Talk To A Freshman

Seasoned students on Planet College have developed an efficient approach to getting through. Getting through registration, getting through a class, getting though a test, getting through the line at the food court. Planet College can be said to be about getting through. Which is why this post my seem surprising. This week or during the course of your busy schedule some time soon talk to a freshman. To many this will seem abhorrent, freshmen being the pariah of the social structure on most Planet College Campuses. But. There is a reason for this suggestion. Find a freshman, right now there are probably a few doing motocross on their fixies in and out of the founders fountain in front of the admin building. Well, you know where they are. The approach is going to be tricky unless you already know one but straight forward will probably work well. Just walk up to one, introduce yourself and say," Got time to talk?" Once they get past that you might be a nark or gay (or a gay nark) they may say "Yeah." If they do, ask them about themselves. How they got to your school, if they have a major, what their classes are like so far. Stuff like that. Then. Just listen. Really listen, because this is the point of this post. Listen very carefully. What you are likely to hear is a great deal of energy, a great deal of enthusiasm and absolutely no sense. Make the conversation brief, you do have things to do. Thank them who ever they are and move on.
Later. Reflect on their conversation and remember at one time, maybe not so long ago, you were bursting with energy, full of enthusiasm and really pretty nuts too. The value of this small encounter is to show you that through all of the daily drudgery and ups and downs of your career you have come a long, long way on Planet College.