Dispense Advice Only After You've Lived Through It

“I’ve never been asked what my grades were at Yale. … Nobody has ever asked me about my senior thesis, and I’ve never gotten a job because I was on the lightweight crew team. All those things were hugely important to me at the time, but right now, in truth they are dim memories for me. … When you graduate the slate is wiped clean.”

— Anderson Cooper

This is not going to be a Silver Fox post.

Oh it's not all about you, Andy.

You know what will help you survive later on? Your mind. Your personality. And your empathy. You know what won't? Your CGPA. How many books you read. How many pages your thesis is. Or how many scholars you can name.

Yes, academic excellence is important. And yes, people seem to respect you more when you have a string of abbreviations in front of your name.

But at the end of the day, what matters, what people will only talk about positively is how you've changed their lives and whether you are a good person.

So stop bragging.