Interviews with current and former ambitious Stanford students: “What you’ll wish you’d known”
Recent graduate
What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I’d spent all the time I spent starting a club in freshman fall quarter on self-reflection instead.
I wish I’d been more intentional and explicit about finding “my people” earlier on.
What would you change/stop?
I’m glad I joined a sorority, even if I didn’t find my people there.
Ideally I wouldn’t have been in a relationship for all four years, I think I would’ve learned more about myself that way.
What are you glad you did?
Really glad that freshman year I didn’t care about taking classes for any major, and specifically that I took a ton of random upper level classes.
Recent graduate
What do you wish you’d done more of/taken more seriously?
Taken more introsems.
Reading books earlier on, perhaps.
What would you stop?
Been more long term oriented and a planned/thought a little more when it came to dating — I lucked into something great, but had no way to guarantee luck was on my side, and only now do I realize the gravity/insane importance of who you end up with long term. Don’t rely on luck like I did.
Wish I’d started doing
Met more people in the PhD departments, law school, and GSB.
Read three books earlier on — Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Principles by Ray Dalio, and Sapiens (though Sapiens wasn’t yet released). Also if I’d read ‘The Sovereign Individual’ earlier it would’ve made it much easier to want to buy more bitcoin when the price was super low, heh.
What are you glad you did?
Took class in the GSB in freshman year. Took a few d.school classes early on.
Glad I didn’t put much effort/time into classes/skipped lectures.
Identified a group of people I admired freshman year and convinced them all to live/draw together with me for sophomore year.
Read hundreds of books in junior year.
Took a super light course load freshman fall, and just hung out in my dorm with people.
Lived in a dorm that threw a bunch of parties in the first few weeks (then we basically stopped) — met lots of people.
Didn’t do a regular internship freshman summer, just built things and met people.
Built lots of small things (mainly websites) freshman and sophomore year.
Current undergrad
What do you wish you’d done more of/taken more seriously?
Certain aspects of classes. Not necessarily trying harder on tests, but maintaining a routine cycle, having a few hours each day allocated to classes and then moving onto more important things, as opposed to staying up late at night to get things done.
Wish I read more. Specifically books. Also good online content.
What would you stop?
Wish I’d stopped caring about what other people thought. e.g. What others thought of the fraternity I joined, or what other people thought of me. Was a waste of energy.
Wish I’d started doing
Wrote thank you notes more often.
What are you glad you did?
Keep building things! But try and extend the knowledge further and further. Work with new people, use a new technology, try a new way of doing PR on the project, etc.
Hosting parties, especially the first few weekends. And then help lots of people meet each other with introductions (at the party and outside the party). That’s the only reason I know anyone outside of my major and dorm.
Current undergrad
What do you wish you’d done more of/taken more seriously?
Developed principles that I care about and be intentional about finding people who fit those. I didn’t do this until winter and spring quarter, and spent time in friendships that were with people who did not share core values of mine.
Corollary — I wish that I had not overestimated serendipity in meeting people. Many people at Stanford do this. Don’t be afraid to form friendships both inside and outside of Stanford intentionally — asking people to coffee to learn more about them isn’t a bad thing (even though common perception is that this = networking).
Wish I’d started doing
Took walks more often
Called home more often
What are you glad you did?
Reaching out to a bunch of upperclassmen asking for advice. I built a lot of solid relationships that way and found a lot of good friends that way