Embracing the Rigors of a King’s Education
Students come to King's to be pushed to learn as much as they possibly can, to be transformed into the best version of themselves, and to be equipped to make a difference in society.
It’s finals week at The King’s College. This is the time of year when King’s students morph into zombie-like versions of their normal selves. Our campus is full of bleary-eyed, bedraggled students who are over-stimulated by caffeine. Some wander the hallways uttering barely-intelligible phrases from Plato and Aristotle.
The truth is King’s students study more than other students I have known. They could have opted for far easier academic programs, yet they chose King’s.
This week, I asked a number of them why they subject themselves to the rigors of a King’s education. Here are a few gems they shared:
Jessie Schnoebelen (Business ’15): “I don’t think of it as a choice. I get to do this; it is my privilege. It’s not only a privilege, it’s a responsibility. That’s what the mission of The King’s College is about—training up leaders. If I am privileged enough to get a business degree with a pre-law minor, that’s not just mine. It’s my parent’s and my future family’s. I am being trained to be an instrument in society.”
Stephanie Gardner (MCA ’15): “The ultimate goal is being challenged how to think. The purpose of me being here is to become the person I want to be and to learn to articulate my beliefs with knowledge to back them up. It’s not about spitting out knowledge, but learning things that challenge us. It is about broadening my experience of the world.”
Cara Byrns (PPE ’16): “We [students] complain too much. We signed up for this! We are paying to be here. We made this choice. Why complain, be miserable and stressed? Look at the positive: I am learning and changing as a person. At the end of the day, we will get through the exam. Finals are important, but they’re not the end of the world. Even if I fail, I can still get married and get a job. Why worry about little things? We need to keep the bigger picture in mind.”
Veassna Sang (PPE ’16): “It’s an adventure. Sleepless nights, hungry days, my belly growling. On graduation day, looking back with all our friends who are graduating, we won’t care. We kept going and finished this test. I will go back and use my education to invest in Cambodia, where I’m from. It’s way to give back, to help other people. Each step leads to that final step. That’s why I do it.”
Excellent perspectives. In the midst of the strains and stresses involved in a King’s education, it is easy to miss the forest in the midst of the trees. Jesse, Stephanie, Cara and Veassna remind me what really matters. Students come to King’s to be pushed to learn as much as they possibly can, to be transformed into the best version of themselves, and to be equipped to make a difference in society.
That makes my job the best job in the world.