The President of The Daily Pennsylvanian Abhiram Juvvadi reflects on navigating challenges and growth at Penn.
Credit: Devin KhemalaapTo the admitted students of the Penn Class of 2029,
First off, congratulations! You made it. You’ve spent years working towards this moment, and now, you get to celebrate it. Cherish it, you deserve it.
I remember the day I got into Penn. I had just spent a long day at school, followed by a six-hour shift working at my local grocery store. I wanted to get the college application cycle over with. I can’t describe what I was feeling in the exact moment I saw confetti fall from the edges of my acceptance letter, but I distinctly recall the excitement that permeated from within me for the next few days.
Flashback to almost three years ago, in April 2022, when I visited Penn’s campus for Quaker Days. From the tours of campus to the smiles of students, I came back with the perception that Penn was like Disneyland. Students were pretty happy, there were countless clubs to join, and it felt like everyone was living their best lives and getting what they had wanted. After all, that’s what my 18-year-old self had been painted a picture of. College was the finish line where everything would fall into place.
But I was wrong. The moment New Student Orientation was over, the hypercompetitive club application process began. I tossed in many applications: one to Penn Mock Trial, another three to Intercol, UPMUNC, and ILMUNC, and a whole bunch of other organizations that seemed remotely interesting to me. The result, you may ask? Two acceptances and nine rejections (I’m guessing you can name one of the acceptances). That’s a success rate of just 18%.
It wasn’t just the clubs though, Penn’s pre-professional environment was incredibly challenging to navigate. From landing internships to networking, there was just so much that I had absolutely no idea how to do — and, at times, it felt like everyone around me was five steps ahead. I’ve gotten rejected from countless summer internships, research positions, and student organizations — even as recently as a few weeks ago.
You might see where I’m going with this. I’d like to offer you a piece of advice that might seem counterintuitive at the moment: Don’t just embrace your successes — embrace rejection as well.
The truth is simple (though I admit it took time to realize). We are all a bunch of young adults beginning to make sense of things. No one has it all figured out. Everyone at Penn has a unique journey in getting to this place, while they’re here, and after they leave. The shortfalls and disappointments are all part of the journey. They’re tough, but they’ve also been the moments that pushed me to reflect and grow the most. In some cases, they have also helped me figure out what truly matters to me and have led me to discovering opportunities that I would never have found otherwise.
So, as you continue your journey at Penn or elsewhere, it’s important to remind yourself to leave some room for uncertainty. Celebrate those wins — both big and small — but also don’t let the disappointments define or discourage you. You belong at Penn, you’ve earned it, and there’s no one “set” path to take.
Well, except maybe the path to class. See you on Locust (I’m the one with a copy of The Daily Pennsylvanian on hand).
ABHIRAM JUVVADI is a College and Wharton junior studying history and finance from Morrisville, N.C. He is the president of the 141st Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Previously, he served as the Photo Editor on the 140th Board. His email is abhiram@sas.upenn.edu.
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