By Bhagyashree Prabhutendolkar

For most of our lives, it often feels as though life just happens to us.
We go where we’re told, study what we’re advised to, and slowly — almost unknowingly — start losing the spark to change our own lives. And yet, no matter how much we bury our deepest desires, there’s always that small, flickering box of dreams inside us — the one that still whispers, “What if?”

What if I took those dance classes again? What if I finally wrote that blog? Changed my major? Took up my guitar again? Did that physics experiment?
What if — just once — I gave myself permission to be who I truly want to be?

But as we grow older, those soft whispers get buried under a mountain of noise.

“You must study this subject.”
“You should choose that major.”
“You have to take that job.”

And somewhere between the musts and the shoulds, we forget the simple question we once asked so innocently: What do I truly want?

On my first week at Baret, the Dean and Founder of Baret Scholars, Chris Whittle, was about to give his opening speech. I expected something very similar to the rulebook I grew up hearing throughout school — a lot of “you musts” and “you shoulds.”

But instead, he smiled and gave us three commandments that felt almost… rebellious.

1. There is no “I must” or “I have to.” There is only “I want to.”
Here at Baret, you are offered a plethora of options to choose from: mentor lists, advising sessions, field visits, career counselling, college applications, reading lists, book recommendations, fellowships — everything.
But nothing is ever forced.
You simply follow where your curiosity tugs you.

2. Don’t pressure yourself to have it all figured out.
So often, we pressure ourselves to have it all figured out. But the more we fixate on getting all the answers, the more we lose touch with our inner voice.

3. Stay open to all possibilities.
A Baret year stretches your definition of life itself. You are exposed to careers, cultures, philosophies, cities, mentors, and ways of being that you never even knew existed. And if you approach everything — the familiar and the strange — with an open heart, you eventually discover your North Star.

After almost two months at Baret, I am beginning to realise what a deep privilege it is to learn for the sake of learning — not for grades, not for competition, not to “stay ahead,” but for the simple joy of discovering yourself.

Back in school, we are often made to like subjects because they pay more… or because everyone else is choosing them… or because we don’t know any better. We choose paths not because they call to us, but because they seem safe.

But at Baret, you are not made to like anything — you are encouraged to try everything.

And that is where real learning begins. In the last two months, we have had sessions on politics & immigration from a female politician in Sao Paulo, learnt about songwriting & filmmaking from musicians and Oscar award winning filmmaker, interviewed locals in New York and Paris, cooked in Community kitchens and so much more. We engaged in afternoon lectures on Policy & Politics, Art History, Entrepreneurship, visited museums, photography exhibitions, did first aid training with Red Cross, visited the largest bank in São Paulo and learnt about finance and even witnessed a Trusteeship Council meeting firsthand in the UN Headquarters in New York. 

The list is endless. We literally take a dip in every domain in every place and then reflect on our experiences before making choices.

One morning you’re speaking to Igor Carneiro from the UN World Food Programme.
In the afternoon, you’re at the Brazil City Council, absorbing how cities function.
Another day, you’re learning movement at the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York.
A week later, you’re studying Art History inside the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico.

You get a chance to imagine and see yourself in all those esteemed places.

We think like ‘designers’ and prototype possibilities before committing to them.

One of Baret’s special learning components is the Life Design Atlas, created by Olivia Williamson and Sofía Ugalde, a Baret alumni, which acts as our reflective companion throughout our journey. The Atlas is divided into seven different components-

New York City - Orientation and Goal Setting

Sao Paulo - Interpersonal Relationships

Paris - College Readiness

Istanbul - Career Exploration

Nairobi - Identity and Community

New Delhi - Fear and Limiting Beliefs

Beijing - Future Directions

Each component has a different set of prompts and reflection exercises and what I love teh most are the monthly check-ins on our Life Design Atlas with our advisors. Each month, we ask ourselves:

Which subjects make me lose track of time?
Which ones drain me or tighten my chest?
Which activities make me feel expansive, grounded, or alive?
Do I see myself working in this organisation?
Can I imagine a future where this place feels like home?
What kind of work makes me forget to check my phone?
What kind of conversations make me feel more “me”?

Slowly, you begin to notice patterns and in the process, you learn to listen to your inner compass. The whispers of your heart, which were once buried, start to emerge— and most of all, you start to discover yourself again. Trust me, there’s no better feeling than beginning to understand yourself like an open book.

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