I Got Kicked From a Stanford Class

And how that changed my perception of time

I got kicked out of a Stanford class—two weeks in.

When I saw the email, the question was 'WHY?!'. I did the readings front-to-back, contributed in assigned study groups, and participated in discussions.

So, let's take this day by day.

Friday morning: I asked my professor if I could miss the next class for a tech conference, to which she approved.

Sunday night: I received the email.

Tuesday morning: I met with her.

As a freshman entering Stanford, everyone seems to be doing everything. The cesspool of competing startup, business, finance, and everything-in-between clubs gave me FOMO. Even seeing my friends' 'Find My' locations, they were always at club meetings / interviews, classes, and the famous Green Library. (Side maybe important note: I may have missed most of my classes due to going up to SF and for personal projects. Looking back, it was worth it.)

Wednesday morning: the revelation!

On my walk over to Hoover Tower for Stanford's Conference on Defense and National Security, I listened to Anduril's founder Trae Stephens on The Defense Underground Podcast. He wrote an article "Choose Good Quests" in which he questions readers if we are truly doing something we are passionate about. But, Trae reframed it when he spoke at the conference: "Are you doing something that isn't a good quest?"

I began to question if my courses—those one unit seminars included—and the clubs were indeed aligned with my goals and worth my time.

So, Wednesday afternoon: I sat down and made a list. On one side, I listed everything I was doing: clubs, seminars, applications. On the other side, I wrote my true passions and goals. The disconnect was startling.

I realized I had fallen into the freshman trap of collecting affiliations like Boy Scout badges, without considering their true value to my personal growth. The class had over 500 applications, with 20 students receiving admission. But the class wasn't aligned with my core belief in doing, rather in reading / discussing.

Wednesday night: I emailed my professor and thanked her for her wake up call. And I started to cut back: I resigned from five clubs, while 'prestigious' among Stanford students, weren't good quests for me.

This wasn't just about dropping activities; it was about rethinking how I approach everything. The most valuable asset we have is time. It's our equalizer: whether you're a freshman at Stanford or the CEO of a public company, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. But the difference is what we choose to invest that in.

Now: I've started to view every commitment, every class, and every extracurricular activity through the lens of intention. All courses/clubs/activities are interesting. But I should invest more time in the ones that help me grow as a person. For instance, those 8 hours per week I saved by not joining some clubs? That's 416 hours over the course of a year—almost 17 full days.

I've applied to two clubs overall, ones I hope to find communities in. One I've been rejected from, the other is pending. Nonetheless, I feel happy.

So, as Trae said, "Are you doing something that isn't a good quest?"

P.S. Shoutout to my friends Jef and Tim for snapping me out of applying to many clubs early on.