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The Mac Weekly

The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

Classic Mac mistakes

By Katy Petershack

Macalester students (me included) make many mistakes that are repeated time and time again. Having seen or personally had lapses of judgment in my last four years here, I decided to choose six of these classic Mac mistakes-I think most of us can relate to at least one of them-in the hope that we can collectively move past them. Don’t let your guard down around the squirrels. While these creatures may look cute and fuzzy, and we all wonder how anything can survive a Minnesota winter outside, just let your interests in these animals end with that. A friend of mine was walking outside of our old gym a few years ago when a squirrel launched from its hiding place in a trashcan onto her leg. I think it should suffice to say that this was not a pleasant experience.

Don’t be too cliquey, branch out and meet different people. Macalester tries to foster to a sense of inclusion. Branch out of your dorm or core group of friends and get to know that creative kid in the art department or the loud girl in your Pilates class. The great thing about Mac is that it provides us all opportunities to get to know different people. The summer before my freshman year while I was anxiously mulling over what it would be like to live in a dorm I found out that my roommate was from Midland, Tx. I jumped to all the wrong conclusions. All I could think about was that the Bush family lived there, and as those of you who are fellow liberals might imagine this did not sit well with me. As it turns out, I judged too quickly. She and I were great roommates together, and are still good friends.

Don’t be the kid who talks in class just to hear the sound of their own voice. Everyone has had a class with at least one of these talkers and to be honest, it’s annoying. I’m not referring to the students who say smart, insightful comments frequently, but rather those who think they should respond to every other comment said in class. If you hold back a bit, you may find that others have really interesting perspectives that you were missing out on while dominating class discussions. I had a class a few years ago with someone, who we’ll just call John. John would not only dominate class discussions, but also verbally attack anyone who disagreed with him. Needless to say this ruined the entire class for me (and some of the other students I spoke with), as I did not feel free to participate in class discussions for fear of having John jump down my throat.

Don’t get too drunk on Founders Day. Founders Day can be a lot of fun. You get free drinks on Macalester, you get to dress up (a rarity at Mac) and you can see your professors outside of class. The one sure-fire way to blow this, however, is to be too sloppy. You don’t want to wake up the next morning struggling to remember just what it was that you talked to your professor about the night before. Someone I know this past year woke up the next morning realizing she had no idea who she spoke to at Founders Day. After frantically trying to piece together her night she found out that she had been on a mission to “find the trustees” and “have a strong word with them.” We’re still not sure if this ended up happening, let’s hope for their sake and hers it didn’t.

Don’t be awkward post-hookup with someone. This is probably the most classic mistake Mac students make (so I will not give any specific anecdotes) and it is one that can haunt you for your entire four years. Even if you wake up the next morning wondering why you thought it was a good idea to hook up with a kid in your 10:50 Monday-Wednesday-Friday class, force at least a smile when you walk into class and see them again.

Don’t be a part of the couple that makes out in the library, in the cafeteria, in the middle of the path, in the halls of Old Main. you get the idea. Look, we all know you are really into each other, and that’s great. That doesn’t mean the entire student body has to be exposed to this (not to mention your professors and everyone else working on campus). The best example I have of this is the couple that repeatedly makes out on the first floor of library. If you really can’t get enough of each other, go enjoy some of DeWitt’s more private locations, like a room on the third or fourth floor.

Hopefully some of these stories have inspired some of us to change our behavior, or at least tone it down. Enjoy your next year (or three) at Mac for those of you not graduating. Oh, and one last piece of advice: don’t hook up with a PF.

Katy Petershack ’09 can be reached at [email protected]

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