Comparing yourself to classmates who are already launching startups.
COMPARING YOURSELF TO CLASSMATES WHO ARE ALREADY LAUNCHING STARTUPS.
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There’s a unique kind of pressure that hits differently when you’re navigating the halls of an Ivy or looking back at your time there. You're immersed in an environment where "normal" is often extraordinary. And then it happens: you scroll through your feed, or overhear a conversation, and suddenly a classmate – maybe even someone you shared a dining hall table with – is closing a Series A round for their startup, publishing groundbreaking research, or on a national advisory committee.
It’s an unspoken, almost absurd, mental struggle. How do you explain to friends or family outside this bubble that you feel "behind," when you're quite literally at a world-class institution? They see the prestige; we see the relentless, quiet comparison to peers who seem to be not just excelling, but already conquering entire industries before graduation. That feeling of being brilliant but simultaneously inadequate, of having immense potential yet still figuring out your next step while others are already building empires – that’s an Ivy-League-specific mental struggle. It’s hard to articulate the weight of seeing so much exceptional achievement constantly around you, making your own significant progress feel small. Remember, everyone's path is unique. Your journey is valid, and your timeline is your own.
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