Senior Reflections: Alexander Cragg

As graduation quickly approaches, the College of Business will feature a new senior blog post each week. Our inaugural post is from Alex Cragg.  Alex is majoring in business administration and plans to attend graduate school for his MBA degree.

There’s a science in everything

Alex Cragg

Alexander Cragg ’17

It absolutely astonishes me how much we know about the natural world.  The way we have evolved, not just physically, but in our capacity to reason and understand what’s around us is staggering, and there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling.  The immensity of the universe can often make one feel small and inconsequential, but the silver lining for me is that there’s simply so much out there to be gained – in knowledge, and in ability.

When I began college in 2013, I hadn’t the slightest clue about where I wished to go afterwards, much less what I would major in.  All I knew was that I never wanted to stop learning, so keeping an open mind and a variety of options seemed essential.  It eventually became clear that the place I’d be able to further develop the critical thinking and analytical skills so important to success was the College of Business at UMW.  Of course, there are disciplines of all kinds that intrigue me, but I believe my way of thinking is most congruous with the standards and success factors of prudent business administration.

I’ve also begun to recognize the value that a liberal arts education has in this framework.  To me, the process of becoming adept in liberal arts such as mathematics, philosophy, and most importantly, science, is essential to having a healthy mind that never stops flourishing.  This is what I think sets a degree in business from a liberal arts school apart from any others.  Others might ask me (and often have) why I settled with a business degree when I’m so fascinated by all the different branches of science and things like philosophy or math.  Well, as many would agree, the study of business goes beyond just management or making money.  Business teaches the importance of learning, collaborating, and innovating, things that we’ve appeared to be straying further and further from, despite our great propensity to progress.

I believe business is concerned with taking what we know about the world and each other to greater heights – to make sense of everything around us so that we may advance as a species.  It isn’t enough to just know.  The only way the world can become a better place is if we take what we know, and get to work.

Alexander Cragg ’17

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