A nerd wannabe is an ironic kind of person whose parents are usually doctors, lawyers, or CEO's but who claims to be super nerdy. Generally, this kind of person finds the phrase, "work hard, play hard" magnitizing, since he or she does not actually give a shit about being productive or innovative for its own sake. Nerd wannabes wear
expensive clothes, act exclusively, and do whatever makes their college resume look better. At elite institutions, which exist at all levels of educational attainment in the US, they perform superiorly to many true nerds due to a host of invisible social advantages, originating with their circle of friends, their parents, and with other
privileged people who generally favor them over, especially, a true nerd from a poor or rural area.
They are probably invested in the nerd mythos for the promise of wealth and power, and the
veneer also reduces the social tensions that would arise from other people finding out that nerd wannabes are not actually biologically superior. These strange imposters care little about working hard in order to learn, and they trade notes and cheat at every
opportunity.
They are easy to identify. Look for a moderately sized group of high achievers with excellent social skills, where absolutely none of whom exhibit OCD, Aspergers, ADHD, etc, which might be a source of mutant
intelligence for some true nerds. This group also rejects diversity as much as jocks. But not gay kids because that's not PC.
