Renewed Perspectives

Every year I’m reminded that spring is a time of “reflection and renewal.” Typically, I dismiss this prompt in the midst of my chaotic life. As the academic year comes to a close, however, I’ve decided to look back over the past several months. First, I thought back to our reflection discussions at the beginning of the semester, and revisited the GLOBE document.

GLOBE states “reflection” as one of its learning outcomes for Geneseo students. It lists its own definition of the outcome: “To reflect upon changes in learning and outlook over time; to make personal, professional, and civic plans based on that self-reflection.” While reading this definition, it occured to me that I had already practiced this learning outcome many times within my first year here at Geneseo.

My brother Michael graduated from Geneseo last year, majoring in economics and minoring in math. His subject areas “gave answers,” as he would say. There is logic, clarity, and certainty to be found in algebraic equations, graphs, and market statistics. My eldest brother Matt, on the other hand, graduated in 2010 as a French and art history double major. I had always struggled to understand this decision. Life is full of questions and uncertainty; why, I wondered, would he pursue subjects that seemed to provide no solace to such burdens? There was no “answer” to an artists intention, nor cultural and linguistic conceptions. It is argumentative, opinionated, even political. And, consequently, it’s extremely difficult to excel in those fields.   

Through further self-reflection, I realized how INTD has certainly challenged my outlook on his choice.

I entered college as a biology major. And it was true, it had the “answers” I wanted. They were black and white; every question ranging from microscopic processes to neutralization reaction could be put into an “A, B, C, D” format. All I seemed to practice was logic and precision, and I realized I was desperately missing something: a bit of free-thinking.

Don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for the sciences and logistical disciplines; I am pursuing fields in mathematics and economics myself. However, this INTD course brought back a love I forgot I had. I have been pushed to analyze, write, think, and question more times in a week than I did all last semester. It even helped me decide to pick up an International Relations major, which allows me to question global partnerships that are constantly changing. There is no definitive answer to solving global issues; professionals in this sector must continuously study and rethink the world and its inhabitants. (Something we’ve had much practice with thanks to Beth!)

I urge everyone to reflect upon their own time here at Geneseo and how their outlooks on learning may have changed. Personally, I’ve found some answers, while others questions remain unsolved. I’m glad this college provides me with an education in which I can find intellectual growth either way.   

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