Hear from Our Graduates

When I went for my admission interview, I was deciding between Business and Philosophy. Not knowing what to choose, I decided to seek the interviewing professor’s advice on it. His reply was - You have the rest of your life to study Business but you only have these four years to study Philosophy. I took his advice and pursued a degree in Philosophy, a decision which I have never regretted. Philosophy gave me a chance to be curious and open-minded to things, people and ideas. A new environment maybe intimidating but I feel that if you are able to think and write well, there is nothing to be afraid of.

I entered NTU as part of the second batch of Philosophy majors. This was met with some criticism as I could have gone to other more reputably perceived universities but still chose NTU. This turned out to be one of the best choices I had made. I will not lie – my years as a Philosophy undergraduate were difficult and at times felt impossible because of the level of advanced reading and writing skills that the programme demanded. But this is Philosophy after all, and while difficult at first, it was certainly rewarding. Being trained in Philosophy allows us to be able to express our ideas with precise clarity, and more importantly, the ability to think critically and to acquire intellectual flexibility in accommodating and considering perspectives that we do not personally subscribe to. My professors were very passionate about their field and were infectious sources of inspiration for all of us. Many of them taught me to be brave in traversing new bodies of knowledge and to be not be daunted by to be someone who stood out in the fields that they study. It has certainly been of great inspiration for me personally. One does not enter Philosophy and leaves the same person, because the experience is a crucible from which one emerges polished, both in mind and in soul. Well, if you believe in a soul that is.