Several colleges have started a pilot program that uses a simple group
experiment with Legos as a replacement for the standard admissions test.
The group must recreate a model of a robot in the next room, with only
one team member allowed to view the robot at any one time.
Since different schools have different admissions requirements, the
test has been generalized to meet the requirements of various schools:
ENGINEERING COLLEGE: Build a real, working robot out of Legos
LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE: Pick your favorite color of Lego block
CULINARY COLLEGE: Bake an Eggo that no one would want to lego
FEMINIST COLLEGE: Cut the stubs off the Lego blocks and get them to stick
together using only the holes.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Ring this box of Legos up on a cash register
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: Steal as many Legos as possible
Even though I was an engineering student at the Univ of Maryland,
chemistry was a required course in my day.
The Professor, on the first day of class, asked everyone to name
the most outstanding contribution chemistry had made to society.
When my turn came, I answered, "Blondes !"
The professor of an economics class asked for an example of
unremunerative outlay of capital.
One student replied, "Taking one's sister out to dinner and the movies."
There was a university in New England where the students operated
a "bank" of term papers and other homework assignments. There were
papers to suit all needs and as it would look odd if an undistinguished
student suddenly handed in a brilliant essay, there were papers for an
A grade, B grade and C grade.
A student who had spent the weekend on pursuits other than his
assignment, went to the "bank" and as his course was a standard one
he took out a paper for a inconspicuous C, retyped it and handed the
work in.
In due course he received it back with the professor's comments,
"I wrote this paper myself twenty years ago. I always thought it should
have had an A, and now I am glad to give it one!"
GLOSSARY FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
(Strictly Speaking)
by C.D. Graham Jr. (1957)
WHAT THEY WRITE
WHAT THEY MEAN
It has long been known that...
I haven't bothered to look up the original reference
...of great theoretical and practical importance
...interesting to me
While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to
these questions.
The experiments didn't work out, but I figured I could at least
get a publication out of it.
The W-Pb system was chosen as especially suitable to show the predicted
behavior...
The fellow in the next lab had some already made up
High purity...Very high purity...Extremely high purity...
Super-purity...Spectroscopically pure...
Composition unknown except for the exaggerated claims of the supplier
A fiducial reference line...
A scratch
Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study...
The results of the others didn't make sense and were ignored...
...handled with extreme care during the experiments
...not dropped on the floor
Typical results are shown...
The best results are shown...
Although some detail has been lost in reproduction, it is clear
from the original micrograph that...
It is impossible to tell from the micrograph
Presumably at longer times...
I didn't take the time to find out
The agreement with the predicted curve is excellent
Fair
Good
Poor
Satisfactory
Doubtful
Fair
imaginary
...as good as could be expected
non-existent
These results will be reported at a later date
I might get around to this sometime
The most reliable values are those of Jones
He was a student of mine
It is suggested that...OR It is believed that...Or It may be that...
I think...
It is generally believed that...
I have such a good objection to this answer that I shall now raise it.
It is clear that much additional work will be required before a
complete understanding...
I don't understand it
Unfortunately, a quantitative theory to account for these effects has
not been formulated
Neither does anybody else
Correct within an order of magnitude
Wrong
It is to be hoped that this work will stimulate further work in the field
This paper isn't very good but neither are any of the others on this
miserable subject
Thanks are due to Joe Glotz for assistance with the experiments and
to John Doe for valuable discussions.
Glotz did the work and Doe explained what it meant.
In a way, colleges & insane asylums are both mental institutions.
The major difference being you have to show some improvement to
"graduate" from an asylum.
A student comes back to the dorm & finds his roommate near tears.
"What's the matter pal ?" he asked.
"I wrote home for my parents to send money so that I could buy a
laptop, and they sent me the laptop." he moaned.
The Father, passing thru the son's college town late one night on
a business trip, thought he would pay a surprise visit to the boy.
Arriving at the fraternity house, he knocked on the door. After several
minutes of knocking, a sleepy voice drifted down from a second floor
window.
"Whattya want?"
"Does Jimmy Duncan live here?" asked the father.
"Yeah!" replied the voice. "Dump him on the front porch and we'll
take care of him in the morning."
At a college reunion I was sitting near the dance floor with some
classmates. A woman approached and asked one of my friends to dance.
He replied, "Well, I'm a little stiff from bowling."
"I don't care where you're from," the persistent woman replied.
"let's dance!"
PSALM OF THE TWENTY-THIRD YEAR
Dr. ( ) is my professor
I shall not pass.
He maketh me to exhibit mine ignorance before the whole class.
He telleth me more than I can write.
He lowreth mine grades.
Yea, though I walk through the corridors of knowledge, I do not learn.
He tryeth to teach me.
He writeth equations before me in hopes that I will understand them.
He bombardeth my head with integrations.
My calculator freezeth up.
Surely enthalpies and entropies shall follow me all the days of my
life and I shall dwell in the School of Engineering forever.
You Finally Realize You're Not in College Anymore When...
You're waking up at 6 am instead of going to bed.
Beers at lunch get you reprimanded.
College sweatshirts are 'casual' instead of dress up.
Your parents charge rent.
The four food groups are no longer beer, pizza, chips and cereal.
It's 'getting late' when it's 9:30 p.m.
Three words: Student Loan Payments.
You make thousands of dollars a year - and still can't afford
that dream Porsche.
You start eyeing the Light Beer Section appreciatively.
Pickup football games mean that at least one person will be in
the hospital by game's end.
THEN: Discussing with your friends: GPA's, spring break plans, and
tonsil hockey. NOW: mutual funds, interest rates, and wedding plans.
Sleeping on the couch is a no-no.
Naps are no longer available between noon and 6 p.m.
Sneakers are now 'weekend shoes'.
Dinner and a movie - The whole date instead of the beginning of one.
Pregnancy now brings thought of tax deductions instead of coronaries.
Jack and Cokes become Dewers on the Rocks.
The only drugs you take are Tums and Tylenol.
The weak single you hit in the intramural softball game is now
remembered as a Varsity dinger for the League Championship.
You get your news from sources other than USA Today, ESPN
Sportscenter, and MTV News.
Random hook-ups are no longer socially acceptable.
You wear more ties in a week than you even owned while taking in college.
You find yourself reminiscing fondly of 2-hour Calculus exams.
You empathize with the characters from 'Friends.'
METABOLISM SLOWDOWN
Wine appreciation expands beyond Boone's and Mad Dog.
You actually eat breakfast foods at breakfast time.
Grocery lists actually contain relatively healthy food.
When drinking, you say at least once per night, 'I just can't put
it down the same as I used to.'
Over 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for
real work, not video games.
You're actually willing to pay a bit more to drink in a bar
that's not full of '21-year-old kids.'
Golf is beginning to seem a lot less silly.
You begin to wish you were in school again!!
Dear Dad,
$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying
very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I
need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would
love to hear from you.
Love,
Your $on.
The Reply:
Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to
keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of
kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love,
Dad
Dean, to the physics department, "Why do I always have to give you
guys so much money, for laboratories and expensive equipment and stuff.
Why couldn't you be like the math department - all they need is money
for pencils, paper and waste-paper baskets. Or even better, like
the philosophy department. All they need are pencils and paper."
The graduate with a physics degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with a liberal arts degree asks, "Do you want fries
with that?"
How do college graduates say hello?
"Welcome to McDonalds."
The college faculty were in their annual meeting when, suddenly,
an angel appears. Turning to the Dean, the creature said, "I will
grant you one of three boons -- infinite wisdom, infinite wealth or
infinite health."
The Dean thought for a minute, then replied "Wisdom."
"So be it." and the angel disappeared. In the silence that followed,
the Dean sat thoughtfully, saying nothing and staring off into the
distance.
Finally, one of the other faculty members exclaimed, "Do you have
anything to say? What words of wisdom can you provide us?".
Quoth the Dean, "I should have taken the money."
On the first day of college, the dean/principal addresses the
students pointing out some of the rules. "The female dormitory
will be out-of-bounds for all male students, so too the male
dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this
rule will be fined $20 the first time. Anybody caught breaking
this rule the second time will be fined $60. Being caught a third
time will incur a hefty fine of $180. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?".
A male student bashfully moves forward and asks: "How much
for a seasonal pass?"
"How's your son doing? Is he one of the bright young men in this
area that is going to college on a scholarship?"
"No. He's going to college on a second mortgage."
Dear Mom and Dad,
It has now been three months since I left for college. I have been
remiss in writing and I am very sorry for my thoughtlessness. I will
bring you up to date now, but before you read on, please sit down.
You are not to read any further unless you are sitting down, okay?
Well, I am getting along pretty well now. The skull fracture and
the concussion I got when I jumped out of the window of my dormitory
when it caught fire shortly after my arrival are pretty well healed
now.
I only spent two weeks in the hospital and I now can see almost
normally and I only get those sick headaches once a week.
Fortunately, the fire in the dormitory and my jump was witnessed
by an attendant at the gas station near the dorm and he was the one
who called the fire department and the ambulance. He also visited me
at the hospital and since I had nowhere to live because of the burnt
out dorm, he was kind enough to invite me to share his apartment with
him. It's really a basement room, but it's kind of cute. He is a very
fine boy and we have fallen deeply in love and are planning to get
married. We haven't exactly set the date yet, but it will be before
my pregnancy begins to show.
Yes, Mom and Dad, I am pregnant. I know how you are looking
forward to being grandparents and I know you will welcome the baby
and give it the same love and devotion and tender care you gave me
as a child. The reason for the delay in our marriage is that my
boyfriend has some minor infection which prevents us from passing
our premarital blood tests and I carelessly caught it from him. This
will soon clear up with the penicillin injections I am taking daily.
I know you will welcome him into the family with open arms. He
is kind, and although not well educated, has ambitions. Although he
is of a different race and religion than ours, I know oft-expressed
tolerance will not permit you to be bothered by the fact that his
skin colour is somewhat darker than ours. I am sure you will love
him as I do. His family background is good, too, for I hear that
his father is an important gun-bearer in the village in Africa from
which he comes.
Now that I have brought you up to date, I want to tell you that
there was no dormitory fire. I do not have a concussion or a skull
fracture, I was not in the hospital, I am not pregnant, I am not
engage, I do not have syphilis and there is no colored man in my
life. However, I am getting a "D" in history and a "F" in science
class and I wanted you to see these marks in their proper perspective.
Your loving daughter,
Mary
3A. ESSAY
IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO KNOW YOU,
THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I
have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making
them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic
slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time
efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.
I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot
bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-
Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran
in love, and an outlaw in Peru.
Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly
defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious
army ants. I play bluegrass 'cello, I was scouted by the Mets, and I
am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build
large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On
Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of
charge.
I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie.
Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening
wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan
mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes.
Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force
demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me
fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.
I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly
accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield
in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that
evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the
supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA.
I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on
vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of
terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not
apply to me.
I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On
weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami.
Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it
down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli
and a toaster oven. I breed prize winning clams. I have won bullfights
in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees
at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart
surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.
But I have not yet gone to college.
What are thirty art students standing around changing a light bulb?
20 credit points
How to get your sorry ass through a term paper
Graphs and charts and maps and maybe one more chart.
Coffee sweetened with jelly beans.
Bee Gees "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack on CD repeat.
Now would be a good time to practice your ESP skills.
Somehow work in a quote from the Prince of Wales.
Midnight conversion to Roman Catholic in hopes of completing the
paper before dawn.
Beg your dog to share his wisdom.
Copy the bibliography you used for your "Street Vendors: Friend or
Foe" paper.
Paper clip a blank check made out to your professor on your summary page.
Lie like a bastard.
The Top 14 Tips for Surviving College
Minimize food budget by scheduling classes around Happy Hour.
Enjoy being a Sophomore, It will be the best three years of your life.
Wear an athletic cup to panty raids, because it's all fun and
games until someone loses their 'nads.
Lemon juice and baking soda make an excellent bong water stain remover.
Earn extra cash by parlaying chemistry knowledge into
lucrative "home pharmaceuticals" business.
If an 8:00 am class is required for your major, change your major.
Boring lecture? Start a wave!
College-level algebra: 5 returnable bottles = 1 delicious
Ramen Noodle dinner.
"I Phelta Thi" is *not* a real fraternity, except at state colleges.
Remember - almost no one complains when you puke in a dumpster.
Clever margin manipulation can turn a 4-page outline into
a 100-page senior essay.
Football games were never meant to be observed by sober people.
Don't think of it as sleeping with your professor -- think of
it as "acing Biology."
In a pinch, milk can be used as a beer substitute on your
breakfast cereal.
The Differences Between College Seniors and Freshmen
Freshmen:
Are never in bed past noon.
Seniors:
Are never out of bed before noon.
Freshmen:
Read the syllabus to find out what classes they can cut.
Seniors:
Read the syllabus to find out what classes they need to attend.
Freshmen:
Brings a can of soda into a lecture hall.
Seniors:
Brings a jumbo hoagie and six-pack of Mtn. Dew into a recitation class.
Freshmen:
Calls the professor "Professor."
Seniors:
Calls the professor "Bob."
Freshmen:
Would walk ten miles to get to class.
Seniors:
Drives to class if it's further than three blocks away.
Freshmen:
Memorizes the course material to get a good grade.
Seniors:
Memorizes the professor's habits to get a good grade.
Freshmen:
Knows a book-full of useless trivia about the university.
Seniors:
Knows where the next class is. Maybe...
Freshmen:
Shows up at a morning exam clean, perky, and fed.
Seniors:
Shows up at a morning exam in sweats with a cap on and a
box of pop tarts in hand.
Freshmen:
Have to ask where the computer labs are.
Seniors:
Has 'own' personal workstation.
Freshmen:
Use the campus buses to go everywhere.
Seniors:
Use the campus buses to run block while crossing the street.
Freshmen:
Worry about the last freshman composition essay.
Seniors:
Worry about the last GRE essay.
Freshman:
Lines up for an hour to buy his textbooks in the first week.
Senior:
Starts to think about buying textbooks in October...maybe.
Freshman:
Looks forward to first classes of the year
Senior:
Looks forward to first beer garden of the year
Freshman:
Is proud of his A+ on Calculus I midterm
Senior:
Is proud of not _quite_ failing his Complex Analysis midterm
Freshman:
Calls his girlfriend back home every other night
Senior:
Calls Domino's every other night
Freshman:
Is appalled at the class size and callousness of profs
Senior:
Is appalled that the campus 'Subway' burned down over the summer
Freshman:
Conscienciously completes all homework, including optional questions.
Senior:
Offers to 'tutor' conscientious frosh of opposite sex...
Freshman:
Goes on grocery shopping trip with Mom before moving onto campus
Senior:
Has a beer with Mom before moving onto campus
Freshman:
Is excited about the world of possibilities that awaits him, the
unlimited vista of educational opportunities, the chance to expand
one's horizons and really make a contribution to society.
Senior: Is excited about new dryers in laundry room
Freshman:
Takes meticulous four-color notes in class
Senior:
Occasionally stays awake for all of class
A kid called up his mum from his college and asked her for some
money, because he ran out of it.
Mum said, "Sure, sweetie. Mum will send you some money. You also
left your calculus book here when you visited 2 weeks ago. Do you
want me to send that up too?"
"Uhh, oh yeah, o.k." Responded the kid.
So Mum wrapped the book along with the checks up in a package,
kissed Dad goodbye, and went to the post office to mail the money
and the book.
When she gets back, Dad asked, "Well how much did you give the boy
this time?
Mum said, "Oh, I wrote 2 checks, one for $20, and the other for $1000"
"That's $1020!!!" yelled Dad, "Are you crazy???"
"Don't worry hon," Mum said, as she kissed Dad on the on top of his
bald head, "I taped the $20 check to the cover of his book, but I put
the $1000 one somewhere between the pages in chapter 19.
The farmer and his wife had worked hard, scrimped and saved to send
their son to college. As soon as he had enrolled, he started to grow
a beard. Next he grew a large mustache and sideburns. Being pleased
with his new hirsute adornment, he had his picture taken and sent it
off to his parents. On the back of the photo he scrawled "How do you
like it? Don't I look like a count?"
Shortly after, the son received this terse note, "You idiot, it cost
us a fortune to send you to college, and you can't even spell!"
There once was a conservative college in the mid-west that had a
standing rule, the heat was not to be turned on in the dormitories
prior to a certain date. Unfortunately, one year, winter decided to
rear its ugly head early. Students in both the men's and women's
dormitories complained about the bitter cold, but were told that
nothing could be done. After days of no heat and no respite in
immediate sight, the ladies realized that their dorm faced the
equally cold men's dorm. They turned a bed sheet into a banner
with the message, "TURN ON THE HEAT OR WE'LL TURN ON THE BOYS!"
The heat was on within hours!
What is the difference between a galley slave and a graduate student?
They occasionally feed galley slaves.
Another Day in the Life of a College Student
Up too late the night before.
Want to stay in bed some more.
Searching for a matching sock
In time to make my eight o'clock.
Sprinting all the way to class.
Slowly running out of gas.
Walking in the pouring rain.
A thunderstorm's inside my brain.
Soaking wet, I make it in.
Professor asks me where I've been.
I try to think up some excuse.
"It's chronic eight o'clock abuse!"
Writing till my hand falls off.
Don't have time to even cough.
Can't get breakfast off my mind.
Now I'm half-a-page behind!
Man, this lecture's really boring.
Is it me that I hear snoring?
No, it's just the ocean breeze.
I'm floating on a piece of cheese
Sailing off to la-la land,
While jamming to a reggae band.
And as I lay me down to rest,
Please let me dream I pass my test.
And if I don't, for goodness sake,
Just let me sleep till summer break!
Differences Between High School and College
In high school, you do homework. In college, you study.
No food is allowed in the hall in high school.
In college, food must be provided at an event before students will come.
In high school, you wear your backpack on one shoulder;
in college, on both.
In college, the professors can tell you the answer without looking
at the teacher's guide.
In college, there are no tardy slips.
In high school, you have to live with your parents.
In college, you get to live with your friends.
In college, you don't have to wait in a certain lunch line to be cool.
Only nerds e-mailed in high school. (Cool kids hadn't heard of it.)
In high school, you're told what classes to take.
In college, you get to choose; that is, as long as the classes don't
conflict and you have the prerequisites and the classes aren't closed
and you've paid your tuition.
In high school, if you screw up you can usually sweet-talk your way
out of it. In college, you're lucky to ever talk with the professor.
In high school, fire drills are planned by the administration;
in college, by the drunk frat boys on their way home when the bars close.
In college, any test consists of a larger percentage of your grade
than your high school final exams ever did.
In high school, when the teacher said, "Good morning," you mumbled back.
In college, when the professor says, "Good morning," you write it down.
In high school, freshman guys hit on senior girls.
In college, senior guys hit on freshman girls.
In college, weekends start on Thursday.
In college, it's much more difficult to figure out the course schedule
of the man/woman you have a crush on, in order to figure out where he/she
will be walking around campus and at what time to find them there.
Once you've obtained the information described in #10, it's much more
time consuming to run between classes to that place where you know
he/she will be in order to "just happen to bump into him/her."
In college, there's no one to tell you not to eat pizza three meals a day.
In college, your dad doesn't pay for dates.
In high school, it never took 3 or 4 weeks to get money from Mom and Dad.
College guys are cuter than high school boys.
College women are legal.
In college, when you miss a class (or two or three), you don't need
a note from your parents saying you were skip....uh, sick that day.
In high school, you can't go out to lunch because it's not allowed.
In college, you can't go out to lunch because you can't afford it.
In college, you can blow off studying by writing lists like this.
A woman called the dean of the college that her freshman son was
going to.
"I'm worried. I don't know who my son can hang out with. He
doesn't have the kind of money all the other students have."
The dean replied, "Well then, he can hang out with the faculty."
Going To College?
Many of you young persons out there are seriously thinking about
going to college. (That is, of course, a lie. The only things you
young persons think seriously about are loud music and sex.
Trust me: these are closely related to college.)
College is basically a bunch of rooms where you sit for roughly two
thousand hours and try to memorize things. The two thousand hours are
spread out over four years; you spend the rest of the time sleeping and
trying to get dates.
Basically, you learn two kinds of things in college:
* Things you will need to know in later life (two hours).
These include how to make collect telephone calls and get beer
and crepe-paper stains out of your pajamas.
* Things you will not need to know in later life (1,998 hours). These
are the things you learn in classes whose names end in -ology, -osophy,
-istry, -ics, and so on. The idea is, you memorize these things, then
write them down in little exam books, then forget them. If you fail to
forget them, you become a professor and have to stay in college for the
rest of your life.
It's very difficult to forget everything. For example, when I was in
college, I had to memorize -- don't ask me why -- the names of three
metaphysical poets other than John Donne. I have managed to forget
one of them, but I still remember that the other two were named Vaughan
and Crashaw. Sometimes, when I'm trying to remember something important
like whether my wife told me to get tuna packed in oil or tuna packed in
water, Vaughan and Crashaw just pop up in my mind, right there in the
supermarket. It's a terrible waste of brain cells.
After you've been in college for a year or so, you're supposed to
choose a major, which is the subject you intend to memorize and forget
the most things about. Here is a very important piece of advice: Be
sure to choose a major that does not involve Known Facts and Right
Answers.
This means you must *not* major in mathematics, physics, biology,
or chemistry, because these subjects involve actual facts. If, for
example, you major in mathematics, you're going to wander into class
one day and the professor will say: "Define the cosine integer of the
quadrant of a rhomboid binary axis, and extrapolate your result to five
significant vertices. "If you don't come up with *exactly* the answer
the professor has in mind, you fail. The same is true of chemistry:
if you write in your exam book that carbon and hydrogen combine to form
oak, your professor will flunk you He wants you to come up with the
same answer he and all the other chemists have agreed on. Scientists
are extremely snotty about this.
So you should major in subjects like English, philosophy, psychology,
and sociology -- subjects in which nobody really understands what
anybody else is talking about, and which involve virtually no actual
facts. I attended classes in all these subjects, so I'll give you a
quick overview of each:
ENGLISH: This involves writing papers about long books you have read
little snippets of just before class. Here is a tip on how to get good
grades on your English papers: Never say anything about a book that
anybody with any common sense would say. For example, suppose you are
studying Moby-Dick. Anybody with any common sense would say that
Moby-Dick is a big white whale, since the characters in the book refer
to it as a big white whale roughly eleven thousand times. So in *your*
paper, *you* say Moby-Dick is actually the Republic of Ireland. Your
professor, who is sick to death of reading papers and never liked
Moby-Dick anyway, will think you are enormously creative. If you can
regularly come up with lunatic interpretations of simple stories, you
should major in English.
PHILOSOPHY: Basically, this involves sitting in a room and deciding
there is no such thing as reality and then going to lunch. You should
major in philosophy if you plan to take a lot of drugs.
PSYCHOLOGY: This involves talking about rats and dreams.
Psychologists are *obsessed* with rats and dreams. I once spent an
entire semester training a rat to punch little buttons in a certain
sequence, then training my roommate to do the same thing. The rat
learned much faster. My roommate is now a doctor. If you like rats
or dreams, and above all if you dream about rats, you should major
in psychology.
SOCIOLOGY: For sheer lack of intelligibility, sociology is far and
away the number one subject. I sat through hundreds of hours of
sociology courses, and read gobs of sociology writing, and I never once
heard or read a coherent statement. This is because sociologists want
to be considered scientists, so they spend most of their time
translating simple, obvious observations into scientific-sounding code.
If you plan to major in sociology, you'll have to learn to do the same
thing. For example, suppose you have observed that children cry when
they fall down. You should write: "Methodological observation of the
sociometrical behavior tendencies of prematurated isolates indicates
that a casual relationship exists between groundward tropism and
lachrimatory, or 'crying,' behavior forms." If you can keep this up
forfifty or sixty pages, you will get a large government grant.
A rich Texan walked into the offices of the president of a small
Texas college and said, "I'd like to donate a million dollars tax
free to this institution. But there's a condition. I would like
to have an honorary degree."
The president nodded agreeably, "That's not a problem. We can
certainly arrange that!"
The rich man said, "An honorary degree for my horse."
"For your horse???"
"Yep, you betcha. She carried me for many years and I owe her
a lot. I'd like her to receive a Tr.D., a Doctor of Transportation."
"But . . . we can't give a degree to a horse!"
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to take my million dollars to another
educational institution."
"Well, wait a minute," said the president, seeing the million slip
through his fingers, "Let me consult with the school's trustees."
A hurried trustee meeting was brought to order and the president
related the deal and the condition. All of the board reacted with
shock and disbelief -- except the oldest trustee. He appeared almost
asleep.
One trustee snorted, "We can't give a horse an honorary degree -
- no matter HOW much money is involved."
The oldest trustee opened his eyes and said, "Take the money and
give the horse the degree."
The president asked, "Don't you think that would be a disgrace to us?"
"Of course not, " the wise old trustee said. "It would be an honor.
It'd be the first time we ever gave a degree to an ENTIRE horse."
WAYS THE BIBLE WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF IT WERE WRITTEN BY COLLEGE STUDENTS
'Blood of Christ' switched from red wine to keg beer.
Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning: cold!
Ten Commandments are actually only five, double-spaced,
and written in a large font.
New edition every two years in order to limit reselling.
Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't dorm food.
Paul's Letter to the Romans becomes Paul's E-Mail To: [email protected]
Reason Cain killed Abel: They were roommates.
The place where the end of the world occurs: Finals, not Armageddon.
Out go the mules; In come the mountain bikes.
Reason why Moses and followers walked in desert for 40 years:
They didn't want to ask directions and look like Freshmen.
Tower of Babel blamed for Foreign Language requirement.
Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the
seventh, He would have put it off until the night before it was
due and then pulled an all-nighter.
April 18, 1994
Mr. John T. Mongan
123 Main Street
Smalltown, California 94123-4567
Dear John:
You've got the grades. You've certainly got the PSAT scores. And now
you've got a letter from MIT. Maybe you're surprised. Most students
would be.
But you're not most students. And that's exactly why I urge you to
consider carefully one of the most selective universities in America.
The level of potential reflected in your performance is a powerful
indicator that you might well be an excellent candidate for MIT. It
certainly got my attention!
Engineering's not for you? No problem. It may surprise you to learn we
offer more than 40 major fields of study, from architecture to brain and
cognitive sciences, from economics (perhaps the best program in the
country) to writing.
What? Of course, you don't want to be bored. Who does? Life here is
tough and demanding, but it's also fun. MIT students are imaginative and
creative - inside and outside the classroom.
You're interested in athletics? Great! MIT has more varsity teams - 39 -
than almost any other university, and a tremendous intramural program so
everybody can participate.
You think we're too expensive? Don't be too sure. We've got surprises
for you there, too.
Why not send the enclosed Information Request to find out more about
this unique institution? Why not do it right now?
Sincerely,
Michael C. Benhke
Director of Admissions
May 5, 1994
Michael C. Behnke
MIT Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions, Room 3-108
Cambridge MA 02139-4307
Dear Michael:
You've got the reputation. You've certainly got the pomposity. And now
you've got a letter from John Mongan. Maybe you're surprised. Most
universities would be.
But you're not most universities. And that's exactly why I urge you to
carefully consider one of the most selective students in America, so
selective that he will choose only one of the thousands of accredited
universities in the country.
The level of pomposity and lack of tact reflected in your letter is a
powerful indicator that your august institution might well be a
possibility for John Mongan's future education. It certainly got my
attention!
Don't want Bio-Chem students? No problem. It may surprise you to learn
that my interests cover over 400 fields of study, from semantics to
limnology, from object-oriented programming (perhaps one of the youngest
professionals in the country) to classical piano.
What? Of course you don't want egotistical jerks. Who does? I am self
indulgent and over confident, but I'm also amusing. John Mongan is funny
and amusing - whether you're laughing with him or at him.
You're interested in athletes? Great! John Mongan has played more sports
-
47 - than almost any other student, including oddball favorites such as
Orienteering.
You think I can pay for your school? Don't be too sure. I've got
surprises for you there, too.
Why not send a guaranteed admission and full scholarship to increase
your chance of being selected by John Mongan? Why not do it right now?
Sincerely,
John Mongan
I Am the Very Model of an Aero Doct'ral Candidate
(with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan)
by Ken Powell
I am the very model of an aero doct'ral candidate;
I took each course three times so that my GPA I could inflate.
I waited seven terms before I signed up to matriculate,
So when I took the prelims I'd forgotten how to integrate.
I do research two nights a week,
From 6 PM till almost 8.
I haven't got results yet but I should before I graduate.
Of troubles, worries, cares and woes,
I'd have to say I've not a one;
In fact grad school in Aerospace is really quite a lot of fun.
\item{}In fact grad school in Aerospace is really quite a lot of fun.
In fact grad school in Aerospace is really quite a lot of fun.
In fact grad school in Aerospace is really quite a lot,
a lot of fun.
I do just enough work that my advisor I won't aggravate,
For then he'd drop me and my funding he would reappropriate.
In short I'm quite expensive for the department to educate;
I am the very model of an aero doct'ral candidate.
How to Piss Off Your Professor
Brush your teeth during class. While doing so, raise your hand as
if you have a question, and mumble your question incoherantly while
brushing, spewing toothpaste all over the place. If your professor
objects to your actions, go on a tirade about proper oral hygiene.
Sit way at the back of the room, up against the wall, to get as far
away from your professor as possible. While he/she is lecturing, shout
out things like, "What!?" and "Speak up! You're mumbling!" If your
professor advises you to sit closer to the front, tell him/her you
can't because you're scouting the room for "assassins."
If you have an early morning class, get there before anyone else, and
bring a pillow, some blankets, an air mattress, and an alarm clock.
Wear your pajamas. Lie down on the air mattress with the pillow and
the blankets and act like you're asleep. Have the alarm set for about
two minutes into class. When it goes off, preferably very loudly, hit
the "snooze" button and go back to sleep. Keep doing so for the
duration of the class.
Dispute everything your professor says, no matter how simple. Try to
get him/her to "prove" everything to you. Rant and rave about what a
big liar your professor is. Yell at students who are taking notes,
saying, "Stop writing down all these lies!"
Show up to class about ten minutes late. Ride into the room on a
bicycle, yell, "Look out!", and crash into the blackboard. Get up,
take a seat, and act like nothing happened. Do this every day.
Keep "accidentally" setting fires at your desk. Burn notebooks, papers,
or whatever you have handy. Whenever you start a fire, no matter how
small it is, start yelling, "Fire! Fire!" and run out of the room in a
panic. Don't return for the rest of class.
Hide somewhere inside the classroom. Wait for your professor to take
attendance. Don't come out when he/she calls your name. Halfway through
class, jump out and yell, "Just kidding! I'm here! Fooled you again!"
Sit down and be quiet for the rest of class.
Wrap yourself in bandages and come to class in a wheelchair. Throughout
class, cry a lot and moan things like, "Why me?" and "Please kill me!"
Get up during class, like your going to miraculously start walking.
Instead, fall down, cry out in pain, and wait for someone to help you
back up. When class is over, say, "I feel better now," leap up, and run
home.
Come to class with a jar full of angry hornets. Five minutesinto class,
release the hornets, scream, and run away.
Bring a vacuum to class. Halfway through class, stand up and start using
it. If your professor objects, explain that you "can't stand sitting in
this pigsty any longer." Keep vacuuming, grumbling angrily.
Bring a small cactus to class with you. Raise your hand, and when
you're called on, say that the cactus has a question. Turn and look
at the cactus, as if you're waiting for it to say something. After
a few moments, shrug, and wait for your professor to move on. Do this
once a day, and become increasingly irritated with the cactus every
time, sighing heavily and giving it evil looks when it fails to
"speak." When you leave the room after class, start yelling at the
cactus, "I can't believe you embarrassed me AGAIN...."
Every time your professor stutters, do a shot. If he/she objects,
explain that drinking games make the class more interesting.
When your professor gives you a syllabus, take it home, correct it,
give it a grade, and return it to the professor. Demand extra credit.
Come to class every day wearing scary Halloween masks. Try to get
your professor to guess who you are. Shoot him/her with a water
pistol, scream, and run around the room knocking things over. Say,
"Pretty scary, huh?"
Get the whole class to show up a few minutes early, and throw a
surprise party for your professor. Insist that you can't start
class until he/she has a piece of cake. Keep asking people when
the strippers are going to arrive.
Instead of taking notes, do an abstract painting during every class.
Call the paintings things like, "Professor Acting Like Mr. Know-It-All"
or "Idiot Who Doesn't Know What The Hell He's Talking About." Give
the paintings to your professor as gifts.
Wait for your professor to mention a date, and then yell out,
"Bingo!" Apologize, and explain that you got confused.
Carve a bust of your professor out of cheese. Tie a ribbon around it,
and present it to him/her at the beginning of class. Demand extra credit.
Write your professor a note that says, "I'm going to be about 15 late.
Go ahead and start without me." Wait outside the building until the
time when class is supposed to begin. Tie the note to a rock, and
throw it through the window.
Write down everything that your professor says, word for word. Think
up a melody, and turn the words into a song. Bring a guitar to class
and perform the song for the class. Explain to your professor that
he/she is "very inspiring."
Get a monkey, and bring it to class with you. Tell your professor
that you've hired the monkey to take notes for you. Sit back and
relax during class, letting the monkey scribble on a piece of paper.
When it comes time to write a paper or take a test, write down things
like, "I wish I had a banana" and "I miss my tire swing." Assuming
you get a bad grade, angrily fire the monkey in front of your professor.
When you have to write a paper, get it done early and mail it to your
professor's house. From then on, don't hand anything in, and blame it
on the sluggishness of the U.S. Postal Service.
Tell your professor that you'd like to interview him/her for a writing
class. Get him/her to tell you his/her life story. Act interested, and
write down everything he/she says. Fabricate a few romantic interludes
and turn your efforts into a trashy romance novel. Make copies for the
entire class, and your professor. Demand extra credit.
Draw hearts and flowers on the backs of your papers and tests. Next to
them, write things like, "You're the best, even though you suck" and
"You're the worst professor in the world, but I still love you."
Start asking questions in a fake foreign language. Act like your
professor is stupid for not being able to understand you. Get other
people in the class to start speaking the fake language too, and have
frequent discussions during class. Act like you're really interested
in what you're discussing. If your professor tries to interrupt or
stop you, act annoyed and motion for him/her to quiet down.
40 Ways to Piss Off People in a Computer Lab
Log on, wait a sec, then get a frightened look on your face and scream
"Oh my God! They've found me!" and bolt.
Laugh uncontrollably for about 3 minutes & then suddenly stop and look
suspiciously at everyone who looks at you.
When your computer is turned off, complain to the monitor on duty that
you can't get the damn thing to work. After he/she's turned it on, wait
5 minutes,turn it off again, & repeat the process for a good half hour.
Type frantically, often stopping to look at the person next
to you evilly.
Before anyone else is in the lab, connect each computer to different
screen than the one it's set up with.
Write a program that plays the "Smurfs" theme song and play it at the
highest volume possible over & over again.
Work normally for a while. Suddenly look amazingly startled by something
on the screen and crawl underneath the desk.
Ask the person next to you if they know how to tap into top-secret
Pentagon files.
Make a small ritual sacrifice to the computer before you turn it on.
Bring a chainsaw, but don't use it. If anyone asks why you have it,
say "Just in case..." mysteriously.
Enter the lab, undress, and start staring at other people as if
they're crazy while typing.
Light candles in a pentagram around your terminal before starting.
Ask around for a spare disk. Offer $2. Keep asking until someone agrees.
Then, pull a disk out of your fly and say, "Oops, I forgot."
Every time you press Return and there is processing time required,
pray "Ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease," and scream "YES!" when it
finishes.
"DISK FIGHT!!!"
Start making out with the person at the terminal next to you (It helps
if you know them, but this is also a great way to make new friends).
Put a straw in your mouth and put your hands in your pockets. Type
by hitting the keys with the straw.
If you're sitting in a swivel chair, spin around singing "The Lion
Sleeps Tonight" whenever there is processing time required.
Draw a pictue of a woman (or man) on a piece of paper, tape it to
your monitor. Try to seduce it. Act like it hates you and then
complain loudly that women (men) are worthless.
Try to stick a Nintendo cartridge into the 3 1/2 disc drive, when it
doesn't work, get the supervisor.
Print out the complete works of Shakespeare, then when its all done
(two days later) say that all you wanted was one line.
Sit and stare at the screen, biting your nails noisely. After doing
this for a while, spit them out at the feet of the person next to you.
Put a large, gold-framed portrait of the British Royal Family on your
desk and loudly proclaim that it inspires you.
Come to the lab wearing several layers of socks. Remove shoes and place
them of top of the monitor. Remove socks layer by layer and drape them
around the monitor. Exclaim sudden haiku about the aesthetic beauty of
cotton on plastic.
Take the keyboard and sit under the computer. Type up your paper like
this. Then go to the lab supervisor and complain about the bad working
conditions.
Laugh hysterically, shout "You will all perish in flames!!!" and
continue working.
Bring some dry ice & make it look like your computer is smoking.
Assign a musical note to every key (ie. the Delete key is A Flat,
the B key is F sharp, etc.). Whenever you hit a key, hum its note
loudly. Write an entire paper this way.
Attempt to eat your computer's mouse.
Borrow someone else's keyboard by reaching over, saying "Excuse me,
mind if I borrow this for a sec?", unplugging the keyboard & take it.
Bring in a bunch of magnets and have fun.
When doing calculations, pull out an abacus and say that sometimes
the old ways are best.
Make a loud noise of hitting the same key over and over again until
you see that your neighbor is noticing (You can hit the space bar so
your fill isn't affected). Then look at your neighbor's keyboard.
Hit his/her delete key several times, erasing an entire word. While
you do this, ask: "Does *your* delete key work?" Shake your head, and
resume hitting the space bar on your keyboard. Keep doing this until
you've deleted about a page of your neighbor's document. Then,
suddenly exclaim: "Well, whaddya know? I've been hitting the space
bar this whole time. No wonder it wasn't deleting! Ha!" Print out
your document and leave.
Remove your disk from the drive and hide it. Go to the lab monitor
and complain that your computer ate your disk. (For special effects,
put some Elmer's Glue on or around the disk drive. Claim that the
computer is drooling.)
Stare at the person's next to your's screen, look really puzzled,
burst out laughing, and say "You did that?" loudly. Keep laughing,
grab your stuff and leave, howling as you go.
Keep looking at invisible bugs and trying to swat them.
See who's online. Send a total stranger a talk request. Talk to them
like you've known them all your lives. Hangup before they get a chance
to figure out you're a total stranger.
Bring an small tape player with a tape of really absurd sound effects.
Pretend it's the computer and look really lost.
Pull out a pencil. Start writing on the screen. Complain that the lead
doesn't work.
Run into the computer lab, shout "Armageddon is here!!!!!", then calmly
sit down and begin to type.
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