Recent Stanford Graduate Reminisces

superwizard
Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:51:39 +0000

Hey Everyone,

So I’ve finally ended my Stanford career a couple of days ago when I received my second (and honestly most likely last) degree from Stanford (BS '10 MS '11). Looking back I just wanted to tell all the entering freshman that they should be excited and happy about next year.

My Stanford career wasn’t always the funnest thing in the world (all the problem sets, papers, and exams can get overwhelming at times) but it sure as hell was rewarding. The people Here are just some words of parting wisdom for you young-uns out there:

1- Stanford students study. A lot. It may not appear to be so because they’re doing all these other stuff but they’re studying. Oftentimes its sleep that they’re sacrificing for fun not studying.

2- Definitely try and go abroad. I’m an engineer and I personally did not go abroad. Basically my only regret leaving is that I did not go abroad. By the time I figured it out it was too late and my schedule did not permit me to go abroad. So if you’re an engineer (especially in something as course intensive as chemical engineering) and you want to go abroad, plan early.

3- Thinking about graduate school? Law school perhaps? Look into doing research with a professor. It’s a great way to get to know a professor well and to know more about research in the field you’re interested in.

4- Don’t go in saying you know exactly what you want to major in. You don’t. You’re probably ~18 and while you may have a hunch by no means should you stick to it. The great thing about stanford is that you don’t have to declare until the end of your sophomore year (or actually the beginning of your junior year!) so your freshman year is a good time to try and get a feel for what you might like to do after you graduate. Of course don’t go and take only fuzzy courses your freshman year if you plan on majoring in engineering but you definitely have a good amount of leeway to look around.

5- Join organizations. Really this is straightforward. Stanford kids are a passionate bunch and if you find an organization that you connect with-join it! It’s a great learning experience (especially if you take on a leadership role within the organization later)

6- Don’t freak out about the little things. At the end of your day your ihum paper will not decide your fate in this world so don’t freak out about it. Yes by all means try and maintain a high GPA (important whatever you decide to do later on in life) but don’t spend the whole time freaking out about things that you will forget about in a week. It helps to take some time off during the day and just looking outside and marveling at nature or our buildings (seriously our campus is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. While looking at other schools for my graduate studies nothing held a candle to stanford’s architecture).

I loved my five years at Stanford and I’m sad that it’s over but c’est la vie! Congrats class of '15 and I hope you have a great time at Stanford!