the scholarship research

today i had a talk with a researcher willing to know more about merit scholarship students, their experience of university education and how it influences their lives and decisions they make. it's always fun to be in the center of positive attention. :-) i am quite surprised how i answered some of the questions; this interview helped me realize how extremely grateful i should be everyday for having such a unique opportunity to study at a good school and graduate without a massive student loan. i even said that sometimes i felt over-privileged with having access to so many different resources, services etc. for little or no money. at the same time, i admitted that during my time in vancouver my main priority was studying and keeping up those grades.. yeah, sometimes, i gotta admit, i was interested in getting an 'a', not learning, discovering something new. fortunately, it wasn't like that with every course i took, but there were some. studying under such a great pressure, also made my community involvement decrease significantly, and only now i can see it. i am willing to win it back in the summer and beyond, when grades will stop being my primary concern. the exchange experience was vital to my mental sanity.. now as i have mentioned couple of posts ago, i am ready to take up new challenges, especially because my graduation date is so close..! i can actually see it coming somewhere in the horizon, but only on a clear day. we haven't had too many of those, but believe me, the view from the top of aq on a sunny day: priceless (as maestro would say). anyhow, i hoped i contributed with my perspective on the scholarship to that research; they promised to send me a report of their work. for now, i am going to eat some lunch with a coffee shop gift certificate i got as a participation incentive.