Exchange Essay

So I just found this thing which was written mid-2013. The flow of the piece isn't perfect but it has some interesting ideas which I think are worth thinking about.

A few reasons for applying to go on exchange

I have always been of the belief that ‘education’ refers not to exam results or degrees, but to the learning of a broad range of ideas. To me, being a student is about having a desire – sometimes a craving – to understand all kinds of things. As I see it, what separates a student from other people who attend university is that a student goes to university with the aim to learn, while other people go to university with the aim of emerging out of it with a qualification or a social status.

My viewpoint has manifested itself in several ways. During VCE I obstinately studied nine unit 3/4 subjects despite being constantly reminded that three of my results were going to be ‘wasted’. My reply back then was that I enjoyed all my subjects and don’t want to give any of them up. Nowadays when people make similar enquiries I make the rather more pungent remark that “education is not a waste”. And although accumulating extra knowledge is helpful, I believe it is having the modesty to constantly seek new ways to improve which prevents us from standing still.

Similarly, despite completing a first year extension subject during year 12, I continued to study eight more subjects in my first year at university. During my VCE and university study, I have covered a variety of topics such as music, physics, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, Japanese, Latin, criminology, geography and economics. When people express curiosity at my study of additional units and non-major-related subjects, they implicitly reveal a belief that university is only to be viewed as a means to an end – i.e. that hard work is justifiable only if it contributes towards your degree. Although I can understand the social and life pressures which might lead someone to hold this opinion, I personally feel that this kind of attitude leaves a person in a passive state and very much ‘at the mercy’ of external influences with regard to decision-making. In my mind, it shows moral superiority to choose to do something extra even if there are no immediate benefits.

Indeed, the immediate benefits of an exchange experience are negative because the monetary cost is very high. Some people argue that this is a good investment to make because going overseas ‘looks good on your resume’ when applying for a well-paid job. I have no respect for such arguments. They do not transcend the limitations of predictable cost-benefit calculations. The investment I am making is in learning. A student does not learn by being taught something and remembering it. He learns by actively seeking new experiences and new ways of looking at things. And to do this, the humble student has to recognise his shortcomings, that somehow what he knows and has is not enough. I have always thought that when children become adults, they do not get wiser; they simply become more adamant that their beliefs are correct. I do not wish to fall into this trap. I hope that while I am learning new things, I can also be shown how much I do not know.

Having lived in Melbourne for fifteen years, and having attended primary, secondary and tertiary school almost continuously during that period, I can say that the routine is starting to feel a bit tedious. If something is a thrill at first, doing it continuously reduces its excitement. Fortunately, throughout my life I have discovered that trying something different is often a great way to break out of an unpleasant cycle. When I lose a lot of chess games in the same way, I try playing some new openings. When I get too stressed out by exam study, I go out and sit in the park. Therefore, I feel that an exchange experience is the perfect way to invigorate me with new enthusiasm for life. I am not content to wait until I finish university before I try something new; I believe tempus fugit only if we allow it to.

When we attempt to explain differences in the way people from different countries do things, we often end up coming to the conclusion that ‘that’s culture’. I think ‘culture’ is a term we use to explain away everything that we don’t understand. It means “that’s just the way it is; it doesn’t concern me so I needn’t put in the effort to understand it”. Having come to Melbourne from Shanghai at a very early age, I have noticed many, many differences between the attitudes of Chinese and Australian people which I do not understand. Obviously, asking someone why they think or do something is rarely any help; internalised norms are powerful and we often act subconsciously without much forethought. The only way to achieve real understanding and empathy is through full immersion of the Chinese lifestyle. And that is the second major reason why I feel that going on exchange would be valuable for me.

It is possible that an exchange experience would simply confirm all of my current thoughts about Chinese attitudes. But is it any loss to gain greater confidence in your beliefs? As Martel remarks in Life of Pi, “To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation”. If I tried a hundred new things and found myself still at my starting point, at least I have now experienced those hundred things. But I would have almost certainly learned a few things along the way. On the other hand, a sure way to guarantee stagnancy is to forever avoid trying anything new.

If I were someone else, this essay might have been very different to read. I might have highlighted the benefits to my Chinese language skills, opportunities for future employment or becoming more independent. But those are very much ‘rational’ motives. My reasons for applying to go on exchange cannot be considered persuasive from a direct evaluation of costs and benefits. This is because there are benefits which cannot be directly listed and assigned a monetary worth. Hopefully I have explained, not too cryptically, what these items are and why they are of such high value to me.