It sounds a bit silly, right? Facebook is associated more with birthday parties, campus charity events and late-night stalking than with serious reflection (for good reason). But today, combing through my profile, I was overcome by an unusual combination of amazement, amusement, and nostalgia. Below are some of the changes I made today.
Education
Majors: Cognitive Science, International Studies
- Those of you who knew me in high school understand that if anyone had predicted then that I would be pursuing a major with the word "science" in the name, I would probably have laughed. Until last fall, I had hoped and expected to major in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. In fact, the EP&E major was one of the main reasons I was attracted to Yale. Part of me wishes I had taken more cognitive science-related classes last year instead of Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Economics, but perhaps Professor Shelly Kagan's one-man crusade against grade inflation somehow made me a more ethical human being.
- Cognitive Science 110: the reason I gave up EP&E (and bank bonuses). This is a course every Yalie should take at some point, regardless of major. Thank you, Professor Scholl, for giving me a fighting chance to have a soul.
- Old habits die hard. Despite the shift in my academic interests, I'm still taking 6.5 credits.
Music
N/A
- Deleted the whole list. There's just way too much.
- Relatively obsolete: DJ Ötzi, Cascada, Green Day
- Relative newcomers might have included Vampire Weekend, Zac Brown Band, Bon Iver, Sondre Lerche, Nell, and Chico Buarque.
- Perennial faves that start with the letter "b": Bach, Backstreet Boys, Bartók, Basshunter, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Brad Paisley, Bruch
Interests
"baking, barbeque, behavior, black, blau, business, dialogue, enchiladas, February, Gaudi, goals, goats, green, languages, lasso skills, mangos, memory, music, music, music, real estate, rules, sushi, skiing, Skype, snow, squash, tea, Texas, transportation, violin, vitamins, yoga, water, whipped cream"
- Again, far too many, but notable newcomers include behavior, February, memory, Skype, and transportation.
- Deleted: sleep deprivation. Andover was a great place for many things, but sleep was not among them.
What surprises me is that I still don't feel that I've changed terribly much over the past two years. Sure, I now get more sleep, read less poetry, talk to my grandmother more often, drink spinach smoothies, and am not part of any musical ensemble (since deciding not to re-audition for the Yale Symphony Orchestra this year). And although I'll always miss the sound of Elgar in Woolsey Hall, I'm content with most of the changes. After all, never again will I be able to look at a squash—or squash ball—in the same way.
