Volgend jaar
Door: Jan Willem
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Jan Willem
11 Februari 2009 | Verenigde Staten, Richmond
Volgend jaar zal ik in Marsh Hall wonen in het voorjaar! Mijn eerste keuze. Aardig grote kamers voor RA's, dikke muren dus weinig geluidsoverlast. Je woont tenslotte met tientallen mannelijke studenten - heel gezellig, maar hoe dikker de muren hoe beter. In Gray Court, waar ik m'n eerste jaar woonde, trilde mijn hele bed af en toe als anderen muziek luisterden. Mooie locatie, dichtbij het fitnesscentrum (ik heb net ontdekt dat ze een onwijs comfortabele sauna hebben). Oh en eerstejaars als residents.
Eerst nog het najaar hopelijk in Schotland doorbrengen. Mijn aanmelding heb ik afgelopen vrijdag afgerond, over een week of 2 krijg ik de uitslag. Zie hieronder het essay dat ik schreef als onderdeel van de aanmelding. Er moesten veel vastgestelde elementen in naar voren komen en het mocht niet te lang zijn, daarom zijn de verschillende alinea's soms nogal wat moeizaam verbonden. Ook was dit niet de definitieve versie (die heb ik alleen op papier), dus staan er nog wat zinsconstructies niet in de perfecte volgorde enzo.
Het is 15 - 18 graden celsius overdag, en dat in de tweede week van Februari! Afgelopen donderdag een erg goede Pink Floyd coverband gezien op een mooie locatie - the National, een oud theaterachtig gebouw dat plaats heeft voor zo'n 600 bezoekers. De 28e ga ik naar een Led Zeppelin coverband (Zoso). Live muziek is echt geweldig omdat de muziek intens klinkt en je kan de artiesten zien genieten terwijl ze de musiceren.
Unique and Enriching Opportunities in Edinburgh
Different fields of study are merely created by humans: knowledge itself is not limited to one particular topic. That is why one of my Mathematics professors predicted that traditional research areas such as biology and economics will become almost exclusively mathematical, just as psychology is evolving into a neuroscience. It is therefore risky to narrow your scope in your academic work because it could lead to neglecting certain factors. Because of this risk, the Western-European system of selecting one major and studying nothing besides this major actually frightened me when I was in high school. The liberal arts education has been an important factor in my decision to study in the United States, as it allows me to explore a broad variety of topics.
Economics has always been my favorite subject. Essentially it tries to explain why people make certain decisions when it comes to allocating their time and efforts. Yet the assumptions that are made in many economic models are (extremely) generalizing, which damages the credibility and value of its outcomes. For this reason, I am glad that I have been able to study what ancient philosophers said about human nature or how the media influences our thinking in other classes that I have taken. Furthermore, my mathematics classes provide a solid scientific basis upon which conclusions can be drawn. Because economics lacks this truly scientific approach, there are many controversies and debates about economic policies. That is why I think it will be very useful to study economics for a semester on a different continent. I hope and expect to encounter new perspectives, residing in a place where Europe is not just regarded as 'the place where they have high taxes'. Scotland is after all the country where the great economist Adam Smith lived and where he published his works.
Picking Edinburgh as the city where I want to study abroad has not been very difficult. Initially I was primarily interested in England or France, but after talking to several people in the Office of International Education and a friend who has frequently visited Scotland, Edinburgh became the program that conquered my heart. The city is truly idyllic and the surroundings are simply beautiful, which is an environment in which I think it would be pleasant to excel academically and enjoy life. After reading about Edinburgh and Scotland it is not surprising to me anymore that the country has been the home to a remarkable number of Nobel Prize winners. Scotchmen have also made major contributions to poetry, literature, (moral) philosophy and economics. My friend convinced me that this is not a coincidence and that it is a beautiful and somewhat underrated country with distinct cultural traditions and friendly people; the information that I have read supports this vision.
On of the reasons for me to study in the United States was to witness the people in the society that is on the frontier of Western culture. Ideas about politics (democracy), economics (capitalism), materialism, media culture and technology seem to be developed most rapidly in this country, which at the same time is influencing the entire global community. Often, and I do not mean this in a derogatory way, Great-Britain is regarded as the little brother of the United States: there is mutual respect and a sense of a special relationship. Great-Britain seems to be less dynamical as a result of its long historical roots and its connection with the European mainland. For me it would be a wonderful opportunity to observe and actively investigate if and how this culture could be categorized. I wonder how people in Scotland generally think about globalizing economies, the European Union, American television shows, social democracy, environmentalism and many more topics. I'm curious to compare the beliefs that most people hold to the United States and the Netherlands. Naturally it is impossible to make judgments about cultures as a whole, because groups of people are inherently diverse. This aspect actually really attracts me, and I expect to find more diversity in an urban environment than at the somewhat isolated campus of the University of Richmond. The fact that I will encounter cultural challenges means a lot to me--I see it as an adventure and a wonderful opportunity to broaden my perspectives.
Throughout my life it has been my experience that people always appreciate sincere interest. Smiling, being open to others and listening to what they have to say are essential for successful social interactions. This is true on an individual as well as on a national scale. When this does not happen it leads to people who are either devastated or angry and frustrated, as I have seen when I went to New Orleans to do volunteer work last spring break. National (media) attention stopped shortly after hurricane Katrina, but large parts of the city are still in a terrible state more than three years after this disaster. Many locals felt that they were being ignored and that they were left alone in a hopeless situation. This feeling of being ignored makes their situation emotionally incredibly frustrating. Normally I would have never been able to learn this much about the complex post-disaster problems, but people open up to you if you show interest in them, allowing you to learn from their unique experiences. The shift from the Bush to the Obama administration illustrates a similar effect: Obama seems to show more sincere interest to all kinds of people, and hope throughout most of the United States is rising.
This presidential election has been a valuable experience to me, because it embodies so many historical and current political principles. As a fan of politics, I find it very interesting to live in societies that deal with significant political changes. Scotland, with its rapidly growing Scottish National Party[1], is possibly the best European example of a potentially revolutionary political landscape. In a political system dominated by traditions, Scotland has recently been able to acquire its own independent parliament. Scottish independence has been considered unrealistic for a long time, but the electoral and governmental success of the SNP is impossible to ignore these days, as it has become the largest party both nationally and locally[2]. At this moment I find it hard to imagine Scotland not being a part of Great-Britain, but this is only motivating me to go to this country and meet Scottish people to understand how and why a nation would attempt such a historical move. I have no doubt that understanding the feelings and ideas of people in this part of the world would be an incredibly enriching experience.
Vriendelijke groeten,
Jan Willem
Eerst nog het najaar hopelijk in Schotland doorbrengen. Mijn aanmelding heb ik afgelopen vrijdag afgerond, over een week of 2 krijg ik de uitslag. Zie hieronder het essay dat ik schreef als onderdeel van de aanmelding. Er moesten veel vastgestelde elementen in naar voren komen en het mocht niet te lang zijn, daarom zijn de verschillende alinea's soms nogal wat moeizaam verbonden. Ook was dit niet de definitieve versie (die heb ik alleen op papier), dus staan er nog wat zinsconstructies niet in de perfecte volgorde enzo.
Het is 15 - 18 graden celsius overdag, en dat in de tweede week van Februari! Afgelopen donderdag een erg goede Pink Floyd coverband gezien op een mooie locatie - the National, een oud theaterachtig gebouw dat plaats heeft voor zo'n 600 bezoekers. De 28e ga ik naar een Led Zeppelin coverband (Zoso). Live muziek is echt geweldig omdat de muziek intens klinkt en je kan de artiesten zien genieten terwijl ze de musiceren.
Unique and Enriching Opportunities in Edinburgh
Different fields of study are merely created by humans: knowledge itself is not limited to one particular topic. That is why one of my Mathematics professors predicted that traditional research areas such as biology and economics will become almost exclusively mathematical, just as psychology is evolving into a neuroscience. It is therefore risky to narrow your scope in your academic work because it could lead to neglecting certain factors. Because of this risk, the Western-European system of selecting one major and studying nothing besides this major actually frightened me when I was in high school. The liberal arts education has been an important factor in my decision to study in the United States, as it allows me to explore a broad variety of topics.
Economics has always been my favorite subject. Essentially it tries to explain why people make certain decisions when it comes to allocating their time and efforts. Yet the assumptions that are made in many economic models are (extremely) generalizing, which damages the credibility and value of its outcomes. For this reason, I am glad that I have been able to study what ancient philosophers said about human nature or how the media influences our thinking in other classes that I have taken. Furthermore, my mathematics classes provide a solid scientific basis upon which conclusions can be drawn. Because economics lacks this truly scientific approach, there are many controversies and debates about economic policies. That is why I think it will be very useful to study economics for a semester on a different continent. I hope and expect to encounter new perspectives, residing in a place where Europe is not just regarded as 'the place where they have high taxes'. Scotland is after all the country where the great economist Adam Smith lived and where he published his works.
Picking Edinburgh as the city where I want to study abroad has not been very difficult. Initially I was primarily interested in England or France, but after talking to several people in the Office of International Education and a friend who has frequently visited Scotland, Edinburgh became the program that conquered my heart. The city is truly idyllic and the surroundings are simply beautiful, which is an environment in which I think it would be pleasant to excel academically and enjoy life. After reading about Edinburgh and Scotland it is not surprising to me anymore that the country has been the home to a remarkable number of Nobel Prize winners. Scotchmen have also made major contributions to poetry, literature, (moral) philosophy and economics. My friend convinced me that this is not a coincidence and that it is a beautiful and somewhat underrated country with distinct cultural traditions and friendly people; the information that I have read supports this vision.
On of the reasons for me to study in the United States was to witness the people in the society that is on the frontier of Western culture. Ideas about politics (democracy), economics (capitalism), materialism, media culture and technology seem to be developed most rapidly in this country, which at the same time is influencing the entire global community. Often, and I do not mean this in a derogatory way, Great-Britain is regarded as the little brother of the United States: there is mutual respect and a sense of a special relationship. Great-Britain seems to be less dynamical as a result of its long historical roots and its connection with the European mainland. For me it would be a wonderful opportunity to observe and actively investigate if and how this culture could be categorized. I wonder how people in Scotland generally think about globalizing economies, the European Union, American television shows, social democracy, environmentalism and many more topics. I'm curious to compare the beliefs that most people hold to the United States and the Netherlands. Naturally it is impossible to make judgments about cultures as a whole, because groups of people are inherently diverse. This aspect actually really attracts me, and I expect to find more diversity in an urban environment than at the somewhat isolated campus of the University of Richmond. The fact that I will encounter cultural challenges means a lot to me--I see it as an adventure and a wonderful opportunity to broaden my perspectives.
Throughout my life it has been my experience that people always appreciate sincere interest. Smiling, being open to others and listening to what they have to say are essential for successful social interactions. This is true on an individual as well as on a national scale. When this does not happen it leads to people who are either devastated or angry and frustrated, as I have seen when I went to New Orleans to do volunteer work last spring break. National (media) attention stopped shortly after hurricane Katrina, but large parts of the city are still in a terrible state more than three years after this disaster. Many locals felt that they were being ignored and that they were left alone in a hopeless situation. This feeling of being ignored makes their situation emotionally incredibly frustrating. Normally I would have never been able to learn this much about the complex post-disaster problems, but people open up to you if you show interest in them, allowing you to learn from their unique experiences. The shift from the Bush to the Obama administration illustrates a similar effect: Obama seems to show more sincere interest to all kinds of people, and hope throughout most of the United States is rising.
This presidential election has been a valuable experience to me, because it embodies so many historical and current political principles. As a fan of politics, I find it very interesting to live in societies that deal with significant political changes. Scotland, with its rapidly growing Scottish National Party[1], is possibly the best European example of a potentially revolutionary political landscape. In a political system dominated by traditions, Scotland has recently been able to acquire its own independent parliament. Scottish independence has been considered unrealistic for a long time, but the electoral and governmental success of the SNP is impossible to ignore these days, as it has become the largest party both nationally and locally[2]. At this moment I find it hard to imagine Scotland not being a part of Great-Britain, but this is only motivating me to go to this country and meet Scottish people to understand how and why a nation would attempt such a historical move. I have no doubt that understanding the feelings and ideas of people in this part of the world would be an incredibly enriching experience.
Vriendelijke groeten,
Jan Willem
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
