7- Agastya Sridharan

Agastya is a first-year at Harvard University studying Econ and CS. Among many things, he was an accomplished debater/ISEF competitor, and is also a carnatic flutist.

Short description- Navigating High School: Debate, Human Connection, Parenting/Parents, Self-Direction, and Preparing for College.

In this episode, we talk about an array of topics including the benefits and challenges of debating, the meaning in friendships, and the way we should be in relationships. We discuss the balance between competitive drives and the mundane moments in life. We talk about supportive friendships and the importance of retaining individuality in the pursuit of achievement. We also talk about parents and relying on others beliefs, coping with stress and burnout, and our eating habits. Agastya also touches on how he felt after getting into Harvard, some of his favorite movies and TV shows, and his thoughts on ChatGPT.

Chapter Markers and Transcript:

00:00:00 Beginning

00:02:05 Sanjana call/coincidence

00:04:37 ISEF and the Hotel Room

00:08:08 Being with people you vibe with

00:10:23 The Masterplan to Get The Girl

00:15:31 Experiences with Circuit Debate and Lincoln-Douglas (LD)

00:34:07 Parental Influence and Self-Directed Growth

00:59:03 Humans and Long-Term Problems

00:53:39 Does Going to a Good College Matter?

01:06:32 The Inflection Point

01:11:21 Randomly Calling Friends

01:21:01 What it Means

01:28:00 What it Feels like to Get into Harvard

01:44:54 Middle School

01:54:18 ChatGPT

https://unswamped.podbean.com/e/agastya-sridharan/ 

Recorded in my room the morning of Sunday August 18, 2024.