Playwright/Alumnus David Lamb's Advice for Incoming Hunter Students

1. I was the first person in my family to go directly from high school to college, and I wish that someone would have grabbed me that first week of school and quietly told me, "Just because you are in college doesn't mean that you have to wear hard sole shoes."

2. Hanging out in the cafeteria playing cards, video games or gossiping when you could and in fact should be in the library studying is NOT COOL, during my time here many a twelfth year junior could be found spending their time in the cafeteria.

3. Believe it or not studying in the library is cool.

4. This is not high school, just because your teacher doesn't follow up with you individually to see that you have done each and every assignment does not mean that they have given you a pass not to do the work.

5. Thank God for teaching assistants do NOT be afraid to use them. This point cannot be stressed enough with respect to Expository Writing also known as English 120, at times your professors will be like drill sergeants in this class.

6. It's for your own good and all for the best - as it says in the course description, "through reading, discussing, writing and rewriting English 120 teaches students to generate, explore and refine their own ideas." I for one am quite grateful to my drill instructors, I mean professors, for their unrelenting tenacity in helping me to grow to appreciate the power of rewriting. I have no doubt that I would not be a writer today were it not for their diligence.

7. Algebraic formulas have use in your career.

8. Discipline.

9. IF you put your mind to it and have discipline you will be able to, depending on the courses, handle more than 12 credits in a semester, maybe not your first semester but ultimately you will. I believe I once had 18 or 21 credits--while working two jobs, but then again I have been labeled a psychotic workaholic.

10. Summer school is NOT an evil word... it can help you graduate on time.

11. GPA is not a baseball statistic.

12. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES HERE! I was not aware of even 20% of the opportunities here.  Yet I managed in my time here to participate in the NYS Legislative Intern program, write that down now please - the New York State Legislative Intern program it is a wonderful program that allows you to spend an entire semester working in Albany in the office of a state legislator, receive a full semester of credit and a stipend. There are also course on state government you will take while there.

13. If you took high school physics and did well, think about taking some micro-economic courses.

14. At the pizza shop on 70th make sure they give you a fresh slice of pizza not the reheated ones that they cooked 1/2 hour ago with the cracking crust underneath.

David Lamb, a 1987 graduate of Hunter, wrote the play, Platanos and Collard Greens, based on his book "Do Platanos Go Wit' Collard Greens?"