What I wish I could tell my freshman self

Stanford teaches you a lot of lessons in four years. Every day, I freak out a little bit more that my years here are reaching an end. But for the freshman class, and the incoming class of 2020, these years are just beginning. If you are a senior, you know that you have learned a lot, and you have changed immeasurably in the past four years.

But, if you’re someone who has the rest of your time at Stanford spread out in front of you, get excited! The best times are ahead, and there will be so much you will get to learn.

There’s no one right way to do Stanford. Stanford can teach you a LOT of crazy stuff, and every person’s unique experience offers so many different perspectives and revelations. So, I asked a few seniors, if they were to give one piece of advice to their freshman self, what would it be? Here are a few nuggets of wisdom to reflect on, or take with you as you get to experience the rest of your crazy whirlwind Stanford adventure.

Stanford isn’t just about Stanford, it’s about being young. Take the time to get off campus and explore, and pop the bubble. Study abroad. Go visit your family. It might be 4 years of college, but its also 4 years of life, and that encompasses so many experiences and will give you so many memories

-Maggie M.

It is not necessarily the people at Stanford that are important, but the people you keep throughout. Risk your comfort for those relationships. On a related note, answer your damn phone! Your mother is calling.

-Dylan D.

It’s okay to not have it all planned out. Life is not a math problem that only has one right answer, but as a book, not yet finished, and certainly always changing, but that is so much more engaging, complicated, challenging, and rewarding than the textbook answer I thought I would be leaving with. And perhaps most significantly, Stanford has taught me one of life’s most important lessons: that at the end of the day, it is not the things you do, but the person you are, that really counts.

-Nicolle R.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Raise your hand and speak your mind. Nobody is judging you for not knowing the answer – they’re appreciating the fact that you want to learn.

-Katie K.

Just let life happen. Don’t try to force it.

-Nick P.

Take classes outside of your comfort zone and that challenge you to think in new ways. The classes that I have taken in my senior year have been so much more rewarding once I started doing that! Also, don’t get caught up in FOMO; it’s more important to do what is going to make you happy than what makes other people happy. And walk instead of bike! It takes longer but it allows you to bump into friends, slow down a bit and really appreciate campus.

-Ashley W.

Don’t wish the time away! People are always looking forward to what’s next, but it’s so important to enjoy the moment, even when it’s hard.

-Hannah K.

Write down your favorite conversations. And don’t care so much about grades.

-Charli K.

Invest in people.  Stanford is full of incredibly gifted and thoughtful people, and you would be an idiot to miss out on a chance of getting to know someone here. Be open to rejection and failure.  Stanford is full of extremely competitive people in all spaces.  Learning to grow from failure and rejection will help you become a better person at Stanford.

-AJ R.

Don’t get wrapped up in doing things you think you should be doing instead of things you want to be doing, and don’t be afraid to be selfish and put yourself first every now and then. This is your four years.

-Carolyn W.

Don’t forget, you are good at what you do.

-Austin C.

Stop asking yourself if you measure up. Everyone has a different experience here, none of whose reflect on the value of yours. Never let comparison rob you of the joy of your own experience at Stanford.

-Me