Ian Mijael Zang

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zangian@sas.upenn.edu

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My experience studying abroad at Oxford was unique in several ways. I extended my stay (Fall to full-year) and stayed on track to finish two majors, balancing a rigorous curriculum from the University of Pennsylvania with Oxford’s demanding academic standards. I also successfully recruited and kept doing research while abroad. Moreover, as an international student, being abroad felt like a double layer of foreignness, which made adapting both challenging and enriching. Few Penn students were in my program, so I befriended full-time Oxford students and immersed myself in their community. Additionally, I played sports while there.

My Experience Abroad:

I vividly remember touring Oxford as a ten-year-old, picking up a pencil from the street, and, in a moment of childhood determination, promising my mother that I would one day become a student there. It may sound cliché, but that moment was a defining one for me. Years later, when the opportunity arose to pursue my studies at Oxford, it felt like a dream coming full circle. While I initially aspired to join the renowned PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) program, my academic journey took a fascinating turn, opening doors into the realms of Neuroscience and Philosophy.

The tutorial system at Oxford, with its focus on one-on-one interactions with world-class scholars, provided an unparalleled depth of learning. Engaging in highly stimulating discussions with leaders in the field honed my critical thinking and pushed me to explore beyond the surface of complex topics. The rigorous demands—reading well over 500 pages weekly, seeking out additional material, and producing at least two papers or problem sets—were challenging, but they sharpened my ability to contribute thoughtfully to academic discussions.

Beyond the academic rigor, my experience at Oxford expanded my professional horizons, offering insights into what a life in academia or Europe might entail. The contrast between this environment and my experiences in Buenos Aires and the US was striking, providing me with a broader, more global perspective. Oxford’s unique combination of tradition, intellectual rigor, and cultural diversity has profoundly shaped my personal and professional outlook.

Other Highlights:

• Learned to cook from scratch and made every meal.
• Achieved First Class Distinction in advanced coursework at Oxford.
• Worked as a Spanish interpreter for my college.
• Started training for and ran my first half marathon at a highly competitive pace while playing on my college’s soccer and rugby teams.
• Visited over 20 countries.