Mason Silber

Mason Silber

Today’s first Senior Wisdom: Mason Silber, the  force behind the original Penthouse Club and the first senior to make a Milano’s shoutout in his wisdom (how did it possibly take this long??).

Name, Hometown, School: Mason Silber, Elkins Park PA, CC

Claim to fame? Threw the original Penthouse Club on McBain 8 with my roommate Hadi sophomore year for my birthday party. This is what the hallway looked like. And our punishment was that we had to buy plastic cups for our next floor meeting. Not mad.

Where are you going? Working at Twitter as a software engineer on their iPhone/iPad team starting in the fall, first in San Francisco then back in New York. Yes we get free food, no I can’t get you verified.

3 things you learned at Columbia:

  • 1. If you want something, whether it’s learning something new, or an internship, or a date, or anything else, be proactive about it. Don’t be shy, and don’t wait for it to fall into your lap, because it probably won’t.
  • 2. Whenever something looks interesting or exciting, go to it! Columbia has more events in one day than you would have time to go to in a week, so take advantage of those opportunities. In my four years here, I’ve had the chance to see Al Gore, George Soros, Nicolas Sarkozy, Herman Cain, Mike Massimo (an astronaut and SEAS alum), and Snoop Dogg. There aren’t too many places with opportunities that diverse.
  • 3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Columbia is an intense place, and the competition can be out of control sometimes, but there’s help if you’re willing to ask.

Back in my day….Ferris served burritos, Uris was a lot more welcoming, Saturday nights meant blue kamikazes in Carman, and NoCo was a hole in the ground.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I survived this. I was a pretty dumb freshman.

Write a CU Admirers post to anyone or anything at Columbia: Aoife, thank you for listening to me bitch for the last four years, and for helping me figure out my life. Absolutely could not have made it through college without you.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Have you ever tried an H17 without cheese? I’m not about that life.

One thing to do before graduating: Explore the tunnels and roofs. There are so many hidden places under (and over) this campus, and the view from the top of Mudd is unbelievable.

Any regrets? Only trying to take on more than I could handle, and neglecting friends in the process. There are always too many things to do, and not enough time in the day, and I wish I had spent more time with my friends and less time juggling everything else.