For this podcast episode, we dive into our experiences of dealing with academic competitiveness. We first go back in time to the dark days of high school where we went through an honors program, called the International Baccalaureate (IB), which fostered a rigorous, and sometimes cut-throat, school environment. We discuss our impressions and misconceptions of IB, our insecurities regarding our academics, and what we did to push forward. Most importantly, we touch on how these humbling experiences ultimately helped us to take on the competitive nature in college. Whether it is high school or college, the competitive environment can be quite scary to navigate, but we hope our listeners can connect with these experiences and know that you're not alone. In the end, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?