Escaping Knowledge
As I was preparing myself to walk away and towards security at the airport the one and only Margaret Elizabeth Wilson spoke wiser than her (newly) 21 years, once again, saying “you are living every academics dream.” I knew she was right, but I did not know quite the extent that her words would ring true. Escaping knowledge seems somewhat of an oxymoron; why exactly would one want to escape knowledge when it seems everything we do is in pursuit of knowledge? Well—you cannot escape knowledge—and this is what Oxford has taught me thus far.
I feel like I have learned more in the past 22 days than I have in the past 2 years of my college education. Everyone said that studying abroad would change everything, but being my skeptical self, I did not believe them. However, it is not the studying abroad that changes you necessarily, but it is the openness which you need to approach the situation of change that allows you to learn. It would have been easy to spend all my time in the library reading and writing, going to lectures, and over-preparing for my tutorials, but I quickly (and thankfully) learned this is not why Oxford cultivates so much knowledge. Genuine curiosity is everywhere! It is in the streets, in the pubs, in the common rooms, in the lecture halls, in the houses, in the gardens, at dinners and lunch, most certainly during teatime, and everywhere in between. People never stop asking questions, and thus never stop learning.
While I understand that the lecturers and tutors here are some of the most brilliant academic thinkers in the world right now, it is more interesting to me to walk into the JCR (common room) and walk into a discussion about the differences between the Roman and Eastern rights, the aestheticism of religion, the lexicon of Shakespeare, etc. Before I would often find myself falling silent because I did not understand the conversation at hand, and while I still sometimes find myself baffled by the level of intelligence surrounding me, I never feel intimidated enough not to ask for clarification; and that, that is the Oxford way. Cultivating an environment oozing with intellect, dialectic, knowledge, and most importantly curiosity.
I often find at American universities once students are admitted they only feel they need to pass to be happy, however, here admission is only a stepping-stone towards knowledge. Every student seems more concerned with what he or she is learning, and what others are learning, in order to push the envelope of wisdom. No one is content; and that is a wonderful thing.
It is tiring, however, to constantly be thinking. But it is worth the exertion of energy and thought. It seems like there are no pointless conversations to be had, because even if you’re not going to use it in your essay or tutorial, there’s still always a reason you should know more about the precise Greek translation of one word in one single verse in one of the Gospels (just an example of course).
While being in a fantastic city with a culture of learning so intense you cannot even walk down the street without hearing an intense discussion or learning something new yourself, it is not about being at Oxford, it is about being in Oxford. The difference is that being in Oxford means you are aware of your surroundings while constantly assessing your place there and how you fit in.
When I was picturing Oxford before I arrived for my studies, I never thought of the people I would be surrounded by. Well, I somewhat did, but it was mostly people that were in the Carpe Diem Society from Gilmore Girls, which just is not even plausible. What matters most, I came to learn, at Oxford is understanding the people around you are the smartest in the world; they each have something uniquely beautiful to bring to the table. It’s something I’m now calling the “Oxford Osmosis.” Just by being around intelligent people 24/7 I feel like I am wiser and able to speak more eloquently and on deeper intellectual topics. Partaking in the traditions of Oxford (like rowing for example) allows me to feel more like an Oxford student, but what makes me feel most like an Oxford student is being with other students. It is sitting in a Pub, drinking endless cups of tea in the JCR, dancing at BOPs, walking to the grocery store, or late-night-kitchen-table-kebab-eating discussions. Being present with the people I’m surrounded by is the true Oxford experience. The Oxford experience isliving every academics dream which is to be constantly surrounded by an ever-pressing search for knowledge.