student profiles
Ran Li's Study Abroad Experience
Ran Li is a sophomore Neurobiology Concentrator from Hudson, Ohio. He spent the 2008 summer in Germany with the Harvard Summer School Life Sciences and Culture Program in Bonn, Germany.
"I believe it was the unsought, and unexpected, personal growth that truly made this experience rewarding... In contrast to the ‘Harvard bubble’ and the bubble of my predominantly white, upper middle class hometown, living in Germany was the first time I really had to take care of myself... I had to learn a simple act that millions of people are probably doing at this moment: buying groceries and making my own food, even if it is just sandwiches. Although it may not seem like much, it is only one of the many skills I learned as I truly fended for myself for the first time in my life... I was finally able to get a short glimpse at what real independence is like...it was the testing, and eventual expansion, of my personal limits that proved to be the most indelible experience of my summer."
