The recently named Phi Beta Kappas are so smart that FM had to have their secrets. Chosen on the basis of their GPAs (4.0) and professor recommendations (stellar), this bunch has words of wisdom on everything from which courses to take to how often is often enough when it comes to showering (turns out daily bathing is not always required). Want to be a Phi Beta Kappa? Read on, and maybe, just maybe, you will be. Here’s what we learned from our super-smart shaman:
On choosing classes
“Take classes you like-—even if they’re harder, they’ll feel easier, because it won’t be painful spending time on them.”
– Margaret T. Hsieh
“Only the hard classes are worth taking.”
– Eugene Chislenko
“Study things you love, and if good grades come too, consider it a bonus!”
– Emily A. Kendall
On staying organized
“My organization during really hectic times generally means piling up stacks of books near my desk with the most pressing work within closest reach.”
– Danielle V. Brown
“I have a personal secretary—although she thinks she’s just my girlfriend.”
– Chang C. Liu
“My notes are color-coded [and] filed according to topic, data, and the direction of the wind on the date that they were first taken. My file cabinet must face due East so that the cleansing touch of the Rosy Fingered Dawn will excise the mediocrity of my peers from my papers.”
– David V. Kimel
“To the layman’s eye, my room looks like a tornado hit it. But I know exactly where each vitally important item is. For example, my overdue library books are in the sock drawer.”
– Veronica R. Heller
On avoiding distractions
“I live off-campus with some of my Sigma Chi fraternity brothers who can be very distracting when I’m trying to study. I have a large stick in my room that I use to beat them away with. Seriously.”
– Matthew Salzberg
On the importance (or unimportance) of attending class
“Even with nine a.m. classes, I make a point to attend every one. The way I see it is I’d rather sleep in class than through class—that way you can at least pick up bits of information while you are dozing.”
– Matthew Salzberg
“Reasons for skipping class or section include sleeping too late, waiting for my iPod to charge, general malaise and God, those awful papercuts.”
– Chang C. Liu
“I would never pass up an opportunity to go to class; the professor’s mistakes might go unnoticed.”
– David V. Kimel
On personal hygiene
“I try to stick to the 24 hour rule—one shower every 24 hours—but when the going gets tough…hygiene falls by the wayside.”
– Jennie A. Johnson
“If you ever see me wearing my Red Sox hat, it’s because I haven’t showered for the past two days… so beware.”
– Aaron Mihaly
General wisdom
“You don’t need sleep. Give it up now. It’s a fool’s paradise.”
– Veronica R. Heller
“Know what it takes to get an ‘A’ or an ‘A-’ and be comfortable doing that amount of work, and not killing yourself when you already have an A.”
– Andrew E. Holm
“Embrace your failures—they make great comebacks on those occasions when others accuse you of being another overachiever.”
– Jennie A. Johnson
