Is there such a thing as too many emails from the ’68 Center?
Is this a rhetorical question? Look, the folks over at Mears House clearly have your best interest at heart, unless it’s in your best interest to have an empty inbox. Did you know that time is ticking and applications for CCE 21: “Winter Study Internships!” (née SPEC 21) are nearly due? If you are anything like every other student at this school, I’d expect this is actually very helpful information for you. Alas! When there are too many emails, they all begin to lose their meaning. We don’t want too few or too many. We want it to be, as Goldilocks would say, just right.
What’s the socially acceptable number of times to use the phrase, “I don’t know, I just found it really interesting” in a seminar class?
Ah yes, the fine art of saying something while actually saying nothing. Although some say this phrase should never be uttered at all, I think you’re entitled to say it once per discussion. That 30 percent participation grade is not going to ace itself. Any more than once and people might start to think that you haven’t done the readings. Even though you probably have done the readings and still have nothing to contribute. I don’t know, though. I just found this question really interesting.
How can I fake excitement when my suitemate mentions their boring thesis topic for the 37th time?
First of all, practice your enthusiastic “Wow, that’s so cool!” in the mirror. There’s a fine line between a mildly engaged and actively-searching-for-the-nearest-exit delivery. The key is to master the art of the fake follow-up question — anything to keep the conversation going politely while you dream about what’s for dinner at Paresky. Ask whether their bibliography will be in MLA or Chicago. Mention that another person you know is also doing a thesis in their department. Look, you can really say anything you want, as long as you make it sound like it has the same emotional weight as a year-long research project. If you’re truly out of patience, you can always go for the nuclear option: “Oh no, I need to go work on my thesis!” It’s a high-risk, high-reward situation — especially if you are not, in fact, doing a thesis — but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I tripped going up the stairs in Paresky, and at least 10 people saw me. Is it over for me?
Oh, it’s not over for you. It’s only just beginning. Congrats, you just gave 10 people a sorta-funny anecdote to tell their friends over the dinner table. You can reassure yourself by believing that, at the end of the day, you’re the only person who actually remembers your embarrassing moments. Except that all my friends remember that time freshman year of high school that I pronounced “rapport” like “rap-urt,” and they won’t stop bringing it up?
