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Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology › News Archive › news › 2026 › July

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Finding Success without Getting Overwhelmed

When Caroline Fixter arrived on ��’s campus two years ago, she felt the expected mix of nerves and anticipation. Yet along with the excitement came a quiet pressure to make the most of every opportunity and somehow get everything “right” from the beginning. Looking back, she has realized there isn’t one perfect way to start college. In this article, she shares the lessons she wishes she had known from the start.