You are water; find where your downhill is.
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
2010s
Overall high school experience
9/10. I did really well in school and in my extracurriculars, which included music, competitive math and science, and research. I also made a lot of lifelong friends with my peers and teachers, and consistently had fun being with them and hanging out with them. The one area I struggled with was talking to girls, though.
Grades in high school
Mostly A's. All A's and A+'s, with only 1 A- (AP English senior year, first semester). A+'s in science and math classes.
Favorite subjects
Computer Science / Engineering / Technical, Foreign Language, Math, Performing Arts, Science
Struggled with...
I didn't really struggle that much in school. The things I was most afraid of were arbitrary grading standards on essays (which mostly occurred in English classes) that could threaten my straight-A average.
Favorite extracurricular
Competitive Mathematics and Science Olympiads
Life since high school
“ I expected college to be the same as high school academically (basically me cruising through classes while doing tons of extracurriculars). It turned out to be a personal struggle with young adulthood and lack of motivation, as well as poor sleeping habits, relationship issues, and lots of soul-searching for what I want to do with my life.”
Attended college / university at
Stanford University
Majored in
Majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.
Post-graduate education or training
None yet, but graduate school planned.
Places lived in US
California
Places lived outside the US
Study abroad in Japan
Current occupations / past occupations
Have not been employed or volunteered in any significant capacity.
Industries I've worked in
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (e.g. Law, Accounting, Interior Design, Graphic Design, R&D, PR, Advertising, etc.)
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
College has surpassed my expectations completely. I expected college to be the same as high school academically (basically me cruising through classes while doing tons of extracurriculars). It turned out to be a personal struggle with young adulthood and lack of motivation, as well as poor sleeping habits, relationship issues, and lots of soul-searching for what I want to do with my life.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
My desired career trajectory hasn't really changed, except for the fact that I want to spend some more time doing art and music for a while instead of going straight to work or to grad school.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Living a life that you truly believe in. Feeling like you can justify your life decisions to yourself (and not worrying about justifying them to others).
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to define success relative to other people, or inferred it from what others told me (with and without words). In particular, I valued self-sufficiency, high achievement with low effort, physical perfection, and charisma/influence over others.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
My greatest accomplishment to date has been navigating a study abroad experience where I was forced to go far outside my comfort zone and recognize my shortcomings. I learned that in order to succeed, I will sometimes need others, and that asking for help is a sign of self-confidence and strength, and not of weakness.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
My biggest regret is not asking for help in a class in which I was struggling, but that thought "I should be doing well" in. I ended up having to take an incomplete (instead of failing, thanks to the generosity of my professor). I learned that failure is not being inadequate, but more about being unwilling to accept change and move forward despite adversity.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
My girlfriend of 2 years fell in love with someone else. I realized I had been neglecting myself and had been depending on her love and affection to maintain my self-esteem. After that, I resolved to be more self-loving and driven, to be more generous with others and to recognize the generosity of others. I also learned that intimate relationships are not bullet points to keep on your "mental resume. Relationships are constantly changing connections that one should treasure and maintain with care.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Sushi House, Town and Country
