'Being in intimate contact with nature breeds a reflective mood'

Angelo Chan Borges

Philosophy
Macao, China

Why did you choose Cornell?

One of my reasons for choosing Cornell is its natural scenery. Of course, Ithaca is gorgeous, but I also find that being in intimate contact with nature breeds a reflective mood. That is why I think Cornell provides an attractive intellectual environment in which one often finds oneself to be reflecting on what one has learned. 

What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?

Some of the most valuable skills I have learned are the ability to think critically and the ability to communicate ideas clearly with one's interlocutor. The latter ability might sound trivial at first, but one learns to appreciate how important it really is when one engages in topics of much intricacy.

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?

I do not strictly have an extracurricular activity since giving up debate. But I do spend much of my time outside of study engaged in interesting discussions and arguments with friends in a casual setting, where our goal is to simply discover some truth or to otherwise reconcile our conflicting beliefs by pinpointing where we have been talking past each other. 

If you were to offer advice to an incoming first year student, what would you say?

Good things take time. School might seem hard at first, or you might not feel like you are totally compatible with your group of friends. But down the road, if you have put in the effort, you will definitely meet the people you want to meet and generally be where you want to be.

Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series. Read more about the Class of 2021.