"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity."| A UPenn Student's Advice on Balancing Life

We had the opportunity of interviewing Uday Tripathi, a student at the University of Pennsylvania about: Balanced Life Uday is: The President of MUSE Consulting, The President of Engineers in Medicine, An Engineering Teaching Assistant, Co-Founder of Golden Gate Editing (college application consultant), Valedictorian of his class in high school, Scorer of 5s on all of 8 of his AP exams, A Merit Semifinalist, and a Scholar Athlete. Uday shares with us: " I wish I had relaxed a little more and taken advantage of new opportunities more..." "No matter how hard school got, getting on the baseball field always cleared my mind and gave me a couple of hours every day where I could reset and get back into a mindset that would let me perform well academically...." Q: What is one thing you wish you knew while you were in high school? A: I wish I had relaxed a little more and taken advantage of new opportunities more - I was wrapped up in the idea that every single quiz in high school would determine what college I would get into and how my future would play out. Looking back, I could have gotten the same results with far less effort and taken advantage of fun activities more (e.g. homecoming skits, dance competitions, etc.). I definitely had my fair share of fun in high school (I definitely didn’t lock myself in my room all the time to study), but I could have had more if I had just chilled out a little bit . I definitely have relaxed more in college and have been very happy with how my experience has turned out. Q: Our aspirations can lead to us sometimes sacrificing our physical or mental health. Were you able to keep them in shape? If so, how? A: Sports have always been a huge part of my life , especially in high school. No matter how hard school got, getting on the baseball field always cleared my mind and gave me a couple of hours every day where I could reset and get back into a mindset that would let me perform well academically . Even now, I find playing pickup basketball and lifting weights in college has kept me grounded in a similar fashion and has acted as my escape whenever I am stressed. Learn more about Uday and his experience on his LinkedIn account. Think you know someone or are someone that can give some advice? Fill out this form here ! Have more questions based on what you’ve read? Submit them here !