Here we are at the university. Some of us study late into the night, others don't. Either way, we should all be geniuses after these four years, right? It's an unfortunate fact, however, that most of the information that we spend cramming into our brains just before a test falls out at approximately 10 minutes after the test. So what good is all this studying anyhow? Personally, I want people to think I'm smart after all the work I've done to get a diploma.
A recent WikiHow article that caught my eye was how to make people think you are smart. Perfect. This could come in really handy, I thought. After all, I don't want to actually read books and think deep thoughts. I pretty much just want everyone else to think I do.
First, it says to analyze my weekly wardrobe. Well, during an average week, I wear seven shirts and about as many pants.
Wait, wait, I'm not going to trick people into thinking I'm smart by what I'm wearing. Most days my style is called "my hair is still wet and it's 7:15 and I need to leave — where is my nearest shirt and pair of jeans?"
Does that make me look smart? Maybe not. As it turns out, I'm not sure this article has much to offer me.
This sad story of the college student who knows nothing has lead me to the conclusion that what we all really need is some real world experience. That is why I recommend to everyone to get out and get some. Mainly, I wish people would study abroad more. Now that's real world.
I like learning to be easy like the rest of you. I like the facts to go down with a spoon full of sugar. I've tried everything to cheat the pain of learning. Believe me, I've tried all the shortcuts.
After reading the first boring chapter for genetics, I slept with the book under my pillow the rest of the week to learn through osmosis. Result? Neck cramps.
After that failure, I realized that the most I ever learned in the most painless way was when I spent a year in Santiago, Chile. Every day I felt like I could have written a book of Chilean factoids about their culture or history. My Spanish escalated to the point when I didn't have to whip out a dictionary midway through each sentence. And the best part is that I got a totally new perspective on the same old environmental issues that I learn about every day. It's like an out-of-body experience hearing the same material, but with different examples and in a foreign language. It was excellent.
Strangely, when you get back home and look around, everything looks different. You wonder why people aren't looking at you funny, or how people have the audacity to just talk to you on the street. How do they know you speak English?
By learning about other places in the world, you actually end up knowing a lot more about your own world. You get the surreal experience of recognizing the idiosyncrasies of your own habits.
And now that I'm back to reality and find myself once again at ASU, my time in Chile seems like more than two years ago. What's worse, I feel this on a day basis. As a result of my yearlong jaunt, I'm stuck living the life of a super senior. Yet somehow, I don't regret it in the least.
Lindsay can be reached by e-mail at: lindsay.wood@asu.edu. If you aren't sure how to e-mail, consult WikiHow.
