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College Advice From an Expert

2010-08-12 · John · watch on YouTube · Everyday life · conversation qa

On a Question Tuesday held on Wednesday, John answers Nerdfighters' questions about starting college: take academics seriously and study broadly, be calm when making friends, avoid both binge drinking and judgmental anti-drinking identities, join several clubs, take road trips, and use college's in-between freedom to choose what you want to do.

What is said

00:00:00 — Question Tuesday on Wednesday: John tweeted for questions; sample viewer questions, mostly about starting college

00:00:18 — Five facets of college; 1. academics: easy to skate by but a mistake to ignore; study broadly (his virus class made him a hypochondriac)

  • ★★ Having attended college and watched Animal House, John jokingly claims expertise and lists five facets of college: academics, relationships, binge drinking, road trips, living on your own. (playful) — 00:00:20
  • ★★★ John says many stupid people graduate every year and skating by is not hard at most colleges, but ignoring academics is a huge mistake. — 00:00:37
  • ★★★ John gives two reasons to study: the point of life is engaging deeply with the miracle of human consciousness, and at 35 paying student loans you'll want that money to have bought something. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ John advises studying broadly, taking classes in many departments, because classes you don't think interest you end up shaping your life. (hedged) — 00:01:18
  • ★ Though not science-y, John took several biology classes in college, including 'AIDS, Ebola, and Emerging Viruses', which he jokingly says made him a hypochondriac. (playful) — 00:01:30

00:01:42 — 2. Interpersonal relationships: be nice and calm, his overeager 'I wanna be friends' act, basic etiquette

  • ★★ For making friends, John advises being nice to everyone and calm, acting out his own uncomfortable overeagerness ('I wanna be friends') as scary for people. (playful) — 00:01:44
  • ★★ John adds: never call kissing 'scoring', never call women 'the ladies', and don't pee or throw up on anyone or their belongings, which many students fail at. (playful) — 00:02:06

00:02:24 — 3. Binge drinking vs. defining yourself against it; embrace non-alcohol identities, join clubs but not just one

  • ★★★ John says college students often split into frequent binge drinkers and those defining themselves against binge drinking, and neither worldview is attractive. — 00:02:27
  • ★★ John encourages students to embrace identities that don't involve alcohol, like joining clubs, but more than one, since one-club people never shut up about it. — 00:02:45

00:03:08 — 4. Road trips; 5. living on your own: college is not the best years but an in-between space with time to choose what to do

  • ★ On road trips, John's advice is simply: take them. — 00:03:08
  • ★★★ John says college isn't easy or the best years of your life, but an in-between space where you're no longer a child yet free of adult chores, giving time to pick what to do. — 00:03:15
  • ★★★ John's examples of that freedom: reading and discussing Foucault with very smart people, or skipping a biology test to drive to the Grand Canyon; don't let it pass you by. — 00:03:41

00:03:53 — Afterthought about The Fountainhead; sign-off

  • ★ As an afterthought, John advises not getting too excited about The Fountainhead. (playful) — 00:03:53

Humor (significant)

  • John took a college biology class called 'AIDS, Ebola, and Emerging Viruses' as an example of classes shaping your life. — 00:01:30 > «today, I am a hypochondriac»
  • John mocks one-club people who think their club is the only one that matters. — 00:03:00 > «I love you Tibet, it's nothing personal. I just also love Burma»
  • John refuses to repeat the lie that college will be the best years of your life. — 00:03:17 > «which it won't unless you have a terrible, terrible life»
  • Wrapping up, John remembers one more piece of advice. — 00:03:53 > «don't get too excited about the fountainhead.»

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