Amherst Class of 2010

Colleges & Universities Amherst College
21

<p>I was scouring the internet for some inkling of a semblance of an idea about what my future classmates might POSSIBLY be like (the episode was inspired by dream in which I’m walking around the Amherst campus and everyone is saying ‘hi’ and waving, but when I try to actually strike up a conversation, they essentially stare at me blankly… a breed of surface “niceness” that gave me the way eeebiieee jeeebiees) and I stumbled upon this MAGNIFICENT thread. :)</p>

<p>I’m either shy or I’m not. Today I’m not.</p>

<p>I’m a 17 year old Californian “studying” abroad in Northern Italy. People here tend to think I’m drunk when I’m not. I guess it’s kind of hard to conceive that I could be having this much fun without the aid of a substance. Though, I’m not by any means straight-edge. I. Am. A. Responsible. Social. Drinker. Last week I had a love affair in Venice and got a personal show of it’s magic in a boat blasting Red Hot Chili Peppers with a boy who spoke poetry. Actually, I’m kind of worried that this is the peak of my life and that everything is going to go downhill from here. I mean, could it get any better? My other greatest fear is that I will accumulate cats with age. I don’t particularly like them, and I don’t think that *****iness counts towards personality. However, it may happen as a result of the fact that I have a wall around my heart thicker than a really thick milkshake. With friends, though, I am loyal and I trust to no end, kind of like a puppy. People come to me for advice. I find something to like in everyone. The only personality trait that pet-peeves me is when people take their intellectual-ness too far. There was this one guy I dated who was smart as can be but in reality a black hole of personality. At one point, after he had succeeded in making DDR, ping pong AND foosball disastrously boring, I asked him if he was capable of telling a fart joke. He said no, and it was over as soon as it started.</p>

<p>Things I like: food that tastes ‘summery’, miso under the stars, my tattoo (probably the only thing I’ve ever done on a TRUE whim… I’m laid-back on the surface but deep down, NOT SO MUCH), careening down the coast in my insanely old red convertible with my favorite ppl, cobblestones, seedy places, befriending boys with intelligent humor who indulge their inner-child, snowboarding (POWDER!), being challenged</p>

<p>Things I’m good at: school, befriending people completely different from myself (life would certainly be dull if I didn’t), doodling like a maniac, coherently arguing things that are completely incoherent, day-dreaming in extreme detail, writing poetry (though I find it in actuality hopelessly droll and wish my talent was elsewhere)</p>

<p>I am not a hippie.</p>

<p>Things I truly suck at: REMEMBERING NAMES, asking for help from my friends when I need it, taking compliments, dancing/drumming/anything that requires rythm, getting my lazy rear to the gym without someone pointing a gun to my head (anyone need a workout buddy in the fall?)</p>

<p>I too enjoy borderline-offensive humor. </p>

<p>I also have no idea what I want to do, but for the moment, Doctors without Borders sounds meaningful or maybe I’ll just be Atticus Finch… who knows?</p>

<p>Well, ok, I wrote a lot. Seriously can’t wait to meet y’all!!! You seem so friendly! Let’s make class of 2010 the class that can conquer the world while laughing…</p>

22

<p>Where in Cali are you from? It sounds like we are going to have a very interseting class next Fall :slight_smile: I can’t wait to meet all of you.</p>

<p>-Alex</p>

23

<p>I come from the sleepy Nor. Cal. beach town of Half Moon Bay (between Frisco and Santa Cruz) where they hold the Mavericks surf competition.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, my name is Christina.</p>

<p>Your mother is Chilean, eh? My mother is half Panamanian… I used to speak Spanish. Now I’m in the language purgatory commonly known as Itanglish.</p>

<p>Well, it’s 8 in the evening on a friday. must go out for my weekly socialization before I wither and die…</p>

<p>Happy weekend!</p>

24

<p>My dad spent a few summers in Italy during his time, learning italian. Well, he also had learned some japanese and was hanging out with Japanese students who were also learning italian. He got stuck in Italinese purgatory.</p>

25

<p>Fear not Robyn, we’ll have plenty of company. There will be plenty of New Yorkers and Jews, including three more New York Jews from my school.</p>

26

<p>Hallelujah! Or more appropriately, mazel tov! lol</p>

27

<p>Mazel tov…reminds me of “Flowers for Algernon”; did you read that story? I love it so much:)
Yep, Glowien, one thing I absolutely adore about going to top schools is that you get a much higher incidence of nerds and geeks:D Btw, I’m still not sure if “nerd” and “geek” are really different. Maybe people are just making a fuss.</p>

28

<p>Why do I get the impression that I’m the only one here so far that is really considering the sciences? And I don’t mean that cognitive sciences stuff either (no offence, Linh). I mean cold hard physics. Am I making a mistake? Is Amherst lobsidedly inclined to the arts and biology (yes, it’s a science but…I just don’t know)?</p>

<p>Unlike Sunstone, I have never ever thought that my time at Amherst would be anything short of amazing (of course, that’s walking blindly: I’ve never been to the campus).</p>

<p>See you all later!</p>

29

<p>LOL I read “Flowers for Algernon” in 8th grade. Such a good story. It had a real impact on me. :wink: I should read it again sometime. </p>

<p>Well, here’s my take - nerds are more of the typical academic types, those who have intellectual qualities that manifest themselves in obsessive or overtly focused ways. Those who derive joy from these kinds of pursuits. Geeks are nerds without the intellectualism. They are usually fanboys/girls who love gaming, comic books, and computer-y things, and the like. Nerds can enjoy these things as well, but they are still considered nerds because of their inherant love of knowledge. Thus, I consider myself a humanities nerd.</p>

<p>Switch, I do not think you are making a mistake. Amherst, and correct me if I am wrong, IS known more for it’s focus on the humanities. This does not mean that its science program isn’t one of the best in the country. You have to understand that people who want to pursue science here usually go for the bigger universities (MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UPenn) because they usually get more funding for research. But at Amherst you will receive a lot more attention from professors because there won’t be graduate students taking their time away from you. Also, most of the professors from those universities are tangled in their own research and careers, leaving even less time for you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised, so don’t sweat it. The atmosphere alone is probably worth it. AND, because pursuing a field like physics requires graduate work (or so I assume,) I don’t think graduating from Amherst in any way will hurt you in the long run, or even at all. Take care.</p>

30

<p>LOL I read flowers for algernon in the eighth grade too!</p>

31

<p>@switch: LACs are traditionally strong in the social sciences (allow me to use the misnomer;)) and humanities (I think Lafayette and Middlebury are also good at “hard” sciences; someone give me the low-down on these schools?), so it’s just natural that people with an interest in these fields should flock here. I’ll nevertheless remind you of two facts: one, that Amherst does have state-of-the-art facilities, and two, we have a Physics Nobel laureate for an alumnus:)</p>