I was at dinner with some of my friends when one of them said, “We have exactly seven Fridays before we graduate.” It was a devastating thing to hear for many reasons. Now that it is my final quarter as an undergraduate at Stanford, I decided to ask 33 friends about how they will remember their time here.

This article is a collection of musings on our time at Stanford, including things we will miss, things we loved, (sometimes hard) lessons and advice to our freshman selves. In reading all of these brave responses, something I will take away is that there is no one right way to do Stanford. Every single person has charted their own course and grown more into themselves during their time here, which is a beautiful thing. I hope these responses will serve as a mini time capsule for the Class of 2026. If you are an incoming freshman in the Class of 2030, I also hope this can be a piece of inspiration for the many ways that you can adventure, love and discover at Stanford.

Tatiana: Our beautiful campus (esp. on a quiet early morning!) and the loveliest conversations that seem to almost always happen on someone’s floor 🙂

Erin: Sitting on the Mars lawn and seeing everyone I love walk by and wave, Coupa cold brew, running in the beautiful Palo Alto neighborhoods and thinking aspirational thoughts.

Jenny: Being able to spontaneously pop into my friends’ dorm rooms at any moment!

Aubrey: I’ll miss being around all of my friends. Never again will I have the opportunity to scooter to my friends’ dorms, have late-night conversations, spontaneous dinners, or study time together. This is the part of college I’ve loved the most, and the part I’ll miss the most.

Dan: Dunch.

Vania: Sunrises at Lake Lag.

Mira: The community, the people I met along the way, the close faculty with whom I’ve built lasting relationships, the people in my major, the frosh I’ve had the privilege of being an RA for, and everyone who makes Stanford uniquely Stanford.

Quinton: The massive variety of trees on campus — the people too I guess.

Jayna: Having my best friends live next door, down the hall, up the stairs, and basically available for me to bother 24/7.

Zara: The people for sure!

Krystal: Sunsets from the roof of McMurtry.

Callia: I’ll miss everyone together at this beautiful place. I have no doubt I will get to stay connected to the wonderful friends I have made, but I will miss us all being here on campus, meeting by chance in class or our dorms or on a sunny day at Coupa. The serendipity of my connections will be missed dearly.

Rubina: Having my friends so close to me!

Mary: Being able to spontaneously do so many things in one day with my friends.

Madison: Seeing my best friends every day, whether it be on purpose for meals and hangouts or just on accident around campus.

Andy: Sunsets from Main Quad.

Andrew: The ability to so easily and spontaneously make plans with friends that all live on campus to watch movies, play board games, or complete that (ever elusive) dinner plan.

Olivia: Living with my friends!! Having some of my closest friends in the same house and seeing them every day is so unique to college, and I will miss it so much.

Ulaina: Walking down the row and waving hi to friends on the sidewalk. Our little neighborhood.

Isabella: Spontaneously seeing my friends around campus while grabbing a drink at CoHo, studying in CODA, or walking through Main Quad.

Jude: A friend living far, meaning a 10 minute walk.

Vedant: Biking down Jane Stanford in springtime!

Ricky: All the great friends I’ve made along the way.

Duru: I’ll miss the serendipitous encounters with people on my way to class.

Flora: Having so many people to say hi to while walking around campus, all the campus events, late night talks with friends, learning material for the sake of learning.

Aileen: Terman Fountain in the fall.

Felipe: The spontaneity of bumping into friends without even trying.

Dena: The concept of Coupa: the food and drinks, the fact that it’s right outside Green Library and can be the perfect study break, the many lovely, familiar faces you’ll catch there.

Ethan: My friends. I can’t even begin to fathom that within a few months, seeing these lovely people who’ve become such an integral part of who I am will go from being a daily event to a rare occurrence.

Dan: The Late Night price spike of Fall ‘24.

Vania: The old package center line (IYKYK).

Madison: Flake culture.

Andy: “We should grab lunch!”

Zara: COLLEGE. Also communal bathrooms when people didn’t clean up after themselves.

Krystal: The torrential downpour of frosh year.

Jenny: Biking up the FloMo hill.

Tatiana: Commuting out of campus when you don’t have a car.

Aubrey: Hot take, but I hated going to speaker events. I’ve been to a few events, and every time I leave feeling underwhelmed. I wish the people who come to campus would be more approachable and talk about themselves beyond their accomplishment and research, focusing instead on who they are as people.

Flora: Biking uphill, ultra-competitive classes, imposter syndrome.

Aileen: The immediate onset of angst as I, a light sleeper (arguably), would wake to footsteps and whispers conspiring on the other side of my door. But nothing dissolves it like a 50°F trudge to Meyer Green before sunrise, for TJs breakfast and a newfound community.

Felipe: Any of the 20 forms of “chicken” at Arrillaga that all tasted the exact same.

Dena: Getting my bike stolen like seven times.

Vedant: The cold, incessant rain in the Winter of 2023 🙁

Ricky: Taking exams in extreme weather (both heat and power outages).

Erin: Knowing that the end was near </3, the freshman year rush experience, packing up every summer.

Linh: Friendships change and that’s okay! Just try to remember what kind of person you want to be and always strive towards that kind of integrity.

Jenny: College is about saying yes to things, but it is also about learning to when to set boundaries and say no.

Vedant: Don’t be afraid to open up to people. Vulnerability is a good thing and helps you connect!

Ricky: The professor teaching a course *does* matter.

Mira: How to ask for help, to truly use the resources around me and recognize that people are there for me. Secondly, I learned that I don’t have to fit into one of the few paths I once thought existed for me; instead, I can explore a wide range of possibilities and pursue a career that I am passionate about.

Vania: The librarians at Green will come wake you up if you fall asleep at night.

Mary: Finding and making Stanford a community for others will be one of your most rewarding experiences! Keep on fostering strong communities wherever you go <3

Madison: Swim in Lake lag at your own risk; be spontaneous.

Andy: If you want a village, you have to be a villager.

Olivia: Things will go wrong and life will be hard at times!! I think I expected Stanford to be all sunshine and rainbows because it’s Stanford, but that is not how life goes! But that is a beautiful thing and you will come out of it a better person and everything happens for a reason.

Erin: The people make the place!!

Aubrey: A major lesson I learned was the importance of going and doing things by yourself! I’ve had many events I’ve wanted to go to that my friends didn’t. Eventually, I felt okay with going on my own, and never regretted it!

Duru: This is a place where you can do challenging things and fail and it’ll be ok. Take advantage of that. Take the hard class; do things outside of your comfort zone; grow.

Aileen: If things don’t go the way you expect, go: “Well, whatever.”

Ulaina: Kindness is easier to spread and more powerful than you think

Isabella: It’s always worth asking that question, exploring a new or unfamiliar path, and challenging yourself!

Jude: You gotta do what your gut says you love at the end of the day, even if that’s not what your peers are doing.

Flora: The biggest lesson I learned is that you should never be afraid to ask. People here are kind and patient if you come prepared and with an open mind. Whether it’s for conceptual help from TAs, favors from friends, or curiosity about life, I feel like I could have learned so much more and deeper if I wasn’t afraid to ask for help half the time.

Felipe: You (almost) never regret pulling up to any event, even if it sucks.

Andrew: [The fact] that it’s super okay to be the one that reaches out and suggests plans. Sometimes people don’t accept and that’s okay, but you have so much more opportunity to do things if you’re willing to be somebody that starts things.

Tatiana: Not to oversubscribe myself; exploration is so critical but I’ve learned (and am still learning) not to overcommit — rather, to find communities and organizations that I resonate with most and invest meaningfully (and wholeheartedly!) in those.

Quinton: Always, ALWAYS bike in the bike lane.

Andrew: I wish I put more effort into trying to become a TA, RA, or peer tutor. I think it would’ve been fun teaching students or sort of guiding other students/peers as I really loved doing that in high school.

Quinton: Taken a classic Stanford class (e.g., Sleep and Dreams, 106A, Social Dance).

Tatiana: Take improv!! (inspired by Jenny LOL) And in general, take up activities like Flying Treehouse that I wouldn’t have an opportunity to do anywhere else.

Erin: Studied abroad — honestly my only Stanford “what if.”

Mira: Join a club or intramural sports team!

Olivia: Studied abroad!! Australia calls my name — it is my biggest regret.

Vania: Hike the dish more times.

Duru: Joined more clubs freshman year. You can find community in many places.

Mary: Picked up more random hobbies, I guess it’s never too late to try though!

Andy: Audition for Simps (the Stanford Improvisers).

Jenny: Get involved in Stanford’s outdoor programs.

Aubrey: I wish I had taken more risks. I’m a very risk averse person, and I wish I had done more spontaneous things during my time at Stanford.

Jude: Studied abroad in Australia…

Flora: Tried out for acapella, taken more fun classes earlier on, and been involved in more student productions.

Felipe: Gone rafting in Lake Lag.

Ethan: Gone out of my comfort zone more. There’re so many things to explore and people to meet at Stanford — I feel that I’ve left a lot of stones unturned.

Vedant: An adventure trip with AOERC!

Dena: Lived on campus for a summer, taken an art practice class, taken social dance, attended a FashionX show in person, and played an intramural sport that I had never tried (like volleyball).

Isabella: I wish I studied abroad. (At the same time though, there is always something happening on campus and many other opportunities to pursue, so there isn’t one perfect way to enjoy Stanford. I’m extremely grateful for the way my Stanford experience has gone!)

Mira: Something I’m especially glad I did was study abroad in Santiago — a place I knew little about —where I could further develop my Spanish-speaking abilities, meet students from all around the world, learn about Chilean culture and push myself outside of my comfort zone.

Ricky: TA a course. Leading section is very special to me.

Olivia: Become an RA! I love my residents and I feel like an older sister sometimes which is wonderful because I have always wanted siblings. Also music!! there are so many music opportunities here and they are so wonderful with wonderful people.

Mary: Starting a climate community on campus and paving opportunities for new students.

Dan: Becoming a tour guide.

Jayna: Learned some new sports! Golf, climbing, tennis — PHYSWELL classes can be such a joy, if you’re lucky enough to get in. Oh also a big fan of social dance 🙂

Callia: Study abroad sophomore year so I could be a frosh and row RA junior and senior year!

Vania: Do weekly trivia with my friends <3

Quinton: Studied abroad!

Rubina: Studied abroad!

Madison: Went abroad!! If you want to experience the best three months of your life, go to Florence.

Andy: Study abroad and club in Spain until 6 a.m. and then walk to the beach to watch the sunrise with people that are now friends for life.

Zara: Social dance, orchestra and other “fun” classes. They all gave me a much needed break from studying, even though I (mostly) love my major. Also, I’m glad I’ve gotten to know a few professors. They’re great resources for both career and life advice, and the ones I’ve talked to all seem super excited to invest in undergrads.

Andrew: I loved my study abroad experience in China. It really pushed me to make new friends both with the Stanford Cohort, Peking University students and even some professors there, going on karaoke nights, horse rides through Inner Mongolia, and stupid late night conversations at the Stanford Center.

Jenny: Take TAPS 103! And HISTORY 47! And Social Dance 1!

Erin: Climb to the top of the clock tower.

Tatiana: Camp Kaleidoscope.

Ulaina: Continuing to join new communities on campus even as an upperclassmen #You’reNeverTooOld.

Vedant: Tried all kinds of clubs before I found the ones to stick with!

Jude: Lived in a co-op!!

Flora: Take PHYSWELL classes, join clubs, do singing lessons for all four years.

Aileen: Become the 95%, senior fall.

Felipe: Study abroad in China without knowing anyone in the cohort beforehand!

Dena: Abroad! A cardinal quarter overseas my freshman summer! And choosing a major that I truly love!

Ethan: Become a participant in Stanford’s classical music scene. Stanford’s music department is very robust for an academic institution — I’ve been super lucky to learn from so many world-class performers.

Isabella: One of my favorite parts of Stanford was RA-ing, allowing me to became friends with so many cool people and to grow significantly as a person. I would not be the person I am today without having been an RA.

Dan: Breathe — you made it! Don’t be scared to take it easy.

Callia: Savor savor savor it. I dream of waking up in my frosh dorm again.

Ethan: Keep an open mind and heart, and be courageous and exploratory.

Vania: It goes by way too quickly!

Jayna: Go to office hours and work on p-sets with friends — even the smartest people need help sometimes and there is always something you can learn from others.

Rubina: It’s never that serious 🤣.

Mary: Enjoy every day, take a new route to class, go to random events you have no connection to, make more mistakes!

Erin: Do not blink!! + Realize that it only matters if it makes sense to you.

Duru: Take risks, don’t stick to what you know.

Madison: Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Olivia: You must take advantage!! You only have four years here which feels like a lot at the beginning but there are so many resources and opportunities to take advantage of so do literally whatever you are interested in.

Jenny: Trust the process.

Tatiana: To push myself out of my comfort zone more often, go to more talks on campus and invest in meaningful relationships with my professors.

Aubrey: If I could show my senior year self to my freshman year self, I think she would realize that coming to Stanford would be worth it, even with all of the challenges and obstacles along the way. I’d like to think she’d be proud of me!

Isabella: You will meet amazing people, form unique communities, have a wealth of opportunities you hadn’t even known about before college, and grow in more ways than you could ever imagine while at Stanford. Always be open to these new opportunities… you never know where they might lead!

Jude: Lowkey get those WAYs and language out of the way ASAP, and study abroad!!! And get money for summer internships to go abroad 🤑.

Aileen: Dec. 23, 2025, Powerball, 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, 19.

Flora: Time will go back so incredibly fast. Try to enjoy every second, and try to say yes to as many things as possible. you will grow so much in college and be exposed to such a wide array of thoughts and ideas. You will love it here, so much.

Dena: Try quite literally anything and everything. There’s always enough time to try something new if you make the time; the actual work will ALWAYS get done.

Vedant: Be patient. You will find your place (and your people) at Stanford.

Andrew: I know this is cliche but don’t worry so much about everything. You’ll do great and make so many great friends.

Andy: You’ll be surprised by the number of people that love you here 🙂