Be Curious
Genuine imagination and killer instincts are key formula to wanting to embrace the world around you. I’m getting better at it. Be curious.
‘Curiosity and interest are much more similar than we consider them to be. They culminate the spark, that fire in one’s brain and makes them talk for hours. When people with the same curiosity and interest meet, it’s fireworks.’
Today was unexpected.
I went looking for affirmation that my America ambition wasn’t all a farce and left feeling rather invigorated, confident and with two incredible friends.
I went alone and on a mission to find a course in America or consider a London university.
I think I have my options wide open.
I’ll apply to both, London as more of a safety net if I have to put the America plans on hold.
While I’m confident in my future success abroad, it would be unwise to rest my laurels on a few application forms.
The event was a QS Global Postgraduate Fair at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster.
My first impressions of the place was an awful urban design.
Boxy and it wasn’t very regal.
But that was mainly because I was preparing for the mindset of talking urban studies with not only British universities but those across the pond.
While standing in line to talk to Columbia University, I saw a familiar face walk-by.
It’s somewhat difficult to miss him because he’s got a unique hairstyle and to be quite frank, he is someone who would definitely be at this event.
It was Neil (pictured middle).
Neil studies Biology at QMUL and is in his final year. I worked alongside him in first year at The Print. He was Societies Editor. He just returned from the East Coast after a year abroad at UPenn.
We spoke a lot in first year, especially about study abroad, but had not spoken nor seen each other in over a year.
It was great to see him and catch up.
He’s thinking towards MBA route now and has quite the experience under his belt.
Very driven and diligent person who I remember did a great job being a section editor in his first year.
It’s incredibly enriching to connect with people you haven’t seen in so long.
We stayed in touch digitally, but who doesn’t?
Alongside Neil at the fair was fellow UPenn study abroad friend, Imogen.
She studies History at UCL.
I still get chills when I meet someone from UCL, but there’s always postgraduate I suppose.
Old failures die hard.
Anyway, she wants to go into law eventually and like everyone is trying to decide the path of best fit.
I think it’s very humble to admit that you need to find a career that pays enough before you can do what you want to do, as long as you accept that.
She’d love to do human rights law, which was an automatic register for me because I’m incredibly involved with it all, but will focus on corporate law to be able to get a footing.
It’s understandable and doesn’t discredit her ambition.
It’s a sad reality that it’s not all easy and money doesn’t grow on trees.
‘If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be worth doing.’
Both Neil and Imogen have moral and social compasses.
They have a yearning to solve the social issues of our time.
To fix the mistakes and prevent further ones from happening.
I admire them both for that.
I respect them and it’s great to meet people that are on the same wavelength.
We all have a lot of applications to fill out for universities at home and abroad.
One thing is for sure, we won’t be alone in trying to figure out a future.
I can’t stress how important it is to live a live expectation-free.
Give without expectations.
Go to events without expectations.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Since I realised the beauty in humanity, my life has been happier and more fulfilling.
I don’t worry about opinions nor do I dwell on things that have gone wrong.
Failure only makes your curiosity burn brighter.
Hardship creates resilience.
My curiosity soars every time I meet people who challenge me.
Challenge me to be very true to myself.
Because otherwise, you could lose those friendships and connections in the blink of an eye.
Be curious