Q&A with Ronak Shah

Ronak Shah held down a laundry list of activities during his freshman year. He was a part of the Collins Board of Education Programming, math tutoring, social justice league, Abe at IU and even had his own radio show on student-run radio station WIUX.

MAJOR: Cognitive science, criminal justice
HOMETOWN: Indianapolis
DORM: Collins

Q: What surprised you most about your first year here?

A: It surprised me how easy it was to meet fascinating and open people without having to resort to booze-filled parties where you have to scream over noise to talk.

Q: If you could have given yourself one piece of advice before you came here, what would it be?

A: Be less hesitant to try new things. Other than that, keep doing what you’re doing. No matter how prepared you think you are, it’s still going to be a learning experience your first year.

Q: You chose to live in Collins LLC. What’s so good about a living-learning center?

A: It doesn’t make any sense to live in a place where you go just to sleep. At Collins, there’s a sense of community. I know that’s a word that doesn’t mean anything at first, but it really applies here. There’s a willingness to know other people outside your floor or building.

Q: What advice do you have for new students?

A: Try to be as honest as you can with who you are, and then you’ll meet the people you really want to meet.