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Speaker 1:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast by the hosts and guests may or may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ.

Female Student Guest:

I am going into my last semester of chemical engineering.

Male Student Guest:

I'm a senior journalism major.

Female Student Guest:

And I'm minoring in supply chain and operations management.

Male Student Guest:

I'm a biochemistry major.

Male Student Guest:

Classes are going great. Extracurriculars are going great.

Female Student Guest:

I'm an RA on campus.

Male Student Guest:

I'm thriving.

Jason Meggyesy:

Hi, I'm Jason Meggyesy, and this is Major Insight. This is the podcast where we talk college life with amazing ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs about how to find your place and purpose on campus. On this episode, we continue our special summer series that collects some of the best advice we've gotten on the podcast so far. This time, we'll hear from ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs about how they took the leap and got involved on campus, whether it was how they found their favorite club, learned how to balance academics with ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ life, how they found the courage to join an exciting research project and many more. This is the second of two episodes we're calling Advice for my Freshman Self.

Male Student Guest:

I'm James Lukenda. I am a junior and my majors are zoology and music performance, and I play the violin.

Jason Meggyesy:

So it seems like you kind of knew what your lane was from an early age, right? And that's, I don't want to say a luxury, but it's a special thing because not a lot of people have that. So what would you say to somebody who may not be in your shoes, but they may be a little more apprehensive on choosing a specific major because they don't really know if that's what they're down for or things like that? You know what I'm saying?

Male Student Guest:

Yeah. I definitely think the way to go is just to try a lot of different things, dip your toes in everything. And whether that means in high school, maybe doing a lot of extracurricular activities and doing some research on your own about things you're interested in, regardless of what classes you're in, trying different sports in different seasons, and arts maybe, and just dipping your toes in everything. And then when you come to college, maybe you come in as undecided or as a major you think you might like, but take classes in a lot of different areas. In college also there's tons of clubs. There's clubs for everything. Every single time I hear someone is part of a club, I'm like, "Wow, I've never even heard of that club."

Jason Meggyesy:

Yeah. Now the last one I have for you is your 18-year old James, walking on campus with your violin, what advice would you give him for the next three years?

Male Student Guest:

I think sort of what I was talking about earlier, being more engaged with clubs and extracurricular activities. I know freshman year I went to Mega Fair and saw all these clubs and I put my name down for a lot of them and I really didn't engage with many of them. Like the bird club, I wasn't super into at the beginning, and now, of course, I'm vice president. But getting into that earlier and meeting more people through those clubs, I think, would definitely be something I would advise myself to do.

Male Student Guest:

And I'd say the other piece of advice I'd give myself is not to limit myself to these strict paths, and coming in with an idea of where you want to be and what you want to do is nice, but in some ways it's also a curse because you're so sure and then any doubt comes up and you sort of have this crisis and it's a little too late. So just having my mind open is something I would definitely wish I had done.

Female Student Guest:

My name is Olivia Casey. I'm a senior from Cleveland. I'm in a couple of things on campus. I'm in a sorority. And I'm very passionate about starting abroad and traveling and I'm going to be a future teacher.

Jason Meggyesy:

And then coming in freshman year, what was the biggest shock to you? What was the biggest adjustment you think you had to make, coming in on campus?

Female Student Guest:

I did feel homesick. I was four hours away, which, I mean, I'm not out of state, but I did feel homesick. And I would FaceTime my mom once a day, and I was like, "How my will I ever get over this?" And now you're a senior and you're like, "Oh wait, this is the life." Like, oh my gosh.

Jason Meggyesy:

No, no. I completely feel that. Because I kind of felt a little bit of isolation coming in freshman year, because it's this big, wide, new world that you don't know. No one gives you a playbook on "Okay, this is how you get through college." You know what I'm saying? So you just got to kind of feel your way around. So on the flipside of that, what was something that was kind of surprising to you that you were like, "Oh, I thought I might struggle with that," but in actuality it kind of just came naturally to you?

Female Student Guest:

Yeah. Getting involved. I've always tried to get involved with wherever I am, so getting involved in Miami, it was an easy transition, like going to the Mega Fair and meeting people through those organizations I got involved in. That was an easy transition for me that I was a little worried about, but it was a success, I would say.

Jason Meggyesy:

So last question I got for you: advice for your freshman self.

Female Student Guest:

It's going to sound cliche, but what I've said at the beginning is taking one day at a time. I would say my freshman year, every day being homesick, but taking every day one day at a time is huge.

Jason Meggyesy:

Keep pushing through one day at a time.

Female Student Guest:

Yeah.

Jason Meggyesy:

Nice, short and sweet.

Female Student Guest:

Yeah, it's short and sweet.

Jason Meggyesy:

Cool.

Male Student Guest:

So, I'm Blake Faulkner, current junior here at Miami, finance, entrepreneurship, anthropology. And a little bit about me. So I've spent some time in the venture capital industry, currently have a startup operating in Web 3, and really excited to dive into talking with you today.

Jason Meggyesy:

What was your college search experience like, and then why Miami ultimately was the place for you?

Male Student Guest:

Yeah, it isn't great, but I kind of fell into Miami in some ways. I applied, I think, to 11 or 12 schools. And then originally, I got denied, I think, to maybe nine or 10 of those. So it ended up kind of just falling on Miami. And that was like, this is something kind of just for other freshmen that might be in this position. And there's a lot more of us than we would probably like to admit. But if you're at a university, you're at a college where you feel kind of disheartened that you didn't get into another university, you'll learn to make the most of it and you'll still be able to find friendships and find opportunities wherever you are, as long as you're ambitious and willing to really go for it. But that's the difference, you have to go for it.

Male Student Guest:

And I love it. I think it's great. It's really awesome because when I was in high school, I was getting into VC, I was getting into entrepreneurship in some ways. And there weren't a lot of people at my high school that really were into that in the same way that I was. But coming here to college, I quickly found my community, and quickly found clubs and organizations that were fitting to my interests and really allowed me to be around other people that are like-minded, forward thinking, building technology, kind of working to innovate in really interesting ways. And that wasn't available at my high school so it was cool to really come here and get involved in that community quick.

Male Student Guest:

Also got very overwhelmed with clubs very quickly. I had interviews like for two weeks straight for clubs. So I came in and I was very ambitious right off the bat. And then over time, I've kind of closed that list in some ways. And I feel like when you're a freshman, you kind of come in with the mentality of "I'm going to do whatever I can, as fast as possible. I'm going to join as many organizations. I'm going to go to as many events," but you get burnt out pretty quick if you do that.

Jason Meggyesy:

Yeah. So what was that vetting process like for you when you apply? So you have all these clubs, you're like, "Oh, maybe I can do this, maybe I can do this," but then that vetting process to kind of hone it in on these two or three things, right?

Male Student Guest:

Yeah. So when you find your passion, the vetting just happens naturally. Because you can tell when you lose interest in something, or you can tell when you're in an organization that isn't moving fast enough or isn't doing something that's actually genuinely interesting to you.

Jason Meggyesy:

Most definitely. Now I always tell everybody, I like to transition the end of the podcast to my philosophical questions and whatnot. To you, if you had to describe what does an entrepreneur look like? What qualities do they have that make up someone who's really about this entrepreneurship stuff?

Male Student Guest:

I think you have to be curious. I think that's the biggest thing. And you also have to have a healthy distaste for authority. I think that curious, because you need to be able to actually lean in and actually look at different business models and look at different situations that you're going through in your life and think, "Huh, how could this be different?" And healthy distaste for authority, like you have to be ready to buck the system. It's a part of it. You have to be ready, with Web 3 and the metaverse it's like, "Okay, we're going to decentralize everything and we are all going to make it." It's this mentality that this old system is broken and I'm actually confident and capable of fixing it. It's having that sort of a mindset. And whether you're building technology or whether you're creating something else, I think that's really important.

Female Student Guest:

My name is Molly. I am a junior here at Miami. I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio, and I'm studying nursing.

Jason Meggyesy:

If you could go back and sit down with freshman Molly Ferguson, what are you telling her? What advice are you giving her schoolwise, lifewise, all that?

Female Student Guest:

Schoolwise, I would say create relationship with your professors, reaching out to them and just showing that you care about their class. They'll reciprocate that energy back to you if you show them that you want to be there and that you want to learn and do well in their class. On a personal level, I would just say, also cliche but just enjoy every second of it. I cannot believe I'm already a junior, you're a senior. That's ridiculous. I can't even talk about it. But just honestly, live in the moment, soak it all in, take advantage of every opportunity you can.

Jason Meggyesy:

Cool.

Female Student Guest:

My name is Caroline Brega. I'm a senior finance major. I'm also studying sport leadership and management and sport analytics. I'm originally from right outside New York City. And I came here, Miami was actually not my first choice. So glad I came. I've had so many amazing opportunities outside the classroom that I'm really excited to share.

Jason Meggyesy:

Cool. So did you know what you wanted when you first arrived?

Female Student Guest:

Looking back, I did not know at all what I wanted. I think I've changed every decision I've made since freshman year. I came in as a finance major. I'm still a finance major, obviously, but being from New York, I thought I wanted to work on Wall Street or do investments and financial planning, things like that. But I quickly changed my mind because I wanted to be involved in something more outside of finance. I wanted to be a part of a bigger initiative. And I found that in sports. I got really heavily involved with the SLAM department early in my sophomore year and that's when I kind of met the professors that guided me along the way and the other ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs in classes that I was really drawn to. And that's kind of how I decided to go with sports.

Jason Meggyesy:

All right. So you're coming to the end of your college journey. If you could just go back to freshman year and sit down with yourself for an hour, what kind of things would you tell yourself?

Female Student Guest:

I've never struggled with self-confidence. I've always been a confident person. I always believed that I knew I would end up where I was meant to be. So it wouldn't necessarily be tell myself that I can do it, because I always knew that I could, I always had the drive and determination to get to where I wanted to be. But I would tell myself more so in a social environment, don't forget to have fun, don't forget to step outside of your comfort zone, because it's so easy to get lost in professional things and your school work. But I really think there is a genuine balance that I would encourage myself to find as I progress through my college career.

Female Student Guest:

Yeah. So my name is Julia and I am a senior architecture ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ. I'm originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And I've also grown up doing puzzles, it's something I've always loved to do. And so, to me, architecture feels like a big puzzle of putting together many different pieces from many different places and pulling from different information and different places and people and experiences to create kind of this broader picture.

Jason Meggyesy:

So stepping on to your first year in Oxford on the campus, Milwaukee to Oxford, Ohio is not a quick trip. Just talk to me about freshman year: changes, transitions, how that kind of impacted your experience.

Female Student Guest:

Yeah, it was definitely different and it was like a totally new world. As a kid I never went to summer camp so I had never even lived away from home. So it was definitely different and a new adjustment, trying to make friends and suddenly be very independent with my life. I would say the architecture program specifically helped with that a ton because it is such a close-knit community. And so that's where I was able to meet a lot of really close friends and people I was spending time with. And we were all in the studio late together, working, and doing things outside of studio, hanging out, all of that kind of stuff. So that helped a lot. And I had a great roommate freshman year, too, who we ended up being really great friends, and that made the transition so much easier as well.

Jason Meggyesy:

What was your biggest lesson you've learned throughout your college experience?

Female Student Guest:

I would just say, take every opportunity that comes your way. I found it really beneficial to be super-involved in trying new things all the time. Really taking everything that you can, meeting as many people as you can, doing as many things as you can and gaining all this experience is really huge to the college experience, I think. It's certainly not easy. There are many days of tears and stress and all of that, but there's so much fun. And the people that you meet as a result are just... It's kind of the coolest thing ever.

Male Student Guest:

Yeah. So my name's Gabe Lenneman. I'm a junior biomedical engineering major with a minor in bioinformatics.

Jason Meggyesy:

And was that your first original major that you had when you came in?

Male Student Guest:

So, biomedical engineering was actually not. I came into college as a biochemistry major with a co-major in pre-med. And after my freshman year, I don't know why, I just started questioning if pre-med was the right route for me. And I was talking to my parents about it and my dad was also thinking about pre-med one day, like taking the MCAT and doing all the hard work for it. And he was like, "Pre-med, if you're questionable about it, it's really hard. And if you're questionable about it at all, then it may not be right for you because it's a lot of work, a lot of extra schooling, a lot of money." And I was like, "Yeah, and I'm not really sure if I like biochemistry." I was a biochemistry major, but I was just doing it to go to med school. I didn't really like biochemistry as much. And that summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I built my first computer. I got really into technology and I was like, I really like technology. I kind of want to get into this more.

Jason Meggyesy:

And it all came from that leap of faith to step out of the comfort zone.

Male Student Guest:

Yeah. Definitely.

Jason Meggyesy:

So how important, not just for getting into clubs, but just in general, how important do you think stepping out of that comfort zone is for ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs?

Male Student Guest:

I think it's very important. I think in high school I had a lot of regret of not doing clubs like this and in college I wanted to change that. It definitely was a hard decision at first, but once you make that first decision to get out of your comfort zone, the rest of the decisions are a lot easier. So joining the water ski team, going to the Lake Day the first time, meeting all these new people. I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life but it made all the other times meeting new people and joining new clubs just that much easier. So I think for new people, for new ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs coming in, definitely joining the one club and joining any club after that, or any ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ organization, just gets a lot easier. And I can guarantee you will never regret it because it's going to be a good experience.

Jason Meggyesy:

Cool. If you could sit down with your freshman year self, first day of college, what advice are you given to him? What are you telling him?

Male Student Guest:

I would say, don't be scared to change your major. I would say, change your hair a little bit and definitely don't be afraid to take a leap of faith.

Jason Meggyesy:

For sure, bro. That sounds like a great place to stop. Thank you so much for coming on, Gabe.

Male Student Guest:

Thank you very much for having me, man.

Jason Meggyesy:

Thank you for listening to our special summer series, Advice for my Freshman Self. And as we prepare to bring you an all-new season, next time on the podcast, we'll meet the new host of Major Insight who will be taking over this fall.

Female Student Guest:

My name is Meredith Aliff. Well, first of all, just want to say how excited I am about it. I have been looking forward to an opportunity like this since I became interested in podcasting, which I've always loved listening to podcasts. I think they're so much fun. And so I'm really excited about that. I'm excited to hear stories and really get to know these phenomenal people at our university that have figured it out and are kind of doing their own path, going their own way, and are totally succeeding at it.

Jason Meggyesy:

Yeah. That's next time on Major Insight. Until then, you can find many more episodes wherever you get your podcasts.