Daniel Bae ’23 is a senior from New York City. On campus, he is a Co-Captain for Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, a former Co-President of Andover Korean Society, and a Senior Ambassador for the Admissions Office.
“I think people underestimate how special this place is, all the comfort we have at our disposal [and] the alumni network that we get. I just came from a college visit, so that’s fresh on my mind, the amount of opportunities available to us here. Yes, there’s a ton of work, and yes, it can be very uncomfortable at times, but I think Andover prepares you so well for the world. You learn how to work hard, learn how to interact with people, learn how to understand people from diverse backgrounds, learn how to think in a really important way, and you get to do [this] all at this really beautiful campus where there’s comfort and good food and good times in every corner. I’m most thankful for how Andover will prepare me for the world ahead and how comfortable it made that process of transforming.”
“I think I’m going to spend less time on homework. I’m still going to get it done, obviously, and not try to fail, but I’m going to put less effort there and I’m going to put more [effort] into people. So that could be the track team, but I think more importantly just your friends [and] making experiences with the last five weeks you can.”
“Practical advice is do all of your college stuff over the summer. Write your essays, Google which schools you want to go to, and start writing some drafts. But the much more important advice is don’t be afraid to challenge yourself even though it’s your last year and you’ve found what you want to do already. In the things you continue doing, really be present and grateful and enjoy them because this year has flown by.”
“I started running because I wanted to be really fast, but I think I just met the best group of people and my best friends now. I have such a good situation where I Co-Captain my team with my best friend and my girlfriend and it’s been the most amazing community. Everyday I get to show up, and even when I’m super tired from a test or super sad, it’s always a safe haven. That is my favorite part about Track & Field, even though [it has] nothing to do with the actual run.”
“I’ve kind of had to learn to really embody non sibi. Just because in [Lower] and Upper year, I was so focused on my own results and now, if I run bad in a meet, I have to have a short memory. I have to sometimes not do my own training until people work out and practice, so it’s this whole shift in my mindset where it’s not just about me getting better, it’s about helping everyone get better because the whole team elected you.”
“My biggest takeaway [is that] creativity is a really really important and undervalued skill. I’m not a creative person, but the whole process of having to come up with an idea, get people to come, and then execute it well and understand what people are going to want to come to, because I had some big misses. It was a really cool learning experience and that’s my big takeaway. The best thing I did was [when] we had a Jeopardy night in the Dole Room. We had Jason’s Korean BBQ cater it and that was me, so I was proud about that one.”
“West Quad North. I’ve been in West Quad North and Flagstaff. Flagstaff is convenient, but I think West Quad North is the perfect balance of being kind of close and having a really nice community that feels like a home. Flagstaff sometimes feels like you are in the middle of everything.”
“Silent study. I won the superlative this year actually for [the] most time [spent] in silent. It has always been my place. I used to study only in my room because I had a single. The second I got a double, I was like ‘I have to find a place that was my own to study,’ which was silent. Now I spend more time outside of silent in the library, because there’s not as much need necessarily.”
“I feel like this is a really really good stretch. You work so hard and you go through a lot at Andover, and now I have Senior Spring and summer. Quite honestly, most colleges are going to be easier freshman year than Andover [during] Senior year. I think I’m going to be in a really nice year in my life. I’m looking forward to enjoying that and maybe spending some time I get back from studying and putting that into other interests of mine and just having fun. Quite honestly, [in] my life I have not had enough fun.”
“The cliché answer is the people, but I’d have to say the comfort. College is so big and the real world is so big and complex. We live in a nice little bubble here. I think the people, and specifically the communities within them. I’m going to miss the track team [and] I’m going to miss [the Andover Korean Society]. I’m going to miss everything I was a part of here.”
