Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
![我想回家。[I want to go home...]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AW112918-5.jpg)
Patience, patience. You’ll get home. In the meantime, you need to focus on the here and now, which is hard as the date to return gets closer and time seems almost to slow down. Try to focus on experiences you’ve had here that have been rewarding, and you might find the time actually passes more quickly.
Thank you, and I join you in wishing everyone good luck!
If you mean in terms of earning power, yes. 2017 median household annual income of a householder with a college degree was about $92k, while median annual household income of householder with HS degree was about $45k. (BC Access only: bit.ly/education-income) If you mean intrinsic worth, that’s harder to judge, but in the mind of this library wall, more knowledge is always worth more than less knowledge, even if acquiring it is sometimes painful & expensive.
End-of-semester work is always stressful. You’ll get through it all, and you’ll ultimately be proud of what you accomplish, but in the middle of it, that’s often hard to see. I have faith in you. Good luck!
There are people who hate General Chemistry, but enjoy Organic; very different experiences. The labs can be quite exciting. I won’t kid you; it’s a very tough course. You’d be in there with all the premeds, so the tension level can get intense. I’d talk it through with your Academic Advisor. Maybe you’d thrive on the challenge; as the Organic Chemist said, “It takes alkynes…”
I once knew an old but energetic man named Mr. Mehta; he was always busy, always in a hurry. I didn’t see him for a few months, and then one day he appeared in crutches & bandages. I asked him what happened. “I went under the bus!” he exclaimed cheerfully. But how could he be so happy, since his injuries slowed him down so much. “I am able to retire! And I am alive to be with my grandchildren!” He died a year later, possibly as a result of the injuries. I’ll bet you’re much better at taking exams than getting just the right amount of injured by buses. Good luck on your finals, and stay away from those buses!
Acknowledging a problem is the first step to addressing it, so you are on the right track. It is difficult as the semester draws to a close and finals loom … lots of stress and pressure. I don’t know what you’re procrastinating about, but try breaking it down into chunks. Success can lead to more success. Next time do one little thing. And the next time add another. And if you fail or slip, try again. Ask for help. Persevere. I have faith in you! <3
I have faith in you! Sign up for tutoring at the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) now – they end tutoring on 12/10, and appointment times fill up… And… even if you were to fail, failing an exam is not failing at life and is not the end of the world (much as it seems so during the college years.) Best of luck!
Propensity score matching is a statistical method for overcoming selection bias when comparing groups of participants and nonparticipants in an experiment. The authors of a heavily cited paper (bit.ly/propensity-detailed) say, “Its basic idea is to find in a large group of nonparticipants those individuals who are similar to the participants in all relevant pre-treatment characteristics X.” The score can be calculated in many statistical analysis programs, like SPSS, SAS, Stata, and R. Here’s a quick introduction in video: bit.ly/propensity-intro.
Tough decision, but, in general, it is easier to spend a significant period of time abroad during college than at any other time of your life. And it doesn’t have to be a full year; there are opportunities for a semester or just a few weeks, so you can still spend so much quality Heights time before you graduate. The Office of International Programs has some great questions to think it through: bit.ly/ShouldIStayOrShouldIGoNow
It’s not a great idea, either for health or for academic success. Better to pace yourself. If all fails, there’s always caffeine, breaks to exercise, and getting a partner to help each other stay committed to the task and to stay awake. Then go see the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors) for academic coaching, so it doesn’t have to happen again.
I haven’t studied econometrics, and I’m not sure how one would test for future cointegration. But you could try taking ECON8821 Time Series Econometrics next Fall, or for more immediate answers, speak to Professor Zhijie Xiao who teaches this course in our Economics department (bit.ly/zhijiexiao).
I can give you some context. The GRE is an exam that is created, instituted, and analysed by a private for-profit testing company. There is little evidence that it actually measures your aptitude for success in graduate school. More and more graduate schools are eliminating the need for the GRE as part of your application. Even when it is part of your application, graduate school admissions departments are giving it less and less value as part of your application package. It is a hurdle, treat it as such. Focus on your personal statement, which is a much more important and valuable piece of your admissions package in that you can share your passions, your successes, and your growth (past and potential) with your future department as a true introduction to how awesome you are and why you would be a good fit and an asset to the field. The best thing you can do the night before *any* exam is get a good night’s sleep. Sweet dreams! You’ll do great.
I think T.S. Eliot was wrong about which month is cruelest, at least for college students and professors! October’s a busy month, for sure. When things calm down a little, take some time for yourself to reflect on what’s most important to you; you might find some of your commitments can be adjusted to fit your priorities. Sometimes, feeling overwhelmed comes from making someone else’s priorities your own. Also, it’s important to take breaks, even if it means having to tell someone that the thing that was going to be ready Friday will have to wait ’til Monday. I hope you can put this tired & busy time behind you soon!
There’s a pretty good Reddit thread with advice on auditioning for Shakespeare, and you’ve already avoided pitfall #1–doing something from the play you’re auditioning for. bit.ly/bc-mab. We’ve also got a few books on auditioning for Shakespeare that look good, with some collections of scenes for auditions: bit.ly/bc-shakes. The Reddit advice is to pick something similar to your age and gender, but I’d think some gender fluidity would not be amiss. Break a leg!
Sometimes it helps to break a big scary project into a series of smaller tasks. It’s totally possible to write a dissertation in 15 minutes a day, for example. bit.ly/bc-diss. There are lots of other books on that topic, too, maybe one of them will help? bit.ly/bc-procras. (p.s. Sorry I didn’t get to this yesterday)
I recommend checking in with the knowledgeable folks at the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) and best wishes for getting into the program of your choice!
Stress is tough, and fall semester is for sure the season for it. Try doing some things to take care of yourself physically. Are you hungry? Tired? Feeling cold or hot? If so, try fixing them and see if you feel a little less detached. I’m a wall, so I don’t need exercise, but I hear it’s good for humans. If it’s deeper than that, or if that feeling continues for a while, it’s a good idea to check in with BC Health Services (bit.ly/BostonCollegeHealth) to make sure everything’s OK, or to chat with Counseling Services (bit.ly/BC-counseling), because stress is a common trigger for depression and other mental health issues which are super-common among students and faculty both.
Physical and mental health issues can have a negative effect on your ability to concentrate. But there are other reasons as well. You may be tired, stressed, bored, inundated. (All very typical for busy students.) Things that can help: Step away for a little bit. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and good food and just generally take care of yourself. If it’s something big you need to focus on, try breaking it down into smaller bits; a feeling of accomplishment as you go through different steps can truly help. Try eliminating some of the distractions; e.g., turn off your cell! These things can help reduce stress too … not to mention a visit with Joe the therapy dog on Friday. If you think this is a serious problem, please contact Counseling Services at bit.ly/BC-counseling.
You students are so busy; honestly, I don’t know how you handle everything, though you all seem to do a good job at it. I am sorry you will be missing out on Fall Break because of your theatre lab. I hope you find that experience enjoyable and I hope you find at least some time to get off campus and do something fun, be it a walk around the reservoir, or a visit to a museum, or shopping and eating–whatever is good for you. And of course, I will be here if you need to vent or talk!
