To Author's Page
It’s that time of the year again: last exams over, final papers submitted; breathless summer opportunities arrive. It has been an exhilarating ride with the Frankfurt School. Looking back on the past one year, I am thankful for the twist and turn of fate that have led me here after finishing my undergraduate studies in the US. Now, many people were curious about my choice of Frankfurt after Yale; but for me, it all makes perfect sense. In May 2014, I graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. As anyone would imagine, Yale truly lives up to its legendary reputation—an established institution brimming with extraordinary brilliance, with resources and richness on an unimaginable scale. Its Gothic campus is gorgeous beyond imagination. It was like a dream.
I graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
At Yale, with all the luxury and spoils laid out under our feet, the only question of survival is: what to choose. Which classes to take among the thousands of courses, from ‘Philosophy of Science for the Study of Politics’ to ‘Computer Science and the modern intellectual agenda’ to Mesopotamian Texts (or even ‘Porn in the Morn’); all sound extremely and ridiculously interesting. Which of the magnificent libraries to spend the afternoon reading: the historical Sterling Memorial Library which looks more like a Gothic church that instills awe than a library, or the famed Yale Law School library that has inculcated legends of world-changing figures such as Clintons and the likes? Which college dining hall to banquet in for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—should I go to Silliman or Berkeley for its classical dining hall where when the sun filters through those large stained glass windows, intricate carvings on the ceilings become surreally luminous. Or should I stop by Commons for its cavernous space that holds one’s breath on entering as if one has been forbiddingly privileged to steal a glance into Hogwarts. Which talks or Master’s teas to go to, to meet all the extraordinary people that visit Yale, whose worldly accomplishments humble one to weak knees. Among all the inspiring world figures that I had had the fortune to listen to or converse with, Aung San Suu Kyi, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Morgan Freeman come to mind. Or that talk with Adriana Huffington, Yale law professor and ‘Tiger Mom” Amy Chua, Captain Phillips (the real one), and yes, the on-screen captain Philips—Tom Hanks as well. Every single day walking on campus, each and every single one of us Yalies can still mesmerise at the Gothic scene around with at once an inflated sense of self-importance and humbleness, silently congratulating each other for the unbelievable luck that has brought us all here. After four ‘bright college years’, we still fall in love with Yale (and the idea of Yale) with the same wide-eyed sense of wonder and otherworldly aspirations as when we were still seniors in high schools, dreaming about getting into this greatest institution on Earth and changing the World. You would think the hardest part is getting in. What anyone outside of this prestigious Ivy League might not fathom, is how almost every single one of us suffers from what Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book ‘David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants’: the phenomenon of little helpless fish in a big deep Ivy League pond. Spoiled with the richness and extraordinary resources that Yale has to offer, you could become afflicted with ‘relative deprivation’. The gist of the phenomenon is that, human beings only compare to what is available in our surroundings. In such a brilliant place, it’s tough trying to sparkle, even as a single star. Or in Gladwell’s word, it’s hard to be anything but a Little Fish. Now for us achievers, who used to be the best in everything we did up until the Yale point, some of us indeed take it very hard. Outsiders might say, we still belong to the top 1% of the world; but within these four Ivy walls, we only compare ourselves to our peers. And after the first semester at Yale, for the first time in my life, I admitted to myself that I was nothing but ordinary. Surrounded by these worldly brilliant classmates, I suffered from a lack of self-esteem, an overwhelming sense of inadequacy at the beginning. It was really hard not to feel this way, inundated everyday by the brilliance of this place. By the end of the four years, while still very smitten with the idea of Yale, I have come to terms with not being the smartest girl in my class anymore; and that was okay, that was alright…
Moving on, it has been a very smooth and necessary transition from such a liberal arts mindset to a practical approach that is archetypical of German mentality. And as well, after years of being a tiny insignificant fish in a large pond, it is time to change water. With Frankfurt school among the biggest ponds in Germany itself, I was ready to re-gain my proper sense of self and to find my voice again. Though I did not buckle under the enormous pressure at Yale, at some point I did lose a sense of focus. After years of exploring around, of taking classes in every possible field, from the history of lesbians and gays in the US to Alexander the Great, from Positive Psychology to Ornithology, I quite forgot to look deep inside me and see where my true passion lays. The freedom of exploration was indeed exhilarating, and throughout my time at Yale I felt like a noble intellectual flying high in the world of knowledge! But it is time to get a focus, to get back to reality, and Frankfurt school provides the perfect ground to get into the world of Finance and Management. Someone at Yale once muses, “The glorious freedom that we are granted by Yale can become paralyzing in its infinite openness”[1] and thankfully, the new intense focus on the practical world of business at Frankfurt School now constantly gives me a sense of groundedness.
Frankfurt campus is the perfect setting to inculcate a sense of belonging
Yale campus was massive, which instills inspiration and a sense of wonder; Frankfurt campus is smaller, with a cozy inner courtyard, but it is the perfect setting to inculcate a sense of belonging. While I enjoyed tremendously the intellectual conversations with my Yale classmates, I have come to also appreciate the breaks in between classes on the courtyard of Frankfurt School, where everyone gathers around for a smoke, small chats, soaking in the sun, sometimes even with our professors and directors of programs. At Yale we hardly ever have time for anything; at Frankfurt School, these moments of relaxation and bonding are not a luxury but a norm, and I marvel at that. Looking around me, I am assured to know all the faces. Finally I could make those intimate connections with my classmates; the MIB program is relatively small, we have become a family. In my ten years of overcoming the odds, of traversing different waters, I have stepped out of my comfort plenty of times. But the decision to move to Germany and get my Master degree at the Frankfurt school feels like stepping into my own comfort zone again. At Frankfurt school I found a new sense of purpose—mastering the rules of Business in a global world. At Frankfurt school I found my voice again, which you are hearing right now. Four years of living an imperfect dream at a perfect institution, where mistakes were made plenty and precious bonds formed, my time at Yale would forever be carved in the most special, treasured compartment in my heart, brain and soul. But we all need to move on at some point, and I am very thankful for the small, tight-knit community I found at Frankfurt School. [1] http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/05/19/oh-to-what-place-shall-we-go/
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
