5: Graduation
Last week was the graduation ceremony for my Bachelor’s degree, and a reunion with all of my university colleagues. It was incredibly exciting to have a Harry-Potter moment in the University of Sydney’s Great Hall, and to accept my official degree.
My cohort of graduates leaving the Great Hall
During the graduation ceremony, there were a few speeches- from academic staff and special guests. While all were memorable- the one that really sticks in my memory asked us to go forward with the values of the university, in particular, those of integrity and tolerance.
Considering these values in the context of moving onto the next adventures life holds, I aim to continue to make decisions that are in line with my values, including those above, and be honest in doing so.
Looking forward, I have been researching different master’s programs- both in Australia and Internationally. After the experience of student exchange in my undergraduate degree and comparing the method of teaching and learning with that of my home university, there are pro’s and con’s to both. While overseas however, I found myself far more challenged than I would have been in the context of home.
This is certainly in part due to the fact that I had ended up in a nation whose language I barely spoke, whose customs I struggled to grasp, and whose freezing temperatures (I arrived in -11°) came in stark contrast to the Australian summer I had left behind. These external features combined with different teaching methodologies and styles of working, pushed me in a manner I had never experienced in the relative comfort of Australia, and within the safety of a study program that I understood well.
The manner with which my professors and tutors in Stuttgart pushed curiosity was marvellous, and difficult to grasp initially. This was particularly apparent in terms of my studio, where a casual discussion with a close friend and my tutor about interests turned into a joke about my love of plants and became the basis of my project and investigation through the semester.
In a project driven by curiosity and personal interest, not simply a rigid brief with a checklist of requirements, I was forced to think in a manner that a checklist sometimes does not require. Where this checklist can generate beautiful work outputs, it can also strangle the creativity behind them- the points are fulfilled simply because each of them equates to a certain percentage of the overall grade for that subject. It allows for easier project management and organisation.
And so, in the pursuit of the next challenges to come, this little reflection of those that I’m leaving behind are a little reminder to stay true to curiosity and learning, as I move toward furthering my studies and experiences.
Until next week!
AP