On June 7, 2007, I (and about 1600 other members of the Harvard College Class of 2007) participated in the 356th commencement at Harvard University. When someone asked me about it, the best way I could explain how I felt was that it was “simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming.” How can that be? It was overwhelming in that all around me, I was surrounded by pomp and circumstance — dignitaries, professors, alumni from classes ranging including a huge turnout by members of the Harvard Class of 1957 for their 50th reunion. I watched as Bill Gates and John Kerry and Larry Summers walked by me — they too seemed a little overwhelmed by the spectacle of masses of graduates from all the schools of Harvard dressed physically in their graduation-wear and spiritually by years and years of ceremony and tradition.
But it was still underwhelming, because how can you manage to sum up four formative years — four years of friends, of heartbreak, of love, of toil, of interesting things, of interesting people, of work, of brilliant insights, of stupid mistakes, of amazing experiences — in a ceremony, no matter how wonderful, of several hours and a few (albeit, impressive) pieces of paper?
You can’t. And in the same way, my EightYears plan not only failed in the sense that I couldn’t keep up a daily posting schedule but in the sense that even had I posted two entries a day from when I concocted the idea, there was no way I could summarize eight years of experiences into a small blog series.
In fact, there are still so many things I wish I had posted on — debate, the NASA Asgard project, the HIR, HPAIR trip to India, tutoring at Giraffe, the classes I took in college which have shaped me intellectually — alas, they will have to be post-graduation amendments to the EightYears series.
So, having established that it is impossible to sum up my college experiences into a single blog post, I will now ignore everything I just said and try to anyway:
I did not go to Harvard thinking that it would make me a better person. I did not go to Harvard thinking that I would experience anything special or that I would make wonderful and impressive friends. I did not go to Harvard thinking that I would miss it once it was over. On the contrary, I had my eyes set on Stanford in high school; I sometimes wistfully wished I had gone to Berkeley even while at Harvard; and I certainly have cursed and hated the toil, blood, sweat, tears, sleep, sanity, and sense of personal connection that I’ve had to give up during my four years here — but it was all worth it. Looking back, I did all the things that I did not think I would do at Harvard. I have made wonderful friends with brilliant people. I have learned new ways of thinking and approaching problems. I have expanded my intellectual and artistic horizons. I have experienced things that I never would have at another school.
And, to gloat (although I promise to keep this brief) — I have a job at a top consulting firm which I’m very excited to join. I have made amazingly brilliant friends most of whom will be doing amazing things. I’ve received honors from Harvard which I’m very proud of. And, of course, I can claim to be alum to one of the world’s finest educational institutions.
Fair Harvard, we join in thy Jubilee throng. . .
And, now, onto the next chapter of my life!