Dear Undergraduate.
It’s a cold world out there.
It’s brutal, unforgiving, and fiercely competitive
The world will not wait for you
And nobody is coming to save you
You can’t afford to be mediocre or average
You have to outwork everyone
Do just enough to get good grades
But focus on the more important things — building meaningful networks and connections, solving interesting problems, gaining practical/real-world experience, taking on leadership roles, engaging in extracurricular activities that expand your bandwidth, and making a positive impact on yourself and your society.
Everything else is probably BS!
Don’t put yourself in a box
Get out of your comfort zone, now
Try a lot of things until you figure out what really works for you
Don’t every stop trying
Life is not linear too
Embrace the chaos, the uncertainty, the unknown
That’s where you will find your magic
The quality of your life depends on the quality of the decisions you make
The effect of these decisions compound
Make sure you get a mentor who can coach you from the start
And help you filter the noise
Be proactive in seeking guidance
Remain humble, teachable, and open to feedback
Protect your reputation
It might haunt you in the future
Don’t burn bridges unnecessarily too
Always be at peace with all men
Everyone has a role to play in your story
Life is hard
Work really hard, and focus on what you can control
You may (will) get punched along the way
(I received a couple of punches too)
Remember to always get up quickly
Protect your mind and don’t let setbacks define your self-worth or affect you mentally
Life is suffering
Do things that increase your pain tolerance
You need to be well equipped to face tomorrow’s (inevitable) struggles
Your time is precious, friend
(I hope you don’t waste it like I did)
No Regrets!