i recently met with a sophomore first-gen student who asked me for my advice. he took notes & i asked him to share his notes with me so i could also use them as a reminder to myself.

his notes:

01/25/2025

q & a

1. What advice would you give to other first-generation students who are navigating similar paths in academia and entrepreneurship?

   1. try to challenge yourself a lot, easy to get by, have a goal of learning to do good things
   2. point of engineering is how to think through problems, problem solve
   3. always pick the harder classes
   4. missing confidence in the ability to do hard classes
   5. try to build the confidence to just try your classes
   6. grades dont matter too much (hawas edit: matter if you want to go to grad school & do well but i place more emphasis on learning deeply over what grade i get. learning matters. good grades are typically a measure of your learning — but not always.)
   7. for classes, meet your peers
   8. try to meet a lot of people
   9. an important part of college is networking
   10. try to maximize your serendipity
   11. try to increase your luck for opportunities to find you and meet as many people as you can
   12. dont automatically discount or reject yourself, just try

2. What strategies have helped you maintain a balance between achievement and self-care?

3. What lessons from your personal and professional journey have been most transformative for you?

4. How do you stay motivated and grounded when facing setbacks or burnout?

5. What role has mentorship played in your life, and how do you approach mentoring others?

6. How can someone like me support or get involved in the causes you’re passionate about?

7. What resources or experiences have had a strong impact on your outlook or approach to life?

8. How do you choose opportunities and select priorities?

   1. try and get a lot of data points
      1. you don’t know what you don’t know
      2. trying new things and doing leap of faith on things that come your way
      3. see what sticks
   2. everybody starts somewhere
   3. think of opportunities can be applied to other areas
   4. tend to do things that you are excited about
   5. looking backwards
   6. try to maximize your surface area for luck
   7. figure out how long you want to explore
   8. breadth vs depth
   9. don’t self select out if things ever, give yourself a shot
      1. let others select for you
   10. if you feel like you’re not good enough talk to people
   11. don’t put yourself in a box, don’t let other people put you in a box
       1. we label ourselves too much and with that we opt ourselves out of things
       2. don’t conform to the boxes and criteria
          1. that was their bar and that was them projecting
   12. other people will project their goals onto you, starts interjecting with your own inner voice
   13. trust your intuition
   14. you can just do things
   15. if there are things you want to do, find a way to do it
   16. yc startup school
   17. just build things you are passionate about and just build
   18. 1517 fund, theif fellowship
   19. uw has a status mindset
   20. saturdays, cseed
   21. do things your passionate about, take that first step
   22. cut out the noise
   23. surround yourself with people who take action
   24. build a quick MVP
   25. don’t get too into the details
       1. revenue
       2. people building what you are build
   26. build about things you are passionate
   27. all the passionate startups are people who had a passion for it

   summary

   1. first generation academia and entrepreneurship
   • embrace challenges and aim to learn and do meaningful work
   • engineering is about problem-solving and critical thinking
   • opt for harder classes to build confidence, don't fear failure
   • grades aren't everything, focus on learning and networking
   • meet peers and build connections to increase opportunities
   • don't discount yourself, take risks and try new things
   1. transformative lessons
   • confidence grows with experience, start somewhere and keep trying
   • opportunities often intersect across areas of life
   • trust your intuition and take action on what excites you
   1. mentorship
   • seek and offer guidance
   • avoid limiting yourself or letting others box you in.
   • learn from others experiences and adapt their advice thoughtfully
   1. get involved
   • engage actively in what inspires you
   • build and create things you're passionate about.
   • consider programs like
     • YC Startup School
     • 1517 Fund
     • Thiel Fellowship for support
   1. experiences
   • Take leaps of faith and explore widely to discover what resonates
   • reflect on past experiences and learn from them
   1. opportunities and priorities
   • experiment broadly and let experiences guide your focus
   • avoid self-limiting beliefs or conforming to others projections
   • surround yourself with action-driven people and focus on creating an MVP for ideas
   • pursue passions, ignore distractions, and take the first step toward your goals
   • passion-driven startups often emerge from genuine interests

   key takeaways

   • try and challenge yourself more
   • do hard things
   • seize all opportunities you can
   • go out and meet new people
   • build what youre passionate about
   • confidence, passion, and networking are critical to success
   • actively pursue interests and avoid overanalyzing or self-limiting
   • reflect on your journey, trust your intuition, and take action

   reflection

   • what haven’t i tried yet that i should do?
   • how do i find opportunities to do said hard things?
   • where do i find the right people?
   • what am i passionate about?
   • how do i get out of the habit of self-sabotage and second guessing myself?
   • how do i balance following my own intuition and seeking out the opinions of others?