College is no walk in the park. You don’t sleep enough, you don’t eat enough, and you definitely don’t have enough time or money. You often have no clue what you’re doing. Maybe you sleep through an exam. Or you fall down the stairs of your lecture hall. Or maybe you have a hard time making friends because you lack self-confidence.
Not even the most composed, intelligent, and popular college students can avoid embarrassing moments that haunt them at night. No one is exempt from the growing pains that students feel after they move away from home. Only college can cultivate such unique moments, and every college student has to work through their personal challenges.
These difficulties and silly stories can unite an entire college campus. The student class president, that random kid in your physics class, and even some of UT’s celebrity alumni are more the same than they are different.
NASA scientists, musicians, politicians, award-winning actors and directors have graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. The list of distinguished alumni is longer than anyone can imagine, and even some of the most famous Longhorns have haunting memories and struggles from their early twenties.
These embarrassing moments and missteps didn’t stop these celebrities from excelling. College students need to remember that UT’s campus is the place to learn and make mistakes. Austin, Texas, is giving us a place to experiment and grow. So, below are some of the silliest stories and sincerest struggles from our favorite alumni. UT celebrity longhorns are much more relatable than you know.
Jon Hamm
Have you ever experienced rejection? Maybe you got rejected from a job or a prospective romantic partner.
John Hamm got a taste of rejection when the UT baseball team decided he wasn’t a good fit. Hamm didn’t get recruited for the team, so he attended an open tryout for the catcher position, where he eventually got cut.
The sports world may have rejected Jon Hamm, but he ultimately found his rightful place in Hollywood. He is now an Emmy and Golden Globe-awarded actor. Check out “Mad Men,” “Baby Driver,” and “Top Gun” to see this longhorn shine.
Wes Anderson
Being a shy person is ok!
Wes Anderson was in a philosophy seminar for an entire semester before he worked up the courage to befriend a classmate named Owen Wilson (yes, he’s next on the list).
The duo launched their careers with the film “Bottle Rocket.” Wilson and Anderson co-wrote and filmed the piece with the help of Wilson’s brother, Luke Wilson. The short film premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and launched the Longhorns into their future careers.
Anderson graduated from UT with a philosophy degree in 1991 and he’s now an award-winning director and writer. Anderson is proof that being shy is not a weakness!
Owen Wilson
All college students spiral and panic, even Owen Wilson.
After Wilson and Anderson premiered their first film, the negative feedback from the audience at the Sundance Film Festival indicated that it may be a total flop. Wilson, in a panic, searched for other options because he feared that college and the film industry would fail him.
Wilson said in an interview with Maxim that, “The studio said Bottle Rocket was their worst-testing movie in history, so I looked into the Marines.”
Wilson didn’t go to the Marines. Despite his self-doubt, he became a decorated filmmaker and actor and has received nominations for over 50 awards.
Take it from Wilson. Trust your skills and ignore self-doubt!
Matt King
West campus is a tough place to live. Austin housing is expensive enough, and student housing isn’t the most luxurious or reliable experience.
Matt King, a social media influencer, was an advertising student at the University of Texas from 2010-2014. He lived in an old house in North Austin with four other students.
One day, King made a careless mistake while smoking on his back porch and accidentally burnt the porch to ashes!
King’s wallet also suffered serious damages. To take responsibility for the incident, he bought the supplies and rebuilt the porch himself.
King shares this story online via his many podcasts and famous YouTube accounts as a lesson that it’s OK to be young and dumb! Even though he has many silly stories that made college a little bit harder than necessary, King said he still loves Austin and all the lessons UT taught him.
Janis Joplin
Do you like fashion and styles that no one else understands?
Janis Joplin never really fit in– not in her hometown in Port Arthur, Texas and definitely not on UT’s campus in the 60s.
Joplin often complained that all UT students wore the same dull-colored polos and long pants and that no one did anything interesting with their hair.
Joplin created her signature style by combining blue jeans, chunky jewelry and intensely teased hair to create a look all her own. She didn’t care that she looked different from the other students because she felt like herself. She didn’t care that people made fun of her.
Joplin’s style attracted so much attention that the Daily Texan wrote a piece about her titled, “She Dares to be Different.”
Take it from Janis Joplin, wear your cute outfit, and rock it, no matter what.
Matthew McConaughey
There are thousands of colleges in the United States. UT Austin offers over 170 majors. Do you ever wonder if you made the correct choice? Do you ever think about changing your mind?
The Matthew McConaughey that we love and cherish (as a longhorn) wanted to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He also planned to go to law school at SMU after he earned his bachelor’s degree.
Spoiler alert: he didn’t do either! McConaughey settled on UT because of financial restrictions. In his sophomore year, he decided he didn’t want to go to law school either.
McConaughey then went to film school where he thought he would be a storyteller, writer, or director.
Spoiler alert again: he became an actor instead!
McConaughey’s outstanding success as an actor is proof that it’s ok for your plans to change. And that you should pursue your passions!
Take it from Joplin, Anderson and McConaughey, college is a test of a student’s will. The years of struggles, new experiences, new friends, and exploration are both overwhelming and rewarding. Take any and all opportunities to expand your mind, explore yourself, develop your sense of individualism and grow into someone you would be proud to know!