I think, therefore …
Justin added philosophy to his religion major because the two go hand in hand. After graduating from Northwestern, he plans to attend seminary—Trinity Graduate School or Princeton are his top choices. Eventually he would like to get a doctoral degree in either theology or philosophy and teach at a college like his alma mater. In addition to playing intramural sports and spending quality time with friends, Justin works for the audiovisual department and earns money running sound for various college events.
Like-minded
I chose Northwestern because of its strong commitment to academics as well as students. I love the community I’ve experienced here. I felt that connection on my first visit to Northwestern. The professors have a genuine interest in getting to know their students. I’m constantly eating with a prof or sitting in their office. Sometimes I think I spend more time with my profs than my girlfriend!
Philosophical foundations
As a religion major, when I began studying the great theologians from Augustine to Aquinas, I realized they gained much of their education from thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. This fascinated me, and I wanted to know what they knew. Since then, my mind has been greatly expanded because of the excellent education provided by our philosophy professors.
Intelligent faith
For an entire semester in my Philosophy of Christianity class, we discussed the importance and function of the soul. I never realized how much influence Plato and Aristotle had on our theology until I took that class. That symbiosis between theology and philosophy is a perfect example of why I love philosophy.
Wisdom
If I ever get the chance to become a professor, I know my philosophy major will greatly help with my training of the next generation of students. Many of my own generation forget about the philosophies of the past. Instead, they focus on their own thoughts and motives. But those same thoughts and motives have been experienced by the great philosophers. If I can share what I’ve learned about philosophy with my students, I know I’ll have positively impacted the next generation.
