Questions & Yale
Summers have always had that one particular moment where you appreciate them for helping you academically reset and rejuvenate before the next year. Yale Young Global Scholars was one big 2-week moment. Arguably set at the pinnacle of academia, this program was quintessential to a summer of bliss and engagement. While Yorkside’s agonizingly good pizza, coupled with a scoop from Ashley’s was probably enough to make any health-conscious non-American resident feel like their summer was made, it was the questions at Yale that my summer will never care to let go of.
Through the several group discussions and family times, fuelled by faculty lectures and seminars, Yale became a place where I could ask questions. A lot of them. Stimulating your brain, or your ‘Little Grey Cells’ as Poirot likes to call them is a joy not given the credit it deserves. YYGS helped me do this repeatedly not only for the 2 weeks I was there, but my time since.
A Guide to Questions & Answers at YYGS
Seminars & faculty lectures at YYGS were not intended to provide us a thorough understanding of a particular phenomenon or concept. They acted as an introductory session one could use to either cultivate interest in a particular field or to dive deeper into the intricacies of the topic. This was the beauty of the whole program. I left each lecture not necessarily enlightened with information, but enlightened with curiosity. Perspective is something missing from an individual’s mind. No matter how many situations we try conjure and scenarios we try to navigate internally, there’s always someone’s shoes that we miss stepping into- and it took me traveling more than 12,500 kilometers to fully comprehend that. It was this perspective that fuelled my learning at Yale. It was through this that each lecture produced academically exhilarating questions that were scribbled shabbily onto the corner of my notebook. Whenever my peers asked a question, my mind asked me 2 more, almost competing internally to establish the king of curiosity.
Our lecture on sustainable energy was from any well-established onlooker’s perspective, quite rudimentary. It did look critically at current infrastructure and real life examples that provided us with an extensive list of pros and cons but at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough for any of us to claim superiority in the subject. However, due to the fact that the lectures focussed on breadth more than depth, each lecture had specific topics that I was not well versed with, even if I had heard of them. It was these areas where I appreciated YYGS’ philosophy and effort to introduce our minds to numerous global challenges and concepts.
Over here, my mind began asking questions. In the same lecture on sustainable energy, I distinctly remember geothermals being discussed. While we were explained to a significant degree how exactly Geothermal plants functioned, it left a lot to ask. I sat in my room that night, overlooking the same Davenport courtyard that we spent our many summer hours in, answering all those questions. By the end, I had not only a rudimentary interest in geothermals but almost a newfound passion for them. It was to the point that my capstone then incorporated geothermals in our assessment of Ukraine’s energy future. Within the capstone project, I was able to dive deep into academic papers discussing geological factors affecting geothermal energy. I was able to map out these factors and given the time to really comprehend what drives geothermal success, and which factors make it a solution to beg for in particular areas. I answered all of my original questions, but I produced more and more as I kept finding my own answers.
Becoming Your Program
I won’t lie, I came into YYGS expecting to learn abundantly about the topics in my seminars and lectures, and the 1 or 2 questions I had about them. However, reflecting on YYGS, it wasn’t a lot of ‘answers’ that I got, or even incredibly intricate information. What I did discover, talking to numerous students and instructors, is about 15 new fields that either I did not know existed or either that they mattered. What I did get from those seminars and lectures are questions, a lot of them. I found things to be passionate and excited about. I found things to spend my time researching about, and research them I did. If you keep heading into things expecting answers, you will be severely disappointed. Head into classes expecting questions. Better yet, wanting them. The more prepared you are to be curious, the more you will end up learning.
As I began walking into lectures and seminars prepared to discover rather than learn, I ended up noticing small details that stood out. Using my trusted YYGS notebook, I then looked back at these details in my room, or back home in India. I began trying to find answers to questions I had surrounding those topics. I learnt more by becoming the program that I expected. I answered my own questions, and processed information from where it was already available. I used YYGS to instead discover, rejuvenate and cultivate curiosity. This taught me more than my expectations ever could. This enlightened me in ways I could not have thought of, with proficiency in concepts that the program was never even meant to teach.
The best teachers and programs don’t give you information, they let you ask questions. YYGS let me create them. What I learnt was crucial, but what I have since asked, is formidable.
Author Details:
Nehal Singhal
Solving Global Challenges
India