'Body Shots' witty approach to college

by Nick Juliano
Senior Campus Writer

Moving in, attending your first party, interacting with the opposite sex, studying for midterms - these are experiences all college students share; now a book has come along that demonstrates how funny they all can be.

"Student Body Shots: A Sarcastic Look at the Best 4-6 Years of Your Life", by Steve Hofstetter, provides pithy observations on nearly all aspects of college life. From orientation to graduation, Hofstetter points out quirky aspects that make college what it is - the time of your life.

A recent graduate of Columbia University, Hofstetter has the experience and the wit to provide students with a satirical, but generally accurate, picture of college. The book has an "it's funny because it's true" appeal to it that students - in their first or fifth years - can enjoy.

For example, Hofstetter's take on a typical college party: "I love the guy who yells 'party!' at the top of his lungs. Beer, dim lighting, a couple going at it in the corner - I could have sworn I was in class. Thanks for clearing that up."

The book does not focus solely on the social aspect of college life, however. Other subjects near and dear to every student's heart are covered, including professors, classes, books and finals.

"When you have a ton of reading to do before finals, it's really frustrating," Hofstetter writes. "600 pages by Monday? That's so unfair. They should have given us more time to do this. Like three months."

In addition to the most typical college experiences, Hofstetter also finds humor in what would normally be considered the mundane aspects of college life. His observations on the day-to-day activities like getting mail, talking on instant-messenger programs and doing laundry show Hofstetter's true talent. Anyone can make an annoying professor or out-of-control party funny, but turning daily activities into jokes takes real talent.

"Student Body Shots" is largely based on the online humor column Observational Humor, which Hofstetter distributed to subscribers via e-mail and published online (www.collegehumor.com.) But for his subscribers, the book includes pages of new material including songs about college and "The Math of Dating," which expresses the institution of college dating in easy-to-understand math formulas.

After reading "Student Body Shots" one will be able to see the humor in everything college students experience. The book looks at college as a one-time experience that students need to experience for all it is worth for the four to six years they are enrolled.