Humans of IMSA: Xinyu Guan (’17)

Why did you want to come to IMSA?

“IMSA was like this mythical place where people become very independent and study extreme math and science to degrees not possible in regular high schools. Also, all the IMSA students I knew were very smart and admirable–and I wanted to be like one of them, so I decided to give a shot and applied.”

Was IMSA like what you expected?

“No, I’d say IMSA was a lot more laid back than I thought. Before I came I thought I would be preoccupied by studies and would never have free time, but really the classes aren’t that hard if you manage your time well. Sometimes I even found myself with nothing to do, as I’ve heard several seniors say “the IMSA campus is so boring!” However, maybe that’s what IMSA is all about–finding your own path and pursuing your own inquiries (IMSA even sets aside an I-day for that purpose); if you don’t do so, of course your time here will be boring.

One thing that did match up with my expectation was the sleep deprivation.”

 What is your favorite memory of IMSA?

“Definitely it would be working and preparing for PowerPitch.”