We’d join his cult

Bwog is back with more senior wisdoms! Today we have Aleksandar Obradovic, President of Philo. So, yeah, he’s basically a cult leader. Check out what he has to say! 

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Aleksandar Obradović, CC, double-major in Information Science (Health Informatics) and Biology, Pre-med, home is where you hang your hat (alternatively, home is Dresher, PA)

Claim to fame: As President of both the Philolexian Society and Science Fiction Society I can safely put “cult leader” on my résumé. Also I lecture for the Medical Informatics Society and do computational organ transplant research.

Where are you going?: Going straight into Columbia’s MD/PhD program. If the stars align I’m only here for 6 more years.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2021?:
1) When life goes sideways try to have a good sense of humor about it.
2) There is no such thing as “the Columbia community”. There are only smaller communities within Columbia that share Presbo and a meme page. Be as proactive as you can about seeking companionship with people that share your interests, and worry about joining social clubs that fit your interests before you worry about joining academic ones.
3) Effective time management is key.

“Back in my day…” Bwog had active commenters, laundry services cost money, lab class fees were exorbitant, and orgo night took place in Butler 209.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: ” ‘The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ – Albert Camus ” – Michael Scott

What was your favorite class at Columbia?: Probably Machine Learning with Tony Jebara. It was definitely the most challenging class I’ve taken at Columbia, but the material was legitimately useful and the piazza page was pure gold.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese?: I’ve never over-indulged by buying too much oral sex to fit in my mini-fridge.

One thing to do before graduating: Go to a departmental mixer for the wrong department to see how long you can fake it and what volume of food you can smuggle out.

Any regrets?: I regret not being able to talk ABC or any other campus organizations into co-hosting a talk by Vermin Supreme last year. CUSFS came up $800 short after budget cuts, but it would’ve been magical.

Are you at Tom’s? via Aleksandar Obradovic