PKP Week 1
The first week of the Pembroke-King's Summer Programme has ended, and student Angie, of Illinois Wesleyan University, tells us about her experiences so far.
Every time I enter the historic gates of Pembroke or King's, I am in awe at the beauty and nobility of the campuses. Everywhere I turn in this incredible city, there are captivating ornate buildings housing the same incredible intelligence that fostered some of the most talented and brilliant individuals in history, whose education at Cambridge enabled them to become some of the most influential politicians, scientists, authors, philosophers, thinkers, artists, and more of recent centuries. In joining the legacy this university holds, quite honestly I am simultaneously honoured and terrified, but mostly I am so excited to have this opportunity.
I remember tearing up when I first found out I was accepted to the program, overwhelmed by the chance that I would get to study at this incredible school. Looking back on that day as I sit in the King’s College library typing this, an incredible view of the front court and the river in front of me, I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be here and to be studying at Cambridge.
My studies this summer will include three classes: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind, Cambridge Writers, and Literary London. I am well into the first two classes and I am finding them to be engaging, stimulating, and frankly enjoyable. The teaching style is definitely different than I am used to with the seminar and lecture format . I actually find I have enjoyed it much more than back home where there is a little bit more of a back and forth between professor and student. I also find that I am benefitting profusely from the diversity within classes. There can be upwards of five different countries represented in a single classroom. Within our seminars, you could have a student who is a musical theatre major, like myself, discussing philosophy with someone who is a cell and molecular bio major; both of us are contributing our unique take on the subject at hand and benefitting from the other’s point of view.
The class I am finding to be the hardest for me is my Metaphysics class. This makes sense as I have never taken a philosophy class before, but I am on a bit of a learning curve and am slowly adjusting to the subject, as foreign as it is to me. Additionally, I am really enjoying my Cambridge Writers class, as we are learning about some of the most incredible English literature, often written by authors who were once students at the same school we now have the pleasure of attending.
As I look forward to my five remaining weeks, I know that there are so many adventures in store. Whether it is diving deep into academics, exploring the colleges, traveling to new cities, or just being able to make new friends among the diverse student body of the program, this experience will be life changing, challenging, and so rewarding.