"Congratulations, you're going to the Research Science Institute (RSI) in June." I vividly remember receiving the text message in April 2010 during math class and pumping my fists in jubilation. Whilst I was expecting an exciting research journey abroad, what I brought home transcended beyond my research paper and the certificate which recognizes me as a Rickoid. After spending 6 weeks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I returned with an attitude. An attitude which has led me beyond the classroom in order to challenge myself.
Beyond the academic excellence displayed by the friends whom I met at RSI, I was inspired by their learning attitudes. They had a burning passion to learn and gain new knowledge, and were not afraid to voice their opinions in classes. After lessons, many would enthusiastically engage in intellectual conversations and arguments with the lecturers; upon joining in the post-lecture discussions, I was amazed by my peers' hunger to find out more even though the scope extended beyond the lecture topics.
I vividly remember one of the lectures we attended, where White House Cyber-Security consultant Sean Kanuck shared with us his knowledge of how digital footprints are traceable, and no online activity is undetectable. His engaging discussion on how we voluntarily reveal a lot of our personal information on social networks such as Facebook was especially relevant to us, high school seniors.
Whilst the lecture concluded at 8pm, the discussions and debates went on till 10pm in the dormitory's lobby, and no one was bored or tired; to see how questions were raised, ideas were challenged and notions were put forth on how to improve cyber security policies was an unforgettable experience. The burning enthusiasm the domestic students had was infectious, and we international students soon joined in, contributing to a fair amount of discourse.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for the people whom I met, especially the domestic students. Not only were they passionate about their learning, they were eager to spread their insatiable appetites for knowledge amongst others and encourage us to join in on their conversations. Their enthusiasm was inspirational, and I was determined to learn more actively and challenge myself beyond the classroom.
Indeed, Singapore students may have performed better than US students in various tests, but what we do pale in comparison is qualitative and cannot be reflected by numbers. With the typical Singaporean examination-oriented mindset, it took me 6 weeks to fully understand how grades are, after all, but measurements of how well we score on paper, whilst attitude is a lifelong appreciation towards whatever we do. Whilst I am guilty of prioritizing examination preparations over learning, I have been blessed with this wake-up call which changed my attitude towards learning.
It felt especially magical when I developed a newfound passion to ask questions, challenge the norm and go beyond the scope of normal classes during the latter part of the trip and upon return to Singapore. This definitely was the most important lesson I brought home from the trip, after being motivated by my foreign peers whose hunger for knowledge was infectious. Having understood that learning was more than just for examinations, I decided to challenge myself with university-level math courses and further intensify my research efforts in human-computer interaction, only to discover that there was so much more to learn that what was in the examination syllabus.
To me, it is not the publication of my RSI paper in an international conference that was most rewarding. It was the learning attitude I was inherited from my peers that was immensely gratifying, and I am proud that I am more motivated to challenge myself, ask questions and engage in discussions with my teachers and peers today.
Please help give comments n advice. Thanks! :) Qin En
Beyond the academic excellence displayed by the friends whom I met at RSI, I was inspired by their learning attitudes. They had a burning passion to learn and gain new knowledge, and were not afraid to voice their opinions in classes. After lessons, many would enthusiastically engage in intellectual conversations and arguments with the lecturers; upon joining in the post-lecture discussions, I was amazed by my peers' hunger to find out more even though the scope extended beyond the lecture topics.
I vividly remember one of the lectures we attended, where White House Cyber-Security consultant Sean Kanuck shared with us his knowledge of how digital footprints are traceable, and no online activity is undetectable. His engaging discussion on how we voluntarily reveal a lot of our personal information on social networks such as Facebook was especially relevant to us, high school seniors.
Whilst the lecture concluded at 8pm, the discussions and debates went on till 10pm in the dormitory's lobby, and no one was bored or tired; to see how questions were raised, ideas were challenged and notions were put forth on how to improve cyber security policies was an unforgettable experience. The burning enthusiasm the domestic students had was infectious, and we international students soon joined in, contributing to a fair amount of discourse.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for the people whom I met, especially the domestic students. Not only were they passionate about their learning, they were eager to spread their insatiable appetites for knowledge amongst others and encourage us to join in on their conversations. Their enthusiasm was inspirational, and I was determined to learn more actively and challenge myself beyond the classroom.
Indeed, Singapore students may have performed better than US students in various tests, but what we do pale in comparison is qualitative and cannot be reflected by numbers. With the typical Singaporean examination-oriented mindset, it took me 6 weeks to fully understand how grades are, after all, but measurements of how well we score on paper, whilst attitude is a lifelong appreciation towards whatever we do. Whilst I am guilty of prioritizing examination preparations over learning, I have been blessed with this wake-up call which changed my attitude towards learning.
It felt especially magical when I developed a newfound passion to ask questions, challenge the norm and go beyond the scope of normal classes during the latter part of the trip and upon return to Singapore. This definitely was the most important lesson I brought home from the trip, after being motivated by my foreign peers whose hunger for knowledge was infectious. Having understood that learning was more than just for examinations, I decided to challenge myself with university-level math courses and further intensify my research efforts in human-computer interaction, only to discover that there was so much more to learn that what was in the examination syllabus.
To me, it is not the publication of my RSI paper in an international conference that was most rewarding. It was the learning attitude I was inherited from my peers that was immensely gratifying, and I am proud that I am more motivated to challenge myself, ask questions and engage in discussions with my teachers and peers today.
Please help give comments n advice. Thanks! :) Qin En
