Listen to the Voices of Our Students Themselves

I think the fact that we do not get a grade for TRACE is positive, because a grade can hinder a truly transformative, learning experience. I think sometimes students get so bogged down by trying to do “the right thing” and “what the professor wants” that we don’t have enough time to truly get entrenched in the material. Without the pressure of a letter grade, I was able to let my mind wander and grapple with topics to a greater extent and depth that I have never experienced before. – Peter Kim

I think for me the most important thing is how to learn something for its own sake, rather than its extrinsic purpose, like grades. Receiving a certificate gives me the recognition of putting effort into something I’m passionate about, and makes me reach the full potential without worrying about getting the credits. So, I can engage myself in a way that I can never do otherwise — have amazing and deep discussions with people through all the topics, and I believe this is the beauty of learning. –Joey Ye

Too many times in college, I have become aware of the fact that the stress of making a certain grade in a class prevents me from actually enjoying the material and even truly learning. Gaining a certificate allows for more freedom in non-traditional teaching such as the experiential learning that we go through on TRACE, and it is so much more conducive to learning and made me deeply interested in the material. It was learning like I’ve never experienced before because I was able to enjoy myself without being stressed over grades. Another pro about the certificate is that it is really unique to have, and I feel that it makes me stand out as a future medical school applicant. – Francesca Rossi

When my friend and I play soccer for fun, we use more fancy dribble skills, make more amazing long shots, and feel happier. The reason is we only focus on soccer itself, never thinking about elimination, group ranking, points, etc. Similarly, when there’s something other than the study itself (like grades, competition, and performance as well) that we think about, we won’t be able to contribute more creative ideas and think in uniquely logical ways. –Claude Hu

Other Comments:

The TRACE program gave me time, opportunity, and knowledge to orient myself. Without those 6 weeks, I don’t think I’d be working as passionately as I am in the field I love. –Eva Kuzyk

I felt an imperative urge, after this trip, to read more classics and think more over what is going on in the society that I’m experiencing. This trip has significantly changed my view of what a journey should look like in contrast to general traveling. I just realized how speechless and incapable of expressing myself when standing before a historic site without knowing too much about the history, art and philosophy. I wasn’t serious about going to medical school until the summer ended, because it’s only after a significant amount of time and reflection upon what I have experienced in the trip have I realized more health-related issues that I want to be involved in solving; the curiosity of questioning healthcare/hospitality and social problems in general has opened a gate of humanities pursuit in my mind and shifted my interest in understanding why the problems occur and how to accept/deal with them, so I’m also serious in considering a double major in humanities fields. – JOE