I won the Hanson prize!

No TL;DR this week as it's only a short one!

Last year I took the decision to return to university part-time, studying to be appointed as an Associate of my old college. Last week, I was told I won the academic prize for the year. Here are a few reflections on returning to university after five years away.

Some background. I read Political Economy at King’s College London (KCL) between 2015 and 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed it. At the same time, by the summer of 2018 I was also more than ready to get out into the world and unleash my entrepreneurial spirit.

But after five years away I had begun to miss the process of learning. To an extent, I felt I’d taken it for granted. And most of my learning since graduating has either been utility-driven or completely random. I’d need to know something and I’d learn about it. It was always with a distinct purpose, or tangential to things I was doing. That or I’d lose myself in a rabbit hole on a random subject (that somehow, I must add, would invariably come up in conversation at some point in the following 6 months — Baader-Meinhoff much?). Anyhow, the point here is that my surface area for learning was smaller than I’d have liked it to be.

I wanted to learn about something interesting just for the sake of it.

I’m lucky that KCL still offers its degree from 1833, just years after the college was founded, called the Associateship of King’s College. It’s available for all students both past and present to take. The course load is reasonable and the topics are focused on making the enrolled student embody the universities motto of “with holiness and wisdom”. Theology, ethics, and philosophy infused with current affairs.

Last year I enrolled - the first year’s syllabus promising to cover free speech in the first term and Indian philosophies in the second. Both were engaging, with guest lecturers providing a diversity of perspectives from their respective areas of expertise.

I had told myself that if I was going back to university, i was going to do it properly. The course is pass/fail but I didn’t want to scrape by. If it was worth doing, it was worth doing well.

And that’s what I did. Tackling it alongside a full-time job and other commitments wasn’t easy, and I didn’t have as much time for the essay as I’d have liked, but I was happy with my work. I felt I’d done myself justice, ticked my little mental box for being happy with my effort, and moved on, looking forward to my 2nd year.

Then, shortly after the end of the year, I got pinged by 3 emails in quick succession. The Dean had given me three separate commendations for my work in the first semester, the second semester, and my essay.

That was the cherry on the cake! Or so I thought.

Last week, my partner and I were in Istanbul for a wedding when the concierge team from my apartment back in London texted to say I’d received a package.

Confused, as I wasn’t expecting any deliveries, I asked them to open it. Inside was a letter.

I’d won the academic prize for my essay on free speech. I believe this is known as the Hanson Prize. I promise you, you’re not as surprised as I was.

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little apprehension and sense of intimidation on going back into an academic environment alongside some truly great minds where I’d be judged on my work. But I walked away from my first year having been awarded the academic prize. So, this is to say — if you’re a lifelong learner and craving to learn in a structured way but without a distinct purpose, go for it. It’ll be immensely rewarding, I promise. And even if it’s not, the student discount is great.