Photo: (YouTube/BellaVoce123)
"So, like, where'd you go to school?" Get ready, grads -- that's one of those questions you're gonna hear every time you roll up at a party or start a new gig out in "the real world." It might seem like an innocent inquiry, but that ish gets complicated real quick -- just ask the latest viral sensation on the interwebz, Ivy League Hustler Nikki Muller.
We'd tell you which campus she kicked it at -- but we think she's got this one:
+ WATCH: Nikki Muller's "The Ivy League Hustle (I Went to Princeton, B*tch)"
Told ya. Yup, this 28-year-old Angeleno by way of Westchester, NY certainly has a way with words (she did get a 790 on her verbal SAT) -- and when she drops the P-bomb (please tell me y'all can figure that one out), she drops it HARD. But why did she decide to become a fierce femMC to spread her alma material rather than playing her trusty ukelele?
"I thought it would be nice for once that instead of the girl apologizing or getting shy about her education or accomplishments, that she would just go all Kanye West: self-aggrandizing, fully owning her total awesomeness, hyping herself up. You never see people hype themselves up unless it's in a rap -- it's like the only time I've seen a person completely revel in their own amazingness. And I thought it would be a fun little ego trip -- but at the same time, it's tongue-in-cheek," Nikki explains.
That last part's important because Miss Muller really doesn't want y'all to get it twisted -- she's definitely not trying to simply boast about her elite education:
"I don't think I'm better than anyone. Certainly not because I went to an Ivy League school. And that's the whole point of the second part of the video is that it doesn't really matter where you went to school ultimately -- it's about what you do with your life," says Nikki. "Going to a 'good' school -- maybe it can get you an i-banker job but it's not necessarily gonna give you the life you want."
Check out the rest of our chat with this former Glee girl (cuz Bach's the s***!) for more recent grad #realtalk -- and don't forget to catch Nikki on CBS's "This Morning" show on Saturday at 7am. Plus, y'all betta take Action for your education below so you can upload your own higher ed hypefest someday!
ACT: Loving your collegiate swagger -- way to get aggro! So what made you decide to make this video? Was it really a bad date with a d-bag?
NIKKI: Well, it was more based on the apologetic nature of when a guy asks a girl where she went to school and she doesn't want to answer because she knows he's gonna assume she's bragging or not talk to her because dudes are that insecure.
If you go to Harvard, they call it the "H-bomb;" if you go to Princeton, you drop the "P-bomb." For a guy, he drops the "P-bomb" and the girl's all "Oh wow!" but for a girl, you drop it and the guy gets all weird and like runs away.
ACT: Unforch, some people do think you're just bragging about your Ivy League education -- but that's not really what you're trying to do with this video, right?
NIKKI: Not at all!
I actually wrote this a year ago because I thought it was a funny idea to have a girl on a date with a douchebag who thinks he's f***ing awesome and then have her be like, "You know what, I'm just gonna own my s***." And just throw it in his face. I mean, if you were on a date with that guy, wouldn't you love to take him down a peg or two?
So the reason I didn't post this before is because I was really afraid that people would think I was bragging, but it's supposed to be satirical. And it's double-sided thing – yes, I'm totally bragging but it's an act of revenge on that guy. And then when I think about what I'm actually saying, I realize it doesn't matter because I still can't make more than $14 an hour. Hopefully I will eventually, but it's not gonna be because I went to Princeton. It's gonna come from years of hard work and struggle.
Everyone's in the same boat right now. We're all looking for jobs. We're all having a hard time. The other point of the video is that I don't wanna just be "Hey, I went to Princeton." It's more about the fact that anyone who worked hard as a student should be proud. We should all be proud of ourselves. And yes, we all can't find jobs. I just want everyone to empathize, and be like, "I feel you, dude. You are smart and I am sorry that you have to work at Starbucks." And I'm really relieved that 98% of people are taking the video that way -- I get really happy when I see someone comment that they totally know what I mean, that they're relating instead of just thinking that people from Princeton are a**holes.
Yes, it's specific to Princeton because that happens to be my story. But I was hoping that everyone else who's done stuff they're proud of would allow themselves a chance to enjoy it. It's fun to give yourself a moment of "F*** YEAH!" Like be your own personal hype man! Give yourself your own rap for a minute! Even if at the end of the day you don't make a ton of money, you should be proud of the work you did and what's good about yourself. ESPECIALLY if it's around an a**hole like that guy. If it's some nice person, I would never be like, "Hey b****, I went to Princeton!"
ACT: Kids are graduating right now into a pretty crappy economy, and even a Princeton diploma can't help them -- as you clearly point out in this video. What's your advice to new grads?
NIKKI: I know a lot of people who went to Princeton who worked at Starbucks – that's all I'm saying. If you can't get a job right now, don't be ashamed of yourself. It's really hard. Don't feel like it's your fault.
But don't give up. Keep doing whatever it is you want to be doing eventually. I happen to be a creative person -- which is a really horrible career choice if you're asking anyone's parents -- but no career right now is easy. Everyone is in the same boat as a struggling actor. You can even be a struggling lawyer right now! Law school graduates aren't even finding jobs and it used to be considered a sure thing.
So what I say is make a living however you can, find a way to make it work. Because you might not get the job you want, it's up to you to create the life you want in the meantime. Maybe you won't get paid to do the job you want to do, but if you do it and you're passionate, eventually you'll get noticed and rewarded for staying true to yourself.
ACT: Well, that's beautiful! But hold up -- you really didn't have to take out any student loans for Princeton? How could you afford it?
NIKKI:: There's a no loan policy at Princeton, which is amazing. At least half of my tuition was paid for. If you get in, it's a need-based scholarship – so they look at your parent's income and determine what your parents can afford and that's what you pay. The students are not supposed to take out any loans. I did have a job -- I worked in dining services.
But that help was HUGE. It's really great. Sure, half of the kids are from super wealthy families, but the half of the kids have grants. Of course, I did have to go into debt to go to grad school…and that sucks.
ACT: What's your game plan and goals as an up-and-coming actress/comedienne/ukelele poetess?
NIKKI: For one, I'd like to tour more colleges – it's a great way to be performing and not be waitressing. I don't care if it's live or in a movie or at a frickin' bar or at reunions. I'm just really happy when I'm performing. It's not just like, "I want to be in a blockbuster movie!" I mean, of course I do. But nobody knows how you get to be at that level.
So the next step is keep working and keep being visible and keep producing my own stuff -- and hopefully now that people have seen this video, they will see the other videos and they will like them. I think people responded well to this one, they're subscribing to my channel and it was really representative of my style. Hopefully I'll get more work writing and performing and eventually have a full-blown career! Doesn't that seem viable?!
