in multitasking, travelling, and organizing events because I got to practice these things a lot during my graduate studies in Europe and the US.

What are you currently reading, or what is the last thing you read (aside from academic reading)?

I just started reading Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle.

How do you recharge physically and/or mentally?

I regularly do yoga and meditate.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

"Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen!" It's a German saying meaning that you should not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I also like the English equivalent: "A stitch in time saves nine."

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