There is a secret that 6students at the University have worked hard to preserve throughout the years. We've tried to keep it hidden from the outside world, but recently we've become less occupied with masking this truth, and I think it's time we give in and confess. Despite all outward appearances and general perceptions to the contrary, we, the students of the University of Virginia are huge, fat nerds.
There - I said it.
So maybe that wasn't quite as earth-shattering as I made you believe, but I do think it's something we all need to embrace. It has been my experience that the sooner you come to terms with your inner dweeb, the better your life will be.
On one of my very first nights of school here, I sat in my dorm's lounge playing card games with other new students and desperately trying to find conversation topics to break the awkwardness. While waiting for the next round of games, a boy across from me pulled a Rubik's cube from his pocket and began to fiddle with it. At the questioning of others in the group, he confided that he was a Rubik's champion and could solve the cube in less than 20 seconds. We naturally begged a demonstration, and upon proving his skill, the boy received praise and awe rather than the ostracism he had obviously feared when he first confessed.
And two years later, a friend from my Alternative Spring Break trip confessed to our group how much she really loved to iron clothes and despised all things wrinkled. She liked smooth clothes so much, in fact, that she wrote about her addiction to ironing in her application essay for the trip. Our group leader in turn divulged that he had chosen her essay because he had a shared love of crisp appearances, and this spawned a longer discussion of mutual oddities within our group. Suddenly, among a group of 16 relative strangers, we found ourselves united by various geek-isms.
With the help of experiences like this, I have noticed almost a total turnaround in what constitutes cool during the last two years. I am sure that this is partially because of the change in maturity level that occurs as we advance through college. As we get older, it becomes easier to admit our differences and the quirks that set us apart from the crowd.
But I think there is more to it than that. The nerd revelation is becoming more and more popular, and like all popular things at U.Va., it is becoming more competitive, with a growing number of students vying for the paradoxical title of coolest geek. We are eager to show off our random trivia skills and various video-gaming talents as we create a new kind of cool. Because let's face it, the old ideas of cool are on the way out. Pong champions are a dime a dozen, but how many people do you know who have beaten Sporcle so many times they can now recite world capitals like the alphabet?
So to any remaining hesitant nerds, I say this: Go ahead, reveal how many times you and Mario have beaten Bowser, your love of Hobbits or whatever other geek-ism tickles your fancy. We won't judge - we'll probably think you're better for it. At U.Va., you can always stay cool when you know how to talk nerdy.
Katie's column runs weekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.
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