With such a diverse student body, there can be no doubt that Saint Francis students and faculty have their fair share of hot takes and unpopular opinions. Eager to find out what they were, The Lancer asked around. There was an overwhelming response from Lancers excited to express their thoughts, so we split up our hot takes by class. This time, we talked to sophomores, but articles featuring the other classes will be coming soon! Until then, let’s hear from the sophomores.

Natalie Chan (’25) quips, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians is interesting.” She refers to the hit TV show that follows the lives of the various Kardashians. Natalie truly embodies Americans as a whole, because who are Americans if not people who love to sit around and watch others eat salad around a table? 

On a more educational note, Smriti Vijay (’25) vigorously exclaims, “People who don’t use the Oxford comma are heathens.” The Oxford comma, added before any conjunction in a list of three or more items, is a source of long-standing debate in academia. 

The hot takes do not stop at grammatical opinions; they even stretch to pronunciation debates. Shriya Manchanda (’25) goes as far as to state, “Gnome should be pronounced ‘g-nome.’” Controversial? Indeed.

In addition, the sophomores did not shy away from sharing their unpopular food opinions. Abhi Mahajan (’25) claims, “Spring rolls with ketchup and soy sauce are delicious.” 

Kolby Allen (’25) continues with a niche sentiment regarding food: “Cake is only considered good because it is associated with people’s birthdays, and people like to be the center of attention. But actually, cake is horrible.” When asked for her choice of replacement for cake, Allen bravely suggests pie.

Another sophomore, Salma Afify (’25), shares this hatred of sweets and explains, “I hate chocolate. It is too bitter.” Is Afify aware that milk chocolate exists? Apparently not.

There are ranging opinions on musical artists as well. Devyn Ponnuvelu (’25) declares, “Twenty One Pilots is amazing.” If people took the time to listen to a song of theirs besides “Stressed Out” or “Ride,” they would in fact be pleasantly surprised. 

Matthew Tang (’25) holds similar controversial opinions stating, “Justin Bieber is falling off.” If any Beliebers heard this statement, strong words would surely be exchanged.

Amelie Castejon (’25) may just take the trophy for the hottest take. She claims, “Ryan Reynolds is not that hot.” Considering Reynolds is the first Canadian to win People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Castejon’s statement finally gives many northerners a valid reason to hate Americans.  

Ryan Reynolds, however, is not the only disliked actor around the halls. Semira Arora (’25) expresses with disdain, “Jared Leto is the worst actor to exist and should not be paid more money. Every movie he is in flops.” This writer had to Google who Jared Leto is, if that says anything. 

The sophomores also have strong fashion opinions. Krisel Quintos (’25) offers her advice: “Crocs are overhyped. You’re telling me people are walking around with holes in their shoes. I just don’t get the appeal. Never in my life would you see me wearing a Croc.” 

Megan Wang (’25) voices another popular opinion among students: “Parents should not drop off or pick up kids in the senior lot.” This complaint has been raised numerous times, but nothing seems to have changed yet.

We hope you enjoyed hearing sophomores’ hot takes on issues ranging from food to fashion. Share your hot takes with us in this form!