Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
It is sad when the people you count on for support leave you to go it alone. But I don’t think skipping your finals would be a good idea at all. Maybe let her know you miss her and make plans to travel with her on in the future? If you could use some unconditional love, our therapy dogs are coming in through Finals – see the schedule: bit.ly/PuppersBC
Wishing you the very best of exam outcomes for Islamic Civ, and all your classes! I have faith in you.
I’m sorry you didn’t receive the service you were expecting at the CFLC. Please let them know the expectations you feel they didn’t meet, and they might be able to meet them. The only other service available in the School of Arts and Sciences is the Online Writing Lab (OWL), a service affiliated with CFLC (bit.ly/BC-OWL), but you’ll have to hurry! Today is the last day to submit. If you are in a different school (e.g. School of Social Work), ask that school’s main office whether there is an in-person or online tutoring service affiliated with that school.
Giraffes have lots of stomachs, like cows, so it sorta depends on how you’re keeping score. bit.ly/bc-giraffe. IF you fail calc (which you won’t), you’ll cry, then you’ll dry your eyes and talk to your advisor about what to do next.
Very little in certain contexts; unfortunately a whole lot in a few others. If your plan is med school or some (not all) other graduate programs, or working for certain big-name firms, a high GPA is generally a requirement. Freelance writer, not so much! Also, once you have entered the job market and have a proven track record of competence, it is far less of a factor. Talk to the nice folks at the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) if you want more detail on how your grades might affect your career.
Believe it or not, you will look back on these times fondly. (“Remember that time we watched the sunrise while we finished that project?”) Just make sure you sleep and eat when you can, and keep in mind that these intense times are temporary. Best of luck!
![AM I ABLE TO SURVIVE THIS SEMESTER? @5:31AM [Responses: 不, 你 行. (Out of the question.), Only if you believe <3]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AW112918-8.jpg)
You really will survive this semester. Look for friends or family willing to listen to your struggles and give you the support and space you need, like the people who answered you here. Good luck with final projects and exams!
![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.
