A Glimpse of Heaven

I now have less than 5 weeks left here in Warwick, and people keep asking me what I’ll miss the most. Among other things, such as wearing coats and scarves and boots everyday (my favorite pieces of clothing), I know exactly what I’ll miss the most: taking classes with passionate people.

Here’s why:

In America, the university institution focuses on the idea of the “well-rounded individual”. Meaning, if you’re a history major in the Humanities department, you also have to take 3 classes in the areas of math, science, and social sciences. Why? It’s so you get exposed to a wide range of topics and fields. Whether because society thinks it’s necessary, or whether it’s because many students would shoot themselves if they only took classes in their major every quarter, is speculation. Personally, I enjoy taking classes outside of my major. It keeps me from burning out. It also exposes me to a whole different range of subjects that I probably would never have a chance to study otherwise.

But a lot of other people would probably prefer doing it the UK style, where you only take classes within your major. That means if you’re a history major, you only take history classes and are surrounded by the same other history majors for 3 years. A lot of people think that other classes are “useless” and “superfluous” and are a waste of time and energy that they could be putting into subjects that actually pertain to their major. So in the US, I’m constantly surrounded by people who don’t really care about the class nor the subject matter. And it’s really frustrating sometimes.

Here at Warwick, I got a glimpse of heaven: taking classes with other students who are really passionate about history and politics. Almost everyone participates in every seminar. If they don’t, at least they have the knowledge and the intellect to contribute if they wanted to. I talk to my classmates outside of class about politics and current events. We all love the same things, we read the news every day, we debate about American and UK politics. It’s awesome. UK students work hard to get into the course they apply to, so I know that in every seminar the students have to be passionate in order to be there. I don't have to worry about looking like a nerd or dork because I know a lot. In fact, you're lauded for being able to engage and hold your own. Here, no one looks down on you for being smart because everyone else is, too.

I don’t get that kind of intellectual stimulation at UCI. What I get is a room of 25 students, 20 of whom are either just taking the class for requirements and don’t care and don’t participate and read the material, and 5 of whom actually like the subject and are forced to engage and work with others who obviously could care less about being there. It’s absolutely frustrating. The 5 of us come off as nerds and get looked down for it, even though in no society should intelligence ever be shunned.
Maybe this is what I get for not working hard enough. Sure, I’m smart. I know I’m smart, my friends and family know, my teachers know. I just never really attached numbers and letters to intellectual capacity. My philosophy to learning is this: I’d rather enjoy a subject and get a B than stress myself out over studying and lose interest and get an A. Why? I don’t see the point in working myself to the bone over grades. I enjoy learning, whatever it is. There hasn’t been one class I’ve regret taking throughout the course of my college career. And this was especially true in high school. Maybe if I worked harder, I could’ve gotten into an Ivy League or something. Warwick is an Ivy League of the UK, and I’ve definitely held my own amongst my colleagues and classmates, so it’s not like I’m intellectually incapable. Maybe it’s because I don’t see the point in potentially ruining something I enjoy doing: learning. If I worked harder and stressed myself out more, maybe I’d be at UCLA or Stanford by now. But what would I have had to give up in return? Fewer friends? No boyfriend? Miserable social skills? I have no idea.

But I can’t say that I’m unhappy where I am right now. UCI is an excellent university that has all the opportunities in the world to make me a big fish in a big pond. Most importantly, I get a realistic sense of the world: not everyone you meet is going to be intelligent. Not everyone will have the same interests as you, or the type of people you’d associate with outside of class. I’m learning to be (as horrible as this sounds) tolerant of idiots and slackers because frankly, they don’t disappear after college. They’ll be there in the working world, too. And hopefully I’ll be a little more prepared for that than my friends across the pond.

My experience here has given me a small glimpse of heaven: grad school.