As this past weekend was the final week of pledging for the society (co-ed un-douchey less-rapey fraternity) I joined at Whittier, I realized it was a particularly school-heavy week for me. I was elected this semester as one of our society's "alumni advisors," aka society members who take up the noble duty of coming to campus every now and then with advice in the form of cheap 30-racks. I'm a newbie so I got a 12-rack... but hey, I could've done much worse than Tecate.
We use the term "much" very loosely around here.
Anyhow, the end of pledging is a special time. Alumni get an excuse to get together with the active members and drink and hang out and mainly bond over the fact that we're not as miserable as the pledges. It's tons of fun. Even more fun than drinking Tang.
But it's a very strange experience to become an alumni. This is my first time "on the other side," and I gotta say, it's not so much a side as a different plane in the time-space continuum.
Like, remember when you were an awkward kind of chubby 16 year old who wore lime green cheetah leggings everyday and you had a crush on a 20 year old and you were all like, "Hey man, I don't see what the big deal is! Age doesn't matter!" And then as time passed you eventually blossomed into an awkward kind of chubby 20 year old and you were like, "Wow, if I were dating a 16 year old now I wouldn't even want me living in my neighborhood. This is supposed to be a safe community!"
Well, going back to college and doing college-y things sort of feels like that. I didn't experience it too badly because I'm fresh-faced enough that my presence on campus is still relevant. Also, this event is made to be alumni-friendly. But in a year or two my college friends will graduate and be replaced by a crop of kids who give as few shits about me as I did about alumni when I was in school, and hanging around will almost certainly guarantee that I grow a skeevy mullet and handlebar mustache. Trying to keep myself wedged in that community feels... weird.
Now, I remember as a college student that I didn't think much of older alumni coming around... only the exceptionally weird ones who were more reckless than half of my currently-enrolled friends. And the 40-something dude with the belly button piercing. It didn't really strike me as odd that I was in the presence of, say, a 27-year-old who had graduated five years prior. But you spend a few months out of school and all of a sudden the difference is like apples and tax consultants. I think the biggest difference is priorities... I mean shit, I haven't had to write a thesis in nearly 6 months.
We use the term "much" very loosely around here.
Anyhow, the end of pledging is a special time. Alumni get an excuse to get together with the active members and drink and hang out and mainly bond over the fact that we're not as miserable as the pledges. It's tons of fun. Even more fun than drinking Tang.
But it's a very strange experience to become an alumni. This is my first time "on the other side," and I gotta say, it's not so much a side as a different plane in the time-space continuum.
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| Save this picture on your computer so you can appreciate the clever file name I gave it. |
Well, going back to college and doing college-y things sort of feels like that. I didn't experience it too badly because I'm fresh-faced enough that my presence on campus is still relevant. Also, this event is made to be alumni-friendly. But in a year or two my college friends will graduate and be replaced by a crop of kids who give as few shits about me as I did about alumni when I was in school, and hanging around will almost certainly guarantee that I grow a skeevy mullet and handlebar mustache. Trying to keep myself wedged in that community feels... weird.
Now, I remember as a college student that I didn't think much of older alumni coming around... only the exceptionally weird ones who were more reckless than half of my currently-enrolled friends. And the 40-something dude with the belly button piercing. It didn't really strike me as odd that I was in the presence of, say, a 27-year-old who had graduated five years prior. But you spend a few months out of school and all of a sudden the difference is like apples and tax consultants. I think the biggest difference is priorities... I mean shit, I haven't had to write a thesis in nearly 6 months.
People were so stressed out about writing papers, and making it to dinner on time, and hitting the best house parties, and getting up early for intramural water polo practice... all of a sudden I was so hyper-aware of the fact that I hadn't thought about any of these things once since May. And on the flipsies, if I attempted to talk about my work or my current what-doings with college people what I usually got in response was either blank stares or polite nods. After all, why should they care? Not even other regular faux-grown-ups are really interested, so why should college students? They still have active social lives and excuses to own feather boas.
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| The key to every and all theme parties. |
I think I'm bracing myself for the much harsher reality I'll have to face a couple years down the line when college is in no way home. I got a little sample spoon of the feeling this year, but I've still got a whole grip of amazing friends in the one-to-three-years-younger than me range to still make me feel loved and welcomed and accepted. You know what that means- I've got one-to-three years to set up my little social network throughout LA county. So far I'm off to a roaring start with an email from a crazy old vegan dude named Star.
And people diss Craigslist for being sketchy.
He wants to go hiking sometime.
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