"I did not learn much about mechanical engineering at TUM due to my poor German skills. I ended up spending most of my time chatting with students from a wide range of disciplines. I was fascinated by the conversations about history, politics, law, art, literature, and philosophy. Because I knew almost nothing about these subjects, I felt like a child listening to thrilling tales of discovery in a new world. And like a child, I took those stories seriously."
"I couldn't bring myself to write a sincere application letter-I simply had no genuine interest in continuing. For the first time, I began to reflect deeply on what I really wanted to do, and more importantly, what I wanted to devote my life to. That reflection led me to a big question, one that would become the backbone of my journey into philosophy: What is a meaningful life?"
A student began as a mechanical engineering major at the Georgia Institute of Technology, focusing almost exclusively on major courses to secure internships, with German as the only exception for study abroad at the Technical University of Munich. Limited German skills reduced technical learning at Munich and instead enabled wide-ranging conversations with students in history, politics, law, art, literature, and philosophy, which sparked deep fascination. Returning to Georgia Tech, the student added humanities courses but graduated after only a few classes. A small existential crisis before finishing the degree revealed a lack of desire to pursue engineering graduate school and prompted reflection on what constitutes a meaningful life, catalyzing a turn toward philosophy.
Read at Apaonline
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