Lessons and surprises

Seniors always feel that they have accumulated wisdom during college, and they feel obligated to pass it on. Daily writers and columnists always feel that they have to say goodbye in some sincere, serious way. You can imagine the pressure I think I'm supposed to feel here. Oh well. I may not have wisdom, but you learn a few useful things in four years.



Food and Money

It's better to have a friend with a meal plan than to be on a meal plan yourself. And if you are on a meal plan and get stuck taking your freeloading friends there, you are entitled to demand favors as repayment. Believe me, they'll do it.

If you're stuck on the Premium Plan, Hodgdon is an excellent option. Otherwise, it's a rip-off for anyone who still uses dining hall meals. I'm not saying it isn't good (and it's fine for points purchases, too), I'm just saying that it isn't worth the money. Look at the price you pay per meal at the start of the semester, and then look at the dollar value Hodgdon assigns to your meal. Feel stupid?

I can't say it enough, people: Hot Deli Sandwiches (or Sandwich's, as the sign used to say). Cheaper than a regular sandwich, covered in melted cheese, and provided with a free side of chips. If you don't have the time or inclination to go off-campus for lunch, this is as good as a sandwich will get.

Cutting your own hair may not be a necessary skill, and it may not be the way to go for everyone, but I think it's something everyone should try. Why is this one aspect of life assigned only to professionals? You can shave yourself. You can wash your own clothes. You can trim your fingernails. Sure, there are professionals who can do it better, but I don't see why my hair is so far superior to all parts of me. Cutting your own hair is cheap and fun and cheap. Much like me.

Ordering things off of Amazon.com is fine. Telling yourself that you're saving money when you order two extra CDs just to get free shipping is also fine.



Classes and Sleeping

People in the library don't mind if you decide to take a nap while you're in there. They appreciate it - it shows your dedication. They do mind, however, if you bring an alarm clock with you. And they really mind if you hit 'snooze' when it goes off.

If you have to choose between falling asleep during class and skipping class entirely, go to class and fall asleep. This way, you will at least know about homework and exams announced in class. If you aren't concerned about them, though - say you have a very thorough syllabus - you're better off skipping the class. It's better that your professors not know who you are than know that you sleep during class.

There are two schools of thought on all-nighters. One group will tell you that you think better on a good night's sleep. The other claims that going to sleep makes you forget what you've studied. I've found that both are true. If you know your material well, extra sleep will help you use it. If you don't, sleeping will take away whatever edge cramming may have given you. My balance: Study the night before, sleep for at least a while, and study again in the morning before the exam. The panicked energy you get will make up for lost sleep, and the morning studying will refresh whatever you "learned" the night before.

(Some people claim that there's a third school of thought, the "what are you doing here if you aren't bothering to learn in the first place" hardliners. Funny that I've never met any of these people. I may not feel the need to study all night, but I'm not going to get all holier-than-thou on people that do.)

Everyone suffers through morning classes at some point in college (at least I hope everyone does, since I know I have). Please, don't show up for all of your early classes looking manicured and made-up and gelled and ironed and washed. It really bothers the rest of us. It inspires a unique moral outrage. That being said, it's worth getting up early enough once a week to make yourself presentable and wear something a little nice to class. It's especially fun if you take it overboard. A $4 sweater vest will get you noticed where no amount of expensive warm-ups, t-shirts, and jeans will.





Hard Truths

Engineers who claim not to be nerds are lying to themselves. It's okay, people. The profession demands us all to be just a little bit geeky. Being a nerd doesn't have to mean no social-life, no social-skills, no natural light - hell, most of the people at Tufts are one step closer to being nerds than they will admit. But fellow engineers: if you can talk about moments and gradients and deanimation processes and mass balances and find it at all interesting, you can't pretend that there isn't just a little nerd in you. I'm here to tell you that it's okay.

Parents: Your children drink. Trust me. You can imagine that they don't if it makes you feel better, but the odds are pretty far against you. Oh, go ahead and ask them. If they say they don't drink but their friends do, they probably act like their friends. There are a handful of teetotalers at best, and I'll bet you your child isn't one. You win some, you lose some - and if you regard your children drinking as "losing" one, you're not being realistic.

Fact: Tufts is liberal. As universities go, it borders on left wing. I can't complain about that, but I think there are some obvious implications that our campus politicos seem to ignore.

Conservatives: If you're a conservative, you're a minority at Tufts. You don't even have to be a Republican to get labeled a conservative (or a Republican) here. This is okay. In other places in the country, the political atmosphere is different. If it really bothers you, I guess you can leave. Members of The Primary Source seem to know their place here. They know that the most vocal people on campus do not agree with them, but they're willing to stand up for it anyway.

Liberals: For better or for worse, this campus is more on your side than you have any right to expect a university to be. Personally, I'd love to see protests stop for just a little while so we could celebrate that. Have you learned to do nothing but complain about what you want changed? Can you feel anything but anger at the world around you? Appreciate the size of your following, appreciate the scope of your influence, appreciate the leeway that a respected university allows you. The rest of the world will not handle you this gently. The rest of the world will not be so willing to listen. This is a fantastic place for you to be. Appreciate it!

And in closing: Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders. Screw Flanders.

Thank you.