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About Thomas Frank

My name is Thomas Frank, and there’s no way you can conclusively prove that I don’t go out in the woods and fight bears in my spare time.

More pertinently, I’m a YouTuber, author, and musician. I’m also the creator and main writer here at College Info Geek.

If you haven’t already, head over to the Start page to find out what College Info Geek is all about, and what you can expect to learn here.

If you’re already read through that and subscribed, feel free to stay here and read through this pile of self-indulgent drivel my biography.

Quick Links and Facts

About Thomas Frank

I’ve always been fascinated by technology. When I was 12 years old, I started teaching myself HTML and CSS so I could build my own website. Funnily enough, the first website I ever built was a fan site for Zao – a band I hadn’t even heard at the time! I was a weird kid.

In high school, I put those web development skills to good use and started my first entrepreneurial venture. It was called Radiant Web Design, and under that name I spent a bunch of time in high school and college building websites for teachers and local companies. I also got a taste of what it was like to work for myself.

Later – right after my freshman year of college – I combined my web design knowledge with my passion for writing and started this website. At the time, College Info Geek was a way for me to share the study strategies and productivity tips that I was using to improve my own student experience.

At first, I figured the project would be nothing more than a resume-booster, but in 2013, I was able to turn it into a business and have been writing, filming videos, and recording podcasts full-time ever since.

Now, nearly 10 years later, College Info Geek has grown beyond my wildest expectations. Over 3.5 million students visited the site in the last year, and our articles and videos are used in classrooms around the world. Along the way, I:

With regards to my college experience, here are a few highlights:

  • I was able to enter college in 2009 with enough credits to start as a sophomore (if you’re in high school, ask your guidance counselor about dual credit classes!)
  • I paid off over $15,000 in student loan debt before I graduated in 2013 (done through a combination of on-campus jobs, scholarships, freelancing, and income from this blog).
  • I worked all over campus as a student; in fact, I believe I gained more knowledge and experience through my part-time jobs than in my classes. I worked as an RA, tech support rep, PC virus removal specialist, student orientation coordinator, web developer, and more.
  • I was fortunate enough to win over $20,000 in scholarships – much of it during college, not before! (Pro-tip: Keep applying even after you start).
  • I was a business major, so all of the above achievements mean absolutely nothing.

I’ve always been a pretty goal-driven person, and I track my progress publicly through my Impossible List – which I also use to keep pushing myself, and to ensure I never rest on my laurels.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned since graduation is that life after college is very much what you make it. College is one of the last times in your life where other people set up milestones and big turning points for you. Afterwards, you have to make them yourself.

To that end, I’m still trying to push myself. Lately I’ve been focused on improving the cinematography of my video work. I’ll let you be the judge for how successful that’s been:

I’ve also been learning how to make music. Here’s a taste of that:

If you’d like to stay updated on my musical endeavors, you can follow me on Spotify or check out my music channel on YouTube.

I’ll wrap up this bio by saying that all of this would not have been possible without the amazing team that helps me to run College Info Geek. Their combined talent and efforts have helped to turn College Info Geek into a truly great resource for students, and I highly recommend you check them out as well.

If you’d like to learn more about me, you can check out my personal website or follow me on Instagram.

Ten Random Facts About Me

So you want to know a little more that doesn’t relate to my professional life? Ok. It’s usually hard for me to write about myself, as my interests change a lot. I find it easier to think in lists, so here’s a list of 10 random things about me!

  1. For more than 10 years, I’ve enjoyed parkour – AKA jumpin’ over stuff. Here’s a video.
  2. I have an ever-growing list of crazy goals that I call my Impossible List.
  3. I’m ridiculously good (and addicted) to Dance Dance Revolution. If you challenge me I will take you on – though I much prefer playing doubles.
  4. I went to Japan in May 2012, and it was absolutely amazing. There are lots of pictures. You should totally go there.
  5. My favorite movies, in order: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Big Short, Ocean’s Eleven (the remake), The Blues Brothers, The Dark Knight, Spirited Away, The Social Network, Inception, The World’s End, The Big Lebowski, and Birdemic: Shock and Terror.
  6. I have an irrational hatred of those projector things people use to create holiday light shows on their houses. Just kidding – it’s not irrational. Those things are super-tacky, and the people who use them are just too lazy to put up proper lights.
  7. I’m a (very) amateur figure skater. It is an unbelievably fun sport once you get the hang of the basics. Here’s a small clip.
  8. I can cook better french toast than you will get at 99% of the world’s restaurants. Credit for this skill goes to Alex.
  9. I have a borderline-unhealthy obsession with coffee. Unsurprisingly, I’m also a cyclist.
  10. I once wrote and recorded a rap song in 4 hours. Yes, it is on Soundcloud. No, I’m not going to link you to it here.

If you want to get in contact, you can check out my personal website or hit me up on Twitter.

You can also view every post I’ve written here at CIG.