Zephyrus: What school do you attend and what’s your major?

Karen Lee (‘22): I go to the University of Southern California and my major is Quantitative Biology.

Kate Hellickson (‘20): My major is Agricultural and Food Business Management. So I’m in…the agricultural school here at the University of Minnesota.

Shamita Senthil Kumar (‘23): I go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my major is Computer Science.

Z.: Tell me about your major and how you ended up there.

K.L.: Our department likes to market [itself] as the modern biology education or like the 21st-century education in biology, and I think that’s pretty fair because a lot of it is about the overlap, or like the intersection of data science and biology [and]other life sciences. So, my coursework allows me to be really flexible…I can take a lot of computer science courses or biology courses, but also a lot of my classes can combine the two using [coding] languages like R to learn how to manipulate data and large datasets within biology which is becoming increasingly important. I chose Quantitative Bio[logy], partially because the math and data sections are a big part of biology and I like working with numbers. I’m also pre-med so the life sciences part of it is really important to me and I think those two parts together also helped me pursue my interest in research. So I think all of those things together make Quantitative Biology a good fit for me. And I would encourage incoming [college] freshmen to look for programs that are at the intersection of the things they’re interested in.

K.H.: It kind of [came to be] because I had a lot of different interests. I like science-y stuff. I like business-y things, but this is a very [extensive] major and not all schools have [it]. This is a little tough to broaden and apply to other students, but how I decided on it is it just had a good mix of what I like to do. It really [delved] deep into economics and I did get to be a little more science-y [with] chemistry as well. [It] was a melting pot of everything I like to do, so that’s how I ended up here.

S.S.K.: Taking different electives throughout high school helped me figure out what I wanted to study. Classes such as Cybersecurity and Game Design made me realize I like programming and wanted to continue [pursuing it] as a career.

Z.: Do you have any general advice for incoming college freshmen?

K.L.: Get involved with things that you’re passionate about right when you get to school. [You’re] never going to have the opportunity to do the kinds of things you can do on a college campus again in the future. And it’s really important to be involved in [things] you care about because it’s such a short experience, but you can accomplish so much. I’d [also] say classes get really difficult really quickly. Like even if you know in your first year how to handle your classes, the intensity ramps up, so making sure that you stay on top of your work throughout all four years is important. Also, surround yourself with good people. Don’t spend all of your time in school; college is a good experience for you to branch out.

K.H.: At the beginning, try out new clubs, new activities, as much as you can because you never know where you’re going to find your group—where you’re going to find your people that you’re actually going to want to connect to. [You should do this] because you don’t have to stay in everything that you join at the beginning, but it’s good to reach out and see new things.

S.S.K.: Academically, manage your time well, and do not procrastinate work. It’ll help minimize stress and give you some extra free time. [Also,] explore the campus and meet new people! It makes the transition to college and being away from home easier. Find clubs and activities that you are passionate about. College is such a fun experience and you’ll make so many memories!

Z.: What message would you send your second-semester high school senior self?

K.L.:  Spend time with your family and friends before leaving because you won’t get as much time [later].

K.H.: I would tell her to calm down and take a breath. I know in high school, I was constantly doing different activities and I was really focused on my classes. I was trying to keep up with as many friends as I could, but I would tell [my second-semester senior self] to take a deep breath and it will be okay. Don’t take things too seriously. Like…you’re just going into college [and] things will turn out for the best. You’re gonna learn a lot of lessons, but there’s a lot of things that you can’t control and you’re just gonna have to work through the problems that you’re faced with. So just relax and try and push through.

S.S.K.: Be less stressed out and have fun during the last couple of months of high school. I know college results combined with AP testing and other things were pretty overwhelming, but balancing them out with seeing friends and family made it better.

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 24, 2024