COLUMBIA PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM
Learning to think, contribute, and grow across perspectives
ROLE
Pre-College Student
Duration
June 30 - July 18, 2025
PROGRAM
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Academic Experience
Learning through questions and perspectives
From June 30 to July 18, 2025, I participated in a non-credit course offered through Columbia University Pre-College Programs. Entering a university learning environment asked me to do more than absorb information: I had to listen carefully, communicate my reasoning, and remain open to perspectives that challenged my first response. Learning alongside students with different backgrounds made discussion an important part of the experience. I began to notice that a strong idea is not simply one that sounds confident; it is one whose assumptions can be explained, questioned, and refined. The program encouraged me to contribute with greater intention and to treat uncertainty as a starting point for inquiry. It also changed how I think about academic participation. Preparation, curiosity, and reflection became connected parts of the same process, a mindset I now carry into research, design, and collaborative work.
Campus & Independence
Adapting to a new learning environment
Spending time on Columbia's campus made the program feel larger than a single class. Moving between academic spaces, meeting classmates, and adapting to a new daily rhythm required independence and initiative. The campus environment gave me room to observe how people from different places form a temporary learning community. Those informal moments helped me become more comfortable starting conversations, asking for clarification, and building connections with greater confidence beyond familiar surroundings.
What I Took Away
Speaking with confidence, listening with purpose
The experience reminded me that growth often begins before a final answer is available. I left with greater confidence in expressing an idea, but also with more willingness to revise it after hearing another point of view. That balance between speaking and listening matters in every collaborative setting. It has become especially useful when I work on projects that connect user needs, business decisions, and service experiences, where one perspective is rarely enough.
Next project
2026 FAYE
COLUMBIA PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM
Learning to think, contribute, and grow across perspectives
ROLE
Pre-College Student
Duration
June 30 - July 18, 2025
PROGRAM
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Academic Experience
Learning through questions and perspectives
From June 30 to July 18, 2025, I participated in a non-credit course offered through Columbia University Pre-College Programs. Entering a university learning environment asked me to do more than absorb information: I had to listen carefully, communicate my reasoning, and remain open to perspectives that challenged my first response. Learning alongside students with different backgrounds made discussion an important part of the experience. I began to notice that a strong idea is not simply one that sounds confident; it is one whose assumptions can be explained, questioned, and refined. The program encouraged me to contribute with greater intention and to treat uncertainty as a starting point for inquiry. It also changed how I think about academic participation. Preparation, curiosity, and reflection became connected parts of the same process, a mindset I now carry into research, design, and collaborative work.
Campus & Independence
Adapting to a new learning environment
Spending time on Columbia's campus made the program feel larger than a single class. Moving between academic spaces, meeting classmates, and adapting to a new daily rhythm required independence and initiative. The campus environment gave me room to observe how people from different places form a temporary learning community. Those informal moments helped me become more comfortable starting conversations, asking for clarification, and building connections with greater confidence beyond familiar surroundings.
What I Took Away
Speaking with confidence, listening with purpose
The experience reminded me that growth often begins before a final answer is available. I left with greater confidence in expressing an idea, but also with more willingness to revise it after hearing another point of view. That balance between speaking and listening matters in every collaborative setting. It has become especially useful when I work on projects that connect user needs, business decisions, and service experiences, where one perspective is rarely enough.
Next project
2026 FAYE
COLUMBIA PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM
Learning to think, contribute, and grow across perspectives
ROLE
Pre-College Student
Duration
June 30 - July 18, 2025
PROGRAM
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Academic Experience
Learning through questions and perspectives
From June 30 to July 18, 2025, I participated in a non-credit course offered through Columbia University Pre-College Programs. Entering a university learning environment asked me to do more than absorb information: I had to listen carefully, communicate my reasoning, and remain open to perspectives that challenged my first response. Learning alongside students with different backgrounds made discussion an important part of the experience. I began to notice that a strong idea is not simply one that sounds confident; it is one whose assumptions can be explained, questioned, and refined. The program encouraged me to contribute with greater intention and to treat uncertainty as a starting point for inquiry. It also changed how I think about academic participation. Preparation, curiosity, and reflection became connected parts of the same process, a mindset I now carry into research, design, and collaborative work.
Campus & Independence
Adapting to a new learning environment
Spending time on Columbia's campus made the program feel larger than a single class. Moving between academic spaces, meeting classmates, and adapting to a new daily rhythm required independence and initiative. The campus environment gave me room to observe how people from different places form a temporary learning community. Those informal moments helped me become more comfortable starting conversations, asking for clarification, and building connections with greater confidence beyond familiar surroundings.
What I Took Away
Speaking with confidence, listening with purpose
The experience reminded me that growth often begins before a final answer is available. I left with greater confidence in expressing an idea, but also with more willingness to revise it after hearing another point of view. That balance between speaking and listening matters in every collaborative setting. It has become especially useful when I work on projects that connect user needs, business decisions, and service experiences, where one perspective is rarely enough.
Next project
2026 FAYE