Dec 10, 2007

College Guys Playing Dumb

As a college instructor, i encountered many young women who tried to play down their intelligence to make themselves "less threatening" or "more likeable," or whatever. What surprised me, though, was that my male students did this almost as often as the female students. Typically, I'd have one of these guys per semester who surprised me when I realized they were exceptionally bright.

Here's an example: my last semester teaching, I had a baseball-cap clad young man who liked to joke around and make funny comments during class that made everyone laugh. He wasn't rude or distracting, but he certainly didn't come across as particularly bright. Then the first exam came around, and he got the highest score in the class. I was plenty surprised. I handed the exam back to him and said, "I'm on to you."

He came by after class with his test. "Um, what did you mean by that?" he asked nervously.

"Oh," I responded, "I just meant that I'm on to the fact that you're really bright and a good student.'

He blushed. 'Thanks. i thought you meant you thought I had cheated.' We went on to chat about his plans to go to graduate school.

Guys, don't play dumb. It's a shame when women do it, and it's a shame when you do it too.

Here's some more advice for college guys,