College Connection – Maheen Ahmad

The Blockbuster loves to hear from Burroughs grads to check on their life after high school. Here we catch up with 2020 graduate Maheen Ahmad, who is studying Cellular and Molecular Biology at University of California Santa Barbara.

Maheen Ahmad (BHS 2020) enjoys a UC Santa Barbara sunset.

What advice can you offer prospective college students?

I think joining at least one sport/club/activity that you enjoy is very important. Your college experience is somewhat dependent on the friends you make and finding a place where you can hang out with people you feel comfortable with makes the social aspect of college so much more fun.

What activities are you enjoying? 

There are so many activities in college, I 100% think that everyone can find at least one that they enjoy. Some of the ones I’m in are the Muslim Student Association, Orchestra, and South Asian club. When it comes to academic activities, there are speaker events, volunteer/research opportunities, and organizations that focus on career paths like the pre-health society. Also, most colleges are always having campus-wide events so it’s just a matter of being aware of them and taking the time to go to them. 

What is it like being independent?

Luckily, I feel like it wasn’t too much of a transition for me when it comes to independence, but there will be times where I know I have the ability to make decisions that I don’t have to ask my parent’s permission for. This privilege is nice most of the time but it can be hard when deciding between situations like whether to study or go hang out with friends. It’s really important to find a balance between academics and social activities and it’s definitely something I’m still working on.