海角乱伦社区

This National College Decision Day, we spoke to Krish Bedi, a standout Scholar from the Class of 2030, about his first year as a Scholar, his college decision for the fall, and going with the flow of what life brings his way. Krish is currently working as part of 海角乱伦社区’ Content Crew, and was recently chosen as one of the Scholars selected for the .聽Read on for his reflection:

“When you鈥檙e in the right place at the right time, don鈥檛 question it, just go with the flow. It鈥檚 quite unlikely that things will pan out exactly as expected, you just gotta go with the flow. Life always seems to work its magic someway, somehow. Just go with the flow.

Just going with the flow is an amazing philosophy to lead life by. It鈥檚 what I鈥檝e tried to do during my senior year of high school, and I think it鈥檚 panned out quite well thus far. As I think back to a 10-month ago Krish, a Krish that was stiff, rigid, and closed-minded, I can鈥檛 help but be amazed at how much I鈥檝e grown since then. I still remember walking into the 海角乱伦社区 office for the first time my junior year summer. I didn鈥檛 really know what to expect, but I had no clue what a pivotal role the place I was entering would play in my development throughout the next year.

‘When you鈥檙e in the right place at the right time, don鈥檛 question it, just go with the flow.’

Fast forward to the summertime. I鈥檇 now been a Scholar for a couple of months and was starting to find my bearings. I was exhausted. I鈥檇 spent the entire morning talking to school after school during the Scholars College Fair. My brain was overloaded with brochures and the growing pressure of making the 鈥渞ight鈥� choice. It didn鈥檛 help that it was hot. I was dressed up, in a tight shirt and an even tighter tie. All I could think about was lunchtime, and the ice cream social that was promised afterwards.

Finally, while sitting with some friends I spotted the cooler. Ice cream, exactly what I needed. I walked up, opened it, and to my disappointment saw ice cream SANDWICHES. Not exactly what I had in mind. I jokingly complained to my friends, saying something about it being 鈥渇ake ice cream鈥�, when a staff member nearby overheard and laughed, pretending to be offended. She introduced herself as Morgan and we started talking, just casually at first. At some point, the conversation turned to me: what I liked to do, what schools I was interested in, what I wanted to study. I talked about probably pursuing finance, but that my true passion lay in something more creative: filmmaking. That鈥檚 when she told me she was the Associate Director of Marketing and that there was an open position for Scholars to join the team.

I applied. I got it. And since then, I鈥檝e grown so much as a creative. I鈥檝e gotten exposure into the world of advertising, a route I鈥檓 now strongly considering pursuing. I鈥檝e gotten the chance to get paid doing what I love, something I didn鈥檛 even know was feasible at my age. I鈥檝e taken the money from that job to build out my very first camera rig, and hope to use it to propel my creative career even further. The ice cream social was optional. I was just in the right place at the right time. And I went with the flow.

‘It鈥檚 quite unlikely that things will pan out exactly as expected, you just gotta go with the flow.’

I was recently sifting through old footage on my camcorder, and I stumbled upon the very first college application I submitted. Sunday, 10:16:32 AM, September 28th. I鈥檓 sat at the dining table with my mom, both of us hunched over my computer, reviewing my application to the University of Southern California for what feels like the twentieth time. We scroll through every section of CommonApp, scanning for typos like our lives depend on it. My cursor hovers over the submit button. 鈥淢uma, you do the honors鈥�, I say.

USC was my dream school. With a major that felt tailor-made for me: The Business of Cinematic Arts. Only 55 people were accepted into this specific major every year. It was a one-of-a-kind education I could get nowhere else: the chance to pursue my dreams as a filmmaker with the stability of a top-tier business degree. It was a one way ticket to working in Hollywood and felt like a direct path to everything I wanted. So when I got in, I should鈥檝e been ecstatic.

I wasn鈥檛.

Because a month earlier, I had signed a binding Early Decision agreement with Pomona College. Full tuition covered. A decision that, at the time, felt practical. And now, it felt like it had cost me the opportunity of a lifetime. For a while, I sat with that. I replayed every 鈥渨hat if鈥� I could think of. I even considered breaking the agreement. Eventually, I came back to the same idea I鈥檇 been trying to live by all year: just go with the flow.

So I did. A few weeks ago, I visited Pomona College for the first time and something shifted. It felt perfect. The people were open and easy to talk to. The campus was absolutely breathtaking. I sat in on an eight-person class called Jamaican Music Aesthetics and had the time of my life talking reggae for two hours straight. It was everything I had imagined USC to be in my head. But I wasn鈥檛 thinking of what I was missing out on by going to Pomona. I was fully present in where I was. By the end of the visit, any doubt sitting with me had disappeared. Pomona wasn鈥檛 a backup, I knew it was exactly where I was meant to be.

‘Life always seems to work its magic someway, somehow. Just go with the flow.’

I had done enough worrying about which school I鈥檇 enjoy the California sun from. Now, there were bigger fish to fry. Financial fish. Pomona College was giving a full tuition scholarship, but I still had to come up with about $20,000 for room and board. So, when I heard about ATLAS Fellows, a partner of 海角乱伦社区 (shameless plug) that gave $20,000 per year and multiple finance internships, I jumped at the opportunity. I submitted my application a week early and quickly heard back, inviting me to the second round of interviews.

As I read the email over, I got to the bottom, where the time and place of my interview would be.

Saturday, March 14th, 12:00 PM

Address: 444 W Lake St, 50th Floor

Huh. That鈥檚 funny. 444 W Lake Street. For some reason that address looked familiar to me. I remember seeing it somewhere for some event. Maybe for a school field trip? A networking event? I racked my brain trying to figure out if and when I鈥檇 been there to no avail. 鈥淥h well,鈥� I thought. 鈥淚 must be crazy鈥�.

Fast forward to the day of my interview. March 14th. I made my way over to 444 W Lake St and entered the lobby. Once again, that feeling that I鈥檇 been here before made its way back into my mind, but I chalked it up to nerves. The elevator slowly creeped up to Floor 50, and as soon as it opened, that鈥檚 when I realized. I wasn鈥檛 crazy, I had been here before. I had been to this exact floor of this exact building almost a year ago for my 海角乱伦社区 interview. About 15 minutes later, someone led me to where I鈥檇 be interviewing and I passed by the exact room I once sat in interviewing to become a Scholar. I took this crazy coincidence as a sign of good luck, and walked into that interview with my head held high.

I got it.

And now, as I write this today on May 1st, Decision Day, I know what鈥檚 next for me. To anyone considering becoming a Chicago Scholar, I cannot stress enough how much it鈥檚 changed me for the better. Opportunities I never knew existed have opened up to me. I鈥檝e made meaningful relationships with mentors and peers alike. I鈥檝e learned and grown as a person. My senior year didn鈥檛 go how I expected it to. There were moments that challenged me, frustrated me, and forced me to let go of things I thought were set in stone. And I know that won鈥檛 change. There will be hard days this summer at my internship. There will be moments at Pomona where I feel out of place. There will be uncertainty as I try to figure out what I want from my career. But through it all, I鈥檒l always remember that I鈥檓 a Chicago Scholar. And I鈥檒l always remember to go with the flow.”