One reason that I wanted to study abroad at the University of St. Andrews is because it has one of the strongest philosophy departments in the U.K. The professors there are doing interesting work in the philosophy of mind (particularly in the nature of time perception and mental representations), and there's a whole research initiative on philosophical methodology at the Arché centre. It would an enlightening experience browsing through the library at Edgecliffe, having engaging discussions with other students in tutorial sessions and Philosophy Club, and attending the departmental colloquia.
Besides issues in the philosophy of mind and metaphilosophy, I would like to learn about how I could teach
philosophy in high school. Unlike
secondary schools in the U.K., philosophy is rarely taught in American high
schools. I think an earlier exposure to
philosophy could foster critical thinking and openness to different points of
view in students during their formative years in high school. Our education system
desperately needs to start encouraging these skills in an age where there is a wealth of good an bad information on the Internet rather than teaching students how to rote-memorize and merely take tests. Conveniently,
the Philosophy outreach programme at St Andrews offers a module where I will be
teaching philosophy at secondary schools in the area. Practical experience in pedagogy could give
me insights about possible curricular reforms in high schools back home.
On another note, David Hume is one of my favorite early
modern philosophers. His treatises were
very matter-of-fact and sensible, breaking significant ground in ethics and
cognitive science. I would love to visit
his home country and resting place.
On a less academic note, another reason that I’d like to study abroad comes from the
fact that the environment we live in has more influence on our sense of
identity and personal development than we realize. I grew up, went to college, and lived at home
for my whole life in Las Vegas. I wasn’t
aware of the impact of this insular life on my habits and ways of thinking
until I visited the East Coast and lived on my own for the very first time (Summer 2011). The academic and urban culture of Boston,
Cambridge, and MIT sharply differed in nature and intensity from that of UNLV. Living on the East Coast forced me to examine my own
life and worldviews because the ones I brought with me did not work well in a
different situation. I learned to revise
my old study habits and communication skills to keep up with new technologies
in brain imaging and the open-endedness of scientific research.
I returned to Las Vegas with a new perspective on my
hometown. It is a city of simulacra,
always seeking to replicate the wonders of the real world, whether it Paris,
the Bellagio, the Luxor, etc. But now I
have a new thirst to see these places firsthand—an instilled sense of
wanderlust. I gained a stronger sense of
independence and self-awareness from that summer at MIT that I hope to hone even
further by studying abroad in Scotland. This sense of independence has not been clashing well with my my parents - my mom still treat me as a child, and despite her well-intentioned over protectiveness it has become suffocating. So I think it will be good for me to get some space to think and relax this semester. Perhaps physical distance between my mom and me will make us emotionally closer as I learn to live on my own, and she learns to live without me in the house.
People often say that they want to “find
themselves” in a new culture. I don’t
think the point is finding yourself; rather, it is more than immersing yourself in
other worldviews and questioning the assumptions that have been sociologically
ingrained in you. Personal growth does
not occur in isolation; it has to occur through a mutual relationship with
other people. St Andrews has a dynamic,
cosmopolitan group of local and international students where I hope to
contribute to this spirit of getting culturally lost.
PS - On a less formal note, I think a big factor in studying abroad was that my close friends and boyfriend all studied abroad in Costa Rica, Oxford, and Germany and said it was a life-changing experience. So it was a positive kind of peer pressure :)
