If I were a freshman again
By Professor Kunyan Huang from
Medical School of Success University
In 1952, I enrolled at Wellesley College majoring in medicine. There was an article in English which attracted me a lot called If I were a freshman again。 This article is all about the author’s experience in his career life after his graduation. He regard these experiences as some suggestions and standards to evaluate the pros and cons in college education in order to prevent the younger generations from simply making these avoidable mistakes again. It has been 40 years since my graduation from college. In these 40 years, I worked for medical education both at home and abroad. Besides what this article mentioned and warned, what I’ve learned, heard, experienced also taught me a lot and some of which could be helpful to you.
A few days before, two postgraduate students majoring in medicine hurried to my office and asked me that how did I make plans for my life after hearing my speech at Success University. My answer was: I’ve never carefully planned for my life. I wasn’t determined to be a doctor and also had no preparation to enter the field of academic research and never thought about becoming a professor in Washington, let alone founding a medical school or be a headmaster in Success University! When I was at your age in the study time at college, though I have no clear definition of being an intellectual I just had a dream to be an intellectual one day. I also though about being a teacher might be a good choice because I’d like to share what I’ve learned with others. To put it in another way, being a good intellectual is the basis of being a qualified teacher. Only by this way can I teach others and guide others, so the two goals share some common grounds. To be a knowledgeable intellectual is my only life plan.
However, we have to five the word “intellectual” a definite definition first. Does it refer to those who have certain knowledge? If so, it would be too easy to be intellectuals. In the past, when there is no modern technology and science, those honorable ancient intellectuals with no knowledge of computer science and digital technology were no longer the so-called intellectuals. Therefore, it’s obvious to see that the essential part of being an intellectual is the possession of wisdoms. What is wisdom? Wisdom is about logics, care, morality, value, humanity, courage, integrity and so forth. It’s the combination of every part of spiritual life. Wisdom can produce proper values toward life. It can influence one’s judgment to tell the right from wrong. The ability to judge and the quality of one’s judgments are the standards to judge whether a person has wisdom or not. There is a long gap between wisdom and knowledge, so professional knowledge has nothing to do with wisdom. After all, the difference between intellectuals and non-intellectuals is all about wisdom. If one can not find the meaning of things, can not recognize the excellence, can not be brave to promote humanity and justice, no matter how knowledgeable one is in one’s professional field, he or she remains uncultivated and lack of refinement and his or her knowledge in particular field would just be a waste or be used in a wrong way or even be harmful to peoples’ benefits. After all, professional knowledge is all about training, not about education. College is a cradle of intellectuals. Undergraduates should be equipped with the enlightenments of proper education and wisdoms rather than too early and over specialization. Specialization is what should be applied in graduate school.
Therefore, if I were a freshman again, I would put this principle in the grip of my hand and never loose my hand. I would systematically read a lot of useful books which has nothing to do with my major because they are the nutrition to inspire my future wisdom. Like what happens in chemistry, our wisdom need to be inspired by reading a variety of books in colleges.
If I were a freshman again, I would be active to form a habit of observing things and the ability to be free to imagine. To make this happen, I would ask my self a lot of questions like “why?” and “why not?”.
If I were a freshman again, I would look up to a role model as a standard of human and wisdom. This would stimulate my efforts and help me to reach the goal with less strength.
If I were a freshman again, I would develop a historic outlook, especially the history of my major. Through this, I can be one inevitable stream in the ocean of history.
If I were a freshman again, I would try my best to master Chinese and a foreign language because language is the key to study and the door to the world. In the 21st century, we have to be a citizen in the world village, a real international person.
The main target of college education is the foundation of making intellectuals instead of producing technology experts. The deeper the foundation is, the better students will be. The things on it is one’s career which need you to build it up brick by brick. So through college education, what we should learn is the method to self study and discover new knowledge instead of being drown in the sea of knowledge. Only these efforts can make us enjoy the identity of a genuine intellectual for a lifelong time. In another word, be a man of culture, then of knowledge.