As serious training for Masters starts up and summer social schedules kick into high gear, it feels as if the number of thinly veiled self-calls has multiplied overnight. People are apt to drop references to their in-house pong rankings or the number of "awesome" barbecues they attended the previous weekend into any conversation, but it's rare and unsettling to hear anyone mention the fact that they finally figured out the tricky question on their physics problem set or enjoyed a history reading assignment. If anything, Dartmouth's cultural taboo on academic pride has become stronger over sophomore Summer.
The majority of the Dartmouth population is happy to share stories about victories that occur outside of the classroom, provided that the scale of the success is small. For some reason, it's okay to talk about winning a soccer game but it's not okay to chat about academic triumphs. Anyone who mentions having aced a class or written a paper that they're legitimately proud of comes off as being vain. The result is the existence of a strange silence on campus where academic achievements fly under the radar. When I hear about my friends' accomplishments, it's usually secondhand knowledge. It's always a pleasant surprise to learn that someone I know has achieved something praiseworthy, but it would be nice to be able to have a straightforward, honest conversation about a research project or exam that's gone well without feeling like we're expected to downplay our academic successes.
I'm not arguing for a culture of academic bragging too much scholarly pride would hurt the collaborative learning atmosphere of many classes at Dartmouth. But if students felt more comfortable having honest conversations on campus about schoolwork, not only would we be able to properly acknowledge (and congratulate) the successes of our peers, but we might also have an easier time talking about our failures. Admitting academic weakness, whether it's complaining about a confusing lab or confiding that you might have to drop a class, is hard to do when it seems like everyone is coasting along well above the median. If students were able to mention both the excellent grades they've earned as well as the classes they're struggling with, conversations would become more interesting (yes, sinking the winning cup in a game of pong is exciting but I don't need to hear about it every day over lunch) and even potentially useful (knowing that Suzie aced the class you're struggling in this term will give you somewhere to look for that extra help).
Lifting our ban on academic vanity could also help the exchange of ideas across academic fields and encourage students to collaborate on interdepartmental projects. Dartmouth has a population of extremely talented, motivated students who are doing great work in class, internships and abroad. It seems silly that the unspoken rule about absolute academic modesty especially when self-calling about your sports team is allowed keeps people from admitting that they've done well. By the time the graduation booklet lists the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars, thesis writers and Phi Beta Kappas of the Class of 2012 it will be too late for us to learn from our peers' hidden talents. Admitting academic success isn't vain and shouldn't be considered a self-call. Let's open up dialogue about academics and we'll have the opportunity to discover that not only does Billy have a sweet serve, but that he's also well on his way to curing cancer.
