Because Principia is small, your education is yours to claim. It’s yours to shape and drive. Principia students are engaged with their learning. They’re held accountable for their thinking. They make things happen. But they are not alone. Experiential education is one way this happens, and opportunities abound to experience firsthand what you are learning at Principia. Hike a steep ravine tracking wildlife, wade for mussels in the Mississippi River, race a solar-powered car across the country or on the other side of the world, recommend new buying practices to Dining Services based on research done in the community, teach in a local elementary school, drive to St. Louis for Model United Nations, plan and run the annual Pan African Conference or Public Affairs Conference, or cover a national election on campus TV. What are you interested in? You choose. What questions drive you? |
“If there is anything you want to do here, you pretty much can,” says Iain Bruce, a senior physics and mathematics double major. Frisbee, rugby, going to Grafton to hang out at Beyond the Bubble, or renting a kayak or teepee (yes, teepee). Here’s a brief introduction to Iain: “Right now I’m from Scotland. I was born in South Africa and raised in Namibia, where my dad was manager of a game reserve. So I’m an African living in Scotland who goes to school in America. I am going back to the U.K. after I graduate to do graduate studies for my master’s in mechanical engineering.”
Iain loves the liberal arts aspect of Principia. “You would be surprised how much it all fits together,” he says. “I took a philosophy course and found that the way you learn to think as a physicist and the way you think as a philosopher go hand in hand. Also, learning to write in English class helps out in physics and math all the time, just being able to get your thoughts out in the right order. It’s good to learn about other aspects of life, not just your major.” Meanwhile, Iain is in an aeronautical engineering class for his physics major and gearing up for his fourth Principia rugby season. He’s a captain and assistant coach for the club team. “Because we’re a smaller school, everybody gets a chance to play, and a lot of people who are scared to do it or think that they can’t, find out that they’re actually good at it.” |
