Do any college students actually read their course syllabi? In the eyes of one college educator, the answer would presumably be a resounding ‘no.’ The kids of Stranger Things aren’t old enough to go to college just yet, but a gone-viral professor sent their students a hilarious reference to the Hawkins, Indiana series to get them to read the darn syllabus. Naturally, that pop culture tactic is now blowing up on Tik Tok.
One Tik Tok user recently shared a clever tribute to Stranger Things that their professor, Sacremento State University's Dr. Garret Merriam, had shared with the class. Check out the video below:
@poisonkandi ♬ original sound - candy ⚡️
The Tik Tok shows a short video presentation sent to Tik Tok user @poisonkandi from Dr. Merriam. In a funny homage to the opening credits from Stranger Things, the professor asked a series of questions they are no doubt tired of hearing students pose, considering all of the information needed is in the syllabus. The horror! The horror!
Set to Stranger Things’ signature creepy music, the professor showed a series of questions like “Does this course satisfy any GE credits?” and “Where is your office?” The red logo in the background, which would normally spell out Stranger Things, instead spells out “Read the syllabus” (a time-honored maxim of college professors since the dawn of time).
While it’s impossible to know whether or not the professor’s video is actually successful in keeping students from asking silly questions, their efforts on iMove weren’t totally in vain. After a student shared the original YouTube post on Tik Tok, the video has racked up almost 500,000 likes and over 2,000 comments. The comments section is full of teachers commiserating with the professor about clueless students, with some even vowing to show the video to their own classes. Some students claimed a video like this would actually make them read the syllabus, proving that there’s hope for the new generation after all. And it didn't even take the threat of a slimy monster to get the word spread.
While there hasn’t been a new season of Stranger Things since 2019, the professor’s reference was right on point, since Season 3 remains some of the most-streamed content on Netflix, beating out hits like Bridgerton and The Witcher. Research also showed that many audience members were not only finishing every season, they were going back to rewatch their favorite moments. Some of these repeat viewers were presumably students of that college professor, since their video appeared to be quite effective. Teachers, take note: sometimes all it takes to get a class invested is a reference to a popular sci-fi show.
Season 4 of Stranger Things was announced to be premiering on Netflix sometime this summer, so we’ll be sure to let you know the exact date as soon as it drops. In the meantime, you can catch up with earlier seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix or check out these other exciting TV premieres set to make a splash in 2022.
