The summer of 2015 was a series of firsts for me - first Philosophy class, first Comparative Politics class, first summer school session and my first visit to University of California, Berkeley.
While I had many options for the summer of 2015, which included opting for an internship here in India, I chose to spend my break at Berkeley for a summer programme. Summer school meant that I was looking forward to six weeks of intensive reading and writing, and I was ready for that. This trip was largely possible due to support from my parents and Ashoka University, my place of study in India.
As I look back at my summer, I am glad I made the decision to study abroad, even though it was for a brief period, because it was an unforgettable experience.
Course structure
Each day, I would walk up the path leading to the Campanile (the Berkeley clock tower) and look forward to the classes that were to follow. The one aspect of my classes that interested and fascinated me throughout the trip was the sheer diversity of students; they came from many different countries and almost all brought their own unique perspectives to class discussions.
For example, each student was asked to give his/her own spin on the contentious issue of individual morality, a subject we were discussing in one of the Philosophy classes. It was enriching to see people from different parts of the world debate the various facets of democracy. We had an Indian professor from Bangalore, the inspiring Sandeep Shastri, teaching students from Britain, Morocco and China - all discussing what democracy means!
One of the many great things about my summer classes was the way the courses were structured. As most students were experimenting with different subjects during the summer, there was a wide range of students from diverse academic backgrounds taking these classes out of a genuine interest. This was apparent in my Philosophy class as we had people with declared Majors in Bio Ethics, Computer Science and Landscape Architecture, all studying Utilitarianism, Kantian ethics and Nietzsche’s philosophy.
I believe that the diversity of the class and informal discussions with my peers and professors contributed to my learning process as much as the curriculum did. I was extremely lucky when it came to the instructors as well; I was taking two classes and each professor had his own distinct teaching style.
The professor of Philosophy, Geraldo Vildostegui, of Rutgers University, preferred a more teacher-centered approach. On the other hand, Sandeep Shastri of Jain University, who taught us Comparative Politics, used a more student-centered approach - often falling back on anecdotes to exemplify key concepts and giving space for free-flowing discussion in class. Having experienced both teaching styles, I can confidently say that I enjoyed both equally - only because the professors made the classes so interesting.
Plethora of experiences
The best part of studying at one of the top public universities in the world, far from home, is exposure to all the local traditions. This meant doing all the Berkeley rituals, including a visit to the top of the Campanile (taller than the clock tower at Stanford - university rivalries are taken seriously here), a nap on the Sophomore Lawn and an inspection of the whispering benches.
One of the factors that makes Berkeley great are the facilities that it provides to students outside of the class. Entering the hallowed halls of the main university library inspired me in ways that sitting in class could not. I could visit the expansive array of flora at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens and the Artificial Intelligence Exhibition at the Lawrence Hall of Science (which is also run by the university). I can’t imagine visiting a Botanical Garden or a Planetarium as part of my educational curriculum anywhere else.
But at the end of the trip and all its wonders, I realised that the greatest part about this summer was how Ashoka had prepared me not only to survive, but to thrive in the intense six weeks. My education in a Liberal Arts college in India taught me more than merely the acceptance of diversity in a peer group; it taught me how to learn and grow from it.