(Presentation at Nrupatunka Kannada
Koota Atlanta, 31 March 2018)
K.M. Venkat Narayan
Dear Young
Students:
My name is
Venkat Narayan, and I am a professor at Emory University and direct the Emory
Global Diabetes Research Center there.
If you are
looking for a cookbook or algorithm on how to get into college, I really do not
have one. In fact, I do not think anyone could possibly have a cookbook, and if
they say they do, I suggest you do not follow it. What I am offering you is
some very general broad thoughts, largely based on my reflections.
My own
personal experience: I grew up in India, where opportunities in those days were
rather limited. I was admitted to what
is supposedly a top-ranking medical school in India, St. John’s Medical College
in Bangalore. Very soon after starting medicine, I began to realize that the
routine of medical school did not inspire me, and my aptitude was more in
subjects like mathematics, philosophy, literature, history. Anyway, I struggled
through medical school unhappily, enjoyed being a clinical doctor, but was not
satisfied, and even considered quitting and doing law or English literature or
biomedical engineering. Finally, I discovered epidemiology and medical
research, and have had a wonderful and very productive career as a
physician-scientist, not something my medical school professors could have
advised.
Two years
ago, I had the privilege of personally witnessing the process my daughter
followed. She went about making her own
independent decision somewhat unconventionally and avoided the traps of peer
pressure or other cookbook considerations.
She had offers at Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago, Emory
Woodruff Scholars, Georgia Tech Honors, and Carnegie-Mellon, and ended up
picking University of Chicago, as she felt that school suited her academic needs
and personality best.
Over the
years, I have met many people who were perfect students, did all the right
things, and ended up in careers they have found unfulfilling. Equally, I have
met many people who were not exactly great students, had confused paths, but
ended up in places and in careers that suited them and made them happy.
My reason
for telling you all this is to highlight to you that the world of college
before you is your Oyster. A simple or easy path that a cookbook can guide you
to does not exist. It is very personal.
The
transition from school to college is an important one. School was very
structured, you were under your parents wraps, and you did what perfect
students are generally expected to do. College is different. It is the start of
your journey to independence. It is the beginning of a process where you begin
to define yourself. It is a personal adventure with risks and rewards.
What is
important is that you follow your passion. That is what is important. Your
passion and your identity. You need to reflect on what motivates you, what
gives you joy and sense of fulfillment, where your strengths and aptitude lie,
what you see yourself as wanting to be. This should be the basis of deciding on
your area of your study and your college selection. This reflection and
conversation with yourself is the true part of “readiness for college”, not any
cookbook formula. Do not be swayed by what your parents want you to do or what
your peers pressure you to do. It is about YOU, that unique YOU. Find it and
live it to the fullest.
The reason
to go to college is to learn to think and to arm yourself with the weapons of
the mind. These are important to acquire. You need to develop curiosity and be
willing to step out of your comfort zone, stretch yourself, experience new
places and things, try to understand what you see and experience. You need to be always skeptical. Question
dogma and question authority. Do not take anything on face value. You need to
cultivate openness. Think of new experiences, read widely, explore areas
outside your normal interests, meet new people, travel, learn history, and
develop perspective. These are all the invisible life skills that no cookbook
can teach you.
Nothing that
you do out of genuine passion and curiosity will go waste. Some things may not
seem immediately relevant or useful, but over time, all of these experiences
and skills and perspectives come in handy, and things will fit and fall in
place even without you knowing. People will tell you that you need a career
plan. A wise person once told me that what is important is not a career plan,
but a career and life philosophy. That is what you need to cultivate, a life
philosophy. This is a journey, not a destination.
Remember
that the world before you is changing rapidly. With globalization and
technology, the change is going to be rapid. Many jobs of today will disappear,
but many new jobs that we do not even know of will appear. This means you need
to stay current, stay adaptive, and develop life skills that give you
resilience and continuous learning. That is what is “readiness for college” and
“readiness for life”.
You need to
stay engaged. Involve yourself in civic activities. Involve yourself in
politics. Think of causes larger than your own immediate concerns. Think of how
you can contribute to that larger cause. Imagine a world you want to see and
help create it.
As Steve
Jobs said, “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.
Be bold and courageous.
College is
not the end, but just the beginning. So, treat it as part of your growth, not
as a cookbook-guided destination.
Of course,
you need to focus on some specifics to get you get into the college of your
choice and into the subject of your choice. This involves knowing what you
want. Yes, GPA and scores matter, but you do not need perfect scores. You just need
good scores. You need to show that you have challenged yourself. You do not
need to kill yourself with endless number of APs. Your college essays matter. These essays
should reflect your passion, your curiosity, your sense of humor, your breath,
and not be trite or contrived. Research
about the colleges you are interested in and show in your statement why you want
to go there. Make sure you mention some knowledge about the place and about
specific faculty or aspects of that college. You need some good references. You
need to show your involvement in extra-curricular activities, but these should
reflect seriousness, not just something that you did to check the box.
Ultimately,
do remember that the world you will inherit will be vastly different from the
world you are in now. College entry is a beginning, not an end. Follow your
passion. There are rich opportunities and options ahead. Enjoy your life and
contribute.
