(no subject)
After only two and a half years at Columbia, I was exhausted. The pressures of school punctuated with the usual stresses of growing up wore me down. I needed a break so I went to Australia. It was a good choice, but as my time down under winds down, I appreciate Columbia more than ever before. Sure, it can still be a soul-sucking bureaucracy that lacks the craziness rumored to exist at other American universities, but University of Sydney has shown me that the education at Columbia is really special. At U Syd, every single class I'm taking is a waste. My motivation has slowly drained out of me by the mediocre teaching and the lack of discourse outside of class. I was truly excited about my courses, expecting to be inspired. I'm not going to pretend I went abroad to Australia for the academics, but this is supposed to be a top university in the subjects that fascinate me. Instead, I don't care about my classes, and nobody else seems excited by what their learning either. It doesn't matter if I don't have a clue what a person is talking about; I want to see people eyes light up as they attempt to explain what they're studying. This school lacks this nerdy enthusiasm for knowledge that I take for granted as necessarily being a part of college life. It has absolutely nothing to do with the intelligence of the kids here- they're as smart as anybody, but it's just not hip to be a square.
I went to a book release of the first english translation of a set of Roland Barthes essays on fashion. It was on-campus, heavily advertised, and had free wine, and I was the only undergraduate in attendance. There are over thirty-thousand undergrads studying at the University of Sydney; you'd think some one would be interested in semiotics, fashion, or free wine.
Tonight, I'm supposed to be putting together a fifteen minute presentation worth a sizable chunk of my grade. Unless I suddenly get absorbed in the material (which could happen), I'm not going to produce something I'm proud of. I'm not ready to leave Australia, but my heart has already left my classes. When I'm back in the hallowed halls of the Hamilton building, I'll have better internalized how special a place it is. I'm glad I left for a semester; now, I think I can be excited about Columbia again.
I went to a book release of the first english translation of a set of Roland Barthes essays on fashion. It was on-campus, heavily advertised, and had free wine, and I was the only undergraduate in attendance. There are over thirty-thousand undergrads studying at the University of Sydney; you'd think some one would be interested in semiotics, fashion, or free wine.
Tonight, I'm supposed to be putting together a fifteen minute presentation worth a sizable chunk of my grade. Unless I suddenly get absorbed in the material (which could happen), I'm not going to produce something I'm proud of. I'm not ready to leave Australia, but my heart has already left my classes. When I'm back in the hallowed halls of the Hamilton building, I'll have better internalized how special a place it is. I'm glad I left for a semester; now, I think I can be excited about Columbia again.