Today is my first meeting in class with the new students of the 2026 cohort (freshmen) at the University of North Sumatra. Before me were young, cheerful faces, full of enthusiasm and carrying so many hopes as they entered a new academic world. They came with experiences as high school students, but today they began stepping into a different world: the world of higher education, where they are no longer simply expected to follow what has been determined for them, but are beginning to learn how to determine their own direction.
Entering university means entering a new space of freedom. In the context of an individual, freedom means having the liberty to think, speak, choose, and act responsibly.
This idea is consistent with Jean-Paul Sartre’s (1943) concept of freedom, which emphasizes that “human freedom is always connected to responsibility for one’s choices.” Freedom, therefore, is not simply about having many choices, but about having the courage to make choices and the willingness to accept the consequences of those choices.
At university, freshmen do not only learn about knowledge and academic subjects; they also learn how to become individuals who are capable of making decisions, managing their time, facing failure, and taking responsibility for the process they undertake. They are also free to choose the competencies, experiences, organizations, activities, and fields they wish to develop according to their interests and future goals.
Students now have greater freedom to pursue knowledge, not only from lecturers and classrooms, but also from books, journals, technology, society, personal experiences, and various academic disciplines. They also begin to learn to free themselves from dependence: not always waiting to be instructed, not always waiting for answers from lecturers, and not always looking for the easiest path. Academic freedom requires initiative, curiosity, and the courage to seek answers independently.
Freedom and Responsibility
However, academic freedom is not freedom without limits. The greater the freedom one has, the greater the responsibility one must bear. In an increasingly multidisciplinary world, the boundaries between academic fields are becoming more open.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also emerged as a learning tool that can help students learn, explore ideas, and develop knowledge. Freshmen are free to use AI, but they must continue to think critically, verify the accuracy of information, maintain academic integrity, and take responsibility for every piece of work they produce. AI can assist students in learning, but AI is not responsible for their academic assignments. The students themselves are responsible.
They are free to determine their own ways of learning, but they are responsible for achieving their ultimate goal: completing their undergraduate education. Today, they are no longer simply students who learn because someone else tells them what to do. They are beginning to become university students who are capable of managing themselves.
Perhaps this is the true meaning of freedom in the academic world: being free to learn, free to think, and free to explore, while remaining responsible for one’s choices and future.
Welcome to the academic world.
Welcome to a broader space where you can dream, learn, ask questions, try new things, and even fail and rise again. Be students who are free in thought, broad-minded in learning, wise in using technology, and steadfast in embracing responsibility.
Because ultimately, freedom is not about how many things we are able to do, but about how wisely we use the freedom we have to determine who we are and where we choose to go.