What Do You Wish You Had Learned in College?

At this year's Aspen Ideas Festival, we asked a group of academics within some of America's top universities to reveal what they regret from their undergraduate years. "I wish I had learned that failures only hurt for the first two days," says Harvard University professor Elisa New. "In college, if I had known that, I would have been less afraid." Other panelists include Google X founder Sebastian Thrun, Harvard University president Drew Faust, Yale Child Study Center lecturer Erika Christakis, and UC Berkeley chancellor Nicholas Dirks.

The Big Question is a series inspired by The Atlantic's back-page feature.

[juneahernauthor]

I have no college regrets. I liked the time spent in learning, doing my art, participating in the drama department, and the social life. But, I had no real direction. What became of me professionally, courses weren't offered in colleges. Life, working, making it happen I learned just living although now I would have set my goals to include writing and another language. My father refused to support this daughter's going to school - old school man - you're only getting married, so get a job and a husband. At 23, divorced and with a job, and my own apartment in SF, I went to the community college and earned an AA. Attempted to go further but sitting in class with no real direction didn't fulfill needs at that time. Perhaps I'll return.