What a year. I'm too exhausted to be nostalgic at the moment, but I feel that I should at least record some of milestone experiences of the year.
Academics
I declared a major in the fall—Cognitive Science (hopefully with International Studies as a second major)—and I could be more excited about the expected direction of my studies for the next two years. More specifically, my concentration within the major is Reasoning and Decision Making. Being a cognitive science major has allowed me to take some amazing courses this year.
Two particularly fascinating standouts were Thinking (Prof. Woo-kyoung Ahn) and Psychology and the Law (Prof. Kristi Lockhart). Psychology and the Law was less about the law (and more about personal biases and the etiology of criminality) than I had hoped, but it was still a great course. Thinking was probably my favorite course this year, which is saying a great deal considering the 9:00 am starting time. What other course at Yale involves chocolate croissants, blickets, Paris Hilton, investment tips, and an enthusiastic professor who coordinates her outfits with lecture topics?
Also, deciding to pick up a new language this year—Portuguese*—was one of the best decisions I've made at Yale.
*Special blog post soon to come.
Extracurriculars
I haven't been terribly busy with extracurricular activities at Yale, which is perfectly fine with me, especially after the mock trial/poetry magazine/literature club/model UN/orchestra/linguistics club/yoga/community service craziness of high school. I did realize this year that I truly miss playing the violin. I found out freshman year that the Yale Symphony Orchestra, while impressive, wasn't quite what I had expected and hoped for. I hope that taking chamber music for credit next year will be an enriching experience.
People
It seems ridiculous and almost futile to try to reduce the incredible people I've met this year into a single paragraph, so I won't. In short, I've made some incredible friends this year. There are also those I wish I could have gotten to know better, but I suppose this is yet another thing to look forward to in the fall. And of course, I'm always grateful for my group of friends I've known since childhood.
Die Mannhöhle (Man Cave)
Too many great memories. I-22C, you shall be missed.
Summer
Extremely happy to be home for a month. Also excited for my internship in Seoul.
"Memoria est thesaurus omnium rerum e custos."
"Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things."
- Cicero, De Oratore (I, 5)
