I was pre-med once. I had visions of being Dr. K and white labcoats (which you can buy at any university bookstore for Halloween… please note that medical supplies are non-returnable) dancing in my little blonde head. I had my 8 semesters broken down into manageable-ish class loads before I turned 19. I went through labs and calculus and was finally thwarted, my dreams all but crushed, by organic chemistry, one of the more infamous weeder courses at my undergrad university.

Orgo was my wake-up call. There was one exam where I literally laughed the entire two hours (crying wouldn’t help and there was no way I was passing). When the curve was being set by less than 30% scored on a test, and no matter how many hours I kept my head dutifully in my books, I decided to bow out gracefully. It wasn’t worth feeling like a moron and beating myself up anymore. At the end of the day, I was happiest reading, analyzing, writing, as opposed to drawing benzene rings. And I was pretty damn good at it. (In college. Judge as you deem fit at present.)

This is NOT to say that people who stick through courses like these, no matter how much they hate them, are wrong in doing so. Au contraire, dear readers. If you can see the big picture and are content knowing that your hard work will make for a better, happier future, stick with it by all means. Ultimately, no one but you knows what’s going to be best for your future, not your parents, your friends, or your advisor. Read More »

Kids in the Ivy Leagues must be huge brains, right? They must love to challenge themselves. Relish the competition and the long hours spent in the library spent pumping out the next big thing in organic chemistry.

Or maybe they’re just as lazy as everybody else.

The snarky little devils at Gawker recently stumbled across an email from a Yale junior named “Nick” which details (and I mean details. This is the longest email I’ve ever read in my life.) all the classes on campus that enable one to coast. Basically, “Nick” is all about helping his fellow students get an A without trying.

“Hopefully, all of us will be on the same page [regarding classes] so we won’t have to worry about having section with all those randos we have never met who talk funny.” Nick types in his email. “I mean, don’t you feel good when you show up to class on day one and you see a lot of baseball caps and blue and gray warmups. I know I do. I know I am home - at Yale, trying with all my might to not overexert myself.”

He goes on being hilarious (or douchey, depending on your humor gage) while decoding one particularly easy PolySci course entitled Public Opinion:

“Adam F Simon is probably the easiest professor at Yale…Basically, Adam F will complain to you about how network tv is retarded, people are retarded, and tell you random anecdotes about his dog, family, time at ucla, or his next book. You will know a lot of about current events if you show up. You will get an A even if you dont. This class generally migrates directly to the varsity weightroom [sic] right after letting out.” Read More »