Looks can be deceiving. I may not look it or act it but I consider myself to be a closet nerd, a recovering academic who would be more than happy to be a student for the rest of her life.
I always had a dream to graduate from an Ivy League School. I always felt like I was smart enough, hardworking enough and determined enough to have it what it takes to study at Harvard or Yale or Columbia. However, the older I get, the more pragmatic I get and I've realised that graduating from one of these top-notch universities does not just require intelligence, hardwork and determination but also deep pockets or a huge financial investment. Fees at these universities are exorbitant, scholarships are scarce, student loan figures are astronomical and considering my NGO/NFP loving "hippie" ways, the probability of paying off the student loan in a short period of time if very low. So the likelihood of fulfilling this dream appears to be bleak at the moment but I'll get there some day, some way!
In order to make this dream come somewhat true, I indulged in my guilty pleasure of the day. I went through a list of open courses and lectures, made available online by all the top Universities, and decided to attend some of these classes. I could virtually attend lectures at these world-renowned Universities at the comfort of my own home without paying those ridiculous tuition fees. I wouldn't get a formal degree or the networking opportunities to meet some of the brightest minds in the world but I could still broaden my horizons and be taught by some of the most respected faculty members in the world. Better still I could pick and choose subjects that interested me without worrying about how they would fit in with my degree and/or life and hop from one campus to another without any problems. This is the power of the internet!
I watched a couple of lectures today. One by Michael.J.Sandel at Harvard University who teaches a course on Justice: A Journey in Moral Reasoning which deals complicated yet vital philosophical questions about what's right and wrong, the fine line between morality and law, sensitive issues such as affirmative action, same-sex marriages etc. I think he is a brilliant educator as his classes seemed to be very interactive, thought-provoking and in some ways life-changing. He uses a Socractic sktyle and lets the students take charge in his lectures and be proactive in generating discussion. He asks questions but also makes it very clear that not all questions are answerable. I loved him and wished we had more lecturers like him when I was doing my Undergrad. The other lecture I watched was one on Faith and Globalization from the School of Divinity at Yale. I don't think I would ever pay to study divinity, especially if it was taught by Tony Blair so I'm glad this lecture was made available online on Youtube. This lecture wasn't as interesting as I had hoped it to be...Sandel was a tough act to follow! The resident Professor - Miroslav Volf had a completely different teaching style, more of "I speak, you take notes". He provided a context for the lecture, defined the scope and gave a general overview of how faith and globalization are interlinked, which was further elaborated on by Tony Blair. Considering it was the first lecture of the series, it wasn't extremely insightful, well it was delivered by someone who rushed into supporting "the war on terror" so that was expected...but I do hope for the sake of my inquisitiveness and the fees paid by the students at Yale, that the lecture series do get better!
Overall it was a good intellectually stimulating experience for my rusty brain cells. It was refreshing to be on the pursuit of knowledge without worrying about grades and assignments or the financial burden if you failed. It was fascinating to see the different teaching styles, student responses and behaviours etc. It was nice to kinda live that childhood dream...even if it was done virtually and just for a day. Hopefully one day, in a not so distant future, I'll really be able to sit in those lecture halls and meet those lecturers in person, for longer than just one day!
Day 23: attended and passed!
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