How many times in high school while some boring teacher rambled on and on about something pointless did you stop and think to yourself, “I AM NEVER GOING TO USE THIS IN REAL LIFE!”? Because I know I did.

Things we learned in high school that we never use (unless you’re a mathematician or history museum tour guide):

1. What numbers are prime and what numbers are not prime

2. The many uses of symbolism are found in The Great Gatsby

3. What year Lewis and Clark started their expedition in America

4. The atomic symbol for potassium

5. How to solve a quadratic equation Read More »

A common complaint about the Ivy League gang is that we lead very sheltered lives. People on the outside imagine our lives to be one long champagne-soaked yacht ride, a life where all of our wants and needs are taken care of and mummy and daddy’s charge card is always on hand.

In reality, though, more than half of Princeton’s student body is on financial aid, and a very large percentage of that is on nearly 100% financial aid. In addition to that, students spend a lot of time in the summer traveling to developing countries, doing community service in struggling neighborhoods, and generally getting their hands dirty. And yet, the myth persists…and for good reason.

There are a lot of different ways people can be “sheltered.” Ivy Leaguers may not all be rolling in wealth, but they still have an embarrassing lack of practical knowledge across the board. Because most of us spent our young lives with our noses stuck in books or playing some sport obsessively, we don’t really know how to, well, get along in the real world. Read More »