Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Oxford Bibliographies Online points to several (bit.ly/taiwan-histories), including Rubinstein, Murray, ed. Taiwan: A New History. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2015 (we have an earlier edition in O’Neill Stacks DS799.5 .T3114 2007).
Did you write this because you are feeling stressed about end-of-semester assignments and exams? This time can feel very overwhelming, but there are many people available to help you through this (instructors, friends, advisors, and Univ. Counseling) Just remember that while a few people drop out of BC, the vast majority do eventually finish their programs, and I suspect that vast majority felt stressed and overwhelmed at times too.
![Korean: Paineori neomu sireoyo. eotteokajyo? [I really hate final exams. What do I do?]](http://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AW050818-1.jpg)
You’re not alone; being evaluated causes anxiety for most people. Here are a few things to remember or do that might make the process a little less anxiety-producing: 1. *You* aren’t being evaluated as a good or bad person; what’s being evaluated is just your skill, memory, and understanding regarding a few processes &/or concepts. 2. You’ve been preparing for a whole semester, and professors really try to make sure exams test what’s been taught. As much as it might seem like they’re trying to catch or trick you, they’re not. 3. Think of it like the olympics: what good is all that practice if you don’t get to perform? 4. Visualize success. 5. Study in short bursts with lots of breaks & plenty of rewards. 6. Study with other people & do what you can to make it fun. 7. Remember, no matter how your exams go, they’ll be over soon. If the anxiety is overwhelming, contact counseling services: bit.ly/BC-counseling. I know you can do this! Best of luck!
Everyone gets the worst group partners. That seems to be a universal truth in education. But, learning how to work with groups on projects is critical to working in the real world. You will almost never work alone in a job. I would encourage you to not look at the situations as “my way or their way”. “They” are all individuals with ideas and perspectives just as rich as yours. State cases for your ideas using facts, learn to compromise on things that are less important to you, try to find ways to “yes, and” their ideas. If they think something is important and should be included, the answer is “Yes, and…” with your idea to make it better.
No, you don’t. But the consequences of not taking them might be less than desirable. It would almost certainly hurt your GPA, you could potentially fail classes. There might be some explaining to do to parents (please don’t tell them a sentient wall told you to skip finals). There are plenty of people that worked and continue to work to put you here. Make them proud! Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do fine.
Oxford and Cambridge do something like that bit.ly/bc-tutorial. Williams offers 60-70 tutorials per year for two students each. bit.ly/bc-williams. And the Wall suspects that is why it isn’t more widespread: it’s hard to do for a student body above a certain size. If you want to dig deeper, there’s a broad literature on testing and what works in our library catalog: bit.ly/bc-tests
As a wall at a major university, I am a huge fan of institutions of higher education. Toronto is frequently rated as one of the top universities globally, and it has one of the largest library collections in North America. Also, a dear relative, Living Wall, who is deeply involved in environmental issues, lives and works there . Here’s her picture – isn’t she stunning? bit.ly/MyCousinLivvy
If you want to, there’s plenty to do with it. Journalism and tech writing are popular choices, but there are lots of options. The Wall is fond of the Great Jobs for <Blank> Majors series–here’s the one for English: bit.ly/bc-english. The BC Career Center also has lots of resources to help you explore that, and you can talk to a counselor to make sure you’re on track. bit.ly/CareerCtrMajors
I would advise you to meet with the major advisor in your department and make your case for why you want to do this. Best of luck!
Study! Calculus gets very hard very quickly, and calc 2 tends to be a very big jump up from calc 1. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the studying process, you can always ask for help at the Connors Family Learning Center: bit.ly/BC-connors. They have wonderful tutors to help students succeed in every way possible.
Academic Advising assures me, that while there is no way to game the system of the algorithm that determines individual pick times, you will have a better pick date next year, by dint of your class year. And do contact faculty for an override, if a class is really important to you. Here’s to getting into the classes you need!
I would advise asking the professor directly, and also speaking to your academic advisor or the Advising Center (bit.ly/BC-advising) about your concerns.
Though it may seem like it, one grade will not ruin your life. I promise! It may, however, present a useful opportunity to reconsider some things. First, think about why you’re struggling. I recommend talking to the staff of the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) if you want to improve your study methods or if you need a little extra help. If the issue isn’t your studying, consider whether it is your interest level. Perhaps this just isn’t your favorite subject. If so, you’re in luck! BC offers many wonderful departments on a range of subjects. You might talk to a trusted advisor or professor about options or meet with the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) to see what careers paths different subjects offer.
![Why do we use grad[e]s to be a measure of our knowledge [unclear word] ?](http://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/aw040418-5.jpg)
It wasn’t always this way, as you can learn in this fascinating article about the history of grades: bit.ly/history-of-grading (BC community access). Grading in the US evolved from European scholastic competitions, which worked something more like sports playoffs; the winners of final brackets went on to be supported by academic institutions for life. Yale was the first in the US to use a 4-point scale: “2” was satisfactory. Harvard and William & Mary adopted it. They often included non-academic criteria; a “0” at William & Mary meant “those who learned little or nothing… on account of excessive idleness.” K-12 schools followed suit. At first, grades were purely an internal pedagogical tool. Around 1900 as schooling became universal, grading became systematized as way to communicate externally.
There are many right ways to study, and some of it depends on your personality. But why not set up an appointment for academic coaching at the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors), and discuss your learning (and grade) goals with them?
While my wall-friends in admissions do hear some interesting conversations, they tend to keep mum when I ask them for specifics. Or are you asking for about another school? Either way, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for this one. But I do wish you lots of luck!
Yes! The advice to the 3-day 15-pager is good: blocks of time, specific goals, rewards. The key is to make sure you set aside enough time.
You can do it. Don’t ask me how I know. Try carving out blocks of time and setting specific, challenging, but manageable goals for the time (x pages before 2 PM, for instance.) Give yourself small rewards when you meet the challenge. And then, after this paper is done, maybe talk to the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors) about academic coaching, so you don’t wind up in this situation again. Best of luck!
During my time supporting the O’Neill Library, I have had an opportunity to observe students from every major available here at Boston College and my belief is that there is that all of the majors are “good” but that they might not all be right for a particular student. I would recommend focusing your efforts on deciding if Communications is the best fit for you. To do this, consider questions such as: Do you enjoy the Communications classes you have taken so far? Does the work make you fulfilled? Does it feel meaningful? Will it support your future career goals and personal aspirations? Along the way, you might want to visit the BC Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) and check out our portal for Communications Resources (https://libguides.bc.edu/communicationportal).
I hear your frustration. College is only 4 years out of a long life, and grades should really just be a way of ascertaining that you’ve “got it” about a subject, not the goal. On the other hand, college gives you opportunities you may not have again in life, to learn intensively and follow a path of study that interests you. Grades may or may not matter for your career goals, so there is some risk in ignoring that aspect, I hope you can focus on the core learning and growing part of your time here.
