Alexander Russell
MPhil in Political and Economic Sociology 2016-2017
I am now back in the US after having turned in my dissertation on June 9. My last few weeks were mostly spent writing, and my transition to the US has been abrupt as I start work in New York City on June 19. I hope this paper articulates the start of my introspection on the special year I had at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Among its many benefits, the Scholarship offers a fantastic opportunity for cultural diffusion between the US and UK. I have now experienced the classic American university experience at Virginia and the traditional British experience at Trinity. I’d like to think I have both incorporated the strengths of the British and imparted the strengths of the American. Not only did I learn a lot in my formal studies for my MPhil in Political and Economic Sociology, but I also learned informally from immersing myself within the Trinity College environment. This informal learning is where the diffusion occurred and where I could notice the subtler differences between being a student in the US and the UK. For example, from the beginning I learned that the unstructured nature of graduate life at Cambridge would mean more freedom and flexibility but more personal accountability. In the US, group work, class participation, and constant grading pushed students to stay on-top of their studies. In the UK, the responsibility fell on me to make the most of my MPhil, and I applied this same proactive outlook to life at Trinity in which I tried to take advantage of the multitude of events and opportunities.
Some of my favourite aspects of Trinity had to do with the tradition of the place. Although Virginia is proud of its Jeffersonian tradition, and rightly so, nothing in America can compare to Cambridge’s or Trinity’s history.
Walking the same paths as Newton, Byron, Rutherford… all in a place created by Henry VIII is inspiring. If Trinity’s ability to inspire ever waned, I would be reminded of it whenever friends or family visited and were awe-struck at their first sight of the Great Court.
I also benefited from the resources that Trinity and the Scholarship provided. I was able to travel across Europe during both of the academic breaks to engage in research on the Sharing Economy (i.e. firms like Uber and Airbnb). These financial resources also allowed me to partake in many formals at Trinity and formal swaps to other colleges – I tried to go to every swap that I could and really enjoyed experiencing the different characters of all of the colleges. I did a swap to Oxford to Trinity’s “sister college”, Christchurch, which was great fun. I will also always remember the Commemoration of Benefactors Dinner at Trinity during Lent term, which I was invited to because I was on a Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship. The night perfectly encapsulated Trinity and proud British traditions – I will never forget the Trinity choir singing the national anthem and then raising our glasses “To the Queen.”
The Scholarship made me better versed in British society overall. I do aim to live abroad in the UK or Europe again one day and now know more about what to expect within and outside of Cambridge life (i.e. the class system’s outsized role in the UK compared to in the US).
Finally, I want to stress the importance of the transatlantic network that this Scholarship provides. Students, professors, alumni, and others involved in the Scholarship on both sides of the pond will only strengthen their relationships as the Scholarship continues with each passing year. I have had great pleasure in helping next year’s Scholar from Trinity to Virginia, Tommy de la Hunty, acquire a prestigious “Range room” at Virginia and have enjoyed connecting him to former Virginia professors of mine. Each year we will learn more about how Scholars can get the most out of their experience. When they do graduate, they will be more well-rounded business leaders as the Scholarship intends and will have a network of Scholars with shared experiences for the rest of their lives.
I have had a transformative year at Trinity College, Cambridge. I am forever grateful to the Anton E.B. Schefer Foundation and those who supported me with the Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship.
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