Friday, September 04, 2009

The best place to be!

I have never seen professors so excited and enthusiastic about their work in NUS. Here, they are so passionate about what they do that they almost literally bounce around in their chair while explaining to you what they really do. Its pretty cool to be a grad student. Especially a grad student looking for rotation labs. I get to do three rotations and for that, instead of the prof interviewing me, I get to interview the prof and give them my verdict!!! Ain't that awesome?! :D Of course, it happens only once. After I pick a lab, it will be the other way around! But its really cool that these profs are ok with this and have no issues with being the one interviewed and tested by the students. It takes a lot of pressure off us grad students and makes the whole process of settling in more comfortable.

To be honest, the only reason I came here was because it was the only university that accepted me. At that time, I complained and cribbed about it. Today I realise that this has happened to me for a reason... a good reason. This is the place for me to be. You may not have heard about this university, but they do cutting edge research and have so many nobel laureates wandering about the corridors! Plus, loads of their alumni are nobel laureates and also holders of prestigious positions all over the world of academia! Its the biggest honor (notice the spelling!) for me to be in the same university where important discoveries that changed the face of biosciences were made!

Bottomline, I am happy as hell to be here. Even though it started as a no-option thing, I am thrilled that I ended up here instead of some ivy league college. The education that I get here is going to be so much more meaningful. And even though I was skeptical a few months back, after meeting up with several faculty, now I am very very very sure that the passion I had lost for science and research will find its way back into my heart. Because the love that the faculty here have for science is enough to inspire the student to be just as passionate about the field, if not more! This has gotta be the best research environment in the whole wide world!

Thanks to all the ivy leagues for rejecting my application! Seriously, I mean it. I am in a better place now because of that!

This is what I am meant to be doing, this is where I am supposed to be...

And I couldn't be happier (or luckier!!!) :) :) :)

3 comments:

Doublehead said...

Oh, It is so wonderful to hear that you are "lovin it" in there. Yes, it is awesome to be able to interview big profs! At some point of time the table will be turned, when you become a prof (some day!). Besides learning the subject matter it is also wonderful to be learning about the interpersonal interactions and other aspects of life. Cheers and all the best to you.

Anusha said...

Yay! I'm so happy for you! I know it's a difficult thing to leave all your friends and your family and go to a totally foreign place, but it's great that the reason you went there is becoming so apparent to you and that you're embracing it so whole-heartedly! Here's to a great academic experience there, and to an even better social one! :D

tgfi said...

All the best!! And I'm not exactly in the area, but if you need any kind of help/advice/just talking you can write me an email.