Last winter in Chicago

This year’s winter quarter has been short and intense. As my time in Chicago is about to run out, I feel like it is fleeting away faster and faster. This quarter has been one of my favorite ones here at Northwestern so far. Not only am I taking 4 extremely interesting classes with amazing professors, but I have had the opportunity to take part in competitive hockey for one last time.

I also have had many great experiences both on and off campus, such as visiting theatre plays and musicals that the students here have produced and I have made some great day-trips to Chicago as well.

The classes that I’m taking this quarter have definitely been the highlights of this quarter. I am taking a course on the economic history of Western Europe, which is taught by a true titan in this field, Joel Mokyr. He has done extensive work in this field and it is amazing to listen to him tackle the economic aspects of Europe’s development in the 20th century. My other class in the economic department is taught by another great professor. Eric Schulz’s class on money and banking gives us fundamental insights into the development of the banking system and its role in the current world and most notably in the recent crises. I am also taking a class on psychology of beauty. This class deals with the role beauty plays in our daily lives, starting with romantic success all the way to academic and professional advancement. It also sheds new light on the development of the beauty ideal and the fundamental basis of it. My last class is a history/philosophy class about ancient Athens. It is refreshing to talk about the same authors and historical events I learned about in high school, but with a more in depth look from someone who is one of the most notable researchers in the field. The class is actually extremely demanding, with several hundreds of pages of reading for each class, however it is also very rewarding and it takes our ability to read and think critically to a whole new level.

I have also started to plan some interesting travel around the United States. I’ve saved some money by participating in research studies on campus and I’ve taken advantage of the current low airfare tickets and a network of friends for housing, and I’ll soon be going on trips to New York, California and New Mexico. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a couple more, if I convince my friends to host me for a few days in their homes. Overall, I’m growing more and more thankful for the opportunity to spend my last 4 years in this environment. It has allowed me to meet amazing people and to get a much better idea of myself. Of course I appreciate it here for the academic experience, but I think that the personal growth that I’ve experienced is just as important, and I realize it wouldn’t be possible without the support of everyone who helped me to make my dream come true.

 

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