Lin outlined the stress he attributed to trying to attain perfection in his schoolwork. He explained
"I distinctly remember being a freshman in high school, overwhelmed by the belief that my GPA over the next four years would make or break my life. My daily thought process was that every homework assignment, every project, every test could be the difference. The difference between a great college and a mediocre college. The difference between success and failure. The difference between happiness and misery."
He wrote about not being able to sleep at night, obsessing over classwork and exams, and waking up drenched in sweat from nightmares.
And he shared his personal experience with suicide, having a classmate commit suicide his freshman year, and a friend the following year.