As I set out to get my mind focused on applying for PhD programs, I revisited the statement of intent I submitted for graduate school at California State University, Long Beach. Reading through it, I laugh at the eagerness and clear enthusiasm for geography I had then and still do. Finding a field you can throw your entire self into and still want to learn more is a blessing. This is what academic excitement is from a college undergrad:
(partial) Statement of Intent: CSULB
2008/9
As a result of grade school geography sadly being compressed into social studies, history became my favorite subject. However, the allure of great empires and trade routes kept me drawn to maps; an antiqued map of the Roman Empire adorned my bedroom wall by seventh grade. Upon entering Texas Christian University, I reluctantly followed a conformist path, choosing an Advertising/Public Relations major, and then switched to Communications. Until I discovered academic geography, misery and disappointment plagued my coursework. Fortunately, the day I took my seat in World Regional Geography, my professor started the class with her story of stumbling upon her geographic destiny. Within the first three minutes, I was overwhelmed with memories, categorizing myself alongside my professor as a born geographer. Daydreaming, I remembered myself in grade school, constantly sketching world maps in the margins of my notes and always bent over a National Geographic at my grandma’s house. Spinning back to the reality of the classroom, I had heard exactly what I needed to start climbing my personal Mt. Everest. I realized it was possible to major and pursue a career in geography. As a geography major, I completely turned my academic performance around from doing poorly in previous majors to achieving straight A grades in geography.
The Geography of Western Europe course refined my admiration for history and culture into a geographic framework. We studied the “continental architecture” of Europe, and I began to understand how physical geography is the stage upon which history is set. Exploring the relationships between peoples crammed into their European homelands was fascinating. The relentless unfolding of centrifugal and centripetal forces on the European continent opened the door to my interest in multidisciplinary studies for both historical and cultural geography and their relationships to physical geography. Two other courses, the Geography of Latin America and Cultural Geography, helped quench my thirst for case studies that intertwined history, culture, and physical geography. Now, I have even more questions and seek more knowledge and explanations.
TCU has provided me with a well-balanced undergraduate course of study. In addition to the above courses, I have taken GIS, Applied Geography, and Urban Geography. As a result, I am eager to expand my knowledge without the pressures of one specific specialization. New topics tempt my curiosity every day. I can imagine myself researching site and situation characteristics of cities such as Troy or studying the diffusion of globalization into traditional indigenous peoples upriver from Manaus in the Amazon. All the unending possibilities in between fascinate my inner geographer. A thesis topic relating to the preservation and assimilation of culture has been a constant consideration after hearing multiple presentations of this theme at the American Association of Geographers in 2008. I have acquired a lifelong appreciation for geography from the Geography Department at TCU. I cannot fathom pausing my education now, but I look forward to continuing my education at the graduate level.
I attended the AAG meeting in Boston last year. Being surrounded by many people who understand why geography matters enabled me to have the most insightful and educated discussions of my life. That experience was the final push that cleared my thoughts about the near future. Undoubtedly, I would go to graduate school in geography. I realized that the possibilities for geographic research are endless and that any interest can be studied from a geographic perspective, which was thrilling. I will be co-presenting a poster paper at the AAG in Las Vegas. This is the next opportunity to further my connections with geographers and extend my experience in research and presentation.
As a senior geography major at TCU, all I see when I look at a globe is how many regions and cultures I have yet to study. I wish to expand my love of cultural and historical geography into more focused and advanced geographic studies. Graduate school will provide new challenges and opportunities and force me to open new roadways of intellectual curiosity at the intersection of culture, environment, history, and place.
No comments:
Post a Comment