Message from Clark University

Dear Sir,

I hope you have been doing great. It has been more than a month since I have been here in the United States and I can already say that I feel worn out. So a notice to all people in Logophiles now: 'You may think you are going through a lot in your current stage but wait till you get to college and start classes and then you will know that you are currently much at peace'. But yes I have to admit that the training I went through for the past one year has been fruitful in helping me to cope up with the intensity of college studies. Whereas most people are already frustrated, and though I do admit that I too feel exhausted, at least I have been able to keep up with the workload far better than the average others. 

          Getting onto my courses, I am taking Intro Chem, Honors Calculus (the class which kills), hons physics with calculus and a writing course. There is not much to say about the chem or physics classes but there is quite a lot to say about the other two. Firstly calculus seems very easy in High School but you know its true form in college. Whereas in school you directly differentiate x to be 1, in college you need to mathematically, using the fundamental concepts of maths, prove that the derivative is 1. Its tiring but then again it is teaching you math from the very basics to really think instead of just following the rules set out. For English writing class, my professor does not care about the final essay I write much. Rather he looks at all steps. I need to submit not only the essay drafts but how I chose a topic, what thoughts led to the topic and how the drafts were being developed. Again its tiring but the good thing is that he has been trying to teach us to concentrate more on how to bring out the thinking (a problem most of us face when you know what you want to say but you cannot just express). There is a lot of free writing we do here like I used to do before in Anglophiles to write down all the things that comes to mind without stopping even for a moment.

            One of the most important aspects of college life is that its not just doing great on the courses that make you look great. What you are doing out of class is a matter of major importance. There is a lot going on here and there. So you find something that interests you or you make something that you want to do. In my case I have been closely working with Philosophy and Astronomy Club. Moreover I will soon be founding Clark's Society of Physics Students (SPS) which will then be an official chapter of the SPS of American Institute of Physics (AIP) for my college. Its a great opportunity to look at physics outside of class, to really learn instead of just knowing. Plus it gives an opportunity to meet with students and professors of physics of different universities for example in my case I can work with people from MIT and Harvard. Moreover I do have an intention to either apply for research here for summer or apply to a summer research internship at premier science labs in the US.

             I do have a lot more to say but I will leave it for some other day. Plus I do want to write an email for the current batch of Logophiles about what to do to either stand out in this market for selling themselves or to be 'enlightened' whichever option the reader may choose.

Sincerely Yours,

Rakibul