Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Straightforwardly? “Hi, would you like to go to the club?” Have some dates and times in mind, so you’re ready to answer that question. And tell a friend what you’re planning, so you have someone you can tell about The Ask whether it’s a success or not.
Humans between the ages of 13 and 25 often do need more sleep than other humans, but 13 hours daily does seem excessive. I recommend visiting a doctor to make sure there’s not a health problem of some kind.
Be straightforward about this. Your reasons and language about it are good: “I really like you, but you have been with {boyfriend} for 2 years; I don’t want to invade your relationship. What are your thoughts?” Be prepared to find out she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with having a boyfriend and having some casual fun with you. In that case, you need to decide what your stance on that is.
It works for me very well, but for you living and breathing (and needing food and sleep and showers) types, I think it would get very unpleasant pretty quickly!
Yes! There are therapy dogs here at O’Neill during exams. But we recognize that’s not the only stressful time when humans can benefit from dog love. They’ll be here in O’Neill (in the 3rd floor Reading Room) this week. See signs in the lobby.
1) Trust that you will if you’re serious about finding it, 2) True beauty is simultaneously in the eye of the beholder and the heart of the beheld, even though that might cause contradictions, 3) We question the world because it’s full of contradictions and injustices.
Occasional smelly farts are normal and usually caused by something you ate. If you introduced something new into your diet, that may be the culprit. If you have very foul smelling gas, it could be signs of a digestive track problem or allergy- a visit to the doctor may be in order if it persists.
We do have some and are collecting more titles in ag due to the growth of the Environmental Studies Program. I recommend searching our catalog (library.bc.edu). You can also browse the stacks in the SD section (3rd floor O’Neill, way over to the right), but many of the more current items are online. Connect with the Environmental Studies Librarian, Enid Karr (karre@bc.edu) for more ideas, like getting items from other libraries.
My assistants and I are not paragons of mathematical genius. Analysis looks like it would take some ability to visualize – or at least imagine in some way – very complex combinations of functions, ordered sets, and other such fearsome creatures, and then represent them as variables. It’s a lot to keep track of all at once, a kind of mental juggling. If you can do it, consider yourself ready for a mathematical circus.
As a whole, yes. I can’t speak for all of them. Some may set up what seem like barriers to you, but are intended as challenges to deepen your knowledge of a subject. IOW, they want you to succeed, but they want you to succeed at a challenging level. I recommend a) meeting with the professor to clarify objectives and get help, b) seeing if there’s a tutor for your class at the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors), and c) organizing a supportive study group.
Yuck! Probably the oddly-named silverfish. I advise placing a work order through the Agora Portal. “My Services” tab → “Facilities Work Request.”
BC definitely has it’s own problems with race. And it has a culture of preferring not to talk about problems. But BC is probably equally racist as most other long-extant institutions in America, no more or less – it’s a fundamental part of the makeup of this country unfortunately. The school is doing work to improve itself. The Office of Student Affairs is acting on a recent student survey that showed differences in satisfaction with BC life between students that identified as black vs. other races. Many departments (including ITS, the Provost, the Libraries, Res Life, and others) are at different stages of undertaking a renewed focus on how to better serve AHANA and other minority populations. It’s hard work that takes a long time unfortunately. But we want to be better.
Solid as a rock…er….a brick. The new semester has been a lot of work, but I’m powering through.
I have passed your suggestion on to the employer recruiting people in the Career Center, and I hope that McKinsey, Bain, and/or Boston will come visit us someday. But be proactive, talk to the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) about ways you can approach potential employers who don’t drop by. Best of luck.
That is a delightful variation on a classic logic problem which lots of thinkers have addressed. It’s called the omnipotence paradox, and there are a variety of responses to it. Actually entertaining Wikipedia article: http://bit.ly/bc-omni. More technical discussion: bit.ly/bc-omni2. Aquinas argues that logic still applies: Even an omnipotent being can’t do something impossible. Augustine argues that God must act according to his nature, which means he can’t create anything omnipotent. The Wall’s favorite modern response is that the question is just a pile of words: if God is omnipotent, “could not eat” doesn’t make sense.
That’s a very busy bathroom; the more people use a space, the higher the probability that someone makes a mistake, such as flushing something down the toilet that doesn’t belong there – the usual source of bathroom flooding. But I’ll also alert folks, in case it’s the other common cause: a plumbing problem that can be fixed.
If you’re referring to freestyle rapping, I’m afraid not. There’s a growing consensus amongst hip-hop fans that the days of freestyling are coming to an end or have already ended. There are probably some artists who may have the ability to do so, but you may have to do a lot of digging to discover them. One of my library friends seems to think Black Thought of The Roots may be one example of an artist who engages in what can be considered freestyling. Here’s a link to one performance done on a radio show some time ago: bit.ly/radio-freestyle
My librarian friends who are blessed with lungs say take a deep breath — it’s OK to chill and regroup. I know you’ve heard it before, but life is a marathon, not a sprint. You may want try chemistry again next semester, or, perhaps, it’s time to redirect your academic focus. Consider checking in with your academic advisor. Take a look at the classic, What Color is your Parachute (O’Neill Library HF5383 .B56). Even though it’s for job hunting/career stuff, it may help you think about what gives you joy, your interests, and your strengths.
College is an especially stressful and tiring time of life. There are a lot of pressures to succeed, and every failure feels like it will derail your entire life. Many people do find that a weight is lifted after graduation once they settle into the routine of work and life outside of school. But that will bring its own joys and problems. For now, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, I suggest talking to someone in Counseling Services (bit.ly/BC-counseling) who can help put some perspective on things or just be a sounding board to talk to.
It’s better than the alternative. More info: bit.ly/philo-existence
