Maybe it’s the time of year or maybe we’re all just getting nostalgic in our old age, but recently, I’ve noticed a theme in the comments and the message board where people are reminiscing about their glory days of college. It really was the best of times, wasn’t it? I can’t believe it’s been nearly 14 years since I tossed my mortarboard cap in the air and called it a day at good, ol’ Southwest Missouri State (now, just Missouri State U.). Seriously, 14 years?! Sometimes it hardly seems like five years could have already passed. I have pretty much nothing but good memories from my time in college — aside from that ghastly morning after I drank an entire bottle of vodka mixed with grapefruit juice — and some of the friends I made then remain my closest pals to this day. So, in honor of those good times, here’s a poll to get us all reminiscing a bit more:
[polldaddy poll=”6134831″]
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*HmC* April 17, 2012, 1:16 pm
I miss it all, but I had to go with flexible schedule. I’m not a morning person, and having to be in an office by 9 (or earlier!) every day really grinds me down.
MsMisery April 18, 2012, 12:42 pm
You might just blow your brains out if you were me. I get to the office at 6am, daily! But I like to get out at 2:30 and have some day left, so I stopped hating it.
rachel April 17, 2012, 1:20 pm
I sadly don’t think I got as much out of college as I should have. I spent way too much time with my boyfriend, who turned out to be awful for me. But I do still miss a lot of those things – except I didn’t have my parents footing my bill – I’ll start paying my bill from college in a few months when I finish grad school.
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 1:21 pm
For me it was a tie between the flexible schedule and mom and dad footing the bill. But really I miss the spontaneity of life. I miss waking up and having no idea what the day entailed. I miss drinking in the morning and being able to find 10 other people to do it with. I miss not being judged for drinking at 10 am. Well I guess I still do that during football season – but it’s definitely not the same.
Lili April 17, 2012, 1:42 pm
I was gonna say, you’re hanging with the wrong people if they’re judging you for not drinking in the AM I think the best days are the ones that start with a mimosa. I’m actually judging Canada for not serving alcohol before like noon or whatever ridic time it is set there.
rainbow April 17, 2012, 2:47 pm
Word.
lets_be_honest April 17, 2012, 4:50 pm
People out there are judging day drinkers?!? Say it ain’t so!
mandalee April 17, 2012, 4:53 pm
ohhhh day drinking, my favorite summer pastime! Judgement and all, I still partake lol
bethany April 18, 2012, 9:08 am
Exactly. I miss every single thing about college. I miss being able to do whatever I wanted and not having to be somewhere every single day from 9-5. Real life sucks.
ReginaRey April 17, 2012, 1:27 pm
Oh God, Wendy. Don’t remind me how much I miss college. I voted for the flexible schedule, but I miss all of the things you mentioned. It’s SO easy to meet new friends and dudes (albeit, not always the best QUALITY of dude) in college…and so much more difficult after graduation. And yeah, I miss my mom and dad paying for my living expenses.
Missing college has actually propelled me to try to incorporate some of the things I miss the most — the flexible schedule, spending my day doing things that I really enjoyed (taking art history classes, volunteering at cool organizations, etc) into my life now. I’m trying my best to carve out a career for myself that allows me to be my own boss, set my own schedule, and genuinely ENJOY myself more. But yeah, as hard as I try, there’s nothing that can replace the bubble that was college.
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 1:37 pm
I agree. I think I just miss that hope I had for the future. Like I didn’t know being a grown up sucked yet. I thought I would love my job (which actually my current one I do) but I was so naive about it. Everything was rainbows and butterflies. I felt so in control of my life. I used to plan my life a week at a time, now I think 30 years ahead. I feel more grounded – and not necessarily in a good way. Kind of in a depressing way.
TheGirl April 17, 2012, 2:07 pm
YES.
Brad April 17, 2012, 2:28 pm
See I was the exact opposite. I knew back in highschool that life was great while I wasn’t paying any bills and that it was going to be less fun when time came to get a real job and spend much of my time stuck at work. I always treated my parents respectfully one because they deserved it but also because I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that gravy train! They paid for a little over half of my college and I paid for the other half. That was their deal. They did gift me one of their cars that they had paid off when I graduated and got a good job. Not having a car payment is something I’m still grateful for.
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 6:03 pm
Yeah… Optimism is long gone in my life, I fear…
AddiePrayFan April 17, 2012, 4:47 pm
Eh, Addie Pray is still my favorite. …
Addie Pray April 17, 2012, 6:20 pm
Well lookie there! Stop it, I’m blushing.
Addie Pray April 17, 2012, 10:50 pm
Um, hellooooo, is anybody seeing this ^^^
Sigh.
MaterialsGirl April 17, 2012, 11:42 pm
Hahaha WOW AP. fan club!!
bethany April 18, 2012, 9:09 am
I love that you made up your own fan!
Addie Pray April 18, 2012, 9:11 am
It was long overdue, haha.
Brad April 17, 2012, 1:33 pm
Ease of meeting poeple was my vote, but it was really a toss up between that and my parents paying for most stuff. Man i miss college so much it depresses me sometimes. It’s part of the reason I’m getting my masters in person rather than online. Even ordered a laptop (it will be my first if you can believe it) so I can be in the library working and hopefully meet some new people.
ReginaRey April 17, 2012, 2:14 pm
You had a desktop in college?? How hipster of you.
Brad April 17, 2012, 2:19 pm
Oh it wasn’t about making a statement or being cool—it was about power! Desktops are just better for gaming, and I was still very much addicted to videogames in college. Probably still would be if stupid adulthood hadn’t gotten in the way haha! If you saw my current computer I’d imagine it would make you shake your head, lol 😀 Now I’m lucky if I get to play games a few hours a week…
Mel April 17, 2012, 4:02 pm
I’m in college. I have a desktop because it’s better for gaming. Just felt the need to say that.
But that’s not the only reason desktops will always be better than laptops in my book. In general, you can get more RAM, more disk space or better anything in a desktop far more easily than a laptop if you feel like partially upgrading, which I always do. I got my computer as a gift about two years ago, and have bought her a new keyboard, mouse, speakers, video card, harddrive and power supply thingy. Yes, it’s a she.
Kristina April 17, 2012, 4:04 pm
Desktops are also great (actually better) for any type of design work.
Lili April 17, 2012, 4:20 pm
Hi Mel,
HaveumetmyfriendBrad?!
ReginaRey April 17, 2012, 4:25 pm
Lili, you’re turning into the new AddiePray of DW match-making!
Lili April 17, 2012, 4:58 pm
Heehee. I just feel for Brad, I mean he sounds so nice and charming..hint 😉
Oh and about Addie, I wish! Ha, if there is a similarity then well I’m like a WAY less cool version of her, but someone she sanctioned to keep this place going while she’s off being amazing and having wine with lunch.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:22 pm
And out of curosity, what games do you play?
Mel April 17, 2012, 5:00 pm
Haha, that’s a bit scary xD I’ve been meaning to get a new case, but I reeeeaaally don’t want to go through the trouble of unplugging and replugging everything. I saw a case the other day that looked an awful lot like the ones in Portal 2, so I might give in.
I used to play a lot of League of Legends, and since I got a beta key for DotA 2 I’ve forgotten all about it 😛 other stuff I play are Team Fortress 2, Killing Floor, PAYDAY and the Left 4 Dead games. Lotsa shootin’. I tried WoW, but it wasn’t for me. Thankfully. I’ve seen too many people get sucked into it and it wasn’t pretty. What about you? Or anyone reading? We should get a Games forum and organize raids or tournaments or something.
Brad April 17, 2012, 5:06 pm
Meh, it doesn’t take as long to unplug and replug as you might be thinking. Just have to go slow and be gentle.
Lately I’ve been playing that newish star wars game that came out in december (old republic). It’s a lot of fun and I really like the stories. I played wow in college and got fairly hooked, but it never affected my grades. Made some gamer friends though it that I still talk to even though I haven’t played wow in years I also play starcraft 2 from time to time when the mood strikes. Can’t wait for the zerg expansion. Playing as Kerigan going on a woman scorned/vengeance campaign—yes please! I’ve never tried LoL but I sucked at the first DotA so I never really considered trying it. I used to be REALLY good at TFC1 and counterstike in highschool but I haven’t tried TF2 (was playing wow when it came out). Last shooter I played was crysis and I liked it but it was waaaay to damn fast to beat. Think I finished it in 7 hours? :-/
lets_be_honest April 17, 2012, 5:11 pm
Meh, it doesn’t take as long to unplug and replug as you might be thinking. Just have to go slow and be gentle.
Haven’t we all heard that before?
Brad April 17, 2012, 5:55 pm
lol that wasn’t supposed to sound dirty :-p
Mel April 17, 2012, 5:33 pm
I had to clean my PC once because my chinchilla loves jumping and getting his hair on everything, including all the coolers. I was terrified of plugging something in the wrong place and causing everything to burst into flames. So I may get someone else to do the installing if I ever get a new case.
I’ve read about the star wars game, but haven’t tried it. Maybe when I’m done with my midterms I’ll give it a shot, scorned Kerigan definitely sounds promising!
LoL is reeeeeeally different from DotA. I mean, in both games you have the same (kindof) map, the same abilities in general and you have to “push” and destroy the other team’s base to win, but LoL is MUCH more forgiving. If you misstep for a second in DotA, you explode. In LoL, you get… a finger waggling. Okay, maybe not, but in DotA one skill can stun you for 5 seconds, in LoL the longest stun was 2 seconds long… before it got nerfed. Same with all crowd-control abilities. And damage. And healing.
And Dota 2 is MUCH more user friendly than the first game. I couldn’t play one match straight in Dota because I didn’t know where to shop. You should definitely give it a shot if you can get your hands on a key (which is not exactly easy now that Valve realized that people were selling them on 4chan, but well).
And TF2 is goooood. It has a lot of content other than shooting and burning people’s faces off. And it’s FTP now. You should totally go watch the “Meet the (class)” videos, they’re short and awesome and have little to do with the game.
I haven’t played crysis… YET. I think I want to play Mass Effect 3 first. But I should finish studying for midterms and writing reports and responsibilities and bleh before getting a new game :/
Mel April 17, 2012, 5:34 pm
That was longer than I had hoped for. Whoopsies.
Brad April 17, 2012, 5:59 pm
If you want I can get you a free 7 day trial pass to the star wars game (i’d have to have an email address to send it to). You can download the game itself from their website but be aware that on a school’s network it might take awhile since it’s 20gb :-/ But it’s definitely worth trying if you like story based rpgs. Technically it’s an mmo but you can solo most of it if that’s your prerogative. If you do decide to try it let me know and I can help you get started and pick the right server (not all of them are well populated yet).
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 6:01 pm
Star Wars games are dangerously addictive….
Brad April 17, 2012, 6:04 pm
Yeah I probably would have gotten addicted to it if it had come out when I was in college but now I just don;t have the free time to play it much.
Mel April 17, 2012, 6:12 pm
Awesome! I’m assuming you have a Steam account. My username is DancingSkeletons (Random blog-scanning bots can’t send spam to my Steam account, right? :I ). I still don’t want to get into something like an MMO so soon before exams, but I’ll bide my time and talk you into playing DotA2 until then.
Brad April 17, 2012, 6:25 pm
Yeah I have a steam account but I’m not logged on it very much since none of the games I’m actively playing right now are on steam. You should get a invite from me soon. The thing I like about mmo’s is there’s enough to do in them that I don’t have to keep buying new games to be entertained. I have so little time to play anymore that playing more than 1 or 2 games consistently isn’t something I’m really capable of anymore.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:21 pm
Well yeah dollar for dollar a desktop will always be cheaper compared to a laptop and you can get more power compared to a laptop. And they’re much easier to upgrade like you said. Laptop’s are really only superior in that they’re mobile.
The computer I have now I built myself from ordering parts off newegg, and he’s a big monster. Here what the case looks like. 🙂
Firegirl32 April 18, 2012, 3:09 pm
I had a desktop in college…because they hadn’t made laptops yet. Way to make me feel old RR!
kerrycontrary April 17, 2012, 1:34 pm
I miss the ease of meeting people the most because making friends as an adult is hard! But I have to say that the days I miss most were spent drinking in the afternoon in the warm weather. Why can’t the work day end at 2 p.m. so that can happen again?
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 1:41 pm
Amazing poll, Wendy!
But so good I am hard pressed to pick one as there are so many great answers. (Seriously, even Zima brought back warm and fuzzy memories… I guess I’d say ALL OF THE ABOVE minus Pajamas As Outerwear. Although, I do miss those Boxers and Blazers Frat Parties which leads directly into Ease Of Meeting People (aka HOT dudes who take you back to their rooms…) Yeah. College. Sigh… Enjoy it while it lasts, kiddos. Once it’s gone the magic never comes back…
PS. I can’t even begin to imagine how much it must suck to finish college in THIS economy… At least when I was tossed out of Eden there were actually, you know, jobs…
lynn April 17, 2012, 3:54 pm
I will say my friends and I have all ended up rather blessed in this economy… we all graduated with different degrees and fortunately, with the exception of one (because he’s being overly picky), have all ended up with incredible jobs in our respective fields.
God Bless Texas?
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 5:49 pm
My sister is stuck in Texas right now due to her husbands job and would literally KILL to leave that awful state. She has never hated some place, so much.
lynn April 17, 2012, 5:53 pm
Oh wow! I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Does he work in oil? Is she stuck in Midland/Odessa? Houston? Or some other city?
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 5:58 pm
Dallas. The heat and the there people just drive her nuts. Everybody she keeps meeting in mommy groups is all just: “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” Or even more interesting, and more disturbing, all deciding that they best listen to their husbands an’ all go out an’ get guns an’ learn how to shoot so they can then CARRY the handguns in their purses…
Okay, now think about that. A whole MOMMY group with guns in their purses… Is that not one big accident just waiting to happen?
Brad April 17, 2012, 6:03 pm
I don’t think so no. I rather like the idea of my [hypothetical] wife being armed.
lynn April 17, 2012, 6:12 pm
Oh boo! I live in the DFW area! I really like it – granted I’ve lived in Texas my entire life so I’m no doubt biased. I can see that though. Dallas is rather pretentious and very Southern pretentious at that, and on top of that – religion is a biggie. It really all depends on what part of Dallas though.
Honestly, I know a lot of people who own their CHL and they have their own reasons for it… but I’ve also noticed a trend of people who want to get their CHL for the sake of saying they “own a gun” because I think they legitimately think it’s the “Southern” or “Republican” or whatever way of doing things. It’s almost like a purse. Kind of sad and pathetic.
The heat is pretty bad. She should be happy she isn’t living in Houston or San Antonio 🙂
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 8:23 pm
Yeah. It could be where they live in Dallas, but after 8 visits there in the past four years, Dallas still seems (to me!) to be nothing but sprawl. And I say that coming from Los Angeles!! Those freeways are insanely confusing!
But the heat is the main thing. My sister is a northerner from Minnesota and summers in Dallas simply suck beyond anything she has ever experienced… Also, they were told Dallas was such a bargain and how cheap everything there was, but they haven’t found any of that to be true. He has a big fat Corporate job, but the lifestyle there is just NOT AT ALL what they were promised…
And then there is all the FRACKING which nobody seems to care about…
rachel April 17, 2012, 11:27 pm
Ugh. I’m from northeast PA and there is a ton of fracking going on there. Everybody is happy to reep the money from it now, but let’s see how happy they are in 5 years when there is no clean drinking water anymore.
And I’ve never been to Dallas, but I’ve got a friend in Houston and it’s all sprawl too. My boyfriend and I joked that there’s got to be a record there for how long you can drive and still be in the parking lot of a strip mall.
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 11:35 pm
That in a word is Dallas. It’s all one big strip mall… It’s seriously bizarre…
MaterialsGirl April 17, 2012, 11:49 pm
Ah fracking. We supply that industry. Keeping us super busy. Saved manufacturing and gave tons of good, union jobs.
I was in Houston area once in June. Since I originally hail from MN… I melted faster than an ice rink in August
Brad April 18, 2012, 12:09 am
I’m sorry but what is fracking? Only time I’ve ever heard it was on battle star galactica…
katie April 18, 2012, 12:25 am
brad, its something about injecting water into the bedrock of the earth to get to the natural gas under it….. apparently the industry is now using guar gum to increase the viscosity of the water just a little bit so that they can make the breaks a little bit bigger.. and then the environmental impact is that the things left behind after they are done ruins the ground water…
i have just finished my first “professional” bottle of wine with a fellow industry worker (god i feel so professionally drunk right now) so please feel free to correct that. it probably needs it lol
rachel April 18, 2012, 12:48 am
Brad, just watch this awesome song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQ1SyFyJFM
rachel April 18, 2012, 12:49 am
And a large part of the problem is that the companies involved in fracking aren’t required to tell people what chemicals they are using because they’re afraid someone is going to steal their super secret poison formula. So people can’t even really fully study the effects that this is having.
katie April 18, 2012, 12:12 am
haha.. i remember you talking about that at our meet up, and i heard something about it on NPR about how they are taking all the guar gum away from the food industry to help them frack with it.. haha. interesting.
MaterialsGirl April 18, 2012, 9:28 am
The fracking is actually well under the water table. What the concern is is what to do with the slurry solution after its been used down in the frack hole. Currently some counties are paid to dispose of it and others are using sealed and lined holding pools. Don’t worry too much. Natural gas is so cheap right now that they are waiting on a lot of wells as moving to the oil in the Dakotas. The plug the frack holes up, wait awhile and can come bak to them later when the natty gas has replenished.
Kristen April 17, 2012, 1:51 pm
Man, by the sounds of it, I must have really missed out. My favorite thing about college was the day I graduated. I was so happy to be done with that part of my life that I left and never looked back.
If I had to pick a few good things during those three years, though, I would say:
1) Staying up till 2 a.m. watching Friends
2) Working on the newspaper, and all the great people there
3) The student cafe in the dorm across the street that stayed open till 2 and served mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers with ranch, etc.
4) Taking a swimming class to make up for all the food from #3
Ktfran April 17, 2012, 1:52 pm
I picked flexible schedule, but I actually don’t miss college. But, unlike most who have commented so far, I had to support myself through college and I’m currently paying off my student loans. Maybe that gives me a different perspective?
I really like my life now. I like being older. Knowing myself. Knowing what I want out of life and who, if I choose to, to spend that life with. I like drinking better alcahol than Wild Vine’s or Nat and Bud Light or $5 bottles vodka or Captain Morgan’s. I love eating at great restaurants, which I do frequently. I like living on my own and not dealing with the drama of having a few female roommates. It might have taken a little longer to make friends out in the “real world” than it did college, but I’ve cultivated better friendships because of it. Instead of being thrown together based on something arbitrary, I can decide who I want to let into my life.
So, I guess I never really am nostalgic about school.
Ktfran April 17, 2012, 1:53 pm
The one thing I do miss, however, is eating lots of ice cream and not gaining weight. I can no longer have a couple of scoops after dinner.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 2:02 pm
I had to support myself throughout college too and I feel like a little part of me die every month when I write my student loan payment out, but I wouldn’t trade the experiences for the world. At 25, I start to understand how maybe they weren’t all “worth it” in the sense that I’m now paying interest on those experiences until my 40s.
rachel April 17, 2012, 2:01 pm
Yeah, I think the fact that I supported myself gives me a different opinion of it as well. Like, I worried about money in college all. the. time. and now I at least make enough to pay all of my bills every month.
buttoned April 17, 2012, 2:08 pm
Love this! I’m glad there’s someone out there out of college who enjoys life a bit more. From the looks of it, sounds like life after college sucks. Which is sad to hear…makes me afraid of graduating..
Skyblossom April 17, 2012, 3:16 pm
I had fun in college but I’ve never missed it either. I’m just in a different phase of my life and college was great while it lasted but since then I’ve had fun with my husband and we’ve done things together like travel that we couldn’t do so much of during college. I was paying my own way through college and did it at that time without loans (no way the same thing would work today) and I couldn’t afford trips. Since then I’ve traveled with my husband and bought a house (twice) and I’d never want to go back to having a college roommate or the lack of money. I love the freedom to choose things from our house to our furniture to when to have kids to our cars to travel. We have so much freedom as adults and it may come with responsibility but it is our path that we’ve choosen. We’ve also gotten picker about friends and have friends we wouldn’t trade for anything.
Ktfran April 17, 2012, 3:41 pm
I konw this wasn’t directed at me, but I should have prefaced by saying I did have a good time in college. But, like you, I don’t miss it.
Now, being a kid and playing outside all summer long? I could get on board with missing that. My nieces are finally in to Barbies. Yes please.
MandaNoA April 17, 2012, 4:37 pm
I’m with you on this. While I had a good time in college I wouldn’t trade my life now to go back. While it was nice having my parents help me pay for my education I enjoy being able to support myself. I own a house, lease a brand new car and pay for everything I want all by myself. To me nothing feels better than knowing I earned everything I have.
I am with you on the knowing yourself part too. While college was fun, there was way too much drama. Dealing with catty roommates (one of the many reasons I live alone) and crazy boyfriends is not something I miss. As an adult I am much more selective about picking friends and people I date. I am also much better about going with the flow. When a guy and I break up now it’s not the dramatic situation it was back then.
Also, I love all the activities I’m involved in now that I didn’t have as much time (or money) for back then.
And I guess I’m in the minority on this one but I have had no problem with making friends as an adult. I have a lot of friends…maybe too many if I think about all the bridesmaid dresses in my closet…
mandalee April 17, 2012, 2:08 pm
Flexibility of schedule and the ease of meeting people top my list. I went to a huge school with 40,000+ students and meeting people was so easy. I made friends at the bar, in class, in a club. I made one of my best friends in college by telling her I liked her shoes at a bar. I even met my husband at the pool/hot tub in our apartment complex. My major and schedule were just amazing. I’m much more of a night person so would load up classes all day on Tuesday and Thursday and take one night class on Wednesdays and have four day weekends. sigh. I lived with my best friends, traveled to see my friends at other colleges, and just generally had an amazing time. Oh, and it’s not an option, but I also miss how cheap alcohol was! There was day long happy hours, nickel beer nights, and $1 shots. Not like I can drink like that now if I wanted to, but if I tried, I would go broke in the bars of Boston.
I also just absolutely loved the town I went to college in. Every single thing about it. I worked as a preschool teacher and a nanny so I saw the “other” side of it, and still dream about moving back there. My husband and I (we met there) go back to our college town at least 3 times a year, once for tailgating and a football and twice just to explore the town. My goal is to move back there where I’m in my baby making stage of my life.
kerrycontrary April 17, 2012, 2:52 pm
Uh…sounds exactly like my college experience. I’m actually going back this weekend…. yay big state schools!
mandalee April 17, 2012, 3:11 pm
ahhhh I’m so jealous! My school has their spring football game this weekend and I always go, but work has me stuck home instead. Have fun! And yes, big state schools are pretty awesome!
Lili April 17, 2012, 3:16 pm
Spring Football?! That sounds like the best thing EVER! I’m actually headed to a baseball game tonight with some Alums from my big state school. yay to huge schools with people in ever city!!!
Lili April 17, 2012, 3:17 pm
I actually did get a decent education at my big school, but my bad grammar and horrible punctuation do not reflect it in the above comment.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 3:30 pm
It is pretty fun. It’s one part of the team vs the other, so it’s not really exciting unless you’re really into the team, but it’s a fun atmosphere in general.
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:24 pm
Now I’m wondering if we went to the same big state school, haha, but I guess it’s probably common to have the spring game around this time.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 3:29 pm
Maybe! lol Well I went to one in Pennsylvania if that helps. I try not to say the name on the internet due to the general attitude towards it at the moment, it’s just easier not to get into the debate. But yes, many large football programs schools have their spring games in April. There’s some kind of reasoning behind it, but I don’t remember what that is.
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:39 pm
Yep! Nice. I never actually went to the Blue and White game for some reason. The last time I was back was in October for the game against Iowa (which was awesome). And yeah, it’s crazy the things people think are okay to say about that situation…
mandalee April 17, 2012, 4:33 pm
Yay- that’s awesome! It’s really fun, especially if it’s nice weather. I was there for the Illinois game, when there was about a foot of snow so it wasn’t that great!
Yes, it is. I got blasted on a wedding blog for having a Penn State cake topper. it solidified my opinion that most brides are crazy lol
mandalee April 17, 2012, 4:37 pm
And yes- that Iowa game was amazing. All I remember is 4th and 39 at the end of the game.
rachel April 17, 2012, 4:40 pm
Yes! And after they screwed up so many of our seasons in recent memory! We were just so happy 🙂
rachel April 17, 2012, 4:41 pm
Haha, one of my best friends had a penn state garter for the toss. It was adorable.
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 3:41 pm
Yay Penn State! I am a husker fan but I am trying to get into the wing of the Big 10. No need for you to feel shame. It would be absurd if someone wanted to talk shit to you about having Penn State pride.
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 3:41 pm
wing = swing
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:43 pm
Oh, I kind of liked “wing” haha. Like we are taking you Husker fans under our wing now 🙂
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:42 pm
I was wearing a Penn State Football t-shirt one day and a professor in my department (who admittedly is the foot-in-mouth type on a good day) said that I was brave for wearing it or something dumb like that. Like I wouldn’t still support my team and my school! I’ll always bleed blue and white!
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 3:47 pm
Haha I thought that was our saying – we always say I bleed husker red. Anyway yeah people are annoying. I was super excited last year when during the husker – penn state they did the prayer at the beginning. It gave me the chills.
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:49 pm
That was definitely a really cool moment.
And I suppose husker red makes more sense, since blood is actually, you know, red, haha. But we also say that god is a Penn State fan since he made the sky blue and white 🙂
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 6:28 pm
I actually just got goose bumps thinking about it again. I think it’s one of those football moments I will remember forever. That and watching the press conference where our coach (pelini) was talking about how he didn’t think the game should be played because some things in life are bigger than football even and he was getting really emotional and he is like a turbo dick normally. The way the fans and everyone came together made me cry that day.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:37 pm
I was born in NE so if I liked football I’d probably root for big red.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 4:38 pm
That was a really emotional moment! I was watching the game at a bar in NYC and a Husker fan came over to shake our hands before the game and bought us a drink. I told him he made me a Husker fan for life, except of course, when we are playing each other! haha
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 6:15 pm
I think we have a pretty good reputation for being good fans. I love football. I also like jokingly talking shit. But there is NOTHING I hate more than obnoxious fans (cough cough CU fans). When people get into fist fights at football games I want them executed. I like to party and take shots with other teams’ fans and have FUN since that’s the whole reason everyone is there. When people are shitty fans I think they’re shitty people and fun haters.
So thanks, I hope you have only great experiences with husker fans. I have bought shots for many opposing team fans. If you all party together the fun level is doubled. Win win.
kerrycontrary April 17, 2012, 4:39 pm
um mandalee I went to your school too! I’m going to B/W this weekend I cannot wait!!!
rachel April 17, 2012, 4:42 pm
Yay for DW Penn Staters! 🙂
kerrycontrary April 17, 2012, 4:45 pm
🙂 I love that no matter what I will always have an instant connection to a fellow penn state alumni. No one else gets it. I cannot wait to be back in happy valley! I savored every second of my time there and I always knew I was going to miss it when I left.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 6:52 pm
Yes, it’s such a nice thing! I ran into a Penn State alumni in Niagara Falls and we ended up eating lunch with them. My mother-in-law was confused about what I would have to talk about with strangers for hours. She clearly doesn’t understand the connection haha
Have a MonkeyBoy or a Cafe Tea or Big Ass Margarita for me when you go if you’re still into that kind of thing! haha
rachel April 17, 2012, 11:37 pm
Ahh, monkeyboys
mandalee April 17, 2012, 6:44 pm
Okay, now I’m jealous. Have a blast!! I
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:14 pm
I do miss football! I try to go back to my college once a year if I can with a couple of old friends to catch a game…if we can get tickets, haha.
BriarRose April 17, 2012, 2:13 pm
I guess I’m one of the odd ones out because I don’t miss it at all. I lived at home with my parents, worked full time (with a one hour commute) and went to school at night (5 classes most semesters), all while paying for everything myself. I was exhausted and stressed all the time, didn’t make any friends because most of my fellow night students were much older than me, and was basically just trying to survive. I managed to only take one extra semester to graduate, and that was because I switched my major from economics to history.
I’m very envious of all the wonderful, fun, mostly carefree college experiences so many people had. I very much hope my daughter has a college experience more in line with the norm than how mine was.
TECH April 17, 2012, 2:20 pm
College was tough for me because I was incredibly home sick most of the time, and admittedly was dealing with some depression. It was hard for me to tell at times if my drinking was typical college drinking or something more serious. All things considered, I am a much happier person today than I was in college (and that was just five years ago.)
I don’t think I chose the right college for me because the student population was overwhelmingly white, rich, and preppy. Some diversity would have helped me.
But as much as I’m surprised to admit it, I actually miss the classes! I had some pretty good professors and learned about some really interesting stuff. Never again will my entire day revolve around reading philosophy or history, or taking a class about the history of Australia just for the hell of it. The other night I was trying to remember some details about a class I took back in college, and although I remembered the broad outlines, the details were fuzzy and it made me sad I forgotten certain things.
Now my life feels like it’s about working 9-5, making sure my mortgage gets paid, and planning my next vacation. Back in college, my job was to learn about interesting stuff.
That will never happen again.
Gabby April 17, 2012, 2:21 pm
Lol parents footing the bill!!!! I have carried myself through a top 15 college by myself with no parent help (more than 1k miles away). I guess college would be fun if I didn’t have to work through the bulk of it
lynn April 17, 2012, 2:37 pm
Gosh I loved college! Even though I recently graduated, I still miss it!
A large state school, great athletics, group of 20 extremely close friends, bar nights (Karaoke Mondays, three dollar pitchers on Tuesday, Whiskey Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Funday), living in big, pretty house 10 blocks from campus with cheap rent (living with the same girls for three/four years and only getting in one fight), close friends in every fraternity making the pickings of guys awesome (and non fraternity men too), flexible schedule, great college job, pow-wows with professors, administration knowing you by name, etc.
I loved, loved, loved college. I don’t think there’s a single thing I regret about it. I did stupid things, had plenty of nights I can’t remember, made the best friends I’ll ever have, met guys who showed me what I want and don’t want in a future husband, graduated and jumped right into the real world… Love my university and the experiences I had there. 🙂
rainbow April 17, 2012, 2:45 pm
I don’t miss the student life at all (but I voted “mom and dad footing the bill” because that was awesome). I have more fun now, actually. Not because it sucked, I had a great time, but my life has only changed for the best since then.
I have more friends now (and of greater quality as people), my schedule is still very flexible, I work from home so I don’t get dressed or stay in the same town if I don’t want to, I still go to parties every weekend when I’m staying at a city with good ones or near one (I went to three different parties in one weekend two weeks ago, all of them were great and finished after 8am), and I can lay next to the pool with a drink with a little umbrella in it at 10 am and work from there if I want to. And all my computer science classes were very hard, so my job is actually easy compared to that, and it gives me more time to work on my comic books. I love being an adult so far.
Plus: Men of higher quality who know what they want to do with their lives. Better alcohol. Better weed. Better vacations. Not having to answer to anybody (that was what I hated the most about depending on my parents). Better me (I’m much more confident and driven).
And it’s not just luck, or just me. I know many people who managed to keep getting happier and freer (if that’s even a word, and it means what I think it means) after their student days ended. I think the problem is that people tend to buy into the myth that being an adult sucks, so when they make their first attempt at it and they see it sucks they believe it’s the way it’s supposed to be instead of trying again in a different way.
On the other hand, I get worse hangovers after the same amount of alcohol and my boobs don’t look as perky as they used to, can I vote that?
Iwannatalktosampson April 17, 2012, 3:31 pm
Post College hangovers have destroyed my life.
rachel April 17, 2012, 3:39 pm
agreed.
Ktfran April 17, 2012, 4:02 pm
Wait until you hit your 30s. It’s not just hangovers that are harder to handle. I was at the DCFC concert last night and my friends and I were commenting how we appreciated that it started at 7:30 and we could be home by 11. It’s harder for us to get up for work if we get only a little sleep.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 4:40 pm
Yes, is there a chemical reason why they get worse? Mine now last for days, sometimes.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:41 pm
It’s related to your metabolism and how fast your liver is able to clean your blood of the alcohol. Slower metoblism = slower filter.
rachel April 17, 2012, 4:44 pm
Boo. So my lack of metabolism makes my clothes not fit anymore AND ruins alcohol binges? So not fair.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:52 pm
Next stop, boobs that touch your knees, waking up to pee in the middle of the night, and making noises when you get in and out of bed. Upside, before too long you’ll have an entire pharmacy in your purse paid for by young whippersnapers.
MandaNoA April 17, 2012, 4:49 pm
“I think the problem is that people tend to buy into the myth that being an adult sucks, so when they make their first attempt at it and they see it sucks they believe it’s the way it’s supposed to be instead of trying again in a different way.”
This! Absolutely this!
My first year or so out of Univeristy wasn’t the easiest so you know what, I started again. I got a new job (the one I currently work at), moved on from my dramatic boyfriend, bought a house, made new friends, found new hobbies and started embracing life for what it is and how much fun it can be. Being an adult doesn’t have to suck folks!
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 6:08 pm
Interesting theory, but not true for many. Case in point — my twenties were a blast. It was much later that I realized how much being an adult could blow…
bethany April 18, 2012, 9:26 am
I agree- My early 20’s were amazingly fun!! When I was still working my first job out of college and didnt sit and think “I have to do this for another 40 years”….. Those were the good old days.
Leroy April 17, 2012, 9:57 pm
I’m with you. College life was kind of tedious for me. I’ve got a lot more liberty now, not to mention money. And you’re right that for STEM majors, the college workload is probably going to be harder than most jobs in those areas.
My life is certainly happier and freer now than it was then.
As for alcohol, I haven’t noticed any difference. Maybe it’s because I’ve become a more competent drinker.
Anna April 17, 2012, 2:47 pm
None of the above, really. I picked pajamas as outerwear but truthfully, I still do that occasionally! lol My parents didn’t foot the bill for anything, that was all me (still paying to this day and will be for a long time). Also, my schedule sucked because I had to fit my classes in around a full time job so that I could foot the bill for everything. Sometimes, I had to be at class 8 am until noon then go to work from 2-11 pm, then still stay up and do homework. I didn’t get to go on spring break because I had to work, and I didn’t get to party every weekend because I was either working or catching up on homework.
What I miss about college is the sense of accomplishment I had during those years. Every A I got despite being on -4 hours of sleep, every profound paper I wrote, and every test I did well on made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile and valuable. Ever since graduation, upon discovering the dismal job market in my area, I just feel like an utter failure and my life is going nowhere. So that’s really what I miss about college.
BecBoo84 April 17, 2012, 3:05 pm
It really wasn’t fair that you could only pick one answer! 🙂
buttoned April 17, 2012, 2:18 pm
I liked everything on that list, except the pajama one and zima, just because I’m not entirely sure what that is. (I do love our free Zumba classes!) I voted for meeting new people. It is super easy to meet new people, especially if you try to put yourself out there. People are milling about everywhere in a college town. It’s a little bit harder at making friends though, for me. Meet tons of people, hard to make connections with all of them.
Grades are God here. Make a C on a test, your whole week is ruined…Until the weekend when someone’s hosting a birthday party for their cat, or in other words, you’re going to get drunk with a cat wandering around the apartment with a tiny party hat tied to its head.
Oh, and rent is not cheap here.. Maybe for some secret spot in our town, but the nicest thing you’ll get under $400-500 is a single room with a sink next to your bed and a door that only locks when the train thunders by..
But other than that, I love college! it’s stressful for sure, but this’ll probably be my only time that I’m protected by a bubble of bliss and parental pension before I have to go into the “real world” in a couple years. Le sigh.
TECH April 17, 2012, 2:24 pm
In college everyone stresses about their grades, and when you graduate and get a job, you realize how unimportant they were. (The only exception to that would be if you are applying to a competitive grad program.) Most employers will tell you they don’t care what school you went to, as long as you went to one. And they won’t ask for your college transcript, so a crappy grade in a class won’t amount to much.
Of the two most successful people I went to college with: one dropped out, and one had a 2.2 GPA.
Brad April 17, 2012, 2:31 pm
Yeah my gpa is a couple of points lower than my best friend and I make more than he does. I think internships and networking are far more important. I think GPA only matters if you’re applying to some really prestegious company like Google. The average company doesn’t care as much/can’t be as picky.
MandaNoA April 17, 2012, 4:42 pm
Trust me Google doesn’t care either.
lets_be_honest April 17, 2012, 4:58 pm
I think with GPAs, they matter a hell of a lot when getting into grad schools and help a bit on resumes.
Kelly L. April 18, 2012, 8:16 am
Zima is booze. They don’t make it anymore but I remember it being everywhere in the nineties.
Kristina April 17, 2012, 3:27 pm
While I haven’t graduated yet, I know it will be sad to leave. I love a lot of things about college, but I go to art school, so there are a few things that are different that I love most. First of all, I love being surrounded by people just as nerdy and different as me. It really helps to have so much creative talent around you and to have that feedback from many perspectives. I don’t really party that much (though I like a drink or two at a bar occasionally) because I did that in high school. But the thing I love most is that I enjoy going to my classes and doing hours and hours of homework because it’s my passion–the thing I’ve always wanted to make a career of. I’m so grateful that my parents not only pay for my education and expenses, but that they never became upset for me choosing art school over a ‘regular’ college. I love being pushed to create the best work possible–it’s draining, but well worth it in the end. But I also love the community within my school, my major, and with the professors over all. I’m not sure how I will feel when I graduate–I’m excited of course, but also a bit sad because these are some of the best times of my life–no matter how cliche that sounds.
Skyblossom April 17, 2012, 3:35 pm
Just wanted to add that it gets easier to make friends once you have kids (for those who want them.) I met a group of friends that I still get together with because our kids went to the same preschool and we ended up talking every time we went to pick them up. I met one of my best friends that way (we’re both part of that larger group of friends), we started getting together because our daughters very quickly became best friends at preschool and we also matched with our personalities and values and interests and sense of humor. Your child can’t do anything without you driving them to the activity so wherever you go and whatever you do with your child there are other parents around and you end up talking to them and you become close friends with the ones who match you the most. We’ve met all of our local friends through our kids activities and playdates. One couple that we go out with every Friday evening we met through our son. We went to drop off our son and the other couple were both outside and we stood and talked and talked and then they said we should go sit on the patio and we talked and talked more and we ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening. The four of us just matched personality wise and we’ve been friends ever since. Just a few weeks ago we were talking again about the first time we all went to dinner together, it’s like a nostalgic first date story.
d2 April 17, 2012, 3:35 pm
Eh, college wasn’t that fun for me. At that point in my life I was suffering from depression, had separated from my family, and worked long hours in addition to school to pay the bills. Grad school was easier because I had a research assistantship and didn’t have to worry about the money thing. Having said that, I have fond memories of learning, of the people who believed in me and gave me opportunities, of a wonderful girlfriend (although we didn’t marry, we continued as good friends).
For the most part, I found life after school to be more exciting. I decided that, because I had worked so hard in school, I was going to do whatever I thought was fun for a while instead of looking for a “real” job. Somehow I have always managed to make money, and so far have been able to duck the “what do you want to be when you grow up question”.
But Ktfran really got it right above – omg, to have the metabolism to eat anything and never gain weight. I would kill to get that back (okay, maybe not kill, but seriously maim anyway…).
honeybeenicki April 17, 2012, 3:47 pm
I think the ease of meeting people is about the only think I miss (other than the actual learning part). I spent most of my time in class, studying or working because I had to pay for all of my own stuff. I think I missed out on a lot in college because of all the time that I did have to spend working, but I LOVED going to class and learning new things. When I started looking at law schools, I went to the one here and they had planned on letting me sit in on A class, but I ended up convincing them to let me sit in on 4 classes instead.
Sara April 17, 2012, 4:18 pm
I’m teaching at a university now, so I still have a flexible schedule. Although, my flexible schedule just means I start work at 7am from my couch instead of from my office! Before this job, I would have said I miss “meeting people” the most. But, turns out, what I really miss is my support group and people telling me that I’m on the right track. I’d *love* to get an paper with an A on it to hang on my fridge.
Addie Pray April 17, 2012, 4:26 pm
Are you looking for an answer more sophisticated than meeting new cute, smart, available boys, constantly, and getting to have sex with them, regularly? I don’t know where they are anymore.
Brad April 17, 2012, 4:34 pm
*cough* ahem
Addie Pray April 18, 2012, 12:01 am
Oh they’re in the DC area!
Brad April 18, 2012, 12:12 am
Well they used to be in the windy city but then they blew away! *ba dum ching!*
*crickets* No? not funny? 🙁 Ok, I guess I’ll just go to bed then.
Addie Pray April 17, 2012, 4:34 pm
oh, it looks like there’s an actual poll. (Can’t see it on my stupid blackberry.) Hopefully “an abundance of cute, smart, available boys” is on the poll.
lets_be_honest April 17, 2012, 4:56 pm
hahaha
MandaNoA April 17, 2012, 4:55 pm
I want to go to your college! My college was 60% female and of the males a very large number were gay. I dated 2 guys in college and that was 1 more than any of the rest of my friends. I also wouldn’t consider one of my college exes smart…
katiebird April 17, 2012, 4:44 pm
I’m in college now but I feel like I don’t have any fun. Well, not as much as everyone else. I’m a double major in the sciences and all I do is study study study study. I have friends, amazing friends who I love to death, but I feel like I’m wasting my life away on the books. I mean, its paid off, I have a 3.8 and impressive letters of recommendation, but I know I’m not the type of person who is going to have great college adventure stories and sometimes I wish that I would be. It will definitely pay off one day, when I have a job and money but I can’t get these years back….
lets_be_honest April 17, 2012, 4:55 pm
I voted Zima. Thank you Wendy for reminding me of Zima!
Ktfran April 17, 2012, 5:34 pm
Did you put jolly ranchers in it? Zima peaked about three years too soon for me.
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 8:29 pm
Oh. My. God… We BOTH drank ZIMA!! 😉
Addie Pray April 17, 2012, 9:58 pm
You and lbh are two peas in a pod, I just knew it.
Zepp April 17, 2012, 5:02 pm
Ummm all of the above! Ugh college was so fantastic. All the fun of adulthood with a fraction of the responsibilities (i had generous parents). It took me a few years to get it together, but by junior year I had a great group of best friends, an awesome apartment in the best college town ever (Chapel hill!) , and a major I enjoyed. love love loved college.
mf April 17, 2012, 5:31 pm
I miss having a flexible schedule and I REALLY miss spring break. But I work at a university now, so I do get two weeks off at Christmas 🙂
But, like a lot of the other comments here, I didn’t have that much fun in college. In fact, I really regret worrying so much about school and studying that I didn’t have time to have fun. I didn’t fully realize it at the time but now, looking back, I think I was depressed for most of my undergrad years. And I didn’t live on campus, so I didn’t make any close friends in college. Seriously, I graduated four years ago, and the only friends I keep in contact with are the ones I met studying abroad. Le sigh. On the bright, my post-college twenties have been awesome so far 🙂
katie April 17, 2012, 6:21 pm
honestly, i worked so so hard in college to get good grades that now to me, working is easy. i do (basically) the same things each day… if i make a mistake, i fix it. i dont really have to learn drastically different stuff and retain it super well all the time. i can take notes and reference them as often as i want to…. i dunno, work just isnt a one chance thing like turning in assignments or taking tests where you get the grade that you get. atleast, my work isnt. i could totally see how some jobs would be.
college was way fun though. but, we were never allowed to wear PJs to class -we couldnt even wear jeans and tshirts- and I didnt have a flexible schedule AT ALL because we did our classes like jobs, 7-ish hours a day, 5 days a week…. a little different then normal schools….
but, i loved so much not worrying about money. so so so so much!! even though i was aware of it and didnt spend like a crazy person or anything, i didnt have to worry about bills or how much milk costs or anything like that… so that was my answer, my parents paying for everything. not being a full fledged adult was awesome!
Chiswickian April 18, 2012, 12:43 pm
Where did you go to school where you couldn’t wear pyjamas to class? At my school, people don’t even wear shoes to class if it’s over 70 (which is admittedly rare). And some people don’t wear shoes ever, even in the dead of winter.
Sue Jones April 17, 2012, 6:41 pm
Being in my 20’s with my whole life ahead of me and plenty of childless, available friends to play with, relatively little responsibility – or I should say the expectations were pretty clear… and lots of friends to have interesting conversations with. This was 30 years ago in my case…
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 7:08 pm
Speaking of life post college?
Anybody here watch HBO’s new show GIRLS?
I, uh, seriously didn’t like it. At all. And was disturbed that so many reviewers seem to think it’s so honest and real. I mean, okay. If this is an accurate depiction of how twentysomethings are today, then, yikes, you are all even more fucked up than I ever realized…
ReginaRey April 17, 2012, 8:04 pm
I haven’t watched it, and don’t plan to, but from what I’ve heard it sounds…slightly annoying. I hope the show isn’t trying to blanket ALL twenty something girls, or make a statement for an entire generation. I personally tend to get annoyed by people more age more often than I mesh with them, due to a general lack of maturity and wisdom and common sense and direction…so I’m guessing I probably wouldn’t like the show all that much. That, and everyone at The Frisky loved it, so it’s a safe bet that I wouldn’t like it after that kind of endorsement.
ReginaRey April 17, 2012, 8:04 pm
*my age
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 8:27 pm
RR, I think you would absolutely hate it. Damn. I wish you would watch it so I would know if I am right!! Admittedly, I am NOT the demographic… But most of my favorite shows have centered on women… But GIRLS focuses on four girls who just aren’t very interesting or empowered… It’s all very blah victim dreariness.
RhyanShae April 17, 2012, 8:45 pm
I hated it. And, I hate how the critics keep defending it against the negative backlash it received. About the only character I didn’t hate was the best friend/female roomie of the main character, and that’s only because she was talking sense about getting a job. I don’t think I laughed once at the “comedy.”
I think the most “real” was that there really are crappy, entitled, self-absorbed people out there like them. But, if I wanted to watch a bunch of unattractive personalities, I could probably sit on my porch and take it in without being told I was watching “art.”
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 9:03 pm
Yeah, I liked her roomie the most, too. The lone voice of reason… Though even she was so deliberately cruel about her boyfriend that it really turned me off… And yeah. Painfully unfunny. And wildly uneven in tone. The parents were so ridiculous it was like they wandered in from an SNL sketch… Just out of place…
RhyanShae April 17, 2012, 10:12 pm
Yes, she was a jerk to her boyfriend. I really couldn’t grasp why besides the fact that he was nice to her? And the jack-ass that was the…booty call? Really. That had to be the most boring sex scene in my entire life.
The parents were sadly written and portrayed, I agree. Though, I did love that she had been spending all this time writing this memoir/book, and it was about 4 pages long. Honestly, I think it would have been funny AND somewhat realistic to see the parent’s response while reading that instead of them intently going through it while she passes out on the floor. I get that their supposed to be the mean, evil parents who don’t understand her, but to have no emotion whatsoever?
I think RR should be very thankful she didn’t sit through that 1/2 hr we did.
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 11:22 pm
Actually, the whole she hates him because he is too nice to her was oh-so-very Dear Wendy… I mean, how many times have we read THAT letter on here?
The booty call left me baffled. Just baffled. Mainly because some critics heralded it as the oh-so-brave and shockingly honest scene in which a woman reveals her perversions by enjoying humiliating sex. Um, what? She so didn’t enjoy it. I mean, yeah, had we seen a character that totally gets off on being so horribly degraded at least it’d be something new and it would have at least explained why she would even bother to go over there. But the title character was so bored by the sex.
Actually, the whole show was VERY sexphobic to me. I mean, seriously? The right wing would just LOVE this show as it seemingly highlights how empty headed and pathetic young liberals are and how premarital sex is the worst thing ever. Oh, and next week it’s the big abortion episode! How shocking. How unexpected. How fucking trite…
Um, okay, and all this is empowering to young women, how?
Yeah, the whole show left me scratching my head. If this actress and writer truly is the “voice of her generation” as critics everywhere are way too fond of proclaiming, then this generation should really just shut the fuck up. Just shut the fuck up. Seriously, you are doing yourselves no favors. Far better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than create a mediocre TV show instead that gleefully speaks up removes all doubt.
bittergaymark April 17, 2012, 11:33 pm
PS — Yeah. Your point about the parents was dead on. And her book being like four pages, seriously? What was up with that? How did her mean parents not comment on that fact… Is she really supposed to be that stupid? Are they? And if so, how are we to take any of this seriously at all?
Look, I’m a writer. I’ve known lots of writers. Many of them quite deluded about their potential talents… But nobody I’ve ever met has ever considered themselves a writer when all they’ve managed to crank out is but four scant pages… Four pages is what one should crank out a week or a day if one is truly serious… I suppose it’s supposed to be a satire or something, but its just not funny. It’s sad. And pathetic. But worse of all it’s stupid. And who wants to spend their time watching stupid? Oh, wait… twenty-somethings LOVE, WORSHIP and ADORE Miss Kim Kardashian… Drat, show probably WILL be a hit…
RhyanShae April 18, 2012, 12:25 am
Writer here too, just not that successful at it.
Looking at it back when I was 23-25, I made sure my parents knew, when I decided to go off the career path I had picked, I was serious by giving them a HUGE chunk of my writing to see. If I had handed my dad 4 pages and told him that was my life’s work, I think he would have laughed at me, and my dad has an artistic bent.
I think the show ticked me off so much because I wanted to relate. Then, I watched and realized I’ve grown up enough to want to smack sense into them. That says a lot when in most groups, *I* am the dreamer.
RhyanShae April 18, 2012, 12:18 am
Haha, I knew you’d make the connection to DW letters with that!
I agree with you, though. The booty call scene would have made sense if she actually seemed to enjoy it. It actually ticked me off because I could see what the point was: She had no confidence in herself, so she let herself be used basically because he gave her some attention. Worst message ever.
I almost want to watch the next episodes because I do like to sometimes watch train wrecks, but yes, the series seemed to hold a sign saying, “oooh, I’m edgy!” but at the end of the day say, add on “but not so much” to it.
rachel April 18, 2012, 12:55 am
“She had no confidence in herself, so she let herself be used basically because he gave her some attention. Worst message ever.”
I dunno..sounds kind of like me at 24. I thought the show was okay, though I can see all of your problems with it. I’m planning to watch for a bit to see how it develops.
bittergaymark April 18, 2012, 1:17 am
It saddens me that so many of you are so messed up then at 24. It doesn’t get any easier folks… No, seriously. It doesn’t. And to show this on television as the “new normal” and to then have it be heralded as being oh-so-wonderfully honest and the “voice of a generation” is indeed the Worst. Message. Ever.
rachel April 18, 2012, 2:06 am
Well, thankfully I think I’m a lot less messed up at nearly 28.
But, as far as the show goes, I’ll see what it turns into after a couple of episodes. If the next episode is about abortion like you mentioned earlier, that will probably turn me off – that’s just too gimmicky to use right off the bat.
L April 17, 2012, 7:55 pm
I’m with those who were ready to leave college. I dealt with drama drama drama during my college years.
I had two friends who ditched me without explanations. They were both friends who I honestly thought I’d have forever, and both (at different times because they didn’t know each other) decided that I wasn’t worth their time. It hurt me pretty badly because I greatly value my friendships and I felt as though I didn’t deserve to be tossed aside like that.
I was also an RA for 3 years. My senior year I was in a junior/senior apartment as an RA and had MASSIVE amounts of drama with both my supervisor and my coworker (supervisor took the coworker’s side even though she was in her first year in the job and I was in my third). There were many times where I cried to my friends or my boyfriend on the phone about how much I hated res life that year. Every time I went to talk to my supervisor about something, she would tell me how “concerned” she was with the amount of energy and effort I was putting towards the job when in reality, I was putting school first, which was what they had asked us to do. That got old. Fortunately, I saved myself $15,000 in student loans by working in res life for so long.
I also strongly disliked many of my professors in the education department. Seriously, many of them were some of the worst teachers I have EVER had. Irony at it’s finest. I would go to class and find out that they were just going to talk at us about nothing in particular so there were many classes where I just sat there with my computer and got caught up with emails.
Finally the whole “party scene” was never my style and I never had any desire to take part in it. 50 sweaty people smashed into one room playing beer pong? Noooo thank you.
theattack April 17, 2012, 8:01 pm
I’m in college, and I have had so much trouble meeting people AND my schedule is not at all flexible. It may just be how intense my specific program is, but the schedule thing has not at all been my experience. I have class from 8am to 8pm plus what is essentially an unpaid full time job and extra volunteer work that is almost (but not quite) required, in addition to all the homework, which in my program is about 1500 pages of reading a week, plus at least a couple of long papers every other week.
The trouble with meeting people is my own issue though. I find it ridiculously hard to meet people in an environment with thousands of people who you will never see again. I’m just not good at that.
But I do love breaks from school, and I have an insatiable need to be constantly evaluated.
theattack April 17, 2012, 8:12 pm
Also, I’m confused about the cheap rent comment. Why would rent be any cheaper in college? Unless this is just because roommates cheapen rent. In my college town, apartments close to campus are outrageously expensive because of the ability to walk to class. I actually have cheaper rent by living away from campus in a grown-up, family neighborhood and commuting to school. But I also live in a city where rent is VERY cheap compared to what I hear other people describing in their cities.
Never worn pajamas to class either. I’ve maybe worn yoga pants once when I was sick. And I’m not into parties. I hate guys creeping on me, and I just don’t feel safe drinking around people I don’t know. I’m not really a normal college student at all.
It is nice for my parents to pay for things, but in reality, I would certainly make a lot more money if I got payed for all the work I do for school. It’s not like my parents make much money themselves, so they can’t afford to give me a lot. Right now I can mostly just afford Ramen and Internet with my parents helping. I look forward to working for pay because I’m assuming I can upgrade to vegetables and meat.
mandalee April 17, 2012, 8:53 pm
I think most people think that rent is cheaper in college because you normally live with roommates. Also, attending college in a smaller college town, rather than a city makes a big difference. When I was in college, I lived in a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom large apartment and each of us paid around $380 all inclusive. My current 2 bed/2 bath townhome is much more than the total rent we paid in college with two less bedrooms.
Units that are rented to college students are also usually older or much more minimalistic in their construction that would appeal or rent to older tenants due to things that are common to college life: parties, messiness, and young adults occupying a small space.
bethany April 18, 2012, 9:31 am
My share of the rent in my first apartment in college was $275. I would LOVE to pay that now!!! I’ve been paying well over $500/month for the last 6 years.
Kristina April 17, 2012, 10:08 pm
My school is on a quarter system, with 3 ten week quarters a year, so at first I did find it hard to make friends when these people will only be in your class for a short time. But I’m very outgoing, and I’m involved with my school a lot and end up doing a lot of volunteer work (which in turn also benefits me since I love helping people). I met so many friends from doing things with my school, and since we all love volunteering, we have that in common. But, I am also super busy with my schoolwork, so it’s very hard for me to balance a social life and school. I still don’t have that many friends in my classes since they are really small and I’m in a specialized program as well, but I found with my short quarters that I didn’t really need to have friends in my classes.
Eagle Eye April 17, 2012, 8:22 pm
Heh, well, I’m back in graduate school, which I actually like MORE than college since I still get a super (even more) flexible schedule, I’m only taking classes on things I’m actually interested (I’m looking at you stupid astronomy class that helped screw up my GPA), and I actually like the people better (smaller program, everyone is interested in the same things as me), plus, I’m much happier now than I was 7 years ago when I entered college.
Although I hated my two years out in the real world; that was miserable.
Also, I have a boyfriend now, which I never had in college, and he’s pretty cool.
So, yay for a PhD program aka never joining the real world again!
rachel April 17, 2012, 11:45 pm
Um, I’m almost done with my phd. I have no idea what I’ll do with myself in the real world, haha.
ColorsOfTheWind April 18, 2012, 7:55 am
Ya’ll aren’t making me too excited to graduate!
Kelly L. April 18, 2012, 8:10 am
I voted for the long, existential talks. I had mixed experiences with the ease of meeting people thing–I went to a really big school and it wasn’t at all unusual to meet someone interesting and then just never happen to see them again. But when it came to people in my dorm, I did meet some great people, some of whom are even still friends today. And we all went out and had existential talks over bottomless cups of coffee. 😀
I also miss everything being right there. Laundry in the basement, food store a block away, bookstore two blocks away, hot dinner right there in the building. I was carless and it didn’t even feel like a hardship more than about twice a year.
What I don’t miss is being sick. I think I spent 75% of college having a cold.
Wendy's Dad April 18, 2012, 11:30 am
Boy, I tell you…those years as an undergraduate were among the best 8 years of my life. And if I could have just hung on for another 33 credits, I might have earned a degree. OK, I’m just kidding a little. It wasn’t eight years. It was only four, and they went by so quickly. I loved my college days, and that was way back during the Johnson administration (Lyndon, not Andrew). Grad school is somewhat of a blur, however. I worked full time and did grad school in the evenings and summers (I was a teacher at the time). If I could have afforded it, I would have gone full time. I don’t remember too much of those days. The last year of grad school was pretty cool. I met the girl who later became Wendy’s mom. We got married; I finished my master’s; and we moved to Okinawa all in a three week period. All three events were huge in my life.