Auntie SparkNotes: Setting the Curve

Dear Auntie,

So, I always set the curve in my bio class on tests. The teacher has a system where she calls out the name of the person who set the curve. The entire class then proceeds to stare at the person who set the curve for the next few minutes (but it feels like hours). I never know how to react. These are the methods I have tried:

1. Sit completely still. Keep a straight face and look directly at the teacher.
2. Smile slightly and keep my head down.

...And that's all really. People in the class are always calling my name and joking about murdering me before the next test. I always feel obnoxious and showy no matter what I do, and I'm trying to make more friends so I really don't want to alienate people with my reaction.

Of course you don't! And hey, here's some good news: as the star student in your bio class, there's a pretty good chance that you'll always set the curve on tests. Every time. With the reliability of a well-oiled machine. And since even the most extraordinary event becomes ordinary routine when it happens on a regular basis, your curve-setting status will eventually become just another unremarkable fact of life for you and your classmates—which means that both their reactions and your discomfort should be shortly dwindling down to a manageable level.

And until that happens, all you have to do is not be weird about it.

Which, as of right now, it sounds like you're managing about half the time. Smiling and ducking when the announcement comes? Hey, that's fine: it conveys humility, humanity, and your totally understandable embarrassment at being singled out as the class brainiac. But staring straight ahead, unmoving and unsmiling, and studiously avoiding eye contact with your peers?

...Er, you do know that staying quiet and holding very still does not actually make you invisible, right? It just makes you seem aloof and uncomfortable. And, as always, acting weird and uncomfortable about your own achievements is the best and easiest way to ensure that everyone else is weird and uncomfortable about them as well.

So, for starters, quietly nix the Freeze-n-Stare from your repertoire—and replace it with the following patented move for those times when you're suddenly in the spotlight, your classmates are hollering, and you need to acknowledge it gracefully:

1) Look down and smile.
2) Raise one hand, give a single, short wave, and then return to whatever you were doing. (Think of it as receiving a curtain call; this is the in-class equivalent of taking a polite bow and leaving the stage.)

And, BONUS: If anyone jokes about murdering you before the next test, joke back that you've hired an attack gerbil to ward off any would-be assassins.

And when you get nervous about alienating your peers, remember that there's a big difference between the natural glow of your smarts and the spotlight-hogging behavior of an obnoxious braggart. You're academically gifted, and just as with any natural talent, sometimes it's going to show. And when it comes to how people react, the important thing isn't whether or not you set the curve—it's whether you do it with grace. So get quietly comfy with your smartypants self, take the compliments and attention in stride, and everyone else will follow your lead.

And if you really want to bank some goodwill, you can always offer to host a study session before the next test. With cheesy snacks.

How do you handle being singled out for your smarts? Give our letter-writer your best tips and tricks! And to get advice from Auntie, email her at advice@sparknotes.com.

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