April Fools Day at Georgetown University

I am a small town boy from Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania who did his graduate work at Georgetown University. Living and studying at Georgetown was quite a cultural shock. I was there in the late seventies and early eighties, and this story is based on my experience with the university at that time. I have since lost track of the school, and I have no idea what it is like today.

The Georgetown Culture

The Georgetown culture was unique. I never saw so many intelligent, talented, ambitious, and driven people in one place, at one time. The students were always studying and working hard. The library was always packed even on the weekends. Very few people dated and there were just a few parties and social occasions to attend. It was as if getting ahead in life, getting into medical or law school, or getting that first job was all that mattered in life.

The Joke

In that environment, someone thought of a very appropriate April Fools Day joke. There was an article in the student newspaper that said there was a fire in the computer room. All the student records were totally destroyed and could not be replaced. So the final grade for every student in every course ever taught at Georgetown University was changed to a C. The pursuit of excellance, the desire to get ahead was destroyed and now everyone was just plain average. So much for medical and law school and getting that first job. It has been so many years since I read that article, and I still get a laugh out of it.