Who said kids were uninvolved?

[curmudgeon]

<p>Check out these responses to a thread uc_benz posted on college life. I really need to get some work done so I'll stop reading but some of it is masterful.</p>

<p>***Oh my God I am freaking out! I had bought some yellow pencils at Wal-Mart the other day, but I come to find out that most people at college have green pencils! Should I return my yellow pencils and get the green ones, or will the professors still accept my homework even though I used yellow pencils? I am really worried here guys! Also, does it matter what color of eraser I have on the pencil? I always liked the white, but my friend who told me about the green pencils also said professors will not accept homework if they see white eraser residue on the paper! I seriously don't know what I'm going to do. </p>

<p>Opinions!!! Please.</p>

<p>***I say go for purple pencils. It's the hot new trend.</p>

<p>***As for erasers, I say never mind the color and go for scented. Professors really love the sweet, sweet smell of blueberry eraser rubbings. Makes them happy, so they give out more As.
make sure you put some scratch and sniff stickers on your papers though.
nothing screams 'A' like a banana "Wonderful".</p>

<p>***You mean you're not bringing a 255 piece pencil crayon set? You're going to fail for sure.</p>

<p>***Ok, thanks for your help guys! </p>

<p>***I have another question: what size of toothpaste container should I bring with me? I really like hard plastic Colgate dispensers that have the push down top, but I'm worried that it will take up too much space in my dorm room. I will probably go with the traditional tube that Crest makes. Does that sound good? I know with the tube I will be able to roll it up into a ball if I ever need the extra space in my dorm. Help please! Ask your college friends what type of toothpaste container they use.</p>

<p>***no no no you've all got it wrong. You will fail for sure if you don't use a pink pencil with the elusive but very necessary glittery green eraser. And don't forget your hand crafter electric pencil shaped pencil sharpener. If you don't have that there's not a prayer in the world you'll make friends with the "cool" kids.</p>

<p>***On a side note, last year my english teacher told me to buy a light blue messenger bag with the extra cussioned strap, and I did, and that's how I got an A in that class. Don't forget to personally ask each teacher which specific bag they prefer for their class, and always remember to color cordinate your outfit with that class's required bag. Wearing orange with a purple Econ bag would get you marked down for sure!!</p>

<p>***Listen closely: Digital ink. Digital eraser. Tablet PC. Pencils are so "last century". The Toshiba Tablets come with a black stylus. Always correct in any social situation... And a black stylus makes your fingers look slimmer. </p>

<p>Feel the need to erase on a Tablet PC screen? Tap on the eraser icon in the tool bar and hover over your mistake with your stylus and your error just vanishes. With Toshiba Tablets, your stylus has the erase function built into its top. Just flip your stylus over like a pencil and delete your handwriting off the screen. Two words: No Residue. Just a bunch of pixels retuning to their null state...</p>

<p>***Does that mean I can turn the Tablet PC into my professor for grading? I think I will just buy like 4 Tablet PC's as I can accomodate each of my classes so I won't have to worry about not having my notes with me at all time.</p>

<p>As for the toothpaste, I went to my local wholesale store and bought a one-gallon tub. It has a pump like the ones on soap dispensers. I figure I'll just keep it in the bathroom with the chains and locks that I bought. It's a fair tradeoff... instead of bringing a bulky tube of toothpaste, I can just bring the eight different keys for my padlocks.</p>

<p>***One of my friends is over right now, and she would like to ask another question: </p>

<p>(This is her typing) I like to eat a lot so I do not think I could get by with one of those puny little refrigerators that most colleges allow. I mean, I can barely fit breakfast into one of those things let alone a whole days worth of food. Do you think I could just bring a full size refrigerator and put it in place of my bed? I was thinking about turning the fridge on its side, and I could just put a mattress on top of it and use that as a bed. That way I will be able to fit all the food that I want in my room (not to mention the freezer space! Mmm I love rocky road ice cream), and I will have a nice bed!</p>

<p>Ok, that was her question. You guys have been a lot of help tonight, and I hope it keeps on coming!</p>

<p>See, these kids have their priorities straight. (Great job students, D and I laughed till we cried. I think it's funniest read aloud. )</p>

[marite]

<p>Yeah, I saw that, too, and had a good laugh. Rivals last year's thread on how to present app: pen or pencil, stapled or paper clipped (or delivered in an amphora, as per Ariesathena and TheDad's suggestions)</p>

[sybbie719]

<p>Curm,</p>

<p>You are having way too much fun consorting with others. Is this the reason I
can't get a decent drink at the Alley?</p>

<p>If I must use a pencil, I like the mechanical ones otherwise a uniball or pilot G-2, blue ink suits me just fine. You don't think that will get me thrown out of class do you?</p>

[NJres]

<p>nice to see the kids taking ownership of these parental responsibilities! </p>

<p>BTW, do you think my typing looks better if I use my thumbs?</p>

<p>... or my pinkies ? :)</p>

[bluealien01]

<p>
[quote]
Who said kids were uninvolved?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Theotherside. :D</p>

[yemaya13]

<p>Check out the thread "Please Help: World's Best Pencil" in the old forum!</p>

<p>

@Carolyn

Jje, you are a fool. Everyone knows that Dixon Ticonderoga is a third rate pencil. Only an idiot would waste their money on a pencil like that. It doesn't have a name that is recognized by people who matter and you will never get into medical or law school if they find out you did your undergraduate work using a Dixon. </p>

<p>The only pencil worth using is a Sanford Eagle. I have a friend who says that people who use Sanford's make an average of $50,000 more a year when they graduate from school than people who use any other brand of pencil. My father says he will only pay for me to use a Sanford Eagle because nothing else is as prestigious. Certainly, a Sanford Eagle is one of the top five pencils in the world."</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>MorganTruce: Yes, I have also heard that Sanford is going with EA. I am not worried, however, as I am both a Sanford legacy as well as being an under represented minority (an armenian-peruvian). Therefore, my 1200 SATs should not hold me back from being able to get a box of Sanfords even if Staples runs out. I feel sorry for people who don't have this advantage. They will probably face a life of ruin with their third rate Dixons and generic brands while I triumph with my Sanfords.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>MT - I can't believe you'd suggest that those big fat pencils are the best. The people who use those are destined for community colleges and will probably never score higher than 950 on their SATs. Are you equating size with quality? </p>

<p>Uncchlocalmayor, no I do not play sports. I play the ukelele. However, you do bring up something that I have been wondering about. If I am good at writing with both pencils AND pens, can I claim to be bi-lingual on college applications? </p>

<p>Also, I'm surprised no one here has mentioned the importance of eraser quality in pencil choice. Although I think Sanford Eagle's are the most prestigous pencils, I am kind of worried about the tendency of their erasers to smudge under pressure.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>MorganTruce, you have left out THE most important criteria considered by adcoms: GIRTH. Let's face it, so many people these days have the standard stats or better: 6-plus inches on length, yellow color, 30 seconds or better in sharpening time, that one simply HAS to have something to stand out from the crowd. I think the way to do this is with girth. Length doesn't matter any more but if you can somehow prove that you've personally trained a pencil to have more girth than the ordinary pencil, well, what adcom is going to pass that up? I plan on writing my essay about how I spent my summer developing superior girth in my pencil. Of course, I'm still wondering about the importance of eraser quality. No one seems to want to talk about that. And I STILL want to know which pencil is best for undergraduates...

</p>

<p>

@sluggbugg

Alright, all of you elitist overachievers with your fancy pencils...where I come from, we use rocks that have been baking in the Nevada sun for so many years, they're like chalk. You just walk outside, look down, pick one of them things up, and start writin'. Pencil, my a**! </p>

<p>My family of rugged individualists forged the West without pencils, certainly not pens, and not even crayons ('cause they'd melt and they'd get stuck in the cows' hooves)! My parents had never even seen a pencil until my mom found one in the front seat of her car the first summer I was home from college. </p>

<p>The first time I used a pencil, I was a freshman in college at Santa Cruz. We were down at the Boardwalk, and my boyfriend's roommate had a fat Ticonderoga. In the Seventies, everybody used pencils! If either one of my teenagers tried to use a pencil, we'd know. There's no mistaking that pencil smell, and you can't hide those little shavings that fall out all over the floor when you try to sharpen one. I hope they're not using pencils with their friends. This generation is so spoiled, every kid has a backpack full of Sanford Uniball Onyx Ultrafines and Staedler Cool Rollers in designer colors. </p>

<p>:::Sigh::: Makes me a little verklempt for good, old, reliable Bics. To think that my husband applied to Stanford in 1973 and wrote his essay on a yellow, legal pad in pencil...he didn't get in, but that's not the point! We both come from humble beginnnings, and as we ride off into the sunset, we'll continue to teach our progeny the value of rocks. </p>

<p>:::Hey kids, gather 'round! Grampa wants to tell you about rocks!:::: (Oh, jeez, not again!)

</p>

[ticklemepink]

<p>Amazing how wild and crazy our imaginations can get over an old time piece like a pencil.</p>

<p>You all think people will come up with this kind of stuff for the internet 500 years from now?</p>

[Spiker]

<p>this is almost as silly as the parents stressin about all the gear they are buying for their DD's and DS's dorm rooms. Except ...oh yeah...the parents weren't kidding! and what the heck is an egg crate topper anyway???</p>

[mootmom]

<p>Egg</a> crate topper.</p>

[backhandgrip]

<p>This thread is hilarious!</p>

[fireflyscout]

<p>According to my son, mechanical pencil is the way to go. Daughter doesn't like pencils, prefers the 4-color pen. Thank heaven I have dogs.</p>

[sybbie719]

<p>If I choose to no longer loan out my mechanical pencils (no one ever volunteers to return the "good pencils") will I be considered stuck up and uncooperative?</p>

<p>If I use my plastic pencil holder -you know the kind with the zipper and the 3 holes so you can cli it into your binder, will I be considered a geek. Hey my pencil holder is pink, and isn't pink the new black or is green now the new black?</p>

<p>The big question is phones. Should I get a camera phone or a blackberry, or a plam, or one of those nice little flippy phones. Mom keeps showing me the "nice" phones that are $49. They'll laugh me off of campus if I pull that thing out :eek:</p>

[bluealien01]

<p>UC Benz needs assistance on where to put his microwave so that he can still watch it spin around, but so that it does not take up too much space. See his thread on College Life.</p>

[marite]

<p>UC Benz is having fun; and so do I, reading his threads.</p>