AM: What’s different between St. Mark’s and college?
Rishab Siddamshetty: First of all, you’re attending classes with girls, which is really not that different, but it’s an interesting experience to say the least. You have no uniform. You work on your own schedule. Academics still take a decent amount of time just because they give a lot of homework, but you have a lot more free time. I can explore my own interests.
AM: How important has the size difference been between St. Mark’s and Michigan?
RS: It’s made all the difference, because, at St. Mark’s, I made it a priority to know who someone is when I see their face. But at Michigan, it’s so different. Every day, I’ll walk around and I’ll see at least 30 people who I’ve never even met in my life, usually a lot more. It’s crazy not knowing everyone that you’re talking to.
AM: What do you miss most about high school?
RS: Everything from the teachers, the classmates, the community and the uniform to being able to be in such a tight-knit and small group of people. I really miss all of that a lot.
AM: What do you do in your free time?
RS: For kids doing finance like me, we need to start networking and talking with as many people as we can. You can join the finance clubs at Michigan or any school that has an elite finance club, but you’ll have to apply, and it’s around a 10 percent admittance rate. I was privileged to get into two of the best ones. Students do actual projects with venture capital and private equity firms. You’re learning quick concepts, you’re networking, and that takes a ton of time to be honest. I’ve joined fun clubs as well like intramural basketball and the Indian-American Student Association.
