What you can do to become the best version of yourself
Life Advice from Larry
Dear Tigerway Team Members, Parents, and Prospective Families,
In this email, I wish to share life perspective and provide an understanding on how to become a more effective person based on my observations of the thousands of Team Member students who I’ve seen progress through their journey. This has many parallels with being successful on the SAT and college admissions.
I’ve been running Tigerway for nearly a decade now, and I’ve had the privilege to see many of my former team member students graduate from college and enter the workforce or attend graduate school. Some of them are now approaching their mid-twenties and are getting engaged or even married soon.
Time goes by very quickly, and me observing the life cycle of teens maturing to young adults and later to young professionals continually remind me that time is the most valuable asset that we own as people.
During the last several years, the economy and private industry have changed rapidly. The attitudes that Gen Z possess towards work is also different from before. Some for the better, some for the worse.
There is the emergence of the STEM path, where many students have opted to go study computer science or engineering for the chance to one day work at the FAAMG companies.
There is also the emergence of the creator economy, in which I am a participant, where people take their talents to internet platforms and ideally deliver a positive impact on those who choose to spend their time watching our content.
I’ve seen many of my students from Tigerway attend some of the best schools in the U.S. and also pursue amazing careers. I’ve also seen the other side too: some former students who are still searching for their true purpose, and awaiting further opportunities.
My mission at Tigerway is to build and elevate the mathematics and English fundamentals that will allow people to succeed on the SAT, in College, and post-graduation.
What I’ve witnessed over time is that success over a longer period of time leaves clues. I want to share some observations:
Those who struggled the most also built a stronger level of emotional fortitude. Being able to bounce back psychologically from a “low” SAT score to eventually a desirable one was a signal of emotional intelligence
Those who made a commitment and followed through on a mission such as getting a higher SAT score eventually found more success in their career search as well. This is because similar qualities are required: grit and persistence
Those who chose to treat the SAT and college admissions as an adventure to learn as much as possible rather than a mundane task tended to be more happy in college and get higher grades (which lead to more opportunities).
I’ve helped a lot of students go through the SAT process. I’ve had incredible success doing so.
More important to me than helping students secure higher scores and better admission offers is to develop strong character.
Strong character, at a time, when there are a lot of weak people and weak mindsets.
To develop a sense of purpose, and see the big picture behind everything they are learning in high school.
There are a significant number of high school teens who can see the big picture, and are proactively advancing their futures.
Yet, there is a growing group of teens who are willing to settle for mediocracy.
I hope that you strive to be the best version of yourself, and heighten your standards so that you perceive any challenge that comes your way as an opportunity to grow.
To run away from challenges is not something I have ever done in my career.
And I have no intention of doing so, no matter how challenging it gets. If you follow my work closely, you would know precisely what I’m saying.
If you are a parent or teen in high school, take the next step: elevate your potential.
Build a quality that is increasingly scarce: an unbreakable work-ethic that will stay with you for years to come.
-Larry