Where do you fit in at high school?
Are you a prep, jock, freak, outcast, geek, or nerd?
While taking my younger cousin, Jonathan, out for ice cream, we found ourselves asking these same questions. It was a pleasant summer night, and as we talked in my convertible, a cool flurry of wind rushed by us. Jonathan gladly discussed how much he enjoyed school.
But why is Jonathan having such a great time?
Well…because he’s a nerd. And I say this as a sincere compliment. Some of the best times I had in high school were as a nerd.
Drawing on both of our experiences, we present you with 6 Reasons Being a Nerd in High School is the Greatest:
- Nerds dress up
- Nerd sports are good-natured and fun
- Nerds are smart
- Nerds get into good schools and jobs
- Nerds are now mainstream (read: Hot)
- Nerds work-hard, play-hard
Nerds dress up
Outside of Halloween, how often do you get to ride a Yoshi as Princess Peach?
Back in high school, my friends and I dressed up as Super Smash Brothers characters for a senior skit. It was awesome.
Nerd sports are good-natured and fun
Ever heard of Ultimate Frisbee? How about GLOWTIMATE frisbee?!
My friends introduced me to this variation of the good-natured and carefree sport, Ultimate Frisbee. You can (barely) make out our group in the photo below:
Nerds are smart
People (often nerds) argue about what a “nerd” actually is. Despite the many views, most agree that nerds have to be smart.
By harnessing the great social power that is Urban Dictionary, I’ll define a nerd this way:
Nerds are smart and gain pleasure from their highly-specialized interest.
Nerds get into good schools and jobs
As a soon-to-be college grad, I can assure you this is often true.
Almost all of my friends that dressed up senior year got into very competitive schools. Since nerds are intelligent and are often specialized in something marketable, many succeed well after high school.
Nerds are now mainstream (read: Hot)
This extends far beyond “Nerd-themed” parties in school. For whatever reason, (thank you, pop culture!) some types of nerds are now seen as hot. Seriously.
Nerds work-hard, play-hard
Who knew that nerds could have so much fun and be successful?
The “work-hard, play-hard” motto describes nerds well. But what really is the heart of nerd culture is this:
Nerds passionately enjoy their specialized work (work = play).
Definitely take a moment to chew this one over, and you’ll see why being a nerd in high school (and beyond) really is the greatest.
Contributed by Nick Fochtman
