Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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May 19, 2026

Dead man

by David M Willis on September 25, 2019 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Birthday Pursuit
└ Tags: mike, sal, walky

Discussion (146) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 25, 2019 at 12:01 am | #

    C for… consequences

    as in, when Walky fails to realize this nudge from Amber is keeping him aloft and ends up bombing out again

    …nah, he won’t face any consequences, I bet Mrs. W can just BUY Walky some passing grades with all the money they saved neglecting Sal

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 25, 2019 at 12:18 am | #

      Linda isn’t into academic dishonesty, but she is into xenophobia and the genocide of all martians.

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 25, 2019 at 12:18 am | #

      Honestly I can actually see her doing that, she’s close enough to the Dean and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was planning on doing it in advance.

      • Axel
        Axel
        September 25, 2019 at 12:29 am | #

        Especially with math. Anything actually related to his telecommunications degree, she’d probably love, since it would force him (via her nagging) to consider changing to a major that’s more desirable (to her). But math he’d need to get into doctoring (as she mentioned to Dotty’s parents), or engineering, or whatever else would be acceptable to her.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 7:09 am | #

          Maybe, but I suspect for Walky the consequences of Linda finding out would be worse than any practical consequences of failing a class. And of course he wouldn’t tell her ahead of time, so she wouldn’t be able to do it until after the fact, when it was already in his record.

  2. Diner Kinetic
    Diner Kinetic
    September 25, 2019 at 12:02 am | #

    Mike made a pun and now I respect him

    • Br44n5m
      Br44n5m
      September 25, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      As law states it must be

  3. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    September 25, 2019 at 12:03 am | #

    This is super relatable. My senior year I was utterly convinced I was flunking an elective I needed to graduate, which would mean disaster. After a terrible midterm I basically ran screaming into the professor’s office asking for advice, opportunities for extra credit, recommendations for tutors, does your car need washed, anything.

    He went through my record and told me that I was getting a B-. Wasted a perfectly good panic attack.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      September 25, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

      I had a similar experience on Saturday. I was getting my first grad on an assignment from grad school back and I was terrified I’d failed it.

      I was only two points off from an A. Screw you, brain weasels.

      • Zero
        Zero
        September 25, 2019 at 12:27 am | #

        “Brain Weasels” is a phrase I’d never think I’d actually hear.

        And this coming from the guy who regularly says “Son of a shit weasel!”

        • Clif
          Clif
          September 25, 2019 at 9:20 am | #

          Who would have guessed they weren’t metaphors?

          • Sunny
            Sunny
            September 25, 2019 at 9:13 pm | #

            The brain moles know.

    • Woomy
      Woomy
      September 25, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

      My Freshman year I dropped out of math when I got a 50% on the first test, not knowing that an F in high school can easily become a C with a college curved grading system

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 25, 2019 at 7:13 am | #

        I’ve got nothing against grading tests on a curve, but it should definitely be made clear on the returned test what that percentage actually means.

        • Woomy
          Woomy
          September 25, 2019 at 8:26 pm | #

          Haha, yep!

          But it never was, in any class.

          Am I gonna pass biochem and graduate this quarter? I cannot say anything, one water or the other, until a full week after finals.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 25, 2019 at 8:48 am | #

        Man, the American system is so strange…

        • Mister Sparkle
          Mister Sparkle
          September 25, 2019 at 10:26 am | #

          In America, an 18% tip is automatically included for classes of 10 students or more, so a 50% becomes a 68%, that’s a passing grade.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            September 25, 2019 at 10:39 am | #

            Just to be clear for foreigners who might be confused – that’s not true. 🙂

            Professors can choose to curve or not curve grades. It’s generally based on how hard they want to make their tests.

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            September 25, 2019 at 6:46 pm | #

            Tipping is good in a lot of situations. Academic evaluation is not one of them.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        September 25, 2019 at 4:40 pm | #

        Ah yes, the magic of grading on a curve. In my freshman year of engineering, my very first midterm (physics) I got 26%, I was in shock and ready to drop out of university completely. Then I discovered that the class average was 12%, and I had actually passed. It was an effective wake-up however, and I quickly learned how to study properly.

        • foamy
          foamy
          September 25, 2019 at 5:33 pm | #

          Oh yeah. If you ever want to terrify people get an engineer to discuss what their weeder course absolute test scores were.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 9:53 pm | #

          My professor explained to me that he could write tests to set the class average wherever he liked and he liked to do so around 50, so that there was more room to distinguish how the students at the top are doing. Set it at 80 and half the class is crammed at the top only a few points apart.

          It’s logical and makes sense, but it’s sure demoralizing. Even when you know there’s a curve and everyone is struggling, when you’re taking the test you feel like you don’t know anything.

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      September 25, 2019 at 12:20 am | #

      This is a good example of the other side of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Dunning-Kruger is not just about incompetent people thinking they’re more competent than they really are; it’s also about competent people thinking they’re less competent than they really are (cf. “Impostor Syndrome”).

      • Norah
        Norah
        September 25, 2019 at 12:41 am | #

        But Walky’s grade was adjusted upward by Amber. Of course, Walky has the intelligence to pass math; he just needs some competent tutoring and also how to study effectively.

      • Home
        Home
        September 25, 2019 at 6:52 am | #

        Ok so, this has become a pet peve of mine but that is not what the Dunning-Kruiger study suggests at all, one people repeat it all the time despite it’s incorrectness. For a one sentence tldr: the sturdy suggest that people tend to judge themselves as average. For better learning check this link https://graphpaperdiaries.com/2017/08/20/the-real-dunning-kruger-graph/amp/

        • Sunny
          Sunny
          September 25, 2019 at 9:20 pm | #

          I dunno… I tend to think I’m average while at the same time thinking that other people are doing it wrong.

        • Michael Haneline
          Michael Haneline
          September 25, 2019 at 11:51 pm | #

          Those charts all indicate that most people tend to think of themselves as above average, though? “Students performing in the bottom 25% among their peers on tests of grammar, logical reasoning, and humor tended to think that they are performing above the 60th percentile”
          Like, no it doesn’t say they think they’re experts, but they think they’re competent.

    • Nono
      Nono
      September 25, 2019 at 3:57 am | #

      Did you also date a vigilante with sweet hacking skills?

  4. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 25, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

    Walky, you haven’t even had a midterm yet. Your grade was probably recoverable BEFORE Amber changed it.

    Which – again, that’s gonna have to come up at some point, if only because it risks both of them being tossed out of school on their ear.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      September 25, 2019 at 12:24 am | #

      I’m not sure it will come up. I checked to be sure and Amber actually stole the hard copies. So there’s no evidence of tampering. As far as I can tell she’s the only one who knows, unless she admits to it herself. I think they’re both in the clear.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 25, 2019 at 12:30 am | #

        Well, yeah, it’s only if the school finds out, but that still seems like the kind of risk Walky should know about.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 25, 2019 at 7:16 am | #

        It absolutely will come up again, even if it’s only Walky confronting Amber about it. They may get away with it, but it’s not going to be dropped without some fallout.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        September 25, 2019 at 10:20 am | #

        Also, Walky’s been destroying the evidence of his returned papers.

    • Charlie
      Charlie
      September 25, 2019 at 4:24 am | #

      Would Walky be in trouble, if Amber said it was her and they both say Walky didn’t know? Even if the uni is suspicious that Walky was involved, it doesn’t seem like there’s much they can do purely on suspicion.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 25, 2019 at 6:01 pm | #

        I men this is the same school that fired Jason on hearsay, so I wouldn’t be surprised.

  5. ian livs
    ian livs
    September 25, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

    Relatable.

    Also reminded me of the time I ate a midterm report instead of showing it to my parents bc I didn’t wanna get yelled at for “bad” grades. (Was making like a 94 or 95. Their standards at the time were… high.)

    • Woomy
      Woomy
      September 25, 2019 at 12:08 am | #

      You guys do know there are alternative ways to dispose of thing other than eating them, right?

      • AGV
        AGV
        September 25, 2019 at 4:55 am | #

        Fuck alternatives, eat those bad grades, absorb their negative power

        • Clif
          Clif
          September 25, 2019 at 9:29 am | #

          Consume your failure and let it make you stronger. Maybe add paste for flavor and vitamin content.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 25, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

      My mom told me how her brother once hid a bad report card by shoving it in…I guess the cafeterias of the time had apple dispensers? Like, you’d put in a coin and out would come an apple?

      Which just means the next kid who wanted an apple got a free report card with it, and turned it into the office. With brilliant ideas like that, it’s no wonder my uncle was getting lousy grades.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      September 25, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

      Whoa, Langoliers flashback.

    • Axel
      Axel
      September 25, 2019 at 12:40 am | #

      thankfully my mom* only checked report cards and not assignments, so the anxiety about her finding out only came a couple times a year.

      -less relevant background info below-

      (I was a ‘gifted’ kid, so like most gifted kids, I peaked academically around the age of 14-15, then continuously plummeted due to stress, not knowing how to learn when I wasn’t just picking stuff up immediately, and mental health issues becoming more prominent every day. Still got decent grades in Grade 12 and went to college (where she couldn’t monitor grades) until I dropped out for health, but not good enough grades for my mom when I was a straight-A elementary and middle schooler, esp with an older brother who did manage to keep up the grades)

      *dad dropped out of school and turned out fine and had (has) a good job, and was chiller about grades

    • JBento
      JBento
      September 25, 2019 at 7:37 am | #

      YOU’re relatable. My parents’ response to my 94% was “What happened to the other six?”

      • Kat
        Kat
        September 26, 2019 at 12:00 am | #

        I actually got a 95 average at the end of the year in Biology. My teacher put “Does not work up to full potential” on my report card every semester. I kept an A the entire year, but somehow wasn’t working up to my full potential. I never understood what she expected, since I was fulfilling almost everything she was looking for by her own testing criteria.

  6. Deadjolras
    Deadjolras
    September 25, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

    I fear Walky will start thinking that, as long as he can scrape by, then he’s doing fine and shouldn’t put any effort into studying.

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      September 25, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

      It’s not like this is his finale grade for the class though.

    • vivid grim
      vivid grim
      September 25, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

      is that……… different from what he’s been doing

      • newllend(henryvolt)
        newllend(henryvolt)
        September 25, 2019 at 12:19 am | #

        He was about to just lay up in bed all day and mope about how hopeless he was.

      • Deadjolras
        Deadjolras
        September 25, 2019 at 12:28 am | #

        I’ve just had a lot of personal experiences about this very same thing. Failing to study and not going to class because I can’t understand the material and obviously I’m hopeless and I’m obviously going to fail this course, so why even try? Only to then discover that actually, I somehow managed to achieve a (barely) passing grade!

        And from the sheer relief, I would go “well, I guess I wasn’t doing as bad as I thought! If I could miss all those classes and not study, and still get this grade, then I guess I’m doing fine and therefore I don’t need to change my ways at all!”

        I hope Walky doesn’t reach the same conclusion.

        • newllend(henryvolt)
          newllend(henryvolt)
          September 25, 2019 at 12:47 am | #

          I never understood that train of thought, but maybe that was just me back when I thought a C meant I didn’t pass but I would haft to repeat the class which was no different to me than failing. If I was in Walky situation I’d still be panicking I still being holding on to some desperate glimmer of hope.

          If it was a B- then I’d relieved.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            September 25, 2019 at 2:10 am | #

            You don’t have to repeat for C’s, generally, unless it’s a required class. This one isn’t for Walky’s major. It is for his mom, but his mom can go fuck herself so.

            • Drake
              Drake
              September 25, 2019 at 6:25 am | #

              American grading systems sound weird.

            • LeslieBean4shizzle
              LeslieBean4shizzle
              September 25, 2019 at 9:52 am | #

              Re: “don’t have to repeat for C’s”
              That very, VERY much depends on the school. The one where I teach does not give any credit for any grade less than C… and that includes C-. Less than a 74% and you get no credit for the class and have to repeat. And no, not just for major classes – it applies to all classes taught by the English and Math departments (and maybe others? – I only know those two for sure because that’s where I work/where my friends work).

              • Roborat
                Roborat
                September 25, 2019 at 4:30 pm | #

                So you can fail a course with a 73? That seems a little harsh, anything above 70 is a pretty good mark.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                September 25, 2019 at 5:59 pm | #

                That IS weird, but it’s also why I said ‘generally’. Most people don’t consider C a failing grade.

        • Ron
          Ron
          September 25, 2019 at 1:25 am | #

          To me a barely passing grade would mean I could get an actully good grade so it motivated me to do better. I guess even after panicking I still wanted to get good grades.

          • Deadjolras
            Deadjolras
            September 25, 2019 at 6:18 pm | #

            I wish I had reached that conclusion instead. Instead, I used my sense of relief to continue justifying my laziness and to continue putting off any efforts to improve my situation.

        • TheWanderingMist
          TheWanderingMist
          September 25, 2019 at 6:07 pm | #

          Assuming a Willis character will reach an intelligent decision quickly…how naive.

          • Deadjolras
            Deadjolras
            September 25, 2019 at 6:22 pm | #

            I didn’t make intelligent decisions either so I guess I’m hoping this fictional character won’t be as much of a dumbass as I am.

  7. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    September 25, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

    Walky, I know you said you didn’t want Amber to change your grades but right now you should be happy she did and take this chance to fix your grades before no amount of hacking can save your ass.

  8. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    September 25, 2019 at 12:08 am | #

    *plays Weird Al’s “Eat It” on the hacked Muzak*

  9. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    September 25, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

    Advisory: If you don’t know what vore means, don’t look it up. Trust me on this.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 25, 2019 at 1:14 am | #

      We can give you a list of other terms to look up.

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      September 25, 2019 at 10:51 am | #

      It’s Kirby, right??

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 25, 2019 at 8:05 pm | #

        Except Waddle Doo enjoys it.

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      September 25, 2019 at 4:45 pm | #

      I second this. I accidently stumbled upon vore while exploring some back alleys of the internet and was traumatized for weeks.

  10. Shane Wegner
    Shane Wegner
    September 25, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

    C’s get degrees. Even if Amber hacking is a factor. Knowing a hacker willing to help you is a valid life skill.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      September 25, 2019 at 12:12 am | #

      Lord Thingly would never dream of getting anything but a “gentleman’s C”.

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 25, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

      Not really… Hackers are self taught, but without an honest academic degree, or even something for a public college you can’t get a job with certainty. To make money as a hacker you would have to work as a freelancer, and still have to show a portfolio of your skills.

      As for having a hacker as an ally, Walky isn’t a supervillain or anarchist in need of max haxx, nor he is Joker from Persona 5.

    • Madock345
      Madock345
      September 25, 2019 at 4:36 am | #

      Truuuth. Never underestimate the value of skilled friends. Especially in a bureaucratic nightmare system like college.

  11. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    September 25, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    How is Walky going to react if Amber reveals she modified his grades in an illegal way? Maybe he wouldn’t care about academic dishonesty, but he would care about his loved one doing something stupid for him after weeks of self hatred and nihilism.

    “We were supposed to not care!”

    “Well,. I care, Walky!”

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      September 25, 2019 at 12:29 am | #

      “How is Walky going to react if when Amber reveals she modified his grades in an illegal way after he asked her not to?”

      FTFY!

      • LeslieBean4shizzle
        LeslieBean4shizzle
        September 25, 2019 at 9:59 am | #

        So be fair, that isn’t exactly what happened. She modified his grades after he directly asked her to – and then he changed his mind once the digital deed was done and she couldn’t easily go back on it (for reasons?). And she tried to tell him that, but Walky ran off without listening. And THEN Amber stole the physical records, presumably to protect herself from getting caught rather than to help Walky.

        Just saying, Walky did ask for her to commit an illegal act for him. The fact that he changed his mind after the illegal act was done doesn’t change the fact that he agreed to it in the first place.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 10:47 am | #

          If I read it right, he asked, she changed them, he changed his mind, she changed them back, he left and then she decided to “schooch them up just enough to keep him off academic probation”.

          And then she went and stole the hard copies.

          So, a little of both. He did ask her too, but had a bit of growth where he realized that wasn’t a good thing, and then she did it anyway and not just because she couldn’t fix it.

  12. TooOldToBeCool
    TooOldToBeCool
    September 25, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    Walky must be getting enough fiber from all the assignments he’s eaten.

    Let’s hope the semester audit isn’t binding.

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 25, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

      He gets fiber from nachitos. Every bag contains 1% of necessary nutrition, so he eats 100 bags on a dialy basis and he clogs toilets to Jason’s grief.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 25, 2019 at 7:58 pm | #

        Why would Jason care? He wasn’t a janitor or plumber, he didn’t tutor Walky at his home, and while he might be expected to clean bathrooms at Galasso’s (I don’t know how bartenders work), we haven’t seen Walky eat there, so he probably doesn’t do so with any regularity.

  13. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    September 25, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    Okay so we’re addressing this, don’t know why he so hopeful though that’s C’s not going to help him if he bombs midterms.

  14. vivid grim
    vivid grim
    September 25, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

    algebra vore
    geometry vore
    graph vore

    the possibilities are infinite

    • Dean
      Dean
      September 25, 2019 at 12:33 am | #

      You might say that Walky could be… an omni vore

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      September 25, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

      I was free associating on this and I came up with Beethoven’s Vore Elise, and now I’m legally not allowed to leave my new home, Garbage Roof.

      • vivid grim
        vivid grim
        September 25, 2019 at 1:41 am | #

        it’s vore roof now, tyvm

        • Clif
          Clif
          September 25, 2019 at 11:16 pm | #

          Vore roof? You expect us to swallow that?

  15. Kernanator
    Kernanator
    September 25, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

    I’ve tried to eat paper before. It is significantly less appetizing than you’d think.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 25, 2019 at 2:50 am | #

      I’ve never tried eating paper before, but I’m assuming they don’t factor in how it’ll taste when they make it.

    • Charlotte
      Charlotte
      September 25, 2019 at 3:08 pm | #

      Well, Walky has eaten plenty of his math papers already, so he doesn’t seem to have problems.

  16. FLUFFYWOLF
    FLUFFYWOLF
    September 25, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

    I blame his parents. I bet they’ll start foaming at the mouth if he comes back with a b minus in something.

  17. Evan
    Evan
    September 25, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

    Sounds like the grade may be on a Curve, something Walky may not have realized because he never paid attention in class.

    • SUGauthor
      SUGauthor
      September 25, 2019 at 12:21 am | #

      The reason his grade is higher then he thought it was is because Amber hacked into the school files for him.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/scooch/

      • Rikunda
        Rikunda
        September 25, 2019 at 1:10 am | #

        1) How did you remember that?! My memory sucks… 2) Even if she had left it wouldn’t he still be able to pass… It is midterms. He has the other half to bring up his grade to a passing (c). I get he never had to put in effort before, and now he does but refuses to…

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 7:28 am | #

          Right, but he doesn’t know she did, so he may think he’s not doing as bad as he actually will be if he doesn’t get his act together.

  18. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    September 25, 2019 at 12:16 am | #

    I don’t know if this pisses me off or not. Best be indifferent just to be safe.

  19. Amy
    Amy
    September 25, 2019 at 12:23 am | #

    I am currently dying laughing, because I’m a teacher and I happened to read this on the same day that I watched a 9th grader eat a story he didn’t want me to read…

  20. Yo
    Yo
    September 25, 2019 at 12:23 am | #

    Hopefully Walky takes this as a sign that he can study hard and push up to a B with the midterm, instead of reverting to 0.1 Walky who believes he can get good grades without trying.

  21. Questionor
    Questionor
    September 25, 2019 at 12:24 am | #

    As Winslow says “Math is Delicious!”

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      September 25, 2019 at 12:35 am | #

      “Now with more integers!”

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 25, 2019 at 1:02 am | #

        Uncountable many integers!!!

        What?

        • Marsh Maryrose
          Marsh Maryrose
          September 25, 2019 at 1:16 am | #

          I was going to link to the t-shirt ordering site but alas, that t-shirt is no longer offered. I have one and will cherish it for as long as it is still marginally wearable:

          math is delicious!

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          September 25, 2019 at 10:23 am | #

          Uncountable?

          That’s not how The Integers work!

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 25, 2019 at 11:22 pm | #

            Ah, someone gets the joke.

            But… If they’re countable, how many do you get when you count them?

            • Marsh Maryrose
              Marsh Maryrose
              September 25, 2019 at 11:52 pm | #

              You get ALL TEH INTEGERS!

  22. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 25, 2019 at 12:57 am | #

    Stop eating paper, Walky.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 25, 2019 at 1:03 am | #

      But it’s the healthiest thing in his diet.

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        September 25, 2019 at 1:31 am | #

        He needs his roughage.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 25, 2019 at 2:48 am | #

        …that’s sadly true

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      September 25, 2019 at 2:15 am | #

      But how else will he retain his illusion of perfection with his mother?

    • JBento
      JBento
      September 25, 2019 at 7:39 am | #

      But it has a lot of fibre. It’s important to regulate bowel movements.

  23. Tacos
    Tacos
    September 25, 2019 at 1:32 am | #

    That “C” is because Amber changed his grades isn’t it?

  24. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 25, 2019 at 2:14 am | #

    It seems many underestimated Amber. Instead of changing Walky’s score to ‘perfect’, she changed it to ‘barely scraping by’, thus giving him hope that, just maybe, he can work his way around this. We’ll see if he takes this chance in the spirit it was intended or just use it as another excuse to slack off!

    Meanwhile… Is Mike actually trying to develop a human sense of humour?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 25, 2019 at 2:20 am | #

      That’s exactly what she did.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/scooch/

  25. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    September 25, 2019 at 2:15 am | #

    That’s not how you digest information, Walky.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 25, 2019 at 2:48 am | #

      That’s his best study technique so far

  26. Keulen
    Keulen
    September 25, 2019 at 2:47 am | #

    Does Walky even need to do well in math for his major, which if I remember right, was telecommunications? Yep, telecommunications. Somehow I doubt you need math for that major.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 25, 2019 at 2:49 am | #

      Well, he will probably need math when he switches to medicine to become a doctor

      • BenRG
        BenRG
        September 25, 2019 at 2:53 am | #

        That’s the point, isn’t it? He’s in college partly for his own self-image but mostly for Linda’s objectives for his life. I strongly suspect that he may drop out when he finally gets around to processing just how toxic his parents attitude towards their children really is.

    • Sol Karas
      Sol Karas
      September 25, 2019 at 3:49 am | #

      Lots of degrees require you to have at least one course in the major categories. University I went to you needed a course in math, english (or a course that satisfies the “written” requirement, so basically anything in the liberal arts would do), a humanities, a science, and a social science.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 25, 2019 at 5:56 pm | #

        My school needed a arts/humanities, one from a language (counting English) and one from math or science. I took astronomy because fuck taking a math class.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 25, 2019 at 7:30 am | #

      He’s still going to need to learn to study at some point. Better now in a class outside his major than in a year or two in a class he really needs.

      I still kind of wish this plotline wasn’t in a math class, since that just plays into “math is hard, you don’t need it, just drop it and you’ll be fine”. Which isn’t the point.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 25, 2019 at 5:57 pm | #

        I kinda hope he ends up having a hard time in gender studies or something too for that reason.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 9:56 pm | #

          Of course any problems in gender studies will just be evidence of his problems with masculinity. 🙂

  27. Alanari
    Alanari
    September 25, 2019 at 3:26 am | #

    .. If he thinks that his way of doing things leads to a c, things are going to end badly anyway.

  28. Madock345
    Madock345
    September 25, 2019 at 3:53 am | #

    That alt-text is straight Cursed

    Also this plot line keeps being unintentionally comedic for me because of the melodrama of having an emotional breakdown over failing a single course. Like, chill. Take it next semester or in two years or online where it’s easier. Just stop going to the class if it upsets you that much.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 25, 2019 at 7:31 am | #

      No point in trying harder or learning how to study or anything like that. Just keep coasting through. It’ll be fine.

      • Megan Rivera
        Megan Rivera
        September 25, 2019 at 8:50 am | #

        Some people are bad at certain subjects no matter what. For instance, I took 4 years of Spanish and still can barely remember anything. I tried French and German, all the same. I just don’t have an ear for languages. There’s no shame in backing out of a course you’re just not cut out for.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 10:32 am | #

          But it’s also been made clear all along that he’s always been able to coast, that he’s never studied, that he doesn’t know how to do so. This isn’t a subject he’s particularly bad at, it’s just the first one he couldn’t do without effort.

          Maybe you’re right and he’d be able to coast through everything else in college without effort and he should just give up on math, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the point of this plot.

      • Madock345
        Madock345
        September 25, 2019 at 8:56 am | #

        These are things that you develop over your years in college, not in the course of a single class. If you have a class you can’t handle, take it later when you can. Note we’re not hearing him having problems in any other classes.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 25, 2019 at 10:36 am | #

          And if you’re not having trouble, no need to bother developing those skills.

  29. Nono
    Nono
    September 25, 2019 at 3:59 am | #

    Huh, just realized that Joyce is also now skipping class because of Jacob.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 25, 2019 at 11:28 pm | #

      First it was skipping church. Then it was skipping class. From there on it’s all downhill.

  30. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    September 25, 2019 at 8:11 am | #

    I hope he doesn’t going mad on Amber for changing his grades. She has really save him..

  31. TheFlamingonator
    TheFlamingonator
    September 25, 2019 at 9:14 am | #

    Hey if walky is good at eating his problems he should start an ASMR channel (that is still a thing right?)

  32. Pidgey
    Pidgey
    September 25, 2019 at 11:18 am | #

    I’m straight up annoyed at this. Sal worked hard to lift her grades and Walky didn’t. He blew off extra help and wanted to coast forever. With no consequences academically. I’ve known many people who failed classes and had to retake them. This feels so unjust.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 25, 2019 at 2:59 pm | #

      This isn’t over yet.
      That’s actually a good part of the argument Walky made when he changed his mind about having Amber change his grades – he didn’t mention Sal’s name, but he was talking about her.

    • Charlotte
      Charlotte
      September 25, 2019 at 3:06 pm | #

      Yeah… This is because Amber messed with the recorded grades, right?

  33. Sol Karas
    Sol Karas
    September 25, 2019 at 11:19 am | #

    On the one hand, I’m glad we’re not focusing on the trainwreck that is the Joyce plot.
    On the other hand, I want to focus on it so we can get it over with faster.
    HNNNNNGH.

    And yeah they haven’t even had midterms yet, I don’t see how Walky’s grades were completely unsalvageable at this point. I *bombed* a math midterm and still passed the course because I did well enough in the final and the lab assignments.

  34. SpaceshipPilot
    SpaceshipPilot
    September 25, 2019 at 12:07 pm | #

    I knew Mike must have been pregnant. Look, he’s already making dad jokes.

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 25, 2019 at 1:52 pm | #

      But who is the father?

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 25, 2019 at 11:30 pm | #

        Your mom.

  35. Roborat
    Roborat
    September 25, 2019 at 4:48 pm | #

    Is anyone else having problems with page navigation? When I click on the “latest” button I go the September 18 page, and every subsequent click of the button only advances one page at a time.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 25, 2019 at 11:37 pm | #

      Kind of. Recently I’ve been getting cached versions with old links unless I force it to update a new copy of a page.

  36. jedimasterdelta40
    jedimasterdelta40
    September 25, 2019 at 5:52 pm | #

    The struggle with grades never being what you think they are is extremely realistic, at least for me
    Also, new gravatar name! 🙂 The old one was from Jontron, so it was long overdue to change it. I just don’t comment much, so I kinda forgot this account existed.

  37. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    September 25, 2019 at 11:44 pm | #

    “Math Vore”

    Why is that word ending up everywhere?

  38. Falcon
    Falcon
    September 25, 2019 at 11:47 pm | #

    Wow, Walky’s at a C? That’s Amazi-girling!

  39. PB
    PB
    September 25, 2019 at 11:51 pm | #

    Walky tie your dingdang shoes

  40. elebenty
    elebenty
    September 26, 2019 at 3:24 pm | #

    *writes professor up for FERPA voilation*

  41. Rartorata
    Rartorata
    September 26, 2019 at 8:21 pm | #

    What a contrast with the rerun!

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