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[–]StuporCollider 128 points129 points ago*

If you're wandering around aimlessly, you'll run into people wandering aimlessly. Your college will have lecture series, exhibitions, readings, extracurricular clubs...

I bet you a dollar that if you give us the name of the college, we can find ten intellectual things for you to do in the next week.

EDIT: OP has declared that his school is the University of Pittsburgh - Oakland. Let's get to it, folks! 10 intellectual things to do in that town in the next week!

  1. Current exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Check out Art Gallery Talks. Maya Lin is coming to speak on February 10, dude!
  2. Sunday lectures at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
  3. Okay, this is just outside the limit, but there's a free symphony concert on February 8.
  4. Guys, what have you got? I'm going to stop there (actual work) - but this neighborhood is filled with opportunities if you want to look for them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_(Pittsburgh)

[–]picklejuicebox 41 points42 points ago

Also, if you don't feel your college is offering enough oppotunities for intellectual discusison, make some.

[–]zops 7 points8 points ago

If all else fails, come back to reddit to live the dream.

[–]L33T_BEANS 7 points8 points ago

I love that first sentence. Is that a quote and if so from who?

[–]StuporCollider 40 points41 points ago

"If you're wandering around aimlessly, you'll run into people wandering aimlessly." - StuporCollider, an hour ago

[–]L33T_BEANS 10 points11 points ago

Good I was wondering who to credit in my Facebook post. Consider it amended.

[–]lajksdgbiu 6 points7 points ago

Reminded me of this, from Alice in Wonderland:

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go."

[–]7870FUNK 5 points6 points ago

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all who wander are lost"

[–]Yazim 23 points24 points ago*

Reminds me of the folk tale:

An old man sat outside the walls of a great city. When travelers approached, they would ask the old man, "What kind of people live in this city?" The old man would answer, "What kind of people live in the place where you came from?" If the travelers answered, "Only bad people live in the place where we came from," the old man would reply, "Continue on; you will find only bad people here."

But if the travelers answered, "Good people live in the place where we came from," then the old man would say, "Enter, for here too, you will find only good people."

In other words, you will find exactly what you seek. you see what you want to see. (Thanks GamerVer05)

[–]MisterSquirrel 6 points7 points ago

Sounds like wisdom, but it's not true... In reality, you will find both good and bad people no matter what you seek.

[–]chipbuddy 8 points9 points ago

I think it's a wise story, just Yazim got the summary wrong. It's not that you are going to find exactly what you seek. Like you say, there are good and bad people all around.

The person who came from the "good" city only associated with the good people from their own city. In this new city they will have no trouble finding other "good" people. Maybe it's not that they will find "good" people, but instead this person will just find people, and they will see the good in the people they find and bring out the good in others.

The person who came from the "bad" city was only able to find the "bad" people from their own city. Maybe this person has self destructive tendencies, is ultra critical of others (so he doesn't find any "good" people) or he just bring out the bad in others. This new city will be much of the same. Flaws will be found in the good people, and he will bring out the negativity in others.

It's not that they are seeking good or bad people. In their past they have only encountered people, and in the past they have labeled those people either good or bad. The wise man recognized past performance is a good indication of future behavior, and tells the truth to both men. Specifically they are going to find more of the same.

Unfortunately the wise man seems to be quite callous because he doesn't tell this above lesson to the one person who really needs the lesson (the man from the "bad" city). I'm willing to overlook that though because that man doesn't actually exist. The story is really for the benefit of the people who live out here in reality.

tl;dr: There are just people in this world; it's up to you to find the good in them.

[–]Manitcor 3 points4 points ago

Good people, bad people and clueless people who think they are one but end up being the other.

[–]zxxzz 3 points4 points ago

All of those art museums are free of charge with your Pitt ID. Get a city paper and check out what's going on around the city. Pittsburgh maybe a drinking town, but is also filled with tons of hidden gems.

Take an 88, 54, or 93 (all free of charge with your ID) to Lawrenceville or Bloomfield. Check out Penn avenue on weekends for art shows and live music. Take the 61B right to Regent Square on Sunday nights for showings of classic movies.

Want to stay on campus? Check out the hundreds of different meetings, groups, and student run organizations. Go to Kiva Han on Craig, Quiet Storm on Penn (or any coffee shop around the city) and look for the flyers posted everywhere for art, music, intellectual discussions and so forth.

Pittsburgh has a lot to offer if you look for it; Being a Pitt student grants you free access to a lot of different things on campus and around the city.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]nadiaak 4 points5 points ago

I'd like to second the "fuck you" and "sophist circlejerk." I went to undergrad at Pitt and am also a grad student now - and there are still a ton of things I haven't gotten to yet.

I have little sympathy for the whiners who transfer out freshman year citing their own intellectual superiority over the city and its population.

[–]punchingbabies 6 points7 points ago

x2. Most of the people who go to college sit around and do nothing. If you want to be exposed to the true college enviroment start signing up for clubs, groups, organizations, and attend lectures that you find interesting.

At my school there were lectures almost every day on different subjects. The school would pay and fly in people with life experience in those fields to give those lectures. It was sad to see that most of the people in the lectures were teachers and TAs. Most the lectures also offer free food and drinks. So there is really no reason not to go.

[–]ElegantNess 2 points3 points ago

MSU

[–]GCanuck 29 points30 points ago

Wait until you get to 'the real world'.

It's just high school with less alcohol, more stress and less intellectuals than college.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

Truth. So Truth. At least college is a place of academia. I live in NYC now...some of the stuff I witness on a daily basis is horrendous.

I beg to differ on the less alcohol though....Happy Hour on a Tuesday is much more prominent in the real world. Possibly due to more stress and no need to do homework outside of work.

[–]thetasigma1355 3 points4 points ago

I beg to differ on the less alcohol though....Happy Hour on a Tuesday is much more prominent in the real world. Possibly due to more stress and no need to do homework outside of work.

I beg to differ that you weren't doing college right if you are drinking more in the real world.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

On the weekends in college I drank more. I was too busy w/ homework during the week to drink too much. I drink less on the weekends now yet more during the week.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]turkeypants 2 points3 points ago

God, seriously! I don't know where this guy's going but college was great for me. It was like summer camp but with booze and sex with smart people. All the shitty rednecks had been scraped off and there was this whole class of better people than I'd ever known. Then I graduated and went to work and alllll the stupid people were back and then some and now I had to deal with them daily. Seriously, stupider than the shitty rednecks from high school. I guess the thing is that not everybody has to go to school, but everybody has to go to work. I felt like work was partly charity for stupid people. The stupid was so thick it bordered on retarded. I couldn't figure out how these people kept their jobs or stayed in their homes and they were just useless at the most basic functions.

[–]NawNaw 1 point2 points ago

Relevant Ghostbusters quote:

Dr Ray Stantz: Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector. They expect results.

[–]NoBromo1 32 points33 points ago*

I'm going to skip the endless circular debates about how this is just a circlejerk for redditors to talk about how smart they are.

Yes.

I went to one college that was devastatingly absent of any intellectual conscience. It was still 'fun', but any learning done pretty much had to be done on my own time. I can't even remember all the jokes I made about that place, e.g., I thought Zombieland was going to be a documentary about my school, or how my school doubled as a lobotomy simulator.

I transfered after my freshman year to a private school. Things are worlds better, but still not nearly as good as one would hope. At this one I haven't had any bad professors, but I've only had one or two that really stood out as brilliant. College really is underwhelming as far as actual learning goes.

Most students only desire to learn superficially, too, which adds to the problem: the professors start catering to the weakest links. This isn't about cynicism or superiority, just casual observations on how low the bar has been set.

[–]johnnyinput 9 points10 points ago

I'd rather you didn't skip out, I want to discuss this with you.

I don't really feel like my school is devoid of intellectuals, but they're in the minority. I think this is the fault of a few different factors.

Firstly, I think it has a lot to do with the idea that "You have to go to college so you don't end up flipping burgers." This has become a cliche of late, but I'm fairly certain I've heard those exact words spoken to me.

Secondly, I think it has to do with the idea that you have to be "rounded". I'm, by no means, a supporter of ignorance. What I mean to say is, how much of the school's curriculum is actually to help me, and how much of it is to fluff numbers and get students to attend school longer. How much of it is to get more money? I never liked the saying "money is the root of all evil", but the older I get, the more I'm sure it's right.

Finally, I absolutely agree that schools cater to the weak. This is just a byproduct of the money thing, though. The less requirements to get into college we have, the more people go. More money.

All that being said, I still believe that Americans are smarter than they ever have been. I cannot stand the ignorance and complacency that the baby boomer generation has instilled in us. Those of us in college, we have to overcome what our parents (and those of us with younger families, our grandparents) have beat into our heads. I can't put the blame completely on them, their parents didn't have the time or know-how to raise such a spike in kids. Plus it's a post-war generation, which has it's own problems.

I'm graduating in May with a degree in Politics. I wouldn't trade that degree in for any other degree. I love studying the public forum, and being informed as to how the system really works. I just wish that the pursuit of information and intellectual skills didn't cost me $30K.

All of my education did lead to some great things. I met some great people, can conduct empirical research, and I can think critically. All this is great, but the best thing to come out of my degree was finally realizing my dream. I want to be a finish carpenter. Again, I just wish that realizing my dream didn't cost me so much.

[–]tangowilde 55 points56 points ago

To be honest, more disappointed with the prevalence of pseudo-intellectuals. I don't like discussing life, politics, religion and things like it because people are retarded blowhards.

[–]Toastlove 8 points9 points ago

Sounds like the dream hipster college, its just so deep you know?

[–]HyperionCantos 6 points7 points ago

At some of the more selective schools with really smart kids, you'll find that most of the kids dont try to be intellectual, because they are intelligent enough to know that it is mostly bullshit, and wont help you get laid.

[–]athennna 85 points86 points ago

If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

[–]TaseT 19 points20 points ago

One of the hardest professors I've ever essentially told me the same thing, except his was somewhere along the lines of:

"If you don't have to study to get A's in this school, you're at the wrong school."

He was probably right, but I was, and still am, lazy.

[–]Poolstiksamurai 152 points153 points ago

Or you're just pretentious and need to get your head out of your ass.

[–]hangerbaby 28 points29 points ago

A far more likely scenario

[–]HoKiller 12 points13 points ago

College is full of really smart people, but not everyone wants to have "intelectual" or "deep" discussions all the time. Most people have other things they enjoy more.

[–]hangerbaby 16 points17 points ago

I find that people who want to have 'deep' conversations tend to be the dumbest of them all

[–]thesouthpaw 4 points5 points ago

Agreed. Stop looking for intellectuals and start looking for good people.

[–]VanellieIce 5 points6 points ago*

If you think of it that way then everyone will eventually leave the room and still be in the same room together, with even smarter people.

[–]bot0004 204 points205 points ago

Newsflash: You aren't an intellectual...

[–]HRP 80 points81 points ago

Everyone's an intellectual at 17.

[–]Patius 13 points14 points ago

you mean "intellectual."

[–]barnesandnobles 3 points4 points ago

"You mean 'quotes'. "

[–]Crackling_Koala 29 points30 points ago*

                               *Theme tune*

Newsflash: bot0004 has discovered that franz_Smith is not an intellectual.

The most amazing part of this revolutionary hypothesis is the ease with which he discovered it ;

I didn't really base it on anything, I just decided it was true.

While some would discard this statement and request further proof and research, many have sided with bot0004.

Some have even donated to him.

He deserves all this karma for what he's done

Said one person, after giving him a donative, worthy of soldiers on the battlefield.

SO BRAVE

Yelled another.

For this and more, Tune in to Fox at 9, we've got you covered when you need a bullshit story that supports your views.

                               *Theme tune*

[–]bot0004 17 points18 points ago

Looks like you sunglasses out Fox'd me

[–]spidersquasher 4 points5 points ago

way to redeem yourself

[–]hatryd 20 points21 points ago

You went to the wrong college.

[–]GreivisIsGod 11 points12 points ago

Nope. I dont walk around judging people's intelligence.

[–]Poolstiksamurai 45 points46 points ago

ITT: pseudo-intellectual, pretentious college kids circlejerk how they aren't socially awkward, just smarter than everyone else.

[–]Immynimmy 14 points15 points ago

Or....Reddit

[–]CylonGlitch 30 points31 points ago

College was much more like Animal House than Dead Poet Society.

[–]rk889 29 points30 points ago

Also, Dead Poet's Society was about high school

[–]CylonGlitch 6 points7 points ago

Yeah, but close enough. Couldn't think of a good intellectual movie about college.

[–]Cozmo23 26 points27 points ago

Road Trip.

[–]emceegyver 7 points8 points ago

I WISH my college was more like Animal House, that would rock.

[–]cakeonaplate 11 points12 points ago

nope. I met people who exceeded my intellect. Sure there were people who were not Mensa status but they were still awesome. I do wish that there was more discussion between students during class and less fact teaching....I want to develop my discussion skills, dammit! Also, i want to hear both sides of the story

[–]lbeaty1981 3 points4 points ago

My parents are both college professors, so I pretty much knew what I was getting into when I started college. There are some incredibly intellectual people who go to college, but there are also plenty who are just using it as an excuse to avoid the "real world" for a few more years.

Just curious, but have you tried out any student organizations or extracurricular activities? I personally couldn't stand most people within my college major (engineering/computer science), but I met a lot of cool people through marching band. If you aren't finding people you like in your own area of study, it might be time to branch out a bit.

[–]jeblis 4 points5 points ago

Welcome to life.

[–]KyleGibson 9 points10 points ago

Yes. My college is predominantly immature kids without a clue as to what matters in the real world. Most of them should not be trusted to live on their own, and the majority of them care more about their relationships with people than their self-improvement.

It's just an extension of high school.

[–]siminsun41 32 points33 points ago

Your relationships with other people will get you as far if not farther than just good grades alone.

[–]TaseT 5 points6 points ago

Absolutely, it really is NOT what you know... it's who you know, and who you can get to like you.

Self improvement will help people to like you however, as will intelligence and knowledge. So it's all relevant.

[–]FriendlyEgoBooster 6 points7 points ago

As a graduate, I wish I had focused more on my relationships with people. Having baller social skills will get you further in any non-academic job than whatever you learned in school.

[–]inknade 11 points12 points ago

You're a bit full of yourself.

If you don't like who you're hanging out with, move on. That said, you will not find Utopia. People will have flaws, and their tastes will not perfectly align with yours. I know plenty of people who can talk about current politicians, talk about their roommate's latest girlfriend, throw in some tech news, then go to the bar and make a fool of themselves. The idea that everyone is going to be "mature" all the time is absurd and not particularly enjoyable.

[–]spidersquasher 5 points6 points ago

Most of the party kids drop out after freshman year and I personally, never got along with the super-intellectual kids, don't get me wrong, I love talking about lofty subjects and whatnot, but I also enjoy just getting baked and playing mario kart.

[–]NotChainsawJuggler 1 point2 points ago

This thought hit me the first time I saw actual graffiti in a bathroom at my conservative, midwestern university

[–]Local-Zombie 6 points7 points ago

I found the graffiti got a little bit more intelligent in college. I secondary school, most of it was "Aaron waz ere" (I think). In college, I saw things like quotes from films, and sentences such as "You are now thinking manually" (total mind fuck on the bog). Not that that is much of a jump, but enough to be noticeable.

[–]Toastlove 2 points3 points ago

Breathing manually

[–]WisdomOfTheAges 2 points3 points ago

MAD, adj. Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence.

--Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

[–]Maoky 4 points5 points ago

Take some extra courses that will challenge you. Don't be so presumptuous.

[–]Nervous_Neal_Henry 6 points7 points ago

Oh man, I would do that, but I don't want to be too challenged. I have a GPA to protect!

[–]Brichals 4 points5 points ago

There are all types. Some very highbrow, some not. Some gifted with high intelligence, some just work hard. And it's like this in all of academia right up to professors. I am an academic so I know plenty of professors who will admit that they are not very intellectual. It's the same in all walks of life. The people who are running the country, are they smarter than the guy fixing the plumbing? Not necessarily, not at all. Mostly it's circumstances and aspirations. What I did find striking at Uni was the lack of peer groups and everybody can do their own thing and be cool. That's what Uni means to me.

[–]ProbablyGeneralizing 3 points4 points ago

In my program (ecology) I've met many knowledgeable professors, and there's plenty of passionate students that love to discuss all things ecology. Even those kids, or at least a good portion of them, are still getting trashed on weekends.

I've had plenty of discussions about life, politics and the like with people while high or drunk, or both. Although they typically take place between good friends (or not) in smaller get togethers, and it has nothing to do with the people being intellectuals. Don't go to parties expecting to debate the concept of 'self' though.

[–]Mithrien 4 points5 points ago

Probably because most of the intellectuals are actually off doing work or in a lab somewhere, not sitting around for hours in a coffeeshop?

[–]BenTG 2 points3 points ago

Was anyone else disappointed when they got to college with the lack of intellectuals?

Instead of complaining about how unchallenged you are at college, try figuring out how to construct a sentence.

[–]heykidsitscox 0 points1 point ago

I found that most of the kids are morons, and the professors, aside from a handful, are awful educators.

[–]ANNOYING_ALLCAPS_ASS 3 points4 points ago

I've always found it odd how some people are so quick to belittle the "anti-intellectualism" in universities while arrogantly touting their perceived superiority. If you really think post-secondary education should be the arena of top tier minds, then they should probably be in a field. I'm willing to bet most of the people in this circlejerk aren't the idealized person they criticize others for not being--you're not more knowledgeable than the graduate students, professors, and everyone else. If there really is a lack of intellectual activities, then make them.

[–]TrollNumberOne 3 points4 points ago

discussing life, politics, religion

wow. that's some intellectual stuff right there.

[–]randomjew 2 points3 points ago*

Get the fuck off your high horse.

You don't even know what being an intellectual means..

Just because you're socially awkward and can't relate to your peers doesn't mean you're some almighty "intellect" who deserves more.

[–]uberboomer 3 points4 points ago

It depends on where you are going to college. Simple as that.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]schoofer 5 points6 points ago

College isn't just about intellectualism. You're on your own for the first time (usually), you're responsible for yourself, and you're making new friends. One of the most important aspects of college is making new friends. Not everyone's going to care about the same things as you and part of being an intellectual is understanding that and not looking down on people for that. All those people who you say aren't intellectuals could be brilliant at something else. That said, there are always people willing to discuss the things you listed, but they aren't just going to come to you, hence the importance of being social in college. College is a full-spectrum trans-formative experience. If you can't stop thinking about it so negatively, you're going to waste most of your college experience.

Edit:

Your entire post is summed up with the first few words of your first sentence:

I had this romanticized idea of college

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]WinterInJapan 17 points18 points ago

The only thing you need to get into college is money. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

no, I think if they tell you that you need college for money they're trying to sell you something, otherwise they aren't.

[–]saucisse 2 points3 points ago

Thanks, Westley.

[–]Packiesla 4 points5 points ago

Not In Ireland. Money don't help one bit.

[–]gigaquack 3 points4 points ago

wtf is Ireland?

[–]cunnalinguist 14 points15 points ago

Ladies and gentlemen! College!

[–]RomanSenate 5 points6 points ago

I can't think of a worse thing than discussing life, politics, religion, and things like that with college students.

[–]eganpe 2 points3 points ago

OLD FUCKING LECTURERS HOW HAVE NO CLUE AND SHOULD HAVE RETIRED YEARS AND YEARS AGO PISS ME OFF NO END

[–]Pharmakoza 2 points3 points ago

Yes and no. I didn't have many illusions when I came to college. I expected a wide and varied assortment of individuals from many backgrounds. That's what I got. However, now that I'm at college, I am coming to wish I had gone somewhere with a more consistent student body, one that was more similar to myself.

In this place, I haven't made any real friends. I've mostly only met people who are focused on drinking, partying, and playing video games. That last one isn't bad, but these are predominantly COD players who can't fathom PC gaming. I don't enjoy anyone here. Even though this is a big college, but I can't seem to find the people I want to be around.

Yes, I'm thinking about transferring. The problem, however, is that I'm not sure I'd find a better place. I fear that I am succumbing to grass is greener thinking and that the moment I leave I'll be back in the same hole I was before. That said, I've decided to stick it out here and be more proactive in seeking out things to do and people to spend time with. If I don't find what I need, I'll leave.

[–]Carpella 2 points3 points ago

yes. you know what? it gets even worse with master's and Ph.D students.

most of the people i've met who are getting Ph.D's are simply too insecure about their intelligence, as opposed to actually getting it to apply it outside of academia.

take my sister for instance. her estranged father made some comment about her being dumb and growing up in a middle class town when she was like 13 or so. now she's 40, married to a wealthy man, but still MUST get a ph.d in literature to PROVE EVERYONE WRONG.

bleh. the sad part is that plenty of brilliant people aren't cut out for universities. the world only gives a fuck about your brain when you have a ten-figure piece of paper that claims you're smart.

[–]starlight9088 0 points1 point ago*

I'm glad I didn't run into your idea of 'intellectual'. Too much.

Sounds like a good way to run into 'pseudo-intellectuals' and I've run into people who think interest in politics or poetry makes them special. And not only that, they make it their drill to use big words and fancy phrases that make them a pain in the ass to be around.

And anyone who talks about 'life','religion',or 'politics' sounds dreadful to me sorry but I'm just not an intellecutal so.

I think a real 'intellectual' is someone who easily gets higher mathematics and I haven't seen a shortage of those.

[–]enginerd11 1 point2 points ago

If you're disappointed with the lack of intellectuals in your college then you should have gone to a better college.

[–]OverinflatedEgo 2 points3 points ago

I don't think you're an intellectual if you can't even put your prepositions in the correct place in your title.

Unless of course you meant to say that you traveled to school with few people of high academic caliber.

[–]Elegnan 2 points3 points ago

College changed how I view intellectuals. Throughout High School I viewed myself as an intellectual and had a variety of philosophical discussions with friends and occasionally teachers. I looked down on people that weren't intellectually motivated and generally assumed I was more intelligent than the people around me.

The first inkling that something was wrong came during my first month of college in an environmental sciences class. I was paired with two guys that I assumed were Animal House style frat neanderthals. They were loud, talked a lot about partying, and didn't seem interested in discussing environmental sciences unless they had to. I figured I would take charge of the group and end up doing most of the work. Except, that's not at all what happened. These guys were fantastic, knew exactly what we needed to do (presentation), and the work was fairly divided and completed on time.

This, along with becoming friends with the people in my dorm, completely changed the way I behave. I realized that I was judging people on bullshit criteria and holding myself to some fictional ideal. Yeah, there were a lot of stupid people that still thought they were in High School, but they were the minority. I finally understood that socializing is generally about lighter topics than religion and politics. That someone that parties and talks mostly football can still be an intelligent, hard working, individual.

All these prejudices and cliques that I had thought carried over from High School completely broke down. I played Halo with a girl I assumed was a prep and an athlete I assumed was a jock. I got completely crushed in a drunken game of Trivial Pursuit by people I initially labeled as vapid.

That was 2004 at the University of Maryland. It could have been the time or the region, but what I observed was the opposite of the OPs experience. That freshmen year made me the person I am today.

[–]komichi1168 2 points3 points ago

Was anyone else disappointed when they got to college at the sheer number of psuedo-intellectuals?

There FTFY.

[–]Pizzadude 2 points3 points ago

They have more important things to study and discuss.

[–]umbrellarequiem 1 point2 points ago

No, it was refreshing to find a bunch of incredibly intelligent people who didn't go around self-styling themselves as "intellectuals". You can be smart and NOT be a douche rocket.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]brosinski 5 points6 points ago

You do seem ignorant but not arrogant. Your view on college comes from the cultural references you have been exposed to and the people you have been exposed to. It is just as misguided as the guys coming in expecting to pull tail left and right. but this does not mean that your college as a whole is less cultured. It simply means there are many cultures that different people have created!

There are always stupid people. I have met people thinking that the sun was burning, like wood, rather than the result of atomic fusion. But I also have met the people within my major, computer science, who are incredibly smart. I myself try to keep both as friends. One to hit the bars with and one to work with.

[–]DrWallyHayes 2 points3 points ago

Instead, I've found it's mostly high school with alcohol more readily available.

That just about nails it. I found very few people in college whose company I enjoyed; almost everybody else seemed to care about nothing but getting drunk at every available opportunity.

[–]Toastlove 0 points1 point ago

I am glad I didn't go to uni, I got my own house and a job so I can get drunk without the massive debt and shit degree.

[–]peetss 0 points1 point ago

No, but after I finished college I was.

[–]Dan_the_moto_man 1 point2 points ago

I hope you're not expecting the professional world to be any different. It amazes me that a bunch middle aged men will gossip just like high school girls.

[–]knowledgeoverswag 1 point2 points ago

It's not really the lack of intellectuals. They're there. It's the prevalence of those who think they're on Greek or Jersey Shore.

[–]FAPSLOCK 0 points1 point ago

Only when they talk to you.

[–]InferiousX 1 point2 points ago

This is one thing I fear.

I'm old enough to where I can feel myself outgrowing my party/young guy phase but haven't gone to college yet. I feel that once I start, I'll be jumping right back into a mix of 'Bro Culture' and 19 year olds who read 'Atlas Shrugged' once and now think they know fucking everything

[–]lookylieu 0 points1 point ago

Yeah, it seems like nowadays everyone goes to college. I was an aid for the guidance office my senior year of high school and just...holy shit. In Maryland (not sure about other states...) there are these tests called HSA's that you have to pass in order to graduate. You take the Biology, Algebra, and US Government your freshman year and then the English one your sophomore year. If you cannot pass them, you're put into a special class dedicated to passing that particular test and you retake it every year until you do. I'll never forget one student that came in:partial schedule, his classes were Walking Wellness, Art, Passing the HSA: Algebra and Passing the HSA: English. He was a C student in all of them....yet my counselors still pushed him to go to University. I just don't get it.

[–]BayBeauty420X 0 points1 point ago

I went to a school notorious for not being a party school. This rep helped keep the idiots out and I felt surrounded by smart people. Love it.

[–]jonny80 0 points1 point ago

I am not just disappointed about the lack of intellectuals at that point in my life. It gets worse the older you get, you start to realize how many dumb people are out there.

[–]malbrecht92 1 point2 points ago

At my school, 8 brand new dorms were just built for this past fall semester. They're already being destroyed by the drunken idiots I am forced to call my peers. It's disgusting.

[–]KillahHills10304 1 point2 points ago

An undergrad degree is the new high school diploma. They will let most anyone into college (the transfer requirement for my school was a 2.75 GPA- and that was guaranteed acceptance)

[–]Allisgoodandright 0 points1 point ago

I'm not quite sure what American college equates to in my British sense of things, but my University experience is so far ridiculous. I pumped myself up for hard work and high standards expected from tutors, but the work I'm given is ridiculously easy - a work sheet a week. The standard of essays, as seen through example A-grade essays, is something I'd be embarrassed to write at A-Level. Don't get me wrong, I'll still treat the work like a chore, but for one of Britain's top ten Unis I guess I was expecting to feel like I'd been thrown in the deep end ... not so ...

[–]Alyxe 2 points3 points ago

I feel a similar way. The average student at my university goes out drinking 3 times a week (I'm told by some survey). The people in my flat dont' know how to do anything. It's like living with children.

If I didn't have to live here at University to study, I would be a lot happier.

[–]Peierls_of_wisdom 2 points3 points ago

Interesting! I teach at one of the top 10. Which university are you at? If it helps at all, I think standards are too low too, but if we make things harder then we will get a really high fail rate and then (a) we won't have enough money left to run the course and (b) new students won't apply, thinking that they too will fail whereas they might pass if they went somewhere else, so numbers will drop and again we won't be able to run the course.

[–]audreyality 1 point2 points ago

People are people everywhere and at every level of academia. Just because someone has a doctorate or is interested in attending college does not mean they are more intelligent outside of their particular domain specialty. It also doesn't mean they're nicer, more refined in some way, or more socially acceptable. It just means they know something about one thing really well.

Resource: I've worked at a public and a private university since completing my own degree.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

College is what you make of it. You can be as involved as you want or as laid back as you want.

My first year I got a full ride and chose to go to a primarily commuter college, not a community college, just most of the kids left on weekends because they were close to home. After that painful year, I switched to an in-state school that had such a plethora of things to do.

[–]JackalsNose 0 points1 point ago

Nah. I went to a private engineer school. We all talked technical stuff and drank. It was awesome.

[–]SmashThSilence 0 points1 point ago

Yes. I was really surprised how dumb some of the people were. A lot of people had no idea how to write a good essay which was strange to me because my high school had put a big emphasis on building that skill.

[–]sorryforthehangover 1 point2 points ago

Being a college dropout out get more dissapointed when meeting a graduate who lacks communication skills, the ability to write properly or a basic knowledge of the world around them. I'm not sure if I notice it because I am looking for it, but I encounter these people often.

[–]Wizzlebee 1 point2 points ago

I go to an inner city community college in a bad part of town, so yes.

[–]huggableplum 1 point2 points ago

I believe I saw this on reddit, but I forgot who said it...

"College is just like kindergarten with a higher potential for people to hurt themselves."

Everyone in my high school talked about people being more "mature" when they reached college. Yes, Michigan State University and the famous "Beer Riots" were very mature...

[–]KuriousInu 0 points1 point ago

i wouldnt say there is a lack of intellectuals as much as there is an overabundance of idiots/ high school archetypes. As a chemical engineer I usually feel average among my classmates but when i go to some of my elective classes I see what you describe. Branch out and you will find what you seek

[–]allistercatly 0 points1 point ago

Yes. There are even complete idiots even in the science majors such as chemistry and biology. I know that probably one quarter of all biology majors who graduate still will not know what the fuck Hardy-Weinberg theory is. I learned Hardy-Weinberg in AP Bio as a senior in HS.

[–]mindless_spots 0 points1 point ago

Sometimes I wonder how these people got in. There are some very very intelligent people here and then there are people who stick stuff up their butt and post pics on the school forum.

I wonder if they're both the same people actually.

[–]rediculous_fuck 0 points1 point ago

No. College is full of normal people hopefully trying to learn things, it isn't some gathering of intellectuals. It isn't hard when in college to find people with whom you can discuss life, politics, religion, if you want, but you can't expect to walk up to a stranger and have a successful conversation about that stuff. I for one went to college not to talk about politics or religion but to learn a specific, hands-on trade that has enough science behind it that it requires 4 years of study.

(that said I'm down to talk about "life, politics, religion" when I'm in the mood).

[–]Frankenfish 1 point2 points ago

It was a mix...in my experience sometimes there was insightful discussions sometimes it was just fucking around.

The thing is, not everyone wants to spend all their free time sitting around discussing deep things. Yeah its fun, but when you spend 8+ hours a day learning science and philosophy, sometimes you just like to take a break and get hammered

[–]OnlyStandard 1 point2 points ago

I go to vocational school. It's worse here.

Currently i'm taking a "Professional Development" class and we just went over cultural differences. One of the questions in the book was, "Thumbs up means good job in the US. Research what it may mean in other cultures."

Someone had written in big girly handwriting:

Rome: Wither yau live or dye middle eastern is like fliping the bird

facepalm

[–]skooma714 -1 points0 points ago

I go to a Cal State. This is a glorified community college.

Then again I'm in the business department, which was never going to be intellectual.

[–]bigfreakingnerd 1 point2 points ago

I was so very disappointed when I started college to meet and see the same dumb kids who did the minimum to get by and whined about everything. My 2nd year I noticed many of the want to be gangstas and other trash had dropped out and left. I always thought when I was a kid "How can someone fail school or not want to go to college, it is easy" then as I got older I quickly realized, some people just don't get it and don't want to. This is why like Reddit, good mix of people, but I can tell most of you have an IQ above the bell curve.

[–]Dakster11 0 points1 point ago

My generation seems to laugh at intellectuals for the most part.

[–]Mikes42 0 points1 point ago

Find a college with a lot of acid if you want a school filled with people with diverse intellectual theories.

[–]explosiveasshole 0 points1 point ago

it is kinda disappointing. when i first got to college I imagined huge auditorium classes like i had seen in movies. My first class was composed of 30 people.

[–]incen 0 points1 point ago

Go hang out at the honors dorm.

[–]VividLotus 0 points1 point ago

No, because I went to a college that was full of very intellectual people. Perhaps you're not at a school that's a good fit for you?

[–]theslowwonder 0 points1 point ago

This was my exact thought as a freshman, but by the time I was a senior I was exhausted by the academic crowd.

[–]tick_tock_clock 1 point2 points ago

r/doesanybodyelse

[–]DinosaurWizard 0 points1 point ago

I had this problem, too. Now I'm trying to get into the Naval Academy.

[–]baultista 0 points1 point ago

For every bright, hard-working, or passionate person I met in college (and believe me I met quite a few), I'd say I met two people who were any combination of stupid, lazy, or apathetic. You'll find pockets of both at any university. It really depends what crowd you hang around.

What you end up learning over time is that different people prioritize different things, and while it can be frustrating for you (especially when you're dependent on them to get work done) you can't really fault them for doing so. For some, college was just a means to an end (a full-time job) rather than a learning experience, so as long as they passed everything while minimizing the amount of time/effort put forth, they were happy. For others it revolved around whatever major club/activity they were in (IE the school newspaper, school radio, varsity sports team, etc) and going to class was just something they did on the side. Other still just wanted to make some friends, have fun drinking and partying, and maybe cruise through a four year program in six with a C- average.

[–]johnsmcjohn 0 points1 point ago

I was genuinely dissappointed with the peer group I encountered in college. Having said that I think a major reason for this was the fact that I wasn't attending a prestiegous school. So perhaps the experience would've been better at a big name university but there's no way to tell now.

Note: typing this on a cellphone. There are probably errors in this post. Please disregard them.

[–]knockdown58 -1 points0 points ago

I realized there were a lot of smart people that went to my school. But was definitely more shocked by how absolutely fucking stupid a lot of them were. Made me wonder how the hell they even got in.

[–]BitchItsTyranitar -1 points0 points ago

I wasn't that surprised, really - in Edinburgh, for every well-informed, well-mannered student you meet, there are ten wankers who frequent the path outside the student union who pester you to attend their "MAD AS FUCK CLUBBIN NYT" (genuine quote from a flyer I was handed). There are idiots everywhere, particularly at college/university, where you're less likely to be told off for being a twat (unlike high school, where teachers kept you in check).

[–]Proxysetting -1 points0 points ago*

Me: 22 Year old Male. Air Force Computer Programer.

I just started taking college classes this semester (Joined the AF after I left High School) and can somewhat agree with OP. In a field where everyone is considered somewhat to have "above average intellegence," I personally feel like I am in the middle of that group. There are those who know and can do a great deal more than me, and those that should probably not even come in to work. I attend two freshman level classes and feel as if the teacher is the sole person in the room who knows more than me. I am not cocky about my intellegence nor do I believe that without any interaction with a person that I am probably smarter than them. As I said, in my career field, you usually aren't the smartest person. Usually the person that is, doesn't talk much anyways so you'd never know it. With all of that said, my classes are full of mouth breathers absent of the teacher.

[–]gratedjuice -1 points0 points ago

It really depends what school you go to and who you hang out with. There are people who spend time debating their majors and various topics of the like but I found that it rarely left the classroom unless it was directly linked to an assignment. I was actually grateful for this though because senior year it was almost inescapable with the number of assignments I had on my plate. After a while I just wanted to take a break from talking about work 24/7. Full disclosure: I studied engineering at a tech school and I had very little interest in philosophical debates

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

Went to business college, and got exactly what I figured I would.

[–]orwhat 0 points1 point ago

Yes. But looking back, I don't think that was important. A few years out of college, I find myself looking past politics, religion, more than I used to. Instead, I am more focused on living well. An intellectual discussion is fun every so often but I have other outlets for exercising my mind, mainly through my work.

[–]raw031979b 0 points1 point ago

My experience was that college (like a business) only seeks to grow its revenues because tenured professors and administrative staff see it as a job. Hence they need more pay, more benefits, and more notarity. The easiest way to do this is to grow the incoming student group; develop a competitive atheletic department; and rake in the dough from those who seek to learn.

Between this and the ever growing gap between the speed of technology and the speed of education; I fully believe that apprenticeships will soon be replacing college educations. Most people argue this is the reason for internships, but this way you get to underpay a growing employee (all while building an emotional growth connection --emotional debt if you will) that will help retain employees long term. Also, you teach them only the skills that you need. They are now less useful to outsider firms.

[–]AZRugger -1 points0 points ago

Intellectuals aren't really common until grad school.

[–]Ahrounmoon -1 points0 points ago

The numbers have probably changed, but 12 years ago when I first went to college they said that 60% of the people who entered Freshman year would fail to graduate. Time told me the truth of that statement and many of the people who treated college like extended high school failed out. I will admit that because of various personal issues I was dealing with as well as my own lack of direction I was among them.

However, meanwhile I had a circle of friends who were very intelligent people and they enjoyed discussing high minded things. Many of them went on to various doctorate or masters programs. They worked hard and spent much of their time doing upper level coursework. If it's stimulation you're looking for, try getting past the intro level courses and get really involved in whatever subjects spark your interest. Particularly if they have a club or anything along those lines that you can join.

[–]dieabetic 0 points1 point ago

I didn't have a romanticized view of college because I was just as young and stupid then, and to be honest I was more about the social partying scene than my studies (at least in the first 2 years). But I did have this built-up idea when I went to law school (and this probably applies to all grad schools). I'm not saying I'm the smartest guy around, nor was I the best student - but sometimes I just thought to myself 'How the FUCK did these people get out of primary school, let alone college?'

I think ignorance runs rampant everywhere, and does not necessarily get extinguished from education. Some people can go through school, take hard classes, and perfectly spit out exactly what the teacher told them they had to memorize/know (thus getting the good grades and progressing on without actually learning anything). Then you turn and talk to them about a relatively common knowledge subject and they go full-retard. You never go full retard, man. Never.

[–]Afterburned 0 points1 point ago

I've found that the wide majority of people in my classes are idiots. I don't claim to be a genius or anything, but compared to my classmates I'm Archimedes crossed with Feynman.

I'm constantly astounded at the inability of people to do simple things like read or write a paper. The amount of people who will openly complain to the teacher about having too much work (when they only have a ten page paper to write) is absurd.

[–]skinofaginger 0 points1 point ago

yes.

[–]notamustache 0 points1 point ago

I attend a very good school full of very intelligent people. However, simply because people are intelligent does not mean that they want to discuss and debate over "intelligent" ideas, nor does it mean that when situations do arise, that the debates are intelligent.

I'm not much of an arguer, but frankly I'm more annoyed by people who do know a lot, but feel as though they know everything, and because they're louder than you and have no problem interrupting you, they are always "winning" the argument. There are countless meaningless arguments every week in my dorm that quickly mount to people yelling and throwing half-assed attempts at facts to dismount their opponents. It's incredibly annoying and unnecessary.

Also, if you're going to argue about something serious, don't throw in a half-joke randomly in your argument. I'm not going to argue against your joke that stretches reality and bends the facts. Let's be real here.

[–]BanditTheDolphin 0 points1 point ago

I was accepted to the University of Chicago, but I couldn't afford it and now I'm at a school that's pretty much its exact opposite. I expected a total lack of intellectually curious people, and because of that I spent a lot of my first semester feeling bitter at a school climate where people wouldn't discuss academics outside of class. Of course, I totally needed to get over myself. There were talks every day where distinguished speakers would come to campus, student groups where advocacy was a serious focus, and lots of pockets of people who were entirely interested in discussing the serious things in life. I wrote them off as pretentious, presuming above their space, or ignorant and doing these things on a lower level than I could find elsewhere. The thing is, that attitude made me snub all of the opportunities around me and prevented me from accessing the resources around me.

I know you've clarified, and said you come from a totally different direction, but I urge anyone else who's reading through this thread that they need to try everything that might interest them just a little in college, and give it a chance. Look at university event directories, drop in on clubs - and take charge of your intellectual development.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Not really, my expectations weren't all that hight to being with. Most people I know went to university. If you attend your average university, you will be surrounded by average people.

[–]lordhadri 0 points1 point ago*

I attended three colleges in three years. The first was a flagship football school in another state that lured me away from home, chose most of my classes for me and took all my money. I spent that year watching bad powerpoint presentations and other people get drunk.

The alcoholism of the overrated "college experience" saddens me, but I think you can still get a good academic, intellectual experience if you surround yourself with the right people. If you can't, you aren't in the right place. People still drink a lot at my current school, but it's also in a more sophisticated place and that suits me fine. I also have better access to my professors and challenge them instead when I want a bit of a mental kick.

If you really feel you don't fit in, consider doing what I did and trying somewhere else. You couldn't do that in high school. I don't regret it. Hell, in my case it saved me money. In the meantime, there's always Reddit.

[–]jackya 1 point2 points ago

I had to sit through a painful speech given by a girl in my communications class my first quarter about "like gun control and stuff". I don't even know how she got into college, she referred to the pre-colonized United States as "Indian times". It made me cringe and I thought I saw steam going out my professors ears. To top it all of she ended her speech with a Daniel Tosh. I'm a Tosh fan myself but I would never end a college class speech with it.

[–]fafafohi 0 points1 point ago

Alcoholic here, I can confirm this.

[–]G8torDontPlay 1 point2 points ago

It gets better. When you first start you'll be surrounded by people who are pretty much still in highschool. As the years pass and you move up the kids who aren't as serious (stupid freshman) tend to drop out or get serious. Cheers!

[–]mgt99 0 points1 point ago

Oh my goodness, I go to Pitt too and feel the exact same way!

[–]fmlfml1 0 points1 point ago

I think it depends a lot on where you go. If you go to a really competitive school, i.e. Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, you'll be able to find these 'intellectuals.' If you go to some state school or any school where you pretty much have guaranteed acceptance, you probably won't find the same caliber of people. However, I think it is more often than not based on who you look for and try to associate with.

[–]SweetLeafKush 1 point2 points ago

Nah... Then again, I'm not a pretentious prick who labels himself and others as "Intellectuals."

Get off your high horse and enjoy people for who they are. Not who you romanticized them being.

[–]ItsaBirdaPlane 0 points1 point ago

I felt the same sometimes, but I found that if I wanted to do something I considered intellectual, my hall mates/ friends were more than happy to join me and participate in such activities. For example, there was an exhibition inspired by Yoko Ono in the university art gallery to which I brought all of my friends. Afterwards we talked about it (it was surprisingly analytical), and then proceeded to go on with the rest of our days. To this day, it was one of the most "intellectual" or cultured experiences I have had on campus.

TL;DR Bring your friends to an intellectual situation and let them rise to the occasion.

[–]lee_ror 0 points1 point ago

How far into your college experience are you? You'll find the percentage of people who enjoy that type of stuff will go up as you get further along. Because:

  1. you'll have more in common with people in your major/area of study

  2. the dumb ones will drop out.

Just out of curiosity, what is your major?

[–]ErosAccosted 0 points1 point ago

Wait and see if you end up going to Grad School. The disappointment is even greater considering the gap between expectation and reality is larger.

[–]AtomicGarden 0 points1 point ago

The non-intellectual party going type stand out more than the quiet intellectual person who likes reading alone. They may still be a minority but just sit back in your class and look around, you don't know everyone, you just see the loudest person and assume that this is the majority.

[–]ThaHarterIII 1 point2 points ago

well if you're at a public university, what the fuck do you expect.

top private schools tend to have better teaching professors, but unless you go one renowned for its "intellectualness", yes, basically college is high school with harder classes and more booze. sounds like you fell for the college "image" the media has been feeding us, where the nerds magically take over and are cool, while still being nerds. what you really need to do is go party and talk with people there. or get involved with some clubs. you cant expect people to just want to talk about what YOU want to talk about, sober and alone in your dorm.

[–]poorsoi 0 points1 point ago

Nah. They were letting me in, how hard could it be?

[–]phailcakez 0 points1 point ago

Maybe its because you're taking mostly prerequitite classes and lower level classes before you've really gotten into your major area of study, so people are less serious and less interesting to you now? I know that since I've started taking upperlevel classes, things have gotten more stimulating in class. Outside of class I mostly see people studying, not partying, but my school, while a large public university, is no party school especially for a commuter like myself.

[–]Time_for_Stories 1 point2 points ago

I love it. Classes are curved so I get great grades with minimal effort.

[–]em_son 1 point2 points ago

Well, sort of. When I considered this problem in my first quarter at college, I tried to think about how I looked on the exterior and how my old HS friends probably look on the outside. I've had some great intellectual conversations with them. I wouldn't say we're intellectuals but we're nerds and we like arguing about things and we know stuff and it's cool.

Anyway, I'd venture a guess that these "intellectuals" you're looking for do exist and you walk by them every day. You just can't tell because they aren't wearing signs saying "HEY LET'S HAVE A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION".

[–]JPmoneyman 0 points1 point ago

Have you never seen movies like Animal House or Old School? Did you honestly expect college to be some place where everybody goes and magically becomes a mature intellectual adult? If you are looking for intellectual discussion join a club, I guarantee there is at least one club at your university that you would enjoy. You'll make friends who don't want to sit around and just drink their time away. Freshman dorm culture revolves very heavily on partying because this is the first time any of these people have had this level of freedom. Maybe try and make some friends who are a little older and have gotten over the initial shock of freedom. And in the meantime maybe try and sound a little less like a pretentious dick and have some fun.

[–]weezermc78 1 point2 points ago

There are so many fucking bros here for it being a liberal arts college. Jesus Christ.

[–]Ben-Zero 0 points1 point ago

Yes, totally agree especially with so many athletes at my school, they are literally stupider than many high school kids, and so many don't even care about school and studying, its like why are you even here then????

[–]Orchard7 0 points1 point ago

EVERY. FUCKING. DAY.

[–]happywafflez 1 point2 points ago

Meh, considering 40% of your submission and comments are to /r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu you're probably not very smart.

[–]Melivora 0 points1 point ago

University here, but it's the same thing:
No. I was too busy celebrating escaping the pretentious twats who thought grades mattered and wanted to talk about philosophy and the merits of oxford vs cambridge.
Everyone I know got As in A level, or else they wouldn't be in my course, so now we just judge each other on the bant and how fast we can win wizard sticks.

Wizard sticks is so much better than politics.

[–]Fritzguyes 0 points1 point ago

Note: undergraduates.

[–]suckstoyerassmar 0 points1 point ago

i was just surprised to find that so many college students were there when their intelligence level was clearly not up to par. my freshman biology class actually had creationists who would argue with the professor about adam and eve. she would not correct them.

i went to my dream school for two years before having to leave for a medical emergency. biggest regret of my life. i have been to three different universities, and have not found one as challenging. out of four semesters since leaving, i have had to write two essays total. two. i wrote at least thirty or so during my two years at dream school. and when reading the essays of other students at sub-par schools, i could not believe how indequate the writing skills were. as in, people still mixing up their, there, they're. elementary mistakes. i agree, it can be pretty disheartening.

[–]TypewriterKey 0 points1 point ago

I joined the Air Force because I craved structure and maturity. 90% of my time in the Air Force was an unstructured clusterfuck, and maturity was non-existant.

The worst for me was when I moved into the dorms and they talked about all the rules they had for orderly conduct. One of them was no working on your car in the parking lot or playing loud music. I was excited as hell because I had previously lived in the ghetto.

Turns out a group of black Airmen (not racist, they really were black) decided to say 'fuck that' and spent all day every day working on their broken down pieces of shit in the parking lot blaring loud rap music and glaring at anyone who walked by, or cat-calling if it was a woman.

[–]capernoited 1 point2 points ago

Thish ish a common mishconception, I don't know why. Plenty of dumb people find waysh of finding shuccessh and ash long ash shomeone pays, mosht collegesh don't care too much about gradesh.

[–]gx1400 0 points1 point ago

I went to a fairly well known Engineering school in the midwest and I was DUMBFOUNDED at how computer illiterate some of the engineering students were. Especially mechanical engineers.

[–]bijida 1 point2 points ago

guess you went to a shitty college

[–]Eisaykela 0 points1 point ago

I went to a large public University for a year and a half. I had plenty of late night conversations about life, spirituality, etc... It depends on the people you are around and the context in which you're hanging out. There has to be a level of comfort and something shallower to spark the discussion. For example, at one point a group of my friends were just hanging out in my room. I found the video of Anonymous vs. Westboro Baptist Church and made some comment about it. That spurred a conversation about Christianity, religion vs. spirituality, etc...

I recently transferred to a small liberal arts school. The one thing that I noticed is that at a big school, classes are lectures (often with 200+ students). Discussion sections are not discussions. At a smaller school, there are fewer people in classes. It is easier to ask questions. Especially in humanity classes, often discussions are at the core of the class. There is still alcohol and plenty of partying.

I think that there are plenty of people at ANY school willing and wanting to talk about stuff. There are also plenty of people at ANY school wanting to party. There are a lot of people who do BOTH!!! These conversations don't just pop up. I bet if you make some effort, even asking people about their opinions on a topic, you can start a discussion.

[–]nagelwithlox 0 points1 point ago

Yes. Not that I'm an intellectual by any means, but it sure would have been cool to meet a few more than I did.

[–]eMigo 0 points1 point ago

My brain fucking atrophied in college.

[–]Dolewhip 1 point2 points ago

You're an intellectual at 18? Get the fuck out of here fat boy.

[–]GinAndTrees 0 points1 point ago

No, but I went to a good college. That comes off 100 times more douchey than I mean for it to. Sorry.

[–]exbtard 0 points1 point ago

No. Most likely, none of the interesting people want to be friends with you.

[–]Feed_Me_Seymour 0 points1 point ago

Lots of students in college considers themselves intellectuals...but the truth is that most college "intellectuals" are the sort of vapid, pondering, self-indulgent slackers that everyone avoids.

The real "intellectuals" are too busy studying for grad school to engage in your silly pondering discussions.

[–]trimalchio-worktime 0 points1 point ago

Gotta find better friends. Some of my friends were just there for the booze, some of them were there for Descartes.

[–]dwightmoody 0 points1 point ago

You're in Western Pennsylvania, home of people who are upset that they can no longer live downwind of ancient coal power plants...

Try New England for intellectuals.

[–]BigNikiStyle 0 points1 point ago

Holy shit yes. The amount of assholes I saw who majored in Euchre made me sick. I paid for all bit one semester of university on my own, so I did not have the time to fuck around like these people did. University for the first two years is just all-star high school. But even at the higher levels, yeah, you'll meet an 'intellectual.' But he's also a communist. A for real fucking communist. Then you're hit with the feminism and anti-Israel stuff and I just had to shake my head.

[–]core1129 0 points1 point ago

Oh my fucking god yes... even my teachers were complete idiots. I dropped out because of this (and other reasons) but still people are like, "why didn't you finish college??" "Because everyone was fucking stupid!!" "Thats no reason to drop out of school!" "Wow... you are fucking stupid... you should go to that school."

[–]mawilso 0 points1 point ago

I had assumed graduate school would be highly intellectual and that I would be one of the dumb ones. The total opposite.

[–]apenostic 0 points1 point ago

You should read "I am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe, he deals with this feeling awesomely. (And yes, I was a bit disappointed.)

[–]g1bb0n 0 points1 point ago

Have you never seen a movie intended for early 20 y/o's?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

what is your major? if you're in a liberal arts program that isn't politics or religion or philosophy, there probably aren't going to be a lot of good debates. If your in the right program, there are plenty of intellectuals. You just have to find out if the college is stealing your money, or if they are actually prestigious.

[–]AssDan 0 points1 point ago

naw

[–]zzzaz 0 points1 point ago

Nope. I went to a good school, most of the kids went out and had a good time and did stupid college shit like anywhere else, but in the classroom and extracurriculars I was consistently impressed with just how smart the people around me were.