When the news media learned that James Holmes majored in neuroscience, they might have automatically assumed that he’s pretty smart. His family bragged about his academic achievements and one of his college friends said that he did well in tests without taking notes in classes. Because he’s socially awkward, he also behaves like a typical nerd.
The Los Angeles Times interviewed a friend of James Holmes, who has known him for more than ten years. According to Richie Duong, he seems like a normal nerd: really bright, hangs out with a select group of friends, and does stuff that your average guy likes to do - play cards, watch movies, and play video games.