Meet our July graduates: Jacob Mimilidis

A love of poetry led Jacob Mimilidis to a Bachelor of Arts degree, where he found inspiration from his English and philosophy lecturers. 

What degree have you just completed? 

I’ve just completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and Philosophy. 

How did you choose this degree?

When I first started at ANU in 2004, I was unclear on my end goal so I ended up deferring my study after two years. I came back in 2009 to study on a part-time basis while working full-time. I knew that I wanted to study and graduate at ANU.

The Bachelor of Arts turned out to be an ideal degree for me because it allowed me to test my mind on a range of subjects I am interested in. For example, I majored in English largely because I was good at it at college and I especially enjoy poetry. I majored in philosophy because I enjoy thinking deeply about things and reviewing classical thought and historically important theories. I also studied psychology, initially intending to pursue this as an out of faculty major. In the end, I decided not to major in this as I didn’t have the science backing for it, but what I learned from my studies in psychology has been useful in my work and in my arts subjects.

What did you enjoy most about studying at ANU?

I love the beautiful ANU campus and the libraries. I enjoyed the open-mindedness of people in my tutorials and learnt a lot about critical and analytical thinking. I felt in tutorials I was encouraged to form sound arguments for my views and to communicate my ideas clearly and effectively. In my view it was a risk free and respectful environment for this kind of development.

Do you have any favourite or standout courses?

I enjoyed all my philosophy courses that Professor Jeremy Shearmur convened, especially Theories of Ethics. Jeremy has a real knack for challenging you to think deeply and critically to form solid views and ideas. I enjoyed Social Psychology too.

Easily my favourite course during my studies though was Introduction to Poetry with the late Professor Iain Wright, which I did in 2004. I already was passionate about poetry before attending ANU and Professor Wright gave me an even better appreciation for poetic devices, themes, subtext and the impressive power of words generally. Professor Wright also had a knack for challenging your understandings of things. I’m sure my studies at ANU and these two academics’ influence in particular have improved my ways of thinking.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out at university?

In everything you do, think hard about what your ideal outcomes and end goals are. Actually, in general, think about things beyond the superficial. Be curious and seek understanding.

What do you plan on doing now that you’ve finished your degree?

Work, travel and be great... and fight off this caffeine addiction from many late nights studying at Chifley Library.