Schlaffer was already attracting attention on account of her abilities and enthusiasm as a literary scholar: März was deeply influenced by the trainee teacher, in ways which later affected her own career choices.

[5][6] Passing her Abitur opened the way to university-level education, and she went on to study Literature and Philosophy at Cologne and Berlin, receiving her degree from the latter.

[1][9] One highlight was a widely commended literary portrait she wrote for the Frankfurter Rundschau of the Swiss-born author Paul Nizon.

[10] In 2002 März joined the jury for the SWR-Bestenliste [de], a panel of influential literary critics providing a monthly recommended reading list for intellectually inclined television viewers.

She followed this up in 2005 with the Berlin prize for literary criticism, which arrived with a €10,000 bursary, and accompanied by a commendation of her "intelligent interpretations and all-encompassing understanding of literature and the world within which it exists".