I've been reading this
blog for the past 2 hours to keep myself occupied at work. The author of the blog studies in Columbia University, New York. Having spent the last 2 hours reading about bits and pieces of her life, I feel like I already know a bit about the person she is like. What I've read about her leads me to deduce that she is one of those people who studies hard but parties even harder. Going through her blogposts from 2008 all the way til 2010, she's been to countless parties and visited a number of places, and alongside all that, she's done charity work, is a pretty decent debater (I think) and I'm sure she excels in her studies. Basically, one of those all rounders whom I've always wished I was. She is a true Malaysian and loves the country to bits, she writes and stays on top of the politics and things that are happening in Malaysia. She writes superbly and words just flow in her blog posts. Her writing exudes intellect and maturity and I am not surprised that she is in an Ivy League university.
All these just got me thinking about my university life and what could have been, where I could have gone had I not come to UWA. This post won't be a very organised one, I'm just typing out what I think as I go.
Had I not been so lazy to sit down and look at the tedious US applications, would I be somewhere in the States now, instead of Australia? Back then, I sort of eliminated the US as a place to further my studies, simply cause I didn't think I was ready for it. I was young and naive and did not know much about the world at all. I'd like to think that I am able to adapt quickly to new environments and surroundings, but who knows what my life would have been like if I went to the States?
What would the quality of education have been like there?
Would the lecturers be a lot different than the ones we get here?
I have so many questions that I feel like my mind is going to blow.
Would I have been surrounded by more intelligent and bright young minds who have a keen interest in the world, instead of people who just waste their lives drinking and sitting around beaches?
Attending FAWA (Finance Association of WA) events in uni has exposed me to a different group of people, ones that I have not had the opportunity of getting to know yet throughout my university life. I met some really intelligent people, who were so smart and impressive and good at what they do. To think that these are the people I'll be competing with if I do venture into the finance industry makes me feel so incompetent and it freaks the hell out of me, to see how someone my age is so much more than I am. University should be a place where you grow, both intellectually and mentally. And one way to do that is to surround yourself with people who will challenge you and your beliefs, people who will help you grow in both aspects just by mixing with them. I'm not saying that everyone I know is retarded, but the amount of people I know who are matured and truly well informed about the world are less than a handful.
I know that growing up as a person is my job, and I should not expect other people to help me with it. Nevertheless, it would do me no harm to get to know all these aforementioned smart, overachievers that will motivate me and expand my intellect right?
UWA is a great uni and I really am enjoying my course. But sometimes, I wish that I got more out of my university experience. Once again, I know that what I get from university is solely up to me, but I can't help but wonder how my experience would have been like in a good university in the States.
Whatever happened to my dreams and ambition of attending an Ivy League university? Back in 2007 when I was doing my pre-university course, I was gushing about Cornell. I'm not sure if Cornell is the best place to go for my course, but the point here is, whatever happened to my goals? Why didn't I at least try to apply for the universities in the US? What happened?
Being in Australia for 2 years has taught me one thing. That Australia is not the place for me. Not now anyway. As much as I appreciate their strong emphasis on a work-life balance, (I mean, everyone here spends a lot of time outdoors exercising and hanging out with family & friends), how they don't spend so much time working that they forget to enjoy life and the fact that people here are generally nice, but at this point of my life, where there is an exponential opportunity for me to grow and learn, being at such a quiet place with such a slow pace of life is just not right.
I don't know how much I'd like New York as a place to live in, but right now, to have the chance to be transported to the hustle and bustle of a big city, especially one that plays such a vital role in the financial markets, would be a DREAM come true. And that's where I aim to be/ to have gone (even for a holiday!) in FIVE years. FIVE YEARS.
