The Class of 2024’s college experience is defined by its unconventional nature. Duke’s recent graduates began their first year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, leading them to watch the University shift from an insular campus community to one blossoming into its 100th year four years later. Our seniors have learned to adapt to and persevere in a constantly evolving world to forge a meaningful college experience.
The Chronicle asked three members of the Class of 2024 to share advice and lessons they have learned throughout their time at Duke with the incoming first-years. Here is what they said.
What would you say to first-years at O-Week who are just getting their bearings in this huge new place?
Taylor Glatt: Take your time with it. It’s such an adjustment to [be in] college. It’s a whole new world and lots of new people to meet and things to do. Take your time exploring what makes you happy and what is interesting to you. What we thought Duke looked like as freshmen was not even close to what it has been the past three years. It will work out. It might not work out the way you initially pictured your life to be — but however it does, you'll find your own joy and happiness and friendship within that and it will become your own.
Dharshan Varia: Take every opportunity, but take every opportunity that makes you happy. Don't feel like you have to do everything. Try out as many different clubs as you can in the beginning, just see what would be fun and interesting. I'm on a dance team here on campus, and I never danced before college. Duke has so much to offer. And if it takes you time to figure out what that is going to be for you, that's totally okay.
Celia Vergara: Your priorities, your friend groups and the things that you are doing are going to shift in the next several years — don't be afraid of that. So take advantage of every moment you can with the people and things that you're doing now. Learn from the people that you are talking to and that you're friends with now. Create those connections that you can rely on for a lifetime.
How would you recommend spending time outside of class?
Glatt: I’ve spent most of my time outside of class either doing activities or just enjoying my friend's company. I'm the co-chair of the Student Dining [Advisory] Committee and a volunteer at Puppy Kindergarten, which are some of the most meaningful things that I've done and been involved with on campus. My favorite moments during college have been with my best friends, doing random things on a Wednesday afternoon or getting ice cream any day of the week. All those small moments with my friends have made up what my college experience is.
Varia: So I like to say that my second home on campus is BC Plaza. I really love just spending time outside. I love hanging out, seeing so many different people [and] getting to know other people. For me, Duke has been about the people making the place. Also getting to know professors really well. The faculty at Duke want to get to know college students, they want to be around college students. Treating faculty as friends, personally, really improved my experience.
Vergara: Find at least one extracurricular thing that you'd like to do. A lot of people have said to me, ‘go to the club fair and sign up for everything,’ which, to a certain extent, is really good advice because it helps you to find the thing that you want to do. But don't stress too much about doing everything. Just choose one thing that interests you to really focus on. Have something that you are looking forward to every single day and something that you're going to continue to build.
How did you know that you were pursuing something (a major, for instance) that was right for you?
Glatt: I came in as a global health and Spanish double major. I wanted to study abroad. Once I got here, I really had no idea what I was doing, besides the fact that I was pre-med. And I just took the time to explore. I took a lot of time to speak with faculty and professors to help me figure out what suited my interest. I ended up as a Program II major and designed my own major. I highly recommend it to anyone who's in the same boat where you have some random interests that you want to make as your primary academic focus.
Varia: I came in not knowing what I was going to do. I was an economics major for a while, went to public policy, went back and forth, and actually redeclared my junior year. I think you should really prioritize the classes that make you happy and that you're genuinely interested in. Looking back on everything, the best classes I've taken that genuinely interested me are in public policy. So figure out what coursework is going to be the most impactful for you and which faculty you think you can make the best relationships with.
Vergara: I came into college not knowing my major. But I ended up taking computer science during my freshman spring. So I was kind of a late bloomer in the computer science department but I took it because I've taken a class in high school and [I felt like] this is something that I could totally do — being a computer programmer. I fell in love with it. I just loved the process of solving new problems and learning to speak a different language in a certain way. And then I just kept going with it.
Any advice on balancing academics with extracurriculars, social life, hobbies and everything else?
Glatt: I think sometimes you have to prioritize academics and sometimes you have to prioritize your friends. By far the thing I'm most proud of leaving college are my friendships and those relationships that I’ve built. Not any assignment that I've done or any club I've been a part of. And that takes time and energy. So sometimes that means staying up late to complete an assignment because you hung out with your friends all night watching the movie or whatnot. What helped me complete my academics and be successful is having the support of my friends and being reenergized by spending time with them.
Varia: Making sure you have a chance to do the extracurriculars or things you want to do, but also being able to take the classes you want. Pick a schedule, make a life for yourself that you'll be happy with, that you'll look back on your experience fondly with. Even last semester, it was probably one of my heavier loads as a first-semester senior, but I still give myself time and grace to be on the plaza, enjoy, see friends and see professors and then still be very involved with dance, with my extracurriculars and other things.
Vergara: The “work hard, play hard” mentality is very real for a lot of people. So prioritize the things. Breaking up the things in your life. You got to do homework, and you got to do your fun stuff with your friends. You also need a little bit of time for yourself that lets you recharge after all of these things. So personally, I rock climb, and I use the time that I go rock climbing to recharge and center myself and have a little bit of peace. So establishing a rhythm that works for you as soon as possible.
What is something you wish you could have done or known more about before you graduated?
Glatt: Give myself more grace. There's so many things and opportunities pulling you in every direction here. And you're never going to be able to do it all. But give yourself grace and do what makes you happy. Not necessarily what your friends are doing, or what you think will look good for a job or a grad school application. And just being kind to yourself, on a daily basis. I wish I had known that and been better at that as a freshman.
Varia: If I could do it all again, it would have been awesome to do just a summer where nothing else mattered and I was doing something for myself, for exploration, for passion. Also something I would really want to be intentional with starting after freshman year is tapping into the alumni network. Get to know people and figure out what your passion is. Don't feel like you have to do something because everyone else does it.
Vergara: I wish I had taken more advantage of getting closer to my professors, doing FLUNCHes and generally just staying after class, asking questions and going to office hours. I just never made the time for it and I think that I would have really benefited from both developing a mentor within my major and in some of the classes that I just took because I thought they were interesting.
What are the most important lessons you learned during your time at Duke, or any words of wisdom that you've carried with you throughout these past 4 years?
Glatt: Saying yes to things that I might not have expected that I wanted to do or might have been hesitant to do. All those unexpected tiny moments of hanging out, staying up till 2 a.m., rehashing the exact same topic over and over again — those have been my favorite moments of college and the things that I will take with me long after I leave. In terms of academics and extracurriculars, the things that I applied to randomly as a freshman and I said “yes” to have led to some of my favorite things on campus. So embracing the unexpected, embracing the unknown — really just embracing “yes.” You can always say “no” later, but saying “yes” to start and seeing where things go can open up a lot of doors.
Varia: Find your people and don't settle for people who aren't going to be people you're genuinely happy and excited to see. It takes a while to put together that village, but I think your life will be so much more fulfilling when you find the right people instead of forcing people who aren't going to stick around. Don't be scared, take risks. Also, challenge the mindset that everyone else has to do. You will get so much more respect from your peers and yourself if you prioritize your passion.
Vergara: Surround yourself [with] people who are smarter and more accomplished than you at the things that you want to be good at. It is so easy to find people that you can latch onto and learn from. And my absolute favorite part of my experience has been getting to call all these incredibly amazing people my friends. That being said too, if you currently have somebody in your life who is holding you back in some way, don't be afraid to drop [them] and then move on and find something else.
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