Kamalini Krishnamoorthy
Graduating Class of 2025
Majoring in Political Science and Legal Studies
Please tell us more about yourself.
Hi there! I'm Kamalini, currently pursuing a double major in Political Science and Legal Studies. You can always spot me around campus with big earrings and way too many rings.
Being interested in the intersection between social advocacy and politics, I actively involve myself with advocacy work. As President of SMU Women's Connection and a student advocate with Voices@SMU, I regularly interact with the SMU body to discuss issues like gender equity and keeping our campus violence-free. Pursuing social sciences has definitely allowed me to gain a better understanding of these very issues, which is the first step to addressing them in the real world.
What made you choose to do a degree in Social Sciences and why choose to do it in SMU?
What attracted me to social science is admittedly what seems to turn many away—the subjectivity and openness to interpretation that comes with social science research and academia. Where the answers provided by "hard" sciences tend to be black and white, social science provides colour and depth when it comes to understanding our world and why societies function the way they do.
I truly appreciate the opportunities SMU offers not only to further our understanding, but also to apply this learning outside of seminar rooms. SMU-X and Social Science Practicum modules involve working with a client or an organisation on a project, truly allowing us to put our theoretical knowledge to the test in the real world, even before stepping into the workforce. SMU's interdisciplinary focus, both within the PPS programme and in guaranteeing a second major, has widened my perspective beyond just the scope of Political Science, my primary major. Analysing how issues in different fields and domains interact and form our everyday experiences has allowed me to truly appreciate their complexity.
Do you have any advice for prospective students who are considering SOSS, SMU?
Follow your interests and listen to your heart! I think taking any course at the university level does require quite a lot from us and sometimes that genuine interest and passion can really keep you going. For those of us coming in without any real social science experience (JC students: GP doesn't count), don't be afraid to freely explore your interests and feel out which path within social science is right for you.