More than a Scholarship

by: Alexandra Rosenberg

This article was written for the Shimer blog.
Go to blog.shimer.edu to read more.

Class for spring have just begun, but that also means February is fast approaching and, with it, the Montaigne Scholarship competition. In 2009 I participated in the competition, and I think it was one of the most important decisions I've made.

Margaret, the youngest Dashwood sister in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, says something to the effect of, "we never talk about things," and, for some reason or another, this has always stuck with me. I kept it in the back of my mind until it came rushing to the surface during the discussion portion of my Montaigne competition. I realized that was what had been so unbearable about high school education and what I was dreading about college, not talking about things. My entire life I had been expected to "learn" things from people who only knew what the teacher's edition of textbooks told them, nothing was discussed, just memorized.

I didn't win the Montaigne, but I earned something invaluable during the competition: the decision to go to Shimer. It is one of the best ideas I've ever had and cannot imagine being happy without receiving the education I am today.

The competition is coming up on the weekend of February 19-20th. Apply Now.

Yes, come to the competition with the hopes of winning, but also come to find yourself in discussion and lose yourself in learning. I can't wait to see you all there.