In junior high, finding myself wasn’t easy. In ninth grade, I started taking multiple math classes because I told my parents that I was bored in school. That didn’t have any of that. So, taking senior high classes took me out of lunch with my “friends” and into a senior high schedule. I felt like Super Nerd couldn’t find her place. My “best friends” weren’t my friends for a year or so and I went back and forth between friend groups.
In tenth grade, I found myself when I realized that every group of friends is diverse and its members each hold a unique role such as the funny one, the helpful one, the party animal, the mom, the glue of the group and the list goes on and on.
Perhaps the most underrated (but what I believe to be the best) role you can have in a group, or in life, is the low-key nerd.
You may ask, What is the low-key nerd? Well, the low-key nerd is the person embodies the best qualities of a nerd, without being like Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory.”
Low-key nerds aren’t geeks. These people may be “cool” but know deep down that the loser is within them… and they’re perfectly fine with that. Usually, they genuinely have their “you know what” together, and are kind of “cool,” but they probably have the highest IQ’s amongst their friends.
If these qualities sound like you, you may, like myself, be the low-key nerd:
You’re like a Human Encyclopedia
Your friends are always wondering where half of what you say comes from. Your brain is like a sponge and you somehow remember random things that you learned throughout school. I mean who doesn’t know the first piano was the harpsichord?
You can ignore petty conversations by diving into your own brain
While everyone else is talking about how Jake didn’t answer a text or how Sam is being a “you know what” this week, you can just sit there, pretend to listen, and think about the new integration technique you just learned.
You’re like a mullet
You look like a good time, and you probably are, but for the most part, deep down you’re on a different level. You could be the girl that’s drunk, out at 3 am, dancing down Gardner Street carrying her heels, but still probably hold a conversation with someone sober about something normal.
You are the spokesperson of the group
Whenever you walk in front of adults, you are always the first one to talk. Because you have effective communication skills and they all look up to you and trust you, you always speak for the group or explain for everyone.
You probably have a unique taste in music
Since you are smart, odds are you probably played a musical instrument at some point in your life. Because you are constantly seeking new things to excite your brain, you probably have a wide array of music you’re into. You appreciate all types of music: Classical, Jazz, Rap… just maybe not Country.
When someone you think is cool or attractive makes an obvious error, you know better than to correct him or her
This is one main differences between high-key and low-key nerds. Despite wanting that person to like them, a really nerdy nerd will demean someone by correcting them.
Guys like smart girls, but they don’t like to feel stupid. Low-key nerds know when smile and nod as their dates tell them why Benjamin Franklin is their favorite president…
You usually know what you’re talking about and you don’t have to fake it.
This is the best low-key nerd trait! Real nerds will make it known that they are intelligent, and wannabe scholars will try to make themselves look smart even though they just embarrass themselves.
You on the other hand, can quietly relish in your intelligence without throwing it in everyone’s face.
All in all, I believe that being a low-key nerd is awesome.