Saturday, November 1, 2008

My College Transcript

Got it in the mail last week, just opened it. Fairly interesting. And I say that honestly observing that me saying something is interesting is about as shocking as a three year old liking ice cream better than green beans. For Lord's sakes, I'd watch a three hour documentary on belly button lint! Actually I think I have, that Ken Burns does good work. So anything I say is interesting, take it with a grain of salt.
Wonder where that phrase came from? I'll have to research this "grain of salt" thing very soon.

That said, my transcript is revealing, illuminating, disconcerting. For instance, I only made a 2.0 in Abnormal Psych back in the 70's. I should've thought my family background alone would've helped me get a better grade there. I made the Dean's list in 1998. Of course, I bet I made a different Dean's list back in the 70's. Like maybe the list of freaks we got to get the HELL off this campus!

What's really odd though? I've long felt I don't actually belong in Engineering. I've been running on this internal narrative where I'm smart enough, dogged enough to play, but I don't really belong on the team. Actually I've long thought I'd be better suited sitting around the Harvard faculty lounge, having a heated debate over whether John Donne is the only English poet whose name actually rhymes. I can picture myself easily dispatching any rival who would posit otherwise.

Transcript says different. Chemistry, Physics, Electronics, I made 4.0 in all those classes. Even while working two jobs. American History, Literature, 3.0. Hey, even public speaking I made a 3.0! Daddy always said if the English language died of exhaustion, I'd be the one who killed it. Maybe I'm a techno-geek after all. I still think John Donne is a funny name.

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