Update - Indefinite Hiatus

Hey all,

I've decided to take an indefinite hiatus from writing. There are many reasons, but perhaps the most important:

I've found that the moment I get into a didactic mindset, I become incredibly boring.

As for our venture, my team will be spending the next few months really getting to know college students who are struggling with depression, primarily in the Boston and NYC areas. We hope to gain the type of understanding that will allow us to shape our venture into something much more specifically and intimately connected to the needs of those who are struggling with depression. This will take a significant amount of time, but when it comes to designing a potential solution, we absolutely are thinking long-term. Who knows what will come, but we know we're going to learn a hell of a lot.

I don't know when I'll next be back to write again, but for now, I'll leave you with this:

Do the things that will make you proud.

Struggle as hard as you can for whatever you believe in.

Corny and generic as they are, these are pretty much the only two rules I live by. I've found that in the face of uncertainty, when no one else is willing - or even able - to give me guidance, these two rules get me by. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I don't regret them because I know I live by these two rules and always will.

Best of luck.

-David

Update

Hey all,

Just a heads up - I'll be spending a lot of time now freelancing and working on a book, among other things, so I'll be blogging more sporadically.

I should still be able to do one or two posts a week, but I won't be able to pull the 20+ entries in a month anymore.

Please stay with me - keep reading!

-David

P.S. Check out the new feedback box Colin installed - if you ever want to reach me via email (about anything at all), go ahead and give me a shout!

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Update - Tech difficulties

Hey all,

Just wanted to apologize for being MIA the past couple of days - Colin (on my team for our social venture) will be introducing some new features soon, and we had some technical difficulties while playing around w/the site.

-David

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Update - Unreasonable Institute decision

Hey all,

Just found out we didn't make it to the next round for Unreasonable.

This is sort of a huge hit, but I'm moving forward w/our venture anyway - not sure about the rest of my team.

I want to thank everyone who petitioned for me - it really means everything to me. Some of you actually let me read the letters you wrote, and you should know that getting to hear such kind words from close friends means infinitely more to me than getting into any Institute could ever mean (and I'm not gonna lie, I wanted Unreasonable pretty bad).

Alright, gotta run for an interview now, but check back in for more updates.

-David

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Update - Unreasonable Institute app madness over

Alright, we finally turned it in, after several frenzied marathon all-nighters...

Which means I can finally start getting up more entries! Barring objections from my team, I will soon post the idea for our venture, so be on the lookout for that too!

-David

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Update – It’s crunch time for the Unreasonable Institute

So just a heads up for all you relentlessly faithful readers (that’s right, I went there…I presumed):

For the next ten days I’m going to be pulling overtime working on my application to the Unreasonable Institute. I’m going to pummel the damn clock. (last night Dan and I did 9 straight hours until they kicked us out of the library, 6 of which were pure work)

Which means I’m sorry if I can’t put out as many quality blog entries as I would be able to otherwise. Don’t stop reading on me!

Now, I’ve been trying to decide whether it would compromise the quality of this blog if I used it as a platform to solicit favors. It’s sort of pathetic, but I’ve resolved that I want to get into Unreasonable so bad that I’m gonna go for it.

So with that in mind, here is a request for a favor I originally put on Facebook (if we're not friends, friend me! David Hu, University of Chicago, Rutgers):

HEY GUYS AND GIRLS,

First off, I just want to say thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I’m not trying to go all sentimental or anything, but it really means a lot to me.

And now, I have a HUGE favor to ask.

So I don’t know if any of you know about it, but there’s this thing called the Unreasonable Institute. Check it out, it’s a sweet opportunity for the word’s leading young social entrepreneurs (ages 20-30).

http://unreasonableinstitute.org/

What it is: A 10-week summer institute for 25 high-impact social entrepreneurs. Fellows get skill training and mentorship from baller entrepreneurs. At the end of the institute, they get connections to start-up capital and a global network of support.

Who they’re looking for: “We are looking for the world's most unreasonable, bold, and relentlessly determined young social entrepreneurs”

It costs $6500 to attend (which I certainly don’t have), but you can’t pay to attend, even if you wanted to. That’s how sick this thing is – real life investors invest in you (your personality + ideas), and they pay your tuition.

Now I have no business experience, nor a college degree, nor anything else tangible. However, I do have the motivations, the smarts, the persistence, the story, and the talent to make this thing, as many very smart people have told me. And I have some very promising ideas, though unfortunately I can’t reveal them now (we’re in stealth mode). You’re going to have to trust me when I say they’re good innovative ideas, and I may even put them on my blog after this whole application process is over. (In case it's not already clear from the blog, my Unreasonable Venture will help the motivated depressed college student overcome the debilitating adversity of depression)

However, due to my aforementioned youthful inexperience, I’m gonna need all the help I can get.

MY REQUEST

Can you all petition the Unreasonable Institute to accept me? They determine the 50 finalists, and after that it’s all open to the investor’s market, but I really really want to make the top 50.

You can either send an email to them (+1 cool point)

Or a personal letter (+5 cool points)

Or you can start a petition at your school, and get mad people to sign it, and send that. People will sign anything you shove in their face, for the most part (+ infinite cool points).

CONTACT INFO

wisdom@unreasonableinstitute.org

Unreasonable Institute

1305 College Ave, #150

Boulder, CO 80302

or just check the site for the contact info

http://www.unreasonableinstitute.org/get-in-touch/contact-us

Now I’m giving you guys a lot of advance warning time. The application is due 12/15, and they consider the applications for I think a month or so after that.

But ideally, I’d want you to submit these petitions (no matter the form) around the neighborhood of December 10th – December 15th. But really, you can submit them whenever the hell you want/remember to, and I'll be ECSTATIC.

So,

If you knew me in high school, or in college (whether Chicago or Rutgers), or just randomly in life, or if you like my blog, PLEASE CONSIDER DOING ME THIS HUGE FAVOR.

Tell them how I’m a sweet human being, how I’m weird and individualistic and socially awkward and like to play ultimate and bike. Tell them you dig my blog (I know you do, because you joined this group). Tell them any positive thing you can think about me.

Remember that in a year, I'll be homeless and unemployed and w/o a college degree or any sort of defined future.

So PLEASE DO ME THIS HUGE SOLID, AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE GONNA DO IT TOO, BECAUSE IF IT’S ONLY A FEW OF YOU, THEN I'LL JUST LOOK LIKE A HUGE TOOL.

Thank you so much again for reading my blog, and for (possibly) doing this!

Love,

Dave

P.S. Shoutout to Arj and Sasha for already replying! Petition count so far: at least 91!

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