Cindy Xu
Cindy is a sophomore ('24) from the Bay Area, CA, who is studying economics and public policy. At Duke, you can find her studying at Cafe, raving about Tandoor's Chicken 65, and singing/rapping to Taylor Swift and Kanye West.
L's Taken
"Thank you for applying but..."
Things I thought I'd finish but never did
9
Everyday L's of life
Getting rejected from almost every club I applied to during freshman year
Never completely finishing a Coursera course
Crippling imposter syndrome
Failing to accomplish anything from my “Why Duke?” essay
Tripping on flat surfaces
Failing the last rep of a set at Wilson
Constantly running out of storage on my iPhone 7
Submitting most of my assignments at 11:59pm
Severe pollen allergies
On the Bright Side
Memories I made when I wasn't working/studying
Things I've learned that will still matter in 10 years
hi
hi
hi
8
TV shows, movies, and books I've enjoyed
Survivor
The Dropout
Bad Vegan
Cheer
jeen-yuhs
Inventing Anna
You
The Book of Boba Fett (Not a book, I need to read more)
6
Things I'm proud of that you won't see on my resume
Being an older sister to my two siblings
Surviving tenting and being at Coach K’s final home game (shoutout to Theo John’s Right Bicep)
Illustrating a picture book for my PubPol 155 final project
My self-made dorm room decorations
Evolving my wardrobe past black hoodies and leggings
My skin glow-up
7
Things I want to get better at
Being on time to class
Asking for help when I need it
Improving my musical abilities
Responding to text messages within 48 business hours
Dropping my phone less
Remembering to do skincare & take my contacts out before sleeping
Being more forgiving of myself
Things I'm looking forward to in the future
4
Small joys in my life
Overusing em-dashes
Card/Strategy games, playing poker with friends
Making people laugh
Going to Farmers’ Markets
Obstacles I have overcome
Things I've done that pushed me out of my comfort zone
Failures that seemed like the end of the world back then but don't matter in hindsight
Ways I take care of myself
6
Unconventional skills
Sleeping through everything (ex: a fire alarm, a c1 bus ride, etc.)
Conflict resolution
Being able to wear children’s shoes
Having way too many GamePigeon Word Hunt wins
Binge-watching crime documentaries but being too scared to sit through horror movies
Knowing every line of 6 Foot 7 Foot by Lil Wayne