Philosophy Statement

The concept of a “liberal education” is constantly used by universities to convey a study curriculum of wide exposure and breadth. During the time of the Greek philosophers (as conveyed in paintings like the School of Athens), a liberal education was considered to be an education where music, astronomy, rhetoric, math, and other fields were studied concurrently. In modern times, the definition of a liberal education tends to be more individually defined on what one feels about academic exploration. Despite this individualistic shift, many of these interpretations are still grounded in the same foundations of education as Montaigne and other educational philosophers described it. As a college student, I want to define my own goals within my

Firstly, a liberal education is centered around a broad world view through studying many fields outside of a particular interest. Although many do not study astronomy or music with their primary coursework in current times, these classes have been replaced by courses on classics and rhetoric that change views on education. Moreover, a liberal education encourages the exploration of ideas through the humanities. By participating in a liberal education, students have the opportunity to challenge their passions rather than to be tunnel visioned into a course of study. Finally, a liberal education attempts to build worldly people and equip them with skills to learn on a global platform. Because every subject introduces a new way of thinking into students, encouraging students to take many courses outside of their primary field will bring new perspectives on problems they may face in future

Dubbed as a “intellectual playground” by the Stanford President, I envisioned the university to be a place where I could freely engage in any subject matter I desired. Firstly, I want to take advantage of all the one unit courses in different subjects that Stanford offers to get a small glimpse of course work that I could potentially be interested in - not only as a job. Secondly, I want to take advantage of Stanford’s guidance on how I should approach my education. I hope to use the different ways requirements as a backbone for crafting a broader education by targeting specific areas of thought that I need development in. Although I disagree with the way Stanford forces its ways requirements on students, the ways requirement gives students a way to align themselves with many classes of thought. Lastly, I hope to connect with professors and instructors from other fields and ask for advice on crafting a more diverse undergraduate experience. From what I have heard, professors at Stanford are willing and ready to help out in any way, especially to give advice on courses for students who want to reach outside of their