“My senior year in high school I set a goal to graduate in the top 10 of my class. I was devastated to find out that I ranked about 20 in the class when I graduated. I had worked really hard to get good grades. Some of the kids in the top 10 didn’t even have to try – it just came naturally to them. Then I came to UTC and realized nobody cares about that in real life. You have to get past that kind of setback and focus on what you need to do. Don’t worry about what anybody else is doing. Don’t take all the easy coursework. Be willing to take a lower grade if it means you are challenged.”