On asking questions, Part II

As we approach the end of the school year and another batch of seniors go off to graduate, here is the question that I've been asking them the most:

"So what are you doing after graduation?"

Although common, this can be a dangerous question to ask. On one hand, it is necessary to know where they disappear off to if you never see them again (except on Facebook). On the other, you can probably expect that they've been asked this a couple million times, and if they don't have a better answer than "bumming around" then it is probably also painful to answer.

If you've read the first part, On Asking Questions, you'll remember that it's annoying when people ask the same repetitive generic questions over and over, and you are continuously obligated to provide the same mundane answers. However, in this case I feel that the graduation question is an important boring question that must be asked. Perhaps it'd be better if you asked it in different ways:

"What are some plans of yours for the upcoming future?"
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"What are you going to do with your life???"

Or maybe it's easier to answer if you ask it in a more short-term fashion:

"Anything fun planned for the summer?"
"Where are you living next year?"
"What are you doing tonight??"

But all in all, as much as I hate getting asked the graduation question, I think the ask-ee should simply think of it as a silent plea: "DON'T LEAVE ME PLSPLSPLS." When I ask this question, that and other similar thoughts are probably going through my head - "LET'S HANG OUT DON'T GO FAR AWAY I DON'T WANT TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS."

Yea. So hopefully now you'll feel a little more flattered when I or anyone else ask you this. Or better yet, don't even wait for me to ask! Just tell me! Don't leave! Pls.

Do your work. Be responsible. Don't be a potato.

It's about the end of the semester, about that time where you reflect upon the past few months and think, "How did I manage to accomplish so little and why do I not feel like doing anything except mope around about how I didn't do anything?" Well, I know exactly how you feel.

In the beginning of the semester, you are all pumped about how this will be THE semester, the BEST one, how EVERYTHING will change, how you will actually LEARN in your classes. You will make new friends, find that close-knit group of friends, get promoted at a job, and perhaps discover a new cool hairstyle.


This is basically how my level of productivity/motivation has trended this semester.

In the beginning you are filled with hope, because you have all the time you need ahead of you. You attend every single class or activity rapt with attention, just imagining all the glorious knowledge you will gain. When people ask how your classes are, you say "They're really interesting! I'm excited." (True story)

But as time passes, you begin to miss one class, and then suddenly you've missed it twelve times. By then you're so behind on the material that there's no point in going back to class. You realize that the super-fun class that you were taking for fun used superb advertising materials to entice you in.

For me, at some point I just get so overwhelmed that I become incredibly lazy, not even bothering to go out to hang with my new group of close-knit friends. Learning becomes memorizing names for tests, fun classes turn into tedious useless work that I try to finish as soon as I can. I haven't gotten a better job, and I even got the same haircut I've been getting for two years. noes.


Don't become lumpy and boring and lazy like a potato.

But not to worry, kids! I am here to remind you that, however late it is in the semester, you can still decide to up your motivation and productivity. You can still decide to pay attention and go to class and get your work done. Don't flake out now - there is hope yet! For example, just today I stayed awake for 2/3 of a 1.5 hour class, when I only stayed awake for 1/3 of it the week before.

While for some things it may be too late, like joining a club, there are still a few weeks to the semester, and I challenge you to make the most of it! What a cheery and cheesy message - but it's true! Suck it up, be a man, be responsible. Sit down and think about all the things you want to do and all the things you still can do, then find the union of the two lists. Then do it.

Here's a motivational poster to get you started:

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."

Freshmen Hunting

As the start of school approaches, one may notice on a college campus the sudden appearance of a great many individuals who seem "glad" and "cheerful" as they make their way from class to class. Depending on your preference, you may want to avoid or instantly bond with such "freshmen." Therefore, I've written up some tips on spotting them.

Tip 1: They travel in packs
Freshmen never move alone. They are continuously trailing along a roommate or two, sometimes even their entire floor. At this point even something like "Let's go buy textbooks from the overpriced bookstores" will conjure up half a dozen eager faces, ready to head out with said freshman.


"I love studying on the grass in bright neon colors!"

Tip 2: They have their ID/keys/good luck charm from Mom around their neck
I suppose this makes it harder to lose, but that's what pockets are for, and this fashion statement is way tacky. Everyone and their mom has a student ID with a corresponding lanyard, not original at all. Try having it hang out subtly from a jeans pocket instead of loped around one's neck.

Tip 3: They're still wearing their high school class shirt or some sort of first-day-of-school ensemble
So they look like they're still in high school. Probably busting out a new Abercrombie & Fitch hoodie that looks the same as the ten other ones they own. (for further info, consult this post) A class shirt can also instantly indicate what year they're in (ie. freshman)

Tip 4: And finally, they talk way too loudly and look way too excited.
You can probably expect them to show up to class around half an hour early, in order to mill around outside and introduce themselves to a new friend. They talk about everything with absurd levels of enthusiasm ("ZOMG the expired bread at the dining commons was sooo good roflcakes")

Just wait, kids. In a few years all of you freshmen will be old and bitter like me. Just kidding. I'm a freshman at heart :D


I love school and learning and studying and learning!!