Why Oxford?

 Why did I apply for this study abroad program? This innocent looking application question dives into the depths of one's soul and can essentially be answered in one of two ways.

Short answer: Because it's Oxford.

Long answer (copy and pasted from statement of purpose; you don't have to read it to get the gist of this long-overdue post):

 "There are a whole host of motivations pushing and pulling me towards studying abroad at Oxford this summer. First off I had hoped to go to an English speaking country. I believe having an obviously firm grasp on the language will enable me to have meaningful and memorable conversations with UK citizens. It will also enable me to absorb more information and utilize the experience to the maximum. As a university community, Oxford serves as a crossroads for diverse groups of people and ideas. This environment of learning and experiential exploring fits in well with my personal outlook, and will help me grow as a student, citizen, and person.

I specifically hoped to go to the UK partly because of its significance as the home of a plurality of my ancestors. This would likely be a great opportunity to do some much-needed genealogy research on the behalf of the Duckett family. Additionally, my cousin participated in a similar program also at In the UK, and convincingly conveyed to me the importance of studying abroad. Moreover, I am extremely awed at the opportunity to study at the second oldest institution of higher learning on Earth. Finally, I have always had an interest in British history and culture, primarily because of hugely important part in American history and culture. The fact that this is NCSU's oldest study abroad program only reinforces the notion that I must go to Oxford.

Studying abroad will enable me to earn six credit hours towards the completion of the University Scholars program. Although though this is the only degree requirement that will be fulfilled by my participation, the courses offered will augment my education greatly. I entered NC State fresh from high school as a 34-credit hour sophomore. I had a paltry six hours or so of required GEP course requirements remaining, and I hastily took care of that my freshman and sophomore year to fulfill the US diversity and interdisciplinary perspectives requirements. As a result, I have not had the impetus to take either an English or history class while in college. Despite dedicating myself to engineering, I consider these disciplines important, even essential, to the University education. This study abroad program would enable me to explore these overlapping subject areas in possibly the most appropriate context imaginable.

As for career plans, I believe studying abroad will give me an important global perspective that should be strongly encouraged in every workplace. The experience of living abroad will help me develop new ideas and perspectives that could help me down the line in the competitive opportunities offered in the Triangle and beyond. As it should be, I am unsure of what exactly I want to do with my life at this point, so I cannot say how my career plans will be affected. Although the courses will not likely strongly impact my future line of work, the entire experience should provide time for me to self-study, meet new people, and gain life direction. This could very well shoot me in a direction I had not considered prior to studying abroad.

Lastly, the wide range of field trips and activities offered on this program fit in well with my influential feelings of  wanderlust. I have always been ruggedly independent, and as soon as I gained personal transportation and funds as a teenager I was planning and leading outdoor outings and road trips around the Southeast and beyond. The ability to spend over a month in a foreign country (especially in spite of not having done so before) would be a temporary travel experience peak in the scope of my young life. Finally, throughout these college years I have taken a liking to intellectual exercise and the acquisition of knowledge. I feel that this study abroad opportunity will serve as an intellectual climax of sorts, or maybe simply the start of a whole new chapter of my education."

Alright I may have made that purposely ungodlyly small to discourage you from actually reading the entire thing, but if you did: Thank you, you didn't have to! My point here is to highlight the difference between logical (no spell check, "logical" does not use L's like "llama" does) and emotional decision drivers.

You see the thing is, I didn't necessarily apply to this costly program initially for all the reasons listed in the Bible-esque mass of text above (if you missed it here's a summary: this trip provides positive utility in virtually every notable aspect). No, I applied for the reason not elaborated on in the short answer. Truth is, I mainly applied for the same reason George Mallory climbed Everest: Because it's there. I felt a strange force pulling me to this program starting around the time the informational mass email hit my inbox and building stronger after the information session that I would have missed had I not set a Google Calender reminder. Essentially, deep down, I simply wanted to embrace spontaneity, go across the pond, spend a month in a foreign land at a hugely significant place, and gain some knowledge for nothing but it's own sake. Don't get me wrong, I completely believe all the things I said in that statement, but they evolved slowly as necessary logical justification for my emotional impulse. Had I not been required to make such an explanatory statement, I probably would have done so anyway, mentally, verbally, in similar blog form, or otherwise.

So cheerio! Have fun applying for amazing things and remember the two hemispheres that influence your decision making. Ol' lefty, and Ol' righty.

I'm referring to brains. 

Last but not least, a terrible thing happened today. Possibly the most terrible thing in quite some time. Pray for the victims of all sorts from this terrible tragedy.