Advice to Harvard Students

by Kiyeon Lee ‘21

How do I make the most of my Harvard education?

Given the widening economic inequality in recent decades, many students and parents seem deeply concerned about their financial stability and feel pressured to get a high-paying job. Instead of doing what I was most interested in, I half-heartedly tried to follow the crowd by chasing prestige, such as striving to win a Rhodes Scholarship (academia) and getting internship offers from McKinsey (consulting), Goldman Sachs (finance), and Google (tech). After hundreds of rejections, I realized I would have become a more educated person had I treated college as an intellectual adventure, rather than a checklist of things to do to become a CEO of McKinsey (or some other narrow aim). Instead of always applying and competing, I wish I’d relaxed more and contributed to things greater than myself.

How do I get a good job?

College is a great time to explore your career interests to discover a fulfilling vocation. Find recent alumni whose work interests you and ask them how they got there. Having been in your shoes before, people are often happy to share advice. As often said, most of the best jobs are never posted — you must discover them, often through networking and relationships. For example, I got an awesome summer internship at a fascinating tech startup after cold-emailing the CEO (who was a Harvard alum). As your peers may also be secretly anxious about getting internships (as the Stanford Duck Syndrome describes), connect with others and don’t stress too much.

Academic Advice

How do I decide what to major in? 

After sampling diverse classes, I chose to concentrate in Psychology because I was fascinated by how humans think and behave. My curiosity and passion for the subject motivated me to learn deeply and ask many questions, which led to interesting opportunities. Though I was worried that not majoring in Computer Science would prevent me from getting a high-paying job in tech, there are many paths to achieving my dreams.

How should I choose my classes?

Prioritize courses that are either foundational for your field or those that you are highly interested in. Learn from great professors, regardless of what they may teach. Ask friends and advisors about their favorite courses. Also, studying abroad is awesome.

Who are some professors you might recommend learning from?

Michael Sandel (ethics), Bernard Nickel (philosophy), Allison Simmons (philosophy), Drew Faust (history), Jill Lepore (history), Stephen Greenblatt (English), Lawrence Summers (economics), Danielle Allen (government), Ronald Heifetz (leadership), Daniel Shapiro (negotiation), Daniel Gilbert (psychology), Steven Pinker (psychology), Fiery Cushman (psychology), Josh Lerner (entrepreneurship), Nathan Melenbrink (engineering), CS50, Stat 110 (probability).

How important are grades?

As some selective fellowships, graduate schools, and companies may want high GPA, ask successful upperclassmen and alumni about what you need. But even if the Rhodes Scholarship may expect an GPA of at least 3.8, I wish I’d followed sooner my Resident Dean’s advice to focus on learning, not on grades. Instead of stressing over perfecting my p-set answers, I wish I’d spent more time discussing big ideas with peers and professors, which shaped my life aspirations. One of my biggest regrets is dropping out of the Harvard Pops Orchestra club election for Co-President because I was afraid that I might not have enough time to get an ‘A’ grade in Econ 10 (I still got a ‘B+’ nonetheless). For my first job at a tech startup, I didn’t even list my GPA on my resume. As Mark Twain said, "Don't let schooling interfere with your education."


More Perspectives

Advice from former dean Harry Lewis: https://lewis.seas.harvard.edu/files/harrylewis/files/slowdown2004.pdf

Kai-Fu Lee’s letter to his daughter: how to spend your college career: Link

Advice from alumni: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2015/08/how-to-harvard

Impactful Career advice: https://80000hours.org

Be a College Achiever: The Complete Guide to Academic Stardom (James Duban)