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Michigan Tech among nerdiest colleges, book says

By RYAN OLSON
The Daily Mining Gazette, Houghton
July 2, 2002

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan Tech University is among the "nerdiest" schools in the country, a guidebook says.

According to "The Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges," Michigan Tech ranks 10th nerdiest - right up there with such geek elites as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard and Princeton.

The rankings were based on a survey of high school guidance counselors. Among the questions: Where might a re-make of the movie "Revenge of the Nerds" be filmed?

For Deb Watt, a fifth-year clinical lab sciences senior from Midland, her school's distinction was good for a laugh.

"Nerdiness is usually associated more with the sciences and engineering, and that's what we do," Watt told The Daily Mining Gazette for a story Tuesday.

But she said only a few Tech students conform to the stereotype of seldom leaving their dorm rooms except to go to class.

Dan Hoffman, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major from Lansing, said he would define nerds as students who are paranoid about their futures and "take their grades very seriously."

"I guess that any successful school would be on that list," he said.

About 60 percent of Tech's students study engineering, and a large majority of the rest prefer the sciences and mathematics.

"It's good that we're recognized by a number of high school guidance counselors," university spokesman Dean Woodbeck said.

He said Michigan Tech would like to get beyond the "nerd" reputation as it tries to diversify programming and draw more students, but he added, "I think think a lot of people kind of revel in it."

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Michigan Tech: http://www.mtu.edu