CHEAT SHEET: FAKE YOUR WAY TO A CULTURAL CLUE

M.I.T. Cambridge, Mass. Student rep: Distracted nerds Glam quotient: The Firm filmed nearby TV fix: Star Trek: The Next Generation Cult video rental: Real Genius Must-carry tome: Neuromancer by William Gibson Coolest local band: Scratch 'n Sniff (U2-ish) Grooviest road trip: Cape Cod Kitschy/kick-ass alum: Tom and Roy Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" Recent speaker: William Shatner Pop-culture course: "Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the United States and Latin America" Local radio's heavy rotation: Erasure What's underground: Hackers (a group that explores steam tunnels, shafts and small cracks between buildings) Hot dorm poster: Cindy Crawford Ubiquitous T-shirt: They Might Be Giants Junk food of choice: Two-inch-thick Bertucci's pizza Weirdest body adornment: Nose rings on guys

Arizona State University Tempe Student rep: Buff and blond Glam quotient: Parts of Campus Man filmed here TV fix: Late Show With David Letterman Cult video rental: This Is Spin al Tap Must-carry tome: October 1993 Playboy (six ASU students are featured in "Girls of the Pac 10") Coolest local band: Dead Hot Workshop (alternative rock) Grooviest road trip: Rocky Point, Mexico Kitschy/kick-ass alum: Steve Allen Recent speaker: The Dalai Lama Pop-culture course: "Jazz in America" Local radio's heavy rotation: Nirvana What's underground: Sex on a big concrete A on a nearby mountain Hot dorm poster: Guess ads with Drew Barrymore Ubiquitous T-shirt: U2 Junk food of choice: Java and Danish from the Coffee Plantation Weirdest body adornments: Front-hanging ponytails, toe rings

Syracuse University Syracuse, N.Y. Student rep: Uppity jocks Glam quotient: Reference to '70s student protests in Born on the Fourth of July TV fix: Beavis and Butt-head Cult video rental: Harold and Maude Must-carry tome: 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? by Neil Howe and Bill Strauss Coolest local band: Mexican Mud (alternative bluesy jazz) Grooviest road trip: Cornell University Kitschy/kick-ass alum: Bob Costas Recent speaker: Chuck D Pop-culture course: "The History of American Pop Music" Local radio's heavy rotation: Fu-Schnickens What's underground: Syracuse University's Marijuana Legalization Organization Hot dorm poster: J. Crew catalog collages Ubiquitous T-shirt: Soul Asylum Junk food of choice: General Tso's chicken from Panda West Weirdest body adornment: Pierced eyebrows

University of Mississippi Oxford Student rep: Hard-drinking rich kids ^ Glam quotient: The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag shot nearby TV fix: Late Show With David Letterman Cult video rental: The Human Tornado Must-carry tome: Bats Out of Hell by Barry Hannah Coolest local band: Platitude (a punk-funk group banned for rowdiness and lewd lyrics) Grooviest road trip: New Orleans Kitschy/kick-ass alum: Cynthia Geary of Northern Exposure Recent speaker: John Grisham Pop-culture course: "Leisure and Popular Culture" Local radio's heavy rotation: Blind Melon What's underground: The Cooter Family (an organization that mocks "the typical Southern incestual family") Hot dorm poster: The Doors Ubiquitous T-shirt: Lollapalooza Junk food of choice: Chevron station's chicken-on-a-stick Weirdest body adornment: Pierced lips *