Spending my junior fall semester abroad in Paris was truly wonderful. I have now been home for several weeks and, after telling my family and friends all about the incredible experiences that I had in France, I thought that I’d write about a few of my favorite moments from my semester abroad.

1) Perhaps the biggest highlight of my semester abroad was the weekend that I spent in London. Going to England was the one place that I definitely wanted to visit while I was in Europe. Since it was such a priority to me, I went at the very beginning of the semester, before I was too overloaded with homework or stress to fully enjoy the trip (which was a wise choice!). I absolutely loved London. My favorite place was Hyde Park, and I wish that I could go to the Borough Market every day!

2) During the summer before my sophomore year, I attended one of Princeton's global seminars in Geneva, Switzerland. One of the Swiss students that I met in that class was my dear friend, Valérie. We have stayed in touch since the global seminar, and this fall Val and I reconnected in Paris. It was one of my very favorite weekends of the semester. We did exactly what you’re not supposed to do when you’re in Paris: go to Disneyland Paris. It was a total blast. I mean, where else can you ride the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup, watch the Disney Magic parade and order a Mickey Mouse ice cream all in the same day? We also went to Versailles that weekend and enjoyed Parisian crepes, but the best treat was seeing my amazing friend again.

3) While I was in Paris, I had the chance to learn how to make crêpes and macaroons through two French cooking classes. I jumped at these opportunity because I love baking. I will never forget those delicious crêpes, and it was so fun to learn to make macaroons at the prestigious École de Boulangerie et de Pâtisserie in Paris. We all know how renowned French food is, and it’s even better when you know how to make it yourself!

4) The city of Paris leading up to the holiday season was simply magical and so classy. Tons of Christmas markets with the most beautiful ornaments, the most delicious hot chocolate, and the most festive decorations appeared throughout Paris in late November. I tried to go to as many as possible! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season brought new life and an air of excitement to the city. Seeing the breathtakingly decorated windows of the grands magasins and going Christmas shopping with friends are some of my most treasured memories from my last weeks in Paris.

5) Lastly, but perhaps most important, I learned what I am capable of while I was abroad. It definitely took courage to pack my bags and head to a brand new city this September, but I am certainly glad that I did. As you can see from my highlights, studying abroad gave me so many life-enriching opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I stayed on campus, and I feel like I really grew up in Paris. I was able to take a few weekend trips and explore the city of Paris regularly while still doing well in all of my classes (and while writing my first junior paper), so it was very rewarding to see my doubts expelled about being able to balance both academics and these fun opportunities. What's more, setting up a French phone plan, figuring out banking and finding a doctor when I got sick (all in French) presented me with challenges that my parents truly couldn’t advise me about for the first time. I feel proud that I was able to create a successful, balanced and independent life in Paris, and that might be the best take-away from my semester abroad.

Well, I could write forever about my experience in Paris, but I’ll end by saying that you can feel free to contact me or any of the other Global Ambassadors if you have any questions about studying abroad as a Princeton student or just want to hear more about life in another country!

To say that this week in Paris has been difficult does not suffice. But isn't it too often the case that words are not adequate after a tragedy?

When the attacks occurred Friday night, Nov. 13, I was at the movies with friends. I had just returned when my phone rang. That's when I first heard about the attacks. Thankful to be safe inside, I, like most Parisians, followed the updates online with a heavy heart and waited for clarity and direction. Were the attacks over? And what exactly had happened?

Saturday morning was rather surreal.The city seemed shocked and uncertain what to do. The advice of the government was to stay in, to stay safe and to limit movement. The city generally followed suit. Not many details were being released about what had occurred, and fear and uncertainty dominated. Taxis, usually a relatively rare sight in Paris, filled the streets to accommodate those who were venturing out but were too afraid to take the metros.

After stopping in its tracks, the city began slowly to press forward on Sunday. I was comforted by the sight of families playing soccer outside of the Hôtel de Ville in the 15th arrondissement, and it was clear that Parisians were finding solace in each other and comfort in being out and about together. Paris' desire to stand in solidarity and to move forward was apparent.

On Monday morning, the first details about the victims were released, and at noon, the city observed a moment of silence in their honor. I was at one of my favorite bookstores at the time, and before the observed silence, the managers announced that one of their employees had been killed. I later saw a sign at my local organic grocery store saying that one of the young workers there also had died in the attacks. Paris, usually so energetic, was somber as a whole.

As the day progressed, overall there seemed to be less fear of physical danger. Most stores were now open again, though the majority of grocery and retail stores had begun implementing bag and coat checks and using metal detectors at the entries. We were told to carry IDs with us at all times.

The security in the city has certainly increased, but since Tuesday, the general sentiment has been that we must keep living — being more vigilant, of course. The city has begun to churn back to life. Museums, libraries, nurseries, and schools reopened on Tuesday, and for the first time the city halls in the 10th and 11th arrondissements, where the attacks took place, began providing services for families and witnesses. I started to take comfort in Paris' choice to stand strong. For me, seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up again this week, and then seeing images of monuments around the world illuminated with the colors of the French flag, gave me courage. Paris' motto, "She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink," suggests this is indeed a strong city.

There are still concerns. On Monday morning, we received word that police had carried out 168 raids overnight throughout France in connection with Friday's events, arresting 23 suspects and seizing 31 firearms. Then, after a quiet Tuesday, Wednesday morning arrived with warnings that a raid and shootout were in progress in the St. Denis suburb of Paris. Following the raid, we learned that police had captured seven suspected militants and killed at least two more. It appeared that the mastermind of the attacks had been killed.

There are also concerns about a growing fear of outsiders and a particular stereotyping of Muslims. To counteract this sentiment, I have seen the phrase "pas d'amalgame" — loosely translated as "no more confusion," or "no stereotyping" — posted around the city to emphasize that these attacks should not be used to stereotype the views of the vast majority of Muslims. Suspicion of outsiders, especially voiced in heated debates this week about the recent wave of refugee immigration, fear of Islam, and misconceptions about religion, are adding to the concerns of the French about the future of their country.

The media is also beginning to entertain the discussion of increased security's consequences on civil liberties. France will be in a state of emergency for three months, so until the end of February governmental restrictions on movement and Internet usage, as well as the police's increased powers to implement house arrests on suspected residents, will be part of daily life. How will France react to these restrictions of liberties as a sacrifice for security? As questions about what happened on the 13th are being answered, an equal number of questions are being asked about France's future.

Throughout the week, Paris has teetered between mourning and moving on. Overall, the City of Lights is choosing to shine forward, but my heart breaks for those families who will never be able to distance themselves from Nov. 13.

Personally, I have been so touched by the influx of messages and support I have received this week, especially from Princeton professors in my department. And I am thankful. Thankful that I can say that I am safe. And thankful that I am feeling more at peace with the increased security in the city and the solidarity of Parisians. Here, we are thankful for the love and support coming from both near and far. Thoughts and prayers mean so much. And they help keep Paris strong.

For as long as I can remember, studying abroad was at the very top of my college checklist. I knew without a doubt that I was going to take advantage of the opportunity to study in Paris for a semester during my college career, and I thoroughly researched study abroad opportunities as I was applying to colleges during high school. Once I began attending Princeton, I started to plan it all out, and I was so excited.

But about a month or so before I was going to head to Paris for the fall semester, I realized that I actually had absolutely no idea what my life would be like in Paris. My nerves started to kick in and make me question my choice to go abroad. The thing is that I am totally a routine person — I’m that person who eats the same thing for breakfast every day and never gets tired of it, and I love nothing more than a checklist and a plan! So, a few weeks before I left, knowing that I already had a whole life and routine and friends I love at Princeton made me really start to wonder if a semester in Paris was such a good idea...

Well, even just a week into my semester here, I was truly so glad that I followed through with studying abroad and that I am here. It’s been a great learning experience for me both in my classes and beyond the academics, and I thought that I’d share a few reasons why I can say that.

1. First of all, studying abroad has shown me the benefits of keeping an open mind. As I mentioned, I began the semester with some reservations, but I knew I had to begin the fall with an open mind, in spite of my fears. I love the fact that each school year is a fresh start, and I realized that this semester abroad could truly be a new beginning. In a new country, complete with an introductory orientation program, I essentially had the opportunity to be a freshman again, and I realized that was pretty exciting (as I’m always wishing that I could eternally be a freshman at Princeton and have four years ahead of me forever). In short, not being at Princeton gave me a unique opportunity to create a new routine. It still involves classes, time with friends, fun food and exploration (and yes, pretty much the same breakfast every day!) — but in different places in an amazing city. It has shown me that I can build a life I love no matter where I am and can learn a lot when I choose to focus on the positive in new situations.

2. I’ve also learned to define success more broadly. At Princeton, I’ve tended to measure the success of my semester primarily by the grades I’ve earned and by how much I’ve learned in my courses. But here, I’ve gained an expanded view of success. Now, things like figuring out the metro system in Paris (all 14 lines, I might add!), having a really fluent French conversation with a new acquaintance, learning how to cook French crepes (Nutella and apple maple compote, anyone?), and independently finding a doctor in Paris when I got sick have become big accomplishments that I take pride in, along with my school work. So, I think that being off campus for a while has helped me acquire a more balanced view of my studies and my personal goals.

3. It has also been very rewarding to be in Paris because for several months I am experiencing life in the French university system. I hadn’t realized before coming here how much universities vary from country to country, and this experience has forced me to push myself as a student in new ways. Not only are all of my classes entirely in French, but the type of homework here emphasizes oral presentations (we call them exposés) and very precise, organized writing, so it is helping me become a stronger student in these areas. I’ll be able to bring this new knowledge back to Princeton with me in the spring, and although it is sometimes quite challenging, I know I’ll be proud of my hard work at the end of the semester.

4. And finally, time just flies. I now see that I will be back at Princeton before I know it, so it motivates me to see and embrace this time in Paris while I am here. During these 15 weeks, I have been able to visit the very places that my French classes at Princeton have focused on for the past two years, and this has been such an amazing experience. Knowing that I have had two fall semesters at Princeton — and knowing that I still have one more to enjoy ahead of me — makes me certain that I made the right decision in choosing to spend this fall abroad in France!

Je suis ici à Paris ayant commencé mon semestre d'automne en France! Après un cours d’orientation pendant notre première semaine ici (avec des journées très chargées mais aussi très amusantes et utiles), nous avons eu l'opportunité de faire du « shopping » pour les cours aux universités françaises pendant deux semaines. Donc, puisque l'année scolaire commence un peu lentement pour nous, on a décidé de profiter de ces semaines et de faire des excursions près de Paris! Bien sûr, nous avions besoin de faire une visite à Giverny, où on peut voir la maison et les jardins de Monet.

Donc, des nouvelles amies et moi, nous nous sommes réveillées tôt le samedi, et nous avons pris le train de Paris à la petite ville qui s’appelle Vernon, environs 45 minutes au nord-ouest de Paris. Ensuite, on avait un choix: prendre le bus ou louer des vélos pour aller à Giverny. Sans aucun doute, on a décidé d’y aller à vélo! Et notre aventure formidable a commencé...

 

Nous sommes allées tout d’abord aux jardins de Monet. Toutes les fleurs étaient en pleine floraison, et les jardins étaient même plus incroyables que je les avais imaginés. C’était magnifique de voir les nymphéas - c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire!

 

Ensuite, on a visité la maison de Monet. On pourrait aller dans toutes les pièces, et la vue de la fenêtre de la chambre de Monet était à couper le souffle.

 

Après notre visite, nous avions faim, donc nous avons décidé de faire un pique-nique. On a acheté des baguettes et du fromage à la boulangerie dans la ville. Avec les fruits et les noix que nous avons apportés, le pique-nique était parfait.

 

Des opportunités comme cette excursion incroyable fournissaient ma motivation d'étudier à l'étranger, et je suis certainement très contente de mon choix. J’ai hâte de prendre le prochain voyage et de ressentir encore une fois la culture française.

 

You also may read a French version of this blog post.

I’m here in Paris having started my fall semester in France! After an orientation course during our first week here (consisting of days that were very busy but also very fun and helpful), we had the opportunity to do “shopping” for our classes at the French universities for two weeks. So, since the school year has started a bit slowly for us, some other students and I decided to benefit from these first weeks and go on some excursions near Paris. At the top of our list was visiting Giverny to see Monet's house and gardens!

So, some new friends and I woke up early one Saturday, and we took the train from Paris to a small town called Vernon, about 45 minutes northwest of Paris. Then we had a choice: take the bus or rent bikes to get to Giverny. Of course, we decided to take bikes there. And our wonderful adventure began…

We first went to Monet’s gardens. All of the flowers were in full bloom, and the gardens were even more incredible than I had imaged. Seeing the waterlilies was magnificent — that’s the least that I can say!

We then went into Monet’s house. Visitors can enter all of the rooms, and the view from Monet’s bedroom window was breathtaking.

After our visit, we were hungry, so we decided to have a picnic. We bought some baguettes and cheese from a bakery in the town. And with the fruits and nuts that we had brought with us, the picnic was perfect.

Opportunities like this wonderful excursion were a big part of my motivation to study abroad, and I am certainly happy that I am doing so! I’m excited to take the next day trip and to experience the French culture even more this semester in France.

 

Traveling has always been what has motivated and excited me, so being able to study abroad has naturally been very high on my list of priorities during my years at Princeton. I first studied abroad with Princeton during the summer after my freshman year through the PIIRS Global Seminar program, which was a fantastic way to spend my first Princeton summer. And this week, I will be going to study abroad for the fall semester of my junior year in Paris!

Princeton has a host of programs abroad to choose from (take a peek at the list here), and I’ve decided to do my semester abroad through Columbia University’s program at Reid Hall in Paris. But no worries, I’m staying a true Tiger at heart! What mattered a lot to me as I was making a choice about my program was housing and meal options. I was happy to find that Columbia offers student residence hall housing, so I’ll be living in a dorm in the 15th arrondissement with a single room and my own bathroom. I can’t wait! I'll also have free kitchen access, so since I really enjoy cooking for myself, I look forward to being able to make my favorites for breakfast and dinner each day.

The trickiest part of planning for study abroad was getting my visa this summer. Overall, the process wasn’t too difficult, but it did require gathering a lot of paperwork (and double and triple checking the paperwork), and then waiting for the visa to arrive back in the mail a few weeks later. My advice to other students who need to get visas would be to start the process early and to stay organized from the start!

Since I am a French major, my department is very supportive of my studying in Paris. This makes it especially easy and exciting for me to pick my classes. Although all of my friends at Princeton have already signed up for their fall classes, I will wait to do so during my orientation week in Paris. I’ll take at least two classes at Columbia’s center there called Reid Hall, and the rest will be taken directly at the French universities. So far I’m pretty excited about a sociology course at Paris VII (Denis Diderot) and a few geography classes at Paris IV (the Sorbonne). During orientation week, Reid Hall will also offer a choice of weekend trips for us to travel with the group to places like Brussels, Mont Saint Michel, and the Loire Valley, so stay tuned for which little excursion I decide to take.

Garage sales this summer have left me with plenty of guides to Paris, so I’m spending this last week reading up some on the sites that I should visit and finishing up my packing. I've been advised by my Princeton professors to enjoy the macaroons, and I'm feeling just about ready for the adventure of the fall. I guess it's time that I get back to making sure that my bag is still under 50 pounds!

The other day I walked into work with 66 bananas. Why? Because the night before, the team of people I work with at Guria had rescued 66 people from slavery in a brick kiln, and we were hosting them at our office.

I have had a lot of incredible experiences this year in India, but working at Guria—a non-profit that fights human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation—is hard to top. It has been everything: the hardest part of my experience, the most rewarding, the most frustrating, and the place where I feel most at home.

Guria is less of an organization and more of a family. Ajeet Ji, the founder and director, describes Guria’s approach to fighting human trafficking like raising a child. You don’t look at a child and try to leverage something. You also don’t throw money and projects at a child and yell at it to grow up well so it will impress the donors. You support it from all sides, you listen carefully, you adjust, and you care—a lot. And Guria has never lost the spirit of independent thinking.

This term “thinking independently” is thrown around a lot, but I don’t think I even fully understood what it meant to think independently until meeting Ajeet Ji. It means that you think, you question, you speak out, and you do not waver from what your heart says is right—even if you are completely on your own. Thinking independently also has a lot to do with dreaming: allowing yourself to dream, and never subconsciously limiting yourself to what is usually considered possible.

This is why Guria has such a long list of activities, including : rescue operations, rural village empowerment and non-formal education centers. They don’t care about the number of activities other NGOs are doing, and they have never considered doing something more “reasonable.” Each and every activity on that list has evolved directly from Guria’s 26 years spent integrating into the communities they served, listening attentively, and evolving solutions. The amount of things that Guria does is ridiculous, but when you are working at a place where fighting human trafficking is not just a job but a way of life, anything is possible. 

This past semester, I studied abroad through the Princeton in London program. I took courses at University College London in addition to a Princeton seminar on "Modernist London." I also finished my junior thesis on Jack London's representation of the East End of London in "The People of the Abyss." So you can say my experience was very London-y.

I have many fond memories of my time abroad, but my first trip to the Globe Theatre stands out as one of the most memorable. It was early October, and I had booked a ticket for the second-to-last showing of Julius Caesar. I wanted this day to be an adventure, so instead of taking the Tube to the south bank, I walked.

The two-and-a-half mile journey led straight through the heart of London. Southward I walked past the British Museum, its courtyard packed with visitors and vendors, and the sight of its aged columns reminded me of my previous three visits.

Memories of the grand exhibits inside the colossal building contrasted with the scene before me; the sidewalk was congested with bodies surrounding me and following me as I headed to Oxford Street. Europe's busiest shopping street bathed in sensations. Sound erupted from every open door, exhaust gas filled the air, and shoulders clashed with each step. I headed east with the force of the crowds pushing me along.

Eventually the people scattered as the street merged with High Holborn. Without too many distractions, I now had the opportunity to appreciate the day. The unexpected warmth reminded me of the perpetual summer in South Texas. Cloudless skies allowed light to reflect off the windows towering in the sky. Despite the welcomed weather, the intermittent breezes hinted at an upcoming shift. I ignored the warnings and walked on.

I turned south toward Blackfriar's Bridge with renewed attentiveness. I glanced at the River Thames glittering in the sunlight, and when I turned away I could feel an influx of culture swarm around me. Languages I had never heard before lingered in my head as I passed by individuals rushing to their next task. Then, without warning, the energy permeating London invigorated my legs. I walked faster. But people still passed me, so I quickened my pace, feeling a commonality with the Londoners who sped through the city as if it thrived on a false vitality of fast living. It made me feel empty. After crossing the bridge, the buildings of Southwark seemed to soar above the noise that I now tuned out. It was a silent and slow walk to the Globe Theatre.

Now consider this: A young man soaked in the culture of the Rio Grande Valley now stands in the yard of the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare enthusiasts encircle him, boasting of their learned minds as he remembers his deprivation of theater as an adolescent. He is an outsider, but he does not feel removed.  The energy of the crowd yearning for fulfillment and belonging and oneness fills him with a familiarity that he paradoxically finds in solitude. This true vitality excites the Londoners and foreigners alike, and he revels in it. The energy manifests itself in the play, transferring from actor to audience in a constant flurry that continues from scene to scene, act to act. And when Cassius commits suicide and the once bright day casts rain upon the stage, the energy is not lost but explodes, blurring reality and illusion, until the performance has finished.

How does this make the young man feel? How can he ever explain this experience to others? I thought about it as I gazed at St Paul’s Cathedral while traversing the Millennium Bridge. To this day I agree with my conclusion: it is unexplainable.

Last spring semester, I attended an information session put on by Princeton’s Fellowship Advising about the Rhodes Scholarship. The session described Oxford as a good place for postgraduate study, the Rhodes as a good and prestigious way of supporting that study, and urged attendees not to underestimate their chances of winning. A lab near Oxford is home to some exciting fusion research, so I thought the fellowship might be a good fit for me, and decided to apply.

In early November, I received an email telling me that I had been selected as one of 12 finalists in the Boston region for the scholarship and inviting me to a dinner with the other finalists and the Rhodes committee members on a Friday night, followed by a Saturday interview, after which the winners would be announced. I was thrilled to be invited, and immediately began preparing for the interview and travel to Boston. The Rhodes Trust does not arrange or reimburse travel to the interview, which I found frustrating (last-minute transportation to Boston, plus two nights of accommodations at a hotel close enough to the interview site to arrive at 8 a.m. on Saturday without getting up ridiculously early, plus two sets of business formal clothes for the dinner and interview equal around $700 for a one-sixth chance at the scholarship). However, when I met the other candidates, I realized it could have been a lot worse; at least two of them had flown in from Africa specifically for the interview.

The dinner and the interviews took place at the Beacon Hill mansion of Bruns Grayson, a venture capitalist who is the secretary of the Boston Rhodes committee. Since I was unfamiliar with the neighborhood, I arrived about half an hour early, and waited about 20 minutes in the cold before finally going in. I was still the first to arrive, and was the first to meet the committee members who would interview me the next day. I developed a reputation for being early, which my friends know does not typically describe me.

I wasn’t sure how to behave during the dinner; it isn’t often that I have to eat food with people who are directly competing with me and people who are assessing me. So I set my expectations low: I decided to try not to spill any food. Unfortunately, I failed there, dropping a piece of asparagus that was nearly eaten by the Graysons’ dog. At the dinner, we drew slips of paper to select interview times for the next morning. I was unsuccessful there as well, selecting the earliest interview time, 8 a.m. 

I arrived around 7:40 the next morning, and after a short period of nervous waiting, Bruns Grayson led me to the interview room. About half my questions were relatively easy queries about my background (“Can you give us an overview of fusion research as a whole as you see it?”; “What makes you a good physicist?”; “Can you describe what your role in your co-op is?”) and half were weird philosophical physics questions (“Do you think God rolls dice?”; “Does the field of physics as a whole evolve towards a central goal, or on an ad-hoc basis?”; “Define beauty in physics and in Latin American Studies, then compare the two.”). I am earning a certificate, by the way, in Latin American Studies.

Before the interview, I had been worried about getting quiz-like questions that I couldn’t answer (something like “Who is the American ambassador to Argentina?”), and since I was able to answer all of my interview questions without hesitation, I felt good immediately afterwards. In retrospect, however, I’m not sure what the committee wanted from many of its questions, and thus how well I did; I, for one, have no idea if God rolls dice. Albert Einstein, who was not a believer in the inherent disorder of the universe predicted by quantum mechanics, once famously answered this question in the negative.

After the interviews, all the candidates waited together in the basement of Bruns Grayson’s house while the committee deliberated. This time was in fact one of the most interesting parts of the entire experience, because it revealed the different ways that people deal with stress. Some of the candidates sat alone, others nervously chatted over an Apples to Apples game, and one in particular told a lot of jokes. I was especially grateful for this last candidate, since he helped us all feel more at ease.

After a few hours of increasingly antsy waiting, Bruns Grayson came down to the basement and took us all upstairs, where the committee members named the winners. Those who had lost shook hands with the committee, then exited the house at remarkable speed. I had barely gotten my coat when I realized everyone was already gone.

I was disappointed after learning the committee didn’t select me, in part because of the unique opportunities that the fellowship would have offered me, and in part because of the effort I put into writing my essay, arranging the eight (!) recommendations Princeton’s Fellowship Advising suggests you should get, and preparing for the interview, especially at a time when I could have worked on my thesis or my graduate school applications.

Some people say that the most valuable part of the fellowship application process is what you learn about yourself while writing your essay and coordinating with recommenders, but I don’t think I learned much while I was preparing my application. So I was initially left feeling that I’d put in a lot of work and money for absolutely nothing.

I have been surprised, however, by the many things I have learned (or been reminded of) by losing. One is how random applications like this one can be, a lesson that is perhaps useful for those who are waiting to hear about their college admission applications. I didn’t feel like the committee members knew me well when they made their decision, and I didn’t see a clear reason why they picked the two winners over the many other talented candidates I had met. Who knows what they were looking for in our applications, and what they noticed. 

Other lessons are more personal. In the past few months, I have realized I became too wrapped up in the excitement and prestige of winning the fellowship, and neglected to adequately consider and prepare for the intriguing possibilities available in the United States. I’m now looking forward to deepening my command of physics in graduate school and refocusing myself on science—I think I can actually have a more beneficial and productive experience without the additional networking and dinners that the Rhodes might have entailed. And I have still applied to Oxford as a normal graduate student, so there is still a chance I will get the exposure to UK fusion research that in part inspired me to apply.

As a sophomore, one of the main questions facing me is which academic department I will enter as an upperclassman. Every Princeton undergraduate enters one of the 34 academic departments, almost like choosing a major in most other American colleges. The departments I am considering are physics and mathematics. The choice of a department is very significant for every Princeton student as it determines independent work and courses.

One of the main reasons I am considering physics is my experience working in CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva the past summer. I was working for Prof. Daniel Marlow in Princeton's physics department, and I was advised by David Stickland, a senior researcher at Princeton working on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It was a hugely enticing exposure for me to the field of high energy physics (the physics dealing with extremely high energies and extremely tiny particles), and I have been considering studying physics ever since.

Princeton has a large team at CERN working in many different aspects of the experiment. I was part of a team working on the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment (CMS) in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In the LHC, scientists use extremely powerful instruments to accelerate beams of protons to near-light speeds and collide them at extremely high energies. This enables scientists to study physical phenomena only possible at such high velocities. In the CMS experiment, scientists use large muon chambers to trace the paths of elementary particles, like the Higg's Boson, which was discovered at CERN in 2012 (and which earned Peter Higgs the Nobel Prize the same year).

I was working on developing software tools to help monitor the amount of radiation generated by the collider. The high velocities of protons generate harmful radiation in the LHC tunnels, and work cannot continue on the LHC if there are harmful levels of radiation; thus the levels of radiation must be closely monitored. The software I helped build also tells us the number of collisions per second, a very vital piece of information. The team I worked with recently sent me pictures of my software in usage, and I could see directly how the tools I built were being used in the operation of the LHC.

As exciting and important as my work was, I also attended daily lectures by physicists from universities around the world on a myriad of different fields in physics and computer science. I looked forward to these lectures every morning, and they convinced me that I want to study and understand physical phenomenon better.

I was also able to visit some really amazing experiment sites at CERN, including the four big collision sites where the protons are made to collide, and several smaller experiment sites such as one studying nuclear interactions, one studying antimatter (yes, antimatter), and a linear collider (in contrast to the large circular collider of LHC).

I met lots of awesome people, especially students from around the world, and was able to travel, including a weekend trip to the French Riviera with students I met at CERN. Working at CERN was an amazing experience, and capped off the most perfect summer I could imagine!