Today I met with the head of the Japanese department in order to get a section of my lengthy Waseda paperwork filled out. We sat there for about an hour, sifting through what classes I needed at my home school and which ones I needed to take abroad in order to double major by the time I came back.
The head of the department congratulated me on my entry, noting that it had been one of the most competitive years to enter the program. I thanked her (it wasn't something I had not heard before) and she went on to say how 20 people applied at CSULB and 10 people applied at my home institute. And that's disregarding the 20 other campuses (only about 25 students got in CA-wide, and from my school it was just me and some other guy).
When I was sitting there I reflected aloud, "I know it was competitive... that's why I'm taking advantage of going. I'm not sure what made them choose me, but I'm determined to go."
To which she replied, "Well, your grades are great and you came highly recommended. But I know Waseda makes you go through a couple of interviews, and those can be tough for many of my students. You're very..." She made some weird gesture with a raising of her arms. "Lively, friendly, and energetic. I think they would prefer someone like that at their school since you will be very involved and make lots of friends. A lot of my students tend to be very quiet, so I think interviews may be hard for them."
I was a little stunned. This woman had only met with me twice and I had sat in on one of her classes before. I thanked her again. When I had asked my other teachers to write letters of recommendation they had said the exact same thing, with "sociable" and "outgoing" and "asks good questions" and "talkative" thrown into the mix.
It is weird how I would never think of myself that way. I tend to gravitate towards describing myself as shy, reserved, introverted and a little odd. My teachers never seem to see this in the classroom ... maybe I'm just talkative to keep myself entertained during class? Why do I perceive myself in such a typically "negative" way when others don't see it?
Just a thought.*
In a weird sort of way, I've had a similar experience in college
ReplyDeleteI remember always talking to you about classes, Julie, and agreeing that so many people just sit there and do nothing and don't engage what the teacher is trying to get at.
A professor that you don't need to engage that will truly cover everything and still be interesting is a rare thing.
I would describe you as intelligent. I think almost everyone (myself included) can be shy in social situations at times, but when you're in a class and you understand things, and you're comfortable around your classmates and confident in your opinions on the subject, it can be frustrating to see an entire discussion fall apart from lack of participation. And usually, if you are the person who initiates the discussion, you get props from the teacher, and more people tend to speak up after that.
Looks like everything is going well for you, Julie! I always knew you'd get what you want :')
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