Things get philosophical in today’s Senior Wisdom. This time we sat down with Shai Dollin to discuss rationalization of existence, regrets, and the real world.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Shai Dollin, joint program between Columbia School of GS and JTS, Neuroscience and Behavior major at Columbia and pre-med, and Talmud and Rabbinics major at JTS. I’m from Denver, CO aka the 303, yah there is a band named 303, they’re from CO.

Claim to fame: Yikes, good q, uhhhh I was on CAVA for 5 semesters and people still come to me for free EMT advice. I also love Judaism, science, and Israel.

Where are you going? I will be taking a year off to work in a bio research lab and apply to medical school.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2019? 

1. My favorite quote by Abraham Joshua Heschel, “When I was young I admired clever people, now that I am old I admire kind people.” Sometimes I feel like an old soul, but the people that had the biggest impact on my life were the ones who showed me and others kindness. Don’t underestimate its power and the positive impact it can make on yourself, your peers, your school, and your world.
2. Most of the time when people tell you things about their lives, they are just trying to make a connection and not trying to impress you or regurgitate their resume. Just listen and give them the benefit of the doubt. Most people are good, I have that on good authority from Professor Tory Higgins, a prominent Social Psychologist. You can quote me on that.
3. Take care of yourself, meaning eat healthy food, sleep 8 hours (I mean that, especially during finals), and exercise. These three things improve your health, mood, memory, and work efficiency so not doing these things is ultimately harmful to yourself and your GPA. Mind blown.
4. Sorry, one more, don’t take yourself so darn seriously, you’re only 18, you have your whole life to be serious.

Back in my day… Ha! Back in my day we had Maoz, a falafel place right near Columbia, and I ate there on the reg. Salad with all the topping up in here.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: That’s the beauty of human existence, our existence does not need to be justified. We are all inherently and infinitely valuable, and those who disagree can come talk to me, I’m having office hours M, T, W, and R all day (said no one ever). I also may have misunderstood the question. Such is life, moving on.

What was your favorite class at Columbia: Social psychology with Tory Higgins, or Clinical Neuropsych with McCaskill, or History of Philosophy II.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Bold q, I love cheese. Nough said.

One thing to do before graduating: Besides passing my finals, making a positive impact on a fellow student’s life.

Any regrets? I think the idea of regret is fundamentally bogus because mistakes are so important to the person you become. I have made many mistakes, and I am a smarter and better person because of them.

Photo provided by the Graduating Sage himself

We bet Yaniv (the doge) has some wisdom to share

The Senior Wisdoms continue with Bwog’s former Publisher, Jake Hershman (or, “Hershey,” if you’re that one tipster who won’t stop emailing Bwog from the addresses of hershey@isabos.ss, hershey@is.cool, hersh123@bro.com, hershmeister@strikes.again, jake@hershey.io, JakeHershman@hersheychocolate.com, and herhey@herh.com).

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Jake Hershman, GS/JTS, Information Science (Human-Computer Interaction) and Early Modern & Medieval Jewish Studies, Philadelphia

Claim to fame: I was the Publisher of Bwog every semester that I was a student at Columbia, founded a publishing company for it and other independent publications, and made a lot of people really angry. One time, Spec posted a picture where I look really angry too. Another time, I introduced myself to PrezBo and he said, “I know who you are. How’s Bwog?”

Making a Name at Columbia 101

Natalie Telson

We know firsthand that this senior has a whole lotta wisdom. We sat down with our own Bwog Director of Communications, Natalie Telson, to hear her tackle the oral sex or cheese question. 

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Natalie Telson; GS/JTS; Political Science at Columbia and Hebrew Bible at JTS; North Tustin, CA

Claim to fame: You may have seen me wandering campus with a massive red backpack over the last four years, but more notably I was that girl dancing with the Israeli flag on stage with Lupe Fiasco at Bacchanal 2014, and I’m a proud and active member of both Delta Gamma and the JTS Joint Program. Oh, and I’m Director of Communications for the top news site around – Bwog!

Where are you going? I am working in the PR & Communications department at The Huffington Post primarily handling the HuffPost Live account. VERY happy to be working in NYC and staying close with my Columbia/Barnard/JTS FriendFam.

Find out what Natalie learned during her time here.

Emma Sulkowicz

Re-enter the real world after your finals today with another senior wisdom from an outgoing senior! We bring you Emma Sulkowicz and her words of wisdom this Monday night.  

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Emma Sulkowicz, CC, Visual Arts, New York, NY

Claim to fame: None.

Where are you going? I’m going to stay in New York for a bit and chill out after the craziest year I’ve ever had.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2019?

1. Feminism is cool, and super important. Try a class with Rosalyn Deutsche if you want to see why feminism is so cool! She was the first person to explain it in a way that made sense to me.

2. It’s impossible to make change and stay sane without the right support. I would be nothing without my friends and the professors who guided me. They’ve taught me more than I could have ever learned just in class.

3. We all freak out because we feel friendless at some point. I know just as well as anyone: that feeling of being too weak and depressed to get out of bed in the morning, or the feeling of waking up on a wet pillow soaked with tears. But you all are loved. You all might be mired in shit right now, but I promise you that you are loved. Your real friends get that you’re not perfect, and that’s why they love you.

“Back in my day…” ADP was cool.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I’ll never justify my existence through words. I hope my actions speak louder than my words ever will.

More than one favorite class and more after the jump!

Julia Qian

Take some afternoon senior wisdom from outgoing SGA President, Julia Qian! 

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Julia Qian, Barnard College, History, Athena Scholar, Hangzhou, China (that’s where Alibaba was founded, just saying)

Claim to fame: SGA prez for 2014-2015, a proud member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Senior Interviewer, Global Symposium Fellow…

Where are you going? On my way to get a Claudia’s pick-me-up before monday morning 9am meeting for SGA.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2019?

1. Pause and be kind. Leave your room 10 minutes early for classes so you can actually engage in a small conversation when you pass by a friend instead of “hi, bye, I gotta go.” Make it a daily routine to do something for another person, whether big or small.

2. Learn to appreciate, and pay forward. It is truly a blessing to be surrounded by such passionate, committed and courageous individuals. Cherish this community and whenever you can, pay forward.

3. Fail harder. A very close friend of mine shared this piece of wisdom with me. It is OK to fail. Try new things, embrace new ideas, challenge different perspectives, take risks and fail harder.

Back in her day everyone loved Lehman

Aviva Nassimi

Your Sunday night wouldn’t be complete with at least one more senior wisdom. Next, we bring you some wisdom from Aviva Nassimi.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Aviva Nassimi, Barnard College, Psychology/Political Science Minor, Long Island, NY

Claim to fame: Maybe I was your RA, your TA, your speaking fellow, or the girl you saw searching “Puppies vs. babies” and “Tie-dye Your Hair With Kool-Aid” on YouTube in Butler.

Someone once called me the greatest lover of Barnard but I like to think she said “Greatest Lover at Barnard.”

Where are you going? Well the only job I have set in stone is an entry level position as a gastronomical voyeur.

(but real talk I’m in the city all summer so let’s hang if you’re around!)

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2019?

1. I have unlearned more than I have learned at Columbia. I have unlearned 18 years of misguided, and often harmful, ideas of what it means to be successful/ to be ‘doing college right’/ to be a good daughter/ a good friend/ a woman/ an ally/ to be beautiful/ to be smart. Do not let your time at Columbia be just an affirmation of who you are when you begin as a first-year, and resist settling for any definition of who or what you should be when you leave.

2. Our fears are often more similar than you think. Every year as an RA for first-year students, I made my residents do an anonymous icebreaker that required everyone to write down their biggest fear. Year after year, the answers were almost identical and a majority of the fears concerned loneliness and a lack of belonging. They were often so similar that residents had