I was fascinated to hear about Jason Brennan’s class assignments for his “Ambition” class. In his first-year seminar, students must complete four specific assignments, including at least one starred project, to foster personal growth and resilience.

The challenges include the Failure Project, where students perform a task they are bad at in public, and the Impossible Day Project, where five people make demands on their time. Other tasks include the Rejection Project, requiring students to ask for something they likely won't receive, and the Gratitude Project, which requires personal thanks to those who enabled their success.

Additional assignments include the Just Say No Project for setting boundaries, the Pointless Project for focused meditation, the Reputation Project for social self-awareness, and the Trading Project, where students attempt to trade a $1 item up to a higher value. The current trading record is $360.