Student: I'm having second thoughts about grad school and could use some advice.
Professor: Consider the fire ant. When there's a flood, fire ants survive by joining together into giant floating rafts.
Student:
Student: Wait, what lesson am I supposed to take from that?
Professor: Ants are SO COOL!
Student: you're not big on metaphors, are you.
Professor: I am big on ants.

{{Title text: Here in the entomology department, we have a simple two-step formula for answering any question: (1) ants are cool, and (2) we forgot the question because we were thinking about ants.}}