Bill O’Reilly Talking Points


How to Matriculate Today


College across town, which I did? Let’s face it. The Michigan Wol-


verine freshman package should include a course called “How to Be a Wimp.” Gov. Tim Walz could teach it. He’s already wrecked Minnesota; Michigan is close by. College should mirror real life.


You work hard. You succeed or fail. You pay your $75,000 tuition. Yes, you will be subjected to nutty professors and high-strung students. You will eat bad food on your journey and sometimes be absolutely grossed out by the entire experience. But in order to “acclimate,” you have to plow through it — not snivel around like some CNN guest. In order to experience my aca-


I


t was 55 years ago that my parents drove me to Poughkeep- sie, N.Y., to begin my freshman year at Marist College.


You know the cliché “a breath of


fresh air”? Poughkeepsie wasn’t. The “real feel” temperature was around 99 degrees. It was one big bayou. John Belushi and his Animal


House pals would have loved Marist. Nonstop chaos. Many libations. Most of the freshmen were dazed


and confused. My folks couldn’t get out of there fast enough. In fact, I believe my father left rubber tracks making a right-hand turn heading back to Long Island. See you Thanksgiving. Maybe. My roommate, a guy from Con-


necticut, was appalled. When I asked what his major was, he replied: “Get- ting the F out of here.” Three credits. Well, times have


certainly changed. At the University of Michigan,


the administration is worried about a growing “mental health” crisis


36 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2026


among students. So, freshmen will not be traditionally graded; instead, they will receive a “pass or no credit” on individual classes.


Let’s face it. The Michigan Wolverine freshman package should include a course called “How to Be a Wimp.” Gov. Tim Walz could teach it.


The Michigan brass says this:


“The program will acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrin- sic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys.” Sweet! Intrinsic motivations! I


didn’t even know what that meant until I was 36. As for my “meaning- ful academic journey” — does that include instigating a brawl at Vassar


demic journey, I had to paint houses in the summer, learn to confront challenges from both teachers and my confused peers, and fulfi ll my obligations — A to F. There were no pansy grades or


health crisis discussions unless you include what time the bars closed. In fact, if you want to study college health maladies, my class made that easy. Almost every student in the late 1960s should have been in therapy. But most of us made it through


Faber College or wherever. It wasn’t easy, but we didn’t need some woke professor “guiding” us to stuff that was personally meaningful. We fi g- ured that out. So here’s the curriculum: Get the


degree, get the job, be grateful you’re not going to Beijing U. All meaning- ful; especially the China experience. Surely, the Mandarins would see


to your mental health crisis. Say hello to the coal mine.


Bill O’Reilly hosts The O’Reilly Update on more than 100 radio stations, and is the author of Confronting Evil.


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