The tremendous success of F&M graduates demonstrates the tangible value of an F&M degree. At F&M, we have an exemplary landing rate. Within six months after graduation, 93% of F&M’s Class of 2023 were either employed or furthering their education.

In this series, we check in with members of the Class of 2023 to learn more about their post-graduate path and how their F&M experience launched them toward success.

Raluca Rilla ’23

Major: Cognitive science and psychology

Pursuing: Master’s degree in cognitive systems at the University of Potsdam in Germany

What did the first six months after graduating from F&M look like?

I mostly spent my summer exploring and waiting! Following Commencement, I traveled a bit around the U.S., visiting Virginia Beach and a few canyons out west. After returning to Stuttgart in June, where my family lives, I indulged in quite a few escapades around Germany, Austria, and France, taking advantage of Europe’s affordable and well-connected public transportation system.

In the midst of my summer adventures, my focus shifted toward solidifying the next steps in my academic career. Since master’s degree applications for European programs are only due in the early summer, I got admittance notifications throughout July and August, and only decided on a program in September. I chose to pursue my interests at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and computer science, while expanding my practical and theoretical understanding of state-of the-art artificial intelligence systems and computational data analysis. 

As such, in October, I started a master’s degree in cognitive systems at the University of Potsdam, near Berlin. One of the main goals of the program is to prepare students to carefully analyze the connections and distinctions between humans’ cognitive capabilities and AI systems’ abilities. I was particularly drawn by the program’s project-centric approach, which has not only helped me develop my programming skills, but also has provided me with the right environment to conceptualize and implement interdisciplinary research projects. From designing a sarcasm detector to currently working on an LLM (large language model)-powered dream tracking tool, I have had ample opportunities to draw insights from my training in psychology and philosophy. Just like the Scientific and Philosophical Studies of the Mind Program at F&M, the cognitive systems master’s degree at the University of Potsdam is highly interdisciplinary… and thankfully, it’s also in English! As a complement to my academic endeavors, exploring Berlin’s vibrant culture has been very inspirational and exciting.

How did your F&M experience prepare you for where you are now?

Undeniably, my time at F&M was marked by invaluable experiences, particularly in improving both my independent and collaborative research skills. Witnessing my professors’ attention to detail and their simultaneous consideration of the broader research aim taught me the importance of carefully articulating experimental and theoretical paradigms. I think that this unique blend is what sets F&M apart from other colleges. While I was able to receive the close guidance and mentorship that is typical of liberal arts colleges, I was also lucky to gain a lot of different research experiences that are usually only available at larger universities. What is more, it’s likely that these experiences were altogether more meaningful and informative than at a larger institution. Even as an undergraduate still learning about different methodologies and fields, my feedback and ideas were valued and integrated into ongoing research projects. Without the training and mentorship that I received at F&M, I would not have been as well equipped to study human-AI interaction. While I am still exploring my next steps after my graduation next year, I am certain that the critical thinking skills that I developed at F&M will be indispensable for navigating artificial intelligence research.

“Without the training and mentorship that I received at F&M, I would not have been as well equipped to study human-AI interaction. I am certain that the critical thinking skills that I developed at F&M will be indispensable for navigating artificial intelligence research.”

— Raluca Rilla ’23

How does your current path compare to what you envisioned in your first year at F&M?

At 18, I only knew that what interested me the most was the mind. Being exposed to many different cultures and languages from a young age led me to wonder about the underpinnings of different cognitive and linguistic mechanisms, and before coming to F&M, I assumed that attempting to answer such questions would confine me within the methodologies of a single discipline. But then, my first semester at F&M, aside from my Connections course, I took three courses that fulfilled three different general education requirements, and that were all still somehow related to my major and interests. I specifically remember a day during this first semester when I learned about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in both my linguistics and anthropology classes. I found it very fascinating to see how different disciplines conceptualize and make use of the same theory, but the most exciting part was directly witnessing the connections across disciplines. While I didn’t experience any other coincidences that were as unexpected as studying the same topic on the exact same day in two different classes, I was pleasantly surprised by the exploration of the same topics or concepts from multiple differing perspectives quite often. So, by the end of my first year at F&M, I was determined to maintain the same level of creativity and openness that interdisciplinarity affords in all of my future academic and professional pursuits.

Looking back on your college search, why did you choose F&M?

I chose F&M mostly due to my excitement about the interdisciplinarity of the Scientific and Philosophical Studies of the Mind program. I was very eager to study language and cognition, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach my questions. Seeing the cognitive science curriculum and the existence of Connections courses such as Professor Stephan Käufer’s “Thinking about Seeing” already had me fairly convinced that I wanted to attend F&M even before I met with an admissions officer the November before my first year. During our conversation, the emphasis on the sense of community fostered by the faculty and staff gave me the impression that F&M was the place where I wanted to be. Sure enough, once I got to campus, I took advantage of all of the opportunities that I could: throughout my time at F&M, I was a campus photographer, a Writing Center tutor, a First-Year Advising Mentor, a teaching assistant, a member of the International Student Advisory Board, and a philosophy tutor. Beyond these engagements, I attended many other talks, events, and workshops at places like the Alice Drum Women’s Center or the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House. I absolutely loved the opportunities to meet and interact with people from different backgrounds (and I was a big fan of all of the free food too)! My decision to attend F&M was reaffirmed by all of the possibilities for academic and personal growth.