One would expect that Yale’s most selective and diverse summer programme would not only be academically rigorous but also extremely competitive, challenging, and intimidating. Well, you are totally right about the first assumption but you got the second one completely wrong, in the sense that even though it is all of those things, they do not apply in the way one would normally think of. Yale Young Global Scholars made hours pass by faster than normal and enabled you to learn without realising you were learning.
I remember vividly the joy the opening keynote ( the very first component of the session ) provided me as if it was yesterday. The adrenaline, excitement, and anxiety I felt moments before it all started were all gone in an instant except for the excitement and fulfillment which continued throughout the whole programme. The opening keynote was the definition of what a thought-provoking lecture is as well as quite alarming of the world’s most recent and crucial problems. However, what impressed me the most was how well Mr.Whalen had us intact throughout the keynote and how interactive it was while we touched upon not only serious philosophical questions but also complicated global issues in a very pleasant and capturing way. It was all I ever expected and better and it ended faster than it started.
Even during family time, when it’s the time to socialise and simply have fun with your peers, your knowledge is still enriched. During that time, my YYGS family and I touched upon topics ranging from Indian Americans living in the US to the diversity in the schools of England’s capital to debating whether or not history repeats itself. Though the above sounds quite academic, I can guarantee you that not a single person wasn’t having fun during these discussions. I’m beyond thankful to my YYGS family who helped me get a much better understanding of various cultures, traditions, and societal norms in diverse areas, how your upbringing shapes your ideologies and priorities, and above all gave me reasons to rethink my beliefs and counter-argued my already formed opinions.
Finally, though it may sound like an overstatement, I’m pretty sure that I’ve learned more in the 2 weeks of the program rather than in the past school year. The format in which not only the seminars but also the lectures occurred, facilitated the comprehension of our topics through wholesome discussions and the exchange of thoughts. I was repeatedly mind-blown with all the different interpretations people had for just one literary piece or specific subject. After my experience as a humanities student at YYGS, I have to wholeheartedly admit that I’m now considering pursuing a degree in the humanities field, something which I didn’t do before the program.
Given the above information, I assume you can now see how my initial statement “YYGS: where learning is effortless” stands true. To sum it all up, I want to share a quote by Albert Einstein which I believe fits YYGS perfectly: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” and at Yale Young Global Scholars I received education.
Author Details:
Agnette Dobloug
Literature, Philosophy & Culture
Cyprus