Name, school: Frances Bodomo, CC

Claim to fame: Thinking I could crew on most on-campus film sets to supplement my double-major courseload. Also, chasing after you to submit to the CUFP Film Festival, also WBAR. Organizing events without a cell phone (hey, it all worked out!)

Where are you going? I’m staying put for the first time in my life. Film school in the fall!

Three things you learned at Columbia:

  1. Americans will say, “Hi, how are you?” … and then keep walking.
  2. You can get into any class you want to take: study abroad, early graduation, or a life-threatening illness always makes this your last chance to take a class. You cannot, however, get out of Frontiers of Science by deferring it until the illusory “5 year probationary period” is over.
  3. “No, you still have your dignity and that’s the problem!”

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I was also in Chad Kia’s Lit Hum class. Also, I recently started my swim test from the diving board, despite myself. So sorry, other girl in my lane!

Any war stories from the War on Fun? I really wish I could speak of 28-hour ragers, but: walking into a friend’s room only to get written up for drinking Yuengling and listening to Ben Kweller. Yes. Ew. On so many levels.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Why is everyone saying cheese? … Seriously?? (Hello, father, who is Googling my name)

Any advice for the Class of 2014?

  1. Don’t fight so hard to not be the angry [insert group here] person in class. There is no dignity or integrity in silence. Also, what is dignity? What is integrity? [<– Change all your declarative sentences to questions and they will award you a bachelor’s degree!]
  2. Come to orientation with your claws out! Whatever you want, you had best stomp over people to get it [/sarcasm]! Or you could do what I did and take the backseat / spend your first semester in your room watching Arrested Development and eating mozzarella sticks. Wow. Still do that.

Any regrets? Spending too much time trying to justify studying art when anything you can study here is indulgent no matter how close you think you are to “reality”. Also, over-interning.