Review the learning objectives for this course. What's one thing you've learned that connects to an objective and to your future job?

This is coming from an international student used to an entirely different educational setting than what we have here in the U.S. When I was in college, if there was one aspect of ancient rhetoric that I mastered, it was memory. I remember learning by rote ten pages worth of notes and reproducing them as is in the examination- I like to call it academic bulimia. This is not to undermine the Indian educations system, but to highlight the fact that one value that Indian pedagogy values is that of memory. A look at any job examination or interview will confirm that. So it would be fair to say that Indian schools are preparing their students just right for their setting. And that’s that. What happens when we move abroad? Well, we were warned of that before- the impostor syndrome. It hounded me for quite some time but I believe I’ve been doing better now.

It would not be an overstatement to say that 5060 has helped me achieve almost all the objectives listed on the site, but if I were to pick one, it would be critical thinking. I no longer take down elaborate notes and try to mug them up. Yes, habits (good or bad) die hard. In India, rather I should say Shimla (my hometown), what was in the book, was right! It is sad that my university in Shimla has not seen any major changes in the syllabus for decades.  Think of this: the syllabus was the same when I completed my MA as it was when my father completed his M.phil over  three decades ago! Students guides, learning by rote, formulas for passing the exam. No wonder I failed the exam when I applied to Jamia Milia University in Delhi. They asked us to “critically appreciate” a documentary. I floundered! Delhi has different standards than small towns in India. I think I could nail that exam now.