Shreya Jupelly

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10? 

It’s cool, having a rank that high shows all the dedication and effort I put in. It feels like I have something to show for doing all the homework and extra assignments.

What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self? 

I can’t think of a lot of times when I enjoyed high school, because I had my ninth-grade year cut off in the last marking period and then my entire sophomore year online. I didn’t enjoy my high school experience as much as I should have. I would tell myself to enjoy these moments while they are  happening, because you don’t want to be a senior and be like, “What did I do in my high school years?” I would tell myself to enjoy the present and think about how I can spend my free time in a way in which I can look back fondly. 

What’s your most memorable part of high school? 

I would say science fair in ninth grade, because me and my partners would spend hours every day in the library after school, not even doing anything related to science. I am happy that I experienced the build-up to create the project and all the time hanging out with my friends while doing that. I remember walking around Dallas, dressed up the day of the competition. I think it was the craziness, randomness and anti-climactic ending that made the experience.

What are your thoughts on the current education system? 

In a lot of ways, it is flawed because I don’t know how much of what I learned in school will help me in the future. In a lot of classes, there is busy, miscellaneous work that is there to eat up your time, a check of grade for your teacher to have. It doesn’t compliment your learning in any way. It takes time away from more enriching experiences and extracurriculars. It’s a flawed way to prioritize easy, time extensive grades. 

What are your goals for the future? 

I want to be a physician and go on the medical path at UTD. All the hard work I did to get into the programs and colleges in high school sets me up for undergrad as I’ll have to repeat, in hindsight, the process to get into med school. The hard work I’ve done now kind of makes it to where I know what I’m going into to become a physician.

What is your secret to success? 

Studying wisely. A lot of people’s studying technique is doing their notes again, or just reading their notes. That doesn’t let you see if you know a concept or not. Do anything that will help you apply the concepts and not where you’re regurgitating the information you learn.

What was the hardest lesson you had to learn during high school?

The hardest lesson I learned is to manage your expectations, both for yourself and how your hard work may pay off. There have been a lot of disappointing times for me personally, in high school, when I think something worked out one way but doesn’t work out the way I want. You have to sit back and reflect afterwards, thinking, “What was the point of all this hard work? What was the point of me trying so hard if I don’t get the result that I end up wanting?” I grew and developed my perspective from the effort and all the experience that I had going into this throughout high school.

What was your motivation throughout high school?

Work hard now so you don’t have to look for it later. Set the foundation up now, so afterwards you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

How much effort did you put into studying after school?

Usually an hour to an hour and a half per class if there was a test coming up. When it comes to the assignment, though, an assignment can take a lot of time because your teacher wants to make it last. I think a lot of days, I ended up taking more time than I should. 

What is your advice for younger students?

Have a plan for your goals so that you can use it as a foundation for what you want to do later. Some people will take more time than others to think about what major they want to do, if you have an idea, think about it now. It’s good to have an idea of what you’re doing beforehand, so you’re able to have a set path for it that you can think about for the future.

Follow Aliza (@aliza_abidi) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.