Group releases "Top 10 Most Brutally Honest Commencement Advice"

Who had the most "brutally honest" advice for college graduates this year and what did they say?

The North American Association of Commencement Officers based in Princeton Junction released its Top 10 in that category this week.

Here's the advice and the people who gave it:

1. Robert De Niro, actor, New York University's Tisch School of Arts- "When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense. You aren't just following dreams, you're reaching for your destiny…You're an artist- yeah, you're f-d. The good news is that's not a bad place to start."

2. Meredith Vieira, journalist, former co-anchor of TODAY, Boston University- "There is still no substitute for hard work and humility. And if you want to get your foot in the door, it helps to get your fingers off your smartphones. Look people in the eye. Engage. You want people to actually like you, not just give you 'likes.' Ultimately, your future is in the hands of humans, not electronic devices."

3. Arne Duncan, U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Georgia Institute of Technology- "Now is the time to decide whether your life will be motivated purely by personal gain or by a passion for serving others. This decision will not be an easy one to make. The allure of enriching ourselves is powerful. The key is to strike a balance between the two choices. When I look back at the people I've met during my own life, I realize that the most influential and happiest people I know are the people who dedicated themselves to causes larger than themselves."

4. Julia Alvarez, author, Middlebury College- "As you leave here, you're going to feel pressure to get a good job, get your career going, be a change-maker, but I'm telling you, first things first. Whatever you do, let it be something that at the end of the day, you can say: I do this because I have a soul. Every choice, ask yourself is this going to be a soul-making or a soul-selling choice? Don't settle for less. That's what a life is for. Be what you long to be."

5. Kevin Colleran, entrepreneur, Babson College- "It is better to prepare than to plan. Don't try to plan for your own big opportunity, but instead make sure you are prepared and ready for when it comes. There is no way to make your dream job, or your dream business opportunity, materialize precisely when you'd like it to. But it IS possible to spend your time ensuring you'll be able to make the very most of that opportunity when it does come your way."

6. Barry Meyer, retired Warner Bros. chairman and chief executive officer, Case Western Reserve- "One can argue that use of social media can extend relationships-even deepen them. It can help you find new ones, renew old ones, and stay in touch regularly with a great many more people than you might have otherwise thought possible. But, here's what it can't do. It can't replace having a meaningful conversation with someone, or looking them straight in the eye. It can help facilitate a real relationship- but it can't substitute for it. To put it more bluntly 'sexting' isn't the same as having sex."

7. Matthew McConaughey, actor, University of Houston- "Life's not easy. Don't try and make it that way. It's not fair. It never was. It isn't now. It won't ever be. Do not fall into the entitlement trap of feeling you are a victim. You are not. Get over it and get on with it. And yes, most things are more rewarding when you break a sweat to get them."

8. Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, Tufts University- "Yes, we are proud of our group identities, but it is what comes after the hyphen in Czech-American, African-American, Latino-American, White-American, or any of the hundreds of other varieties of American that counts most. No matter our race, creed, gender or sexual orientation, we are all equal shareholders in the American Dream. And that means we do not fear our differences, we embrace them."

9. Bonnie St. John, U.S. Paralympic skiing medalist, former White House official, Miami University of Ohio-"I think our parents raised us to believe that if we could be colorblind, we could be one big melting pot. If we repealed Jim Crow laws and integrated, everyone would mix together and we wouldn't have to think about it anymore.
But in the research that's happened since you were born and since your parents brought you up- we've learned a lot more. Being unconscious doesn't mean being unbiased. Trying to be colorblind just covers up all micro-inequities that happen. MIT has done research on micro-inequities. It's like little discriminations. Like when a black man goes to stay in a hotel and other guests hand him their keys, thinking he's the valet parker. Or when you go into a meeting and there's all men and one woman and you assume she's the secretary, not the boss."

10. Jason Kilar, founder of Hulu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- "Adversity is a necessary and important part of life. Adversity strengthens each of us in ways that success cannot. The mountain peaks of one's life may get the headlines and the Facebook posts, but the valleys - believe me - it is your journey through the valleys that will define you."