For seniors, this year has been an era of last times. The last first day of school. The last school bus ride. The last test, project, science lab. The last time hanging out with friends in the courtyard. 

While reminiscing is important, it’s also valuable to look ahead. Graduation means entering a new stage in life, whether that be going to college, taking a gap year, or pursuing uncharted dreams. While the path behind these doors looks different for everyone, advice comes in handy to get off on the right foot.  

To all of our South High graduates: here’s what our alums have to say about the path you’re headed towards post cap and gown!

Our Panelists:

• Sarah Sun (‘25) — Harvard University (Economics & English)
• Dylan Kim (‘25) —Northwestern University (Radio/Television/Film)
• Kurtis Qu (‘25) — US Marine Corps Reserve & Binghamton University (Computer Science)
• Kira Nguyen (‘24) — Brown University PLME (Neuroscience & Philosophy)
• Lily Wu (‘25) — Taking a gap year from UPenn Wharton building a startup 

What did you expect going into college, and were those expectations different/similar to reality? How does the college experience compare to high school life? 

Sun: I’d say that my college experience is quite similar to what I expected (surprisingly so). I knew I would be academically challenged and that I would be busy with college life. I suppose one aspect of college I didn’t expect, which is quite distinct to Harvard, is how considerable a role extracurriculars play in my life. I would say that some of my core memories and closest friends are from the clubs and student organizations I’ve gotten involved in. 

Kim: There’s so much more variety in classes, including fun ones. I’m actually taking a class called learning sciences where you basically get to design an educational board game. Because college provides a lot more time and flexibility, a lot of people have jobs. For example, I joined Mayfest, and we’re running Dillo Day, the largest student-run music festival in the country. 

Qu: I definitely got used to independently driving myself around, which makes it easier to have casual outings with friends. I also had the opportunity to start new activities like rock climbing and pick up skiing again. Overall, the best part is having more freedom to do whatever you want. 

Nguyen: I went into college expecting it to be significantly more difficult than high school, imagining I’d spend most of my time staying in the library. While I do study more overall, Brown’s Open Curriculum creates a much healthier balance. I was also surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed humanities courses—I ended up adding Philosophy as a second major, which I hadn’t anticipated. Coming from a STEM-heavy environment like GNS, I’ve really appreciated the chance to explore more broadly.

Wu: A lot of skills and mindsets from the grills and grinds of high school, specifically from the experiences I had at GNS, gave me a unique sense of tenacity to face the world that a lot of other people who didn’t attend South don’t have. Though, after graduating, I do find myself breathing more and feeling more of a warmth in people around me, despite still working under an extremely high pressure and stressful environment daily. 

What was the most difficult part of adjusting to the new life? How did you overcome/work on these challenges?

Qu: I already got used to being away from home during initial active duty training in the Marine Corps. Now, being in the Reserve, I lose over 25% of my weekends and part of my summer vacation, while needing to be ready to deploy at any time. Sometimes our work cuts into the school week as well, so I’m overloading my schedule while also looking for internships. Studying with friends is pretty helpful in situations like these! 

Sun: A large adjustment for me was not having a set routine every day. Though it’s true I generally have the same class schedule every week, everything else (from club meetings to dorm events to Boston outings) is quite variable, which is a huge change from my rigid high school schedule. However, I didn’t have much trouble adjusting because I’ve been enjoying these new adventurous additions to my week. Being away from home is also a change, but I do call my parents often. I also enjoy exploring and prefer living alone, so that wasn’t a large adjustment for me.

What’s the social scene at college like? Have you been able to stay connected to friends at home? 

Kim: In Great Neck, you grow up with all of these people. Making new friends might be reconnecting with elementary school friends or meeting people in other grades that you’ve just never spoken to before. But in college, there’s just so many people. You’re meeting people from, like, Dubai, and it’s so crazy to see how diverse the school is. But, I’ve also stayed very connected to high school friends. I meet Evelyn Won, who’s also at Northwestern, once a month or so to catch up. 

Nguyen: I make an effort to see my high school friends during breaks, and my closest friends and I have a weekly FaceTime that we try to keep consistent. It’s been a really meaningful way to stay connected 🙂 

Looking back, are there things you would have done differently in the beginning of college given what you know now? Or things you’ve learned as you’ve adjusted? 

Sun: I think I definitely overcommitted myself my first year. You’ll find once you’re on campus that there are so many opportunities and so many things you want to do; during my first few weeks, I was getting bombarded with emails and pamphlets about all the student organizations I could join and different research/work opportunities. I made the mistake of losing a lot of sleep “comping” (which is a term used at Harvard referring to the competitive process of getting into a club ) and applying for everything. I eventually regretted this, not because any of them were bad experiences, but because I couldn’t focus on the ones I wanted to as much. This being said, it is still a good thing to explore and find out what you enjoy; just know that it’s okay and important sometimes to say no.

What advice would you give to graduating high school seniors that will be going to college?

Kim: Be really brave. Ask people to eat together. It’s not weird. I know it’s a little different in college, but stay true to yourself, do what you’re good at, and go meet new people. I feel like I was so good at it in high school, and then I got so nervous the first day of college. But as time progressed, I started asking people to get meals and that’s how I met my friends. Just look around you and if you’re like, wow, that person seems chill, then go talk to them!

Nguyen: Take full advantage of what you’ve learned at GNS. The academic rigor there really prepared me well, and I noticed the difference once I got to college. But also: side quest as much as possible! Academics and career preparation matter, but when you look back, you’ll remember the spontaneous experiences more than that 8 hour lock-in. Some of my favorite memories have come from doing random things—axe throwing, escape rooms, biking along the coast, going to a trampoline park clearly meant for kids, and even accidentally joining a 10-year-old’s roller-skating party. There are so many ways to spend your time—don’t limit yourself to just studying.

Sun: Just don’t stress! Everything will work out. You’ll have so many fun and valuable experiences in college. There will be social and academic drama, especially in your first year. You might feel alone, FOMO, or imposter’s syndrome. But in the end, it’s really not that deep. Both you and others will make mistakes, and you need to give both yourself and others grace. Get to know your professors, upperclassmen, roommates, proctor/RA/deans: each of them have so much to offer your college experience. Treasure the little moments, and you’ll make so many amazing memories.

Qu: Lock in! Get all your general education requirements done earlier so you can focus on your harder major-related classes in your junior and senior years. Active duty in the Marine Corps is much worse than college; doing that and transitioning to college afterwards showed me there’s a lot to appreciate from the college experience.  

Wu: Take more risks. Especially to the girls out there that have huge ambitions. Believe that you can do anything if you want and put your mind to it. Don’t be afraid to jump out of the traditional mindsets, traps of people’s opinions, and the comfort of immediate gratifications. Jumping out of your comfort zone and playing on the edge of fear is the only way to grow as fast as possible without leaving any regrets. You’ll see the world is much, much wider than you thought.