When I began my undergraduate education at Dickinson College I was unsure what I wanted to do with my life. But I knew from high school that I loved physics, so I took a class, and by the end of my first year I was able to confirm where I belonged. My time as a physics major at Dickinson has presented me with an abundance of opportunities to grow as both a person and as a student. The first time I experienced a class from the perspective of a teaching assistant, I knew I could not let my time in academia come to an end upon graduating. To see fellow students undertaking the same academic pursuits as I once had, and to be able to guide them in these pursuits, is nothing short of magic. I have served as a teaching assistant for the physics department …show more content…
I believe that success in academia is diminished without a group encouraging peers who understand the interests and challenges of each other and who strive to see each member of their community reach their goals, not just the ones they have themselves. This collaborative aspect of education is endemic to small institutions like Brandeis, where professors and students have close relationships and work together as allies, not simply members in the same department. Offering social events outside of the classroom like cookouts and galas can only promote the development of such relationships. Furthermore, with a student-to-faculty ratio of less than three to one, it is undeniable that the graduate physics department at Brandeis is one of the most superior in the nation to this respect. I also admire the freedom Brandeis gives its students to explore different research areas before deciding on a thesis topic. Most graduate programs require a definitive area of interest to be specified, which is simply not a decision I am ready to make. Brandeis’ offered flexibility of interdisciplinary research across traditional fields, spreading into areas such as biology or computer science, is crucial in developing a more comfortable and diverse learning environment. This gives students the resources and research opportunities of a large institution, while