Description: In this second part of my interview with Seth, he shares facts about Brown and his horrible freshman year experience from lack of transparency with money and Brown removing the entire fall semester.
Listen to the episode:
Part 1 is here.
Transcript
Kamila
How was Brown handling COVID? Do you think?
Seth
Yeah, I mean.
Kamila
Bad job?
Seth
In my opinion, they did a pretty bad job if I’m being honest like they it was really really I think.
Seth
Especially with finances, there’s like no transparency.
Kamila
Well OK, so you got into brown.
Kamila
Now let’s go into the college portion.
Seth
Yeah, sure.
Kamila
You are only a sophomore and your freshman year was.
Kamila
A COVID year.
Seth
Yeah, very under.
Kamila
Away much less eventful than it would have been if.
Kamila
It was normal so.
Kamila
Let’s yeah we can walk through the process first, tell us about Brown as like a school.
Kamila
Where is it located?
Kamila
It’s obviously obviously an Ivy, so it’s like very famous, but are there any like special programs or majors that brown is like famous?
Kamila
For and yeah, just tell us about Brown as a school.
Seth
Yeah, so Brown is in Providence RI.
Seth
Uhm, which is like a pretty small city in the northeast and.
Kamila
Yeah, what is there to do in brown like I visited the campus?
Kamila
I didn’t do like an official tour or anything so I did.
Kamila
I probably didn’t see all of it like, but what do you do when you’re at brown like what is there to do around there?
Seth
Honestly, like there’s not a lot most most of the eventful things people do are not in Providence, so.
You can.
Seth
Like take a 45 minute train around to Boston. That’s a lot of fun.
Seth
If you were like an hour South.
Seth
You can go to the beach.
Seth
City itself, I mean.
Seth
There’s like there’s some like.
Seth
It’s known for Italian food, so that’s pretty good, but it’s not a super eventful city like I had a few friends from home visit and like I was just like do you want to give them all?
Seth
Like I there’s like not a lot to do, so it’s not a big city, but it’s not like Middle Miller either.
Seth
Like there’s places close by that I think are pretty exciting to go to.
Seth
Uhm, so yeah, that’s that’s what I would say, but a lot of the obviously a lot of the real life there is going to be like in on campus because that’s kind of it’s.
Seth
Kind of a bubble.
Seth
Uh, there.
Kamila
OK I keep going till you can mention the open curriculum.
Seth
Yeah, yeah so.
Seth
So I guess Brown’s philosophy is like no core requirements.
Seth
Uhm, like basically all you have to show.
Seth
Obviously you have to, you know your major.
Seth
You have to fulfill their requirements and you also have to take two writing costs throughout your folders just to show that you’re proficient at reading.
Seth
And honestly, the library writing classes are not even like particular like you have.
Seth
Like a few three page essays.
Seth
It’s not.
Seth
Uhm, it’s not.
Kamila
So selling ******** 20 page essay class.
Seth
No, like it’s not like you have to take like an English like advance.
Seth
No, it’s nothing like that, just there.
Seth
And there’s so many classes that fulfill that requirement to like it’s not like English like I took, I filtered the spring by taking it philosophy class so.
Seth
Yeah, so that’s really all there is in terms of comments like, that’s one advantage really like because if you are really not sure about what you want to do you like, you know, other schools.
Seth
It’s like you gotta commit freshman year.
Seth
Like you know, especially if you’re like engineering or something like that.
Seth
You gotta.
Seth
In early, but with balance like you know, you can spend a year.
Seth
You can spend your freshman year like just taking eight completely unrelated classes.
Seth
And you don’t have to do it.
Kamila
Well tell us tell us what you did, how did you go about like choosing the classes?
Kamila
If there was no requirement?
Seth
Yeah, so I like.
Seth
I mean, I was like pretty set on math econ.
Seth
Actually when I got in so I was like I took some math but like I I wasn’t like pressed to like take all math because I’m not mean I’m not going to take four math classes or like 4 math and ECON classes for long.
Seth
But also it’s like you know I’ll just like really.
Seth
Focus on things I’m interested in, so I took this philosophy class that was.
Seth
Like oh, this sounds cool.
Seth
I took I was taking a math class.
Seth
I took an economics class and I was like I also like.
Seth
I knew nothing about computer science, so I was like I’m thinking intro computer science class and that’s actually how I got into.
Seth
Math and computer science.
Seth
’cause I was like wow, this is like I really like this a lot more like my economics class was like super boring so I was like wow I like this computer science lot more so I’ll just switch.
Seth
Person like that’s my plan and then the the summer uhm?
Seth
I took some moth, took some computer science, then I was also doing like physics and I was.
Seth
Taking a sociology.
Seth
Class and this is another thing that’s actually.
Seth
Nice is you can drop.
Seth
You can drop your class like up until the last week, so I was like a month ended my sociology class and I was.
Seth
Like this is boring.
Seth
I want to continue doing this.
Seth
And I just dropped it and.
Seth
It’s it shows up internally, but it won’t show up on your transcript, so it’s it’s honestly like you know, obviously it’s completely.
Kamila
The most like free like range I guess I’ve ever heard.
Seth
Yeah, you can drop classes.
Seth
You can shop classes, which means like during the first two weeks of school you can like show up to like 10 different classes.
Seth
And pick your your.
Seth
Favorites and stick with those so you.
Seth
Yeah, you can take anywhere from three to five classes.
Seth
Four is pretty common, 5 is.
Seth
Like if you’re really trying to go hard and like three was a lot of this summer.
Seth
I mean is this summer I’m like I’ll take this little more.
Seth
Trial drop this boring class.
Seth
So so yeah, you have a lot of flexibility you don’t have.
Seth
You have to declare your major by your spring of your sophomore, like towards the end of your sophomore year.
Seth
But yeah, I mean obviously it’s it’s competitive.
Seth
Like to to get to brown.
Seth
But once you’re there.
Seth
Here it’s true.
Seth
I mean, it’s collaborative environment, and there’s also again not minuses and pluses, so it’s just ABC or no credit.
Seth
If you fail class, also if you get no.
Seth
Credit it doesn’t show up on your transcript.
Seth
It’s just like you didn’t get credit.
Seth
For the class, so it’s nothing.
Is this why?
Kamila
Brown is known as like the most chill.
Seth
Yeah it is.
Seth
Yeah, I think it’s that that system, but I think it’s like you know, it definitely is an adjustment for a lot of people who are, like you know, really trying hard in high.
Seth
School trying to get straight.
Kamila
Because those are the kids that like get into those eyes.
Kamila
The ones that are like, really try.
Seth
Yeah, but I would say that there’s also a lot of people who.
Seth
Weren’t necessarily like 4.0 students, but they just did something really interesting and like now that brown. It’s like again like it’s that’s kind of the.
Seth
I think that’s the focus that Brown has more than other hobbies, especially with like kind of like.
Seth
Do what you want.
Seth
Try different things like go take this class that that you’re going to probably fail, and it’s like.
Seth
OK, well like it doesn’t matter.
Seth
Uh, another thing is the you can take classes SNC, which means satisfactory in their.
Seth
Credit so it.
Seth
Just shows up as an S if you pass.
Seth
And if you don’t pass them, it doesn’t show up.
Seth
As anything, so you.
Seth
Don’t get even like a.
Seth
B or C or an A.
Seth
But you know, that’s like if you want to just try something and you don’t want to.
Seth
Feel the stress of like getting an error or.
Seth
Getting a B just we can take that.
Kamila
Wait so are there like is it?
Kamila
Specifically, certain classes or will they have like some math classes that are the S&C some like English classes that are like?
Seth
So I I think you can take anything S&C and in fact some classes require it. Some processes are like we really just want you to focus on learning and not like getting a good grade so you have to take it SNC. So yeah, it’s a really.
Seth
It’s it’s really.
Seth
Different than a lot of other schools, I’ll say.
Seth
In that way I think.
Kamila
That is like really free range.
Kamila
Like I know schools are very set on like you.
Kamila
Chicago for example is like this whole system where they require students to take these.
Kamila
Well that is really.
Seth
Yeah, I mean.
Seth
I think it’s they they try to make it pretty.
Seth
Be low like low pressure and I think that I definitely shows where.
Seth
It’s, you know, I.
Seth
I definitely feel like it is a lot more collaborative than a.
Seth
Lot of other schools.
Seth
A lot of people don’t like.
Seth
I mean obviously they have to care about them in high school, but they get to call it like dark brown and a lot of people really don’t even care that much about.
Seth
Grades like being.
Seth
Like BCS like?
Seth
They don’t really like.
Seth
It’s just like I just want to learn.
Seth
I I just want to like.
Seth
I want to make you relax a little bit too, like I don’t want to try as hard which is, you know, I think fair, if that’s that’s an approach people take.
Kamila
And with college like you’re only a sophomore, so sound like you’re applying to jobs or applying to like a grad school.
Kamila
But how much does your GPA matter in college like in high school?
Kamila
It’s pretty much everything you need.
Kamila
It’s it’s not even like a you can’t even choose whether to have a good GPA or not.
Kamila
If you’re aiming for the top schools, it’s like you need to have one, but with when you get into college.
Kamila
In general, do you really need to keep?
Kamila
That GPA up.
Seth
Uhm, grad if you’re applying to grad school, I’d say yes you do.
Seth
Do you know if you’re applying?
Seth
If you’re just if you want to go out and get a job?
Seth
After it won’t usually matter too much.
Seth
I mean some jobs, especially if they’re a little bit more.
Seth
They’re like nerdy.
Seth
They might ask about it, like if you’re applying to be a computer science scientist, they might ask about it.
Seth
Brown doesn’t even calculate GPS like again like they literally just have a transcript.
Seth
So obviously the employer could calculate it, but they don’t calculate for they don’t have.
Seth
They don’t have GPS in that sense, but.
Seth
But yeah, I mean, I think if.
Seth
You’re just like trying to.
Seth
Get a job after college and.
Seth
Again, they might be interested in what?
Seth
You took but.
Seth
I don’t think grades are super important for the most part.
Seth
In terms of like jobs, but yeah, and again like, especially if you’re coming from like like I think Brown specifically, it’s like oh right.
Seth
You went to brown like that’s like, OK, you you graduated like good job.
Seth
So yeah, it definitely does not matter as much as it does in high school.
Seth
And unless you are applying to grad school.
Seth
But even then it’s like OK if I want to apply to grad.
Seth
School for math.
Seth
I better have good math grades, but if I took an English class and got.
Seth
To see like.
Seth
They are not going to really care about that.
Kamila
OK, OK, and would you say the students at Brown?
Kamila
I guess we.
Kamila
Could say like the overall vibe at Brown reflects like this more chill.
Kamila
Laid back atmosphere.
Seth
Yeah, I would definitely say that a lot of people like I would say that, but it’s definitely mixed, but there are a lot of people who are clearly pretty laid back.
Seth
They’re not too worried about school and a lot of people.
Seth
It’s honestly.
Seth
Not their biggest focus.
Seth
Uhm, which you know, I think.
Seth
Uhm, I mean you know you can.
Seth
Look at it however you.
Seth
Want but uhm.
Seth
Yeah, that definitely does reflect.
Seth
I mean, I think the the benefits there like it’s not super cutthroat in in the sense like I don’t think there’s much pressure on the students, and there’s definitely a lot still like.
Seth
Don’t get me wrong, a lot of students still feel a lot of pressure just from.
Seth
Like those those.
Seth
Habits from high school or from their.
Seth
Parents or or for grad school, but.
Seth
There are definitely lot of people I meet up Brown who just like are not really even super focused on school.
Seth
Honestly, again it could be different because of code, but it’s it’s yeah, that’s that’s saying that it’s.
Kamila
OK, so.
Seth
It’s also harder, though I think like focus on school with online classes, but yeah.
Kamila
No, I mean everybody, not just college students that say OK, so let’s move a little bit away from the academic part.
Seth
Yeah, yeah exactly.
Kamila
So you said that you did live in the dorm.
Kamila
Spring of your freshman year and also summer coming into sophomore year.
Kamila
Let’s talk about like the dorms.
Kamila
Through just the living situation at Brown, how do they like situate the dorms?
Kamila
Are they good?
Kamila
Are they bad and the same for the food?
Seth
Yeah, so the dorms were.
Seth
They it depends.
Seth
I mean they actually with especially with freshman rooms.
Seth
It really depends.
Seth
I actually got placed in like arguably or storm in my spring and this was unusual, but so we were actually having all freshmen and singles.
Seth
So like you would be, you can be in a single or you can be in a triple by yourself like everyone about ourselves so.
Kamila
Did you get to?
Kamila
Choose whether you were in the 000.
Kamila
OK.
Seth
No no so.
Seth
Freshman year is completely random, and so I actually towards the end of my spring semester like a bunch of friends who are mean a bunch of friends from my blend actually move to a different drum.
Seth
Like we you were able to do that.
Seth
Uhm, so a lot of a lot of people did that.
Seth
Completely unusual.
Seth
You normally do not get to move dorms because it’s like capped, but there was just.
Seth
So much capacity.
Seth
Like so many.
Seth
People are like not on campus.
Seth
They had a little more guns than usual for freshman.
Seth
So so people are moving all over the place, it’s.
Kamila
So could you like shop around?
Kamila
I mean obviously this is just a COVID situation, but could you like shop around and choose which storm you wanted?
Kamila
Or did you just say I want a different dorm and they put you in another one?
Seth
Yeah, so like again one, it was completely randomly.
Seth
You got placed.
Seth
At first, but then once you wanted to move, you just like email them and say like.
Seth
Is there space available in this strong and they’ll be like, yeah, you can get this room if you want.
Seth
OK, like it was really easy, but again normally you have to like have a really good reason like this semester like no reason at all and they let you.
Seth
But that’s that’s unusual.
Seth
I mean in terms of the dorms themselves.
Seth
Uhm, yeah, there’s some really nice dorms with like really good facilities, and there’s some really bad bones with no.
Kamila
Well name name.
Kamila
The dorm you were in.
Seth
So yeah, Perkins, as well as at the beginning of my freshman year.
Seth
And that’s normal software going.
Seth
It’s like really far from campus.
Seth
There’s like no common spaces.
Seth
It’s it’s kind of like a dungeon like it’s not, not.
Seth
Not where you want to be.
Seth
But then, yeah, I was like.
Kamila
Well, can you compare it to the nicest dorm that you guys have on campus?
Kamila
What is the nicest dorm?
Kamila
Have the Perkins it in?
Seth
Yeah, so I would say the nicest friend was Andrews and and Andrews had.
Seth
How syncs like everyone had a sync up like just huge rooms.
Seth
Uhm, great location like your right.
Seth
Above the little good dining hall.
Seth
And and there’s like a lot of names of walking closets.
Seth
Too, so that was that.
Seth
Was like the best term I think for freshman.
Kamila
OK, and tell us about the.
Kamila
Well, first of all, why were?
Kamila
You there for the summer at Brown?
Seth
Yeah, so all the.
Seth
Freshmen were taking their classes in the spring in the summer, like they for some reason or not for some reason.
Seth
But because of COVID, Brown decided that they wanted to have their freshmen have their first semester in spring and their second semester in summer.
Seth
And they have, like weird, like shortened semesters, like normally there 3 1/2 months semesters, but they had us do three months semesters. He was unusual and arguably bad decision, but that’s what bonded.
Seth
So yeah, so in the spring all four grades were on campus, but in the summer was just freshmen on campus and like.
Kamila
Interesting interesting situation OK.
Kamila
And I was just I was quickly asking now how about the food at Brown?
Kamila
How would you?
Kamila
Rank it up so the food.
Seth
Is there are a lot of different options?
Seth
Uh, if it is OK if you’re vegetarian or vegan?
Seth
I’ve like I have friends.
Seth
I’ve just only heard about things from them, so it’s it’s it’s kind of like there’s the other lab, especially at the main dining hall.
Seth
You’ll you’ll find a lot of like.
Seth
You know, like.
Seth
Chicken dishes, like a lot of.
Seth
Pork like, stuff like that so.
Seth
So yeah, yeah, it’s in like for vegetarians and vegans.
Seth
They like make like it’s like they don’t even think about.
Seth
Like, uh?
Seth
Like it’s just like all like vegetables like there’s no like substance you know.
Seth
I mean, it’s it’s, it’s weird.
Kamila
So there’s no variety with you.
Seth
It’s not allowed for.
Seth
Yeah, for vegetarians and vegans, it’s pretty tough.
Seth
For now I’ve heard.
Seth
But if you’re just if you don’t have a restrictive diet, yeah, yeah.
Seth
I mean, there’s there’s different options.
Seth
There’s like the main dining hall.
Seth
It’s like all you can eat.
Seth
Or you can go to like more specific dining halls with the.
Seth
There there’s a dining College of science that has, like that specializes in like burgers, chicken sandwiches, and that’s a pretty good.
Seth
Then there’s this dining hold Andrews, which is right under Andrews, the Dome, which has like sandwiches, salads, pizza, and that’s all pretty good in the main dining hall.
Seth
It’s just like different every day.
Kamila
And another This is why I said like our like college experience wouldn’t be that long of a section ’cause you haven’t really done much of college.
Kamila
But I do want to ask.
Kamila
One thing, were you?
Kamila
I mean, again, you’re only just coming into sophomore year, but were you able to do any sort of like internships?
Kamila
Research of any kind?
Seth
No, I’ve been.
Seth
Doing the entrance of your research I I.
Seth
Did it wasn’t really, especially.
Seth
In the summer, like just freshman.
Seth
It was like nothing was going on because.
Seth
Even like clubs.
Seth
Like I I.
Seth
Did some clubs in my freshman like?
Seth
The spring when?
Seth
Upperclassmen were there, but then in the summer.
Seth
Was like specifically.
Kamila
That’s just weird.
Kamila
Why would they?
Kamila
So what did you do fall of?
Kamila
What was supposed to be your freshman year?
Seth
Yeah, so I actually.
Seth
Was I was continued working like I kind of took a more full time position with that.
Seth
Real estate company just like.
Seth
Fixing similar job, but I was just working more.
Seth
Hours and like so.
Kamila
So you were just not in school at all during it.
Seth
Not in school.
Seth
I took one class.
Seth
They actually as a concession that offered all the freshmen you like.
Seth
You can take one class in the fall online.
Seth
So I did that.
Seth
I took like.
Seth
An intro econ class.
Seth
Yes, but.
Seth
Yeah, that was it was it was really.
Seth
Like kind of last minute too like they told us.
Seth
Like couple of weeks before I was like I was like ready to go to college and they’re just like, oh, this is what we’re doing so it was definitely unusual and I don’t think it was a good decision, but that’s what they did at the time.
Seth
I think they were like, oh, it’ll be better.
Seth
In the winter and spring and summer.
Seth
So then we’ll have a normal freshman.
Seth
Experience, which wasn’t really the case, but yeah, yeah.
Seth
That was the idea.
Kamila
And you kind of went into one more.
Kamila
I guess college related topic I want to.
Kamila
Discuss how did.
Kamila
You know when you’re like in crisis that really shows your true colors or something.
Kamila
So how did Brown handle the overall COVID situation?
Kamila
And you gave some details, but were they good with communication with students?
Kamila
Did they give students what they needed and like provided those who I guess like really needed like the housing?
Kamila
In the food and such, a cow was brown, handling COVID doing bad job.
Seth
Yeah, I mean.
Seth
In my opinion, they did a pretty bad job if I’m being honest like they.
Seth
It was really, really, I think.
Seth
Especially with finances, there’s like no transparency on.
Seth
What gets funding and what doesn’t?
Seth
Because it’s like, you know, there’s a lot of things are spending a ton of money on at the same time, like they cut like fencing and like a lot of sports come.
Seth
They cut a lot of sports and like it’s sort of like is that.
Seth
Is this really a big chunk of money for you guys compared to like your multibillion dollar endowment I?
Seth
I think that was a big thing.
Seth
A lot of sports got cut which I which was like tough, especially for people who got in like recruited athletes who were expecting to be able to play their sport.
Seth
So so that was rough I think.
Seth
There was also a lot of controversy because.
Seth
Uhm, Brown got money from the cares.
Seth
Act from from the federal government and they weren’t like doing anything with it, so the students were putting a lot of pressure on.
Seth
Them and they attempt.
Kamila
Well, where did they get the money for?
Seth
They got that money to directly help students and they weren’t using it.
Seth
So they there’s a lot of pressure from the students and they eventually were like, OK, fine.
Seth
So any everyone on financial aid.
Seth
Like got sent money basically so like.
Seth
It depended like.
Seth
I got some people with more financially got more so so they did that that that was like kind of sketchy from us.
Kamila
It’s not really sketchy to get money from government and not do anything with it.
Seth
Yeah, so that’ll be a better thing.
Seth
I think there was.
Seth
Also, a lot of of.
Seth
I think also like it was there was a lot of.
Seth
I mean, this isn’t necessarily as much on the school, but one thing that was kind of unfortunate.
Seth
Because of COVID was that?
Seth
A lot of professors were just like, oh, I’m just going to go on leave or I’m going to, you know, teach this class remotely when it couldn’t be taught in person.
Seth
But like I want to spend my summer in Italy like.
Seth
For example so.
Seth
Like there’s a lot of that too, and I think especially this summer because so many professors weren’t there a lot of.
Seth
The classes were.
Seth
Really subpar in my opinion because those you know, the main professors weren’t there, so they’re like recruiting professors from like different universities to like come teacher this summer.
Seth
And again, a lot of professors were like you know, what like in the summer you were allowed to teach smaller classes in person.
Seth
But law professors like what I do that, like you can just not come to Providence.
Seth
So that is another thing, I don’t really like, uhm.
Kamila
That is 1 hot mess well.
Seth
Yeah, I mean honestly, I’m not going.
Seth
To show your code like it wasn’t great, but.
Seth
But I mean I I.
Seth
Don’t know how other universities handle it, so I don’t know if it was better.
Seth
Or worse from others.
Seth
But I will say that.
Seth
There are definitely a lot of controversial things that they did, and yeah, not not a ton of transparency.
Kamila
And when students were on campus, how were they with like testing, maintaining regulations and such?
Seth
So I mean, I’d say, like.
Seth
Uhm towards me like testing was generally pretty good period.
Seth
I’ve tested when they’re supposed to for the most.
Seth
Start there restrictions.
Seth
I mean, people were definitely like so there was like a quiet period when we got to brown.
Seth
So like the first two weeks he wants us to like really do anything just so that like.
Seth
All all the like everyone who was positive could get like filtered out like that was the idea.
Seth
I mean.
Seth
Obviously people are still getting COVID.
Kamila
Two days in your dorm.
Seth
I mean, not really.
Seth
You’re supposed to be except like get food, but yeah, definitely pretty early on, people were having like I think in the spring you’d.
Seth
See a lot of like maybe.
Seth
Like 1020 person like like parties.
Seth
I’m not parties, but you know, like smaller things like that by the summer people didn’t care and they were like.
Seth
Huge parties, uhm.
Seth
But yeah, I mean that was kind.
Seth
Of how it was, I mean.
Kamila
Is Brown a party school?
Seth
Not really, I mean like not.
Seth
It was almost as if like the fact that we had been like cooped up for so long.
Seth
It’s like whenever everyone came back for the summer most.
Seth
Were vaccinated and.
Seth
I think I was.
Seth
Just like.
Seth
You know, like everyone just wanted to party.
Seth
But honestly, it’s not a huge party school, like especially Greek life.
Seth
There’s like little to none, like very small.
Seth
Percentages teams are in Greek life and it kind of has a bad rap on campus.
Seth
So yeah, it’s not.
Seth
But it’s yeah, it’s not like there’s no parties there definitely are parties just like any other university, but not as much as.
Seth
Other schools or other ideas even.
Kamila
You had one last question before we wrap up here.
Kamila
Did you ever consider taking a gap year considering the very weird situation Brown head like?
Kamila
I have not heard anybody say they like pushed back the entire school year and such.
Seth
Yeah, I mean.
Seth
A lot of my friends did that actually and I was.
Seth
I was just so year to go.
Seth
I like especially like I I really wanted that independence, so I was like ready to go and so I didn’t really consider it.
Seth
Although I actually like talking to friends who a lot of my friends actually applied to take.
Seth
A gap year because.
Seth
COVID and this is something also with COVID I think.
Seth
Was was pretty sketchy was that they were telling like Brown was like when a lot of people find the gap years they were like oh we were giving you a fall off so you’ll need to get here.
Seth
Uhm, so I don’t think I would have gotten them if I had applied, but I wasn’t really considering it.
Seth
But yeah, a lot of my friends did take out peers just because of COVID internships jobs.
Seth
And stuff like that.
Kamila
All right, so we’re going to wrap up here and there’s like one last thing which is advice.
Kamila
So number one advice for high school students.
Kamila
This can be anything.
Kamila
This can be specific to college apps, ’cause this is a college podcast, or it can be more like general life advice and you haven’t gone through much of college and the college that you have gone through is probably hopefully never going to happen again.
Kamila
But if you would like, could you share some advice for college incoming college students as well?
Kamila
So one for high schoolers?
Kamila
She went there.
Kamila
For college students.
Seth
Uh, yes I.
Seth
I think for high school is what I would say is this is selling advice for, you know, getting into college.
Seth
But also I I think this this is just good advice.
Seth
In general is just like do something that like just like fine.
Seth
Find that like, think about what you’re passionate about and like just like do things that are into that.
Seth
So like.
Seth
On on the one hand, I don’t think it’s great just for your own mental health, but even for college I don’t like like like I need to have this perfect application.
Seth
I’m like find every.
Seth
Single piece, but on the flip side.
Seth
I think it’s.
Seth
Easy to like, you know, like I’m interested in.
Seth
This, but like I don’t really care like I’m just gonna like go chill and like not do anything like.
Seth
I think the best thing you can do is just whatever you’re interested in like, really pursue it, and at first it might be a bit uncomfortable, like maybe you’d rather you know, like not spend extra time after school, but I think that’s really worth it because and yet at the end of the day, once you’re actually doing that, you actually really enjoy.
Seth
And then on the other hand, I think a lot of colleges want to see that you’re not.
Seth
Like this model student that like is.
Seth
Clearly just trying to get into like a good color.
Seth
They’re like, oh like.
Seth
You’re actually really interested about something.
Seth
Uhm, presumably you know getting good grades, good safety, and all that too.
Seth
That’s kind of almost like a base, but they they want to see that you’re like just exploring things and like someone who’s going to be a go getter, not just someone who’s gonna like hey like, just like like a just someone who like is trying to have this.
Seth
Perfect application, but also not like someone who’s.
Seth
Super like smart and learning.
Seth
That’s not going to do anything about it.
Seth
Like just so colleges that you that you have something and that you are willing to to go get it.
Seth
And I think that’s really going to serve you well.
Seth
Uh, as a high school student.
Kamila
And do you have any advice for college students?
Kamila
It’s OK if you don’t understand just to solve.
Seth
Yeah, I mean I would say for college students it’s it’s probably somewhat similar honestly, but also I would just say, especially in college is.
Seth
Uhm, like.
Seth
If you aren’t given an opportunity for the most part, don’t say no.
Seth
So like, especially at the beginning like go try like 20 different clubs.
Seth
I mean, you’re not going to stick with all of them obviously, but like go try.
Seth
A lot of different things.
Seth
Uhm, like just try to have a lot of new experiences because I think that what I realized is like a lot of what I’ve learned in college is in classes.
Seth
But a lot of it is like from people and from experiences, and I think that’s really valuable.
Seth
Uhm, just in terms of like growing as a person and like kind of figuring out like your values and.
Seth
Uhm, who you are and what you’re interested in, so I would just say like, you know, take classes you’re interested but also really just try to find things to do outside of classes and try to just have a lot of new experiences and have fun with it.
Kamila
Alright, thank you Seth for coming on today and thank you know sharing your experience.
Kamila
Are you EST?
Seth
Yep, ma’am.
Kamila
OK, have a good evening.
Seth
Yeah you.
Seth
Too bye bye.
Kamila
Bye bye.
Kamila
That’s it for my interview with Seth.
Kamila
Make sure to check out part one if you have not done so already.
Kamila
Next week I’ll be releasing an interview with Margarita, who’s also from Brown University.
Kamila
Make sure you subscribe so you do not miss that.
Kamila
Also check out my blog college realitycheck.com for more college related content.
Kamila
But other than that, I hope.
Kamila
To see you next week.