Von Freiburg an die Princeton University

Unser Alumnus Donovan Cassidy-Nolan (UWCRBC 2015-17) aus Kanada hat in der zweiten Schülergeneration am UWC Robert Bosch College gelebt. Seit Herbst letzten Jahres studiert er an der u.s.-amerikanischen Princeton University, wo er erst kürzlich im Rahmen eines integrativen Einführungskurses in die Naturwissenschaften erwähnt wurde. Grund genug für uns, ihm ein paar Fragen zu stellen – zum Übergang von UWC zu Universität und darüber, was er aus den zwei Jahren in Freiburg mitgenommen hat.

„I feel fortunate to have had a smooth transition from one extraordinary place to another. After I graduated from RBC, I travelled around Europe with my Dad. Long train rides gave me space to reflect, but discovering new places each day kept me busy and engaged. It sure would have been easy to dwell on the simmering mixture of raw emotions I felt upon leaving RBC! Like the unbridled elation of finishing all my IB exams and the sadness of knowing I wouldn’t see my kind and kooky peers for a long while. I also felt a new sense of freedom but was mourning the loss of the unique and caring learning environment I’d found at RBC.

After traveling, I came home to small-town Nova Scotia, Canada. Over the summer, I kept busy by playing the role of Michel, an Acadian fiddler from 1685 at a local historic site. This was performance art: I wore a costume including wooden sabots (clogs), a linen shirt, breeches, and practiced my French with visitors every day. Doing something completely different was wonderful. In August, I began thinking about my transition to Princeton University. Funnily enough, my first week at Princeton was similar to how I began my second year at RBC – an intensive backpacking retreat into the woods, without phones or even watches. It rained and thundered, but the deluxe outhouse facilities on the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail more than made up for the wet weather! Socially and academically, I felt ready to get the most out of Princeton. RBC had prepared me well to face the many challenges here. An unexpected benefit of UWC was that it almost cured my FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out! Nevertheless, there are no two ways about it: Princeton is hard. To balance this, the resources and support systems are incredible, including free weekly math tutoring. I am taking a unique first-year program called “Integrated Science”, that seeks to break down traditional boundaries between chemistry, physics, and biology by demonstrating the fundamental links between these distinct yet deeply interconnected disciplines. It’s tough, but thanks to the amazing teaching and support I received from my mentors at RBC, I had the confidence to go for it! A huge bonus when I got here was the discovery of a welcoming UWC community at Princeton. It’s so nice to sit down and have dinner with people who I know instantly share my core values and aren’t afraid of differences.“

Erfahren Sie mehr über den integrierten Kurs der Universität Princeton, an dem Donovan teilnimmt.