The most important skill to develop is the ability to quickly distinguish the essential reading from the merely important. Read the essential stuff and skim the rest.
How do I manage the workload in grad school?
When does college get easier/fun?
Anecdotally, fun seems to have peaks at the start of first year; junior year if it includes going abroad, and most of senior year, save for the anxiety about future plans and leaving friends. Sophomore year is notorious for being the least fun. If you are stressed out and not having any fun, the Center for Student Wellness (bit.ly/BCStudentWellness) has a variety of programs that can help you find balance in your life.
Favorite theorem?
I am enchanted by the 4-Color Theorem. It means I can safely make maps even when my Crayola box is down to 4…
How can I have a social life, good sleep schedule, and good grades when I have a job & 3 tests in a row in a single day.❤ ps I don’t have time for counselors
Wow. That’s quite a lot. I wish I had the answers for you, and I really wish there were an easy and quick nugget of insight that would help. I will be thinking of you and all BC students as we head towards May. And, I know you said you don’t have time for counselors, but if that changes at all, here are links for the Connors Family Learning Center: bit.ly/BC-connors and BC’s counseling services: bit.ly/BC-counseling
Best floor in O’neil??
As a resident of the lobby, I’m partial to the 3rd floor, myself. That being said, the best floor depends on what you’re looking for. Need a quiet place to study? I’ve heard the newly renovated space on the 5th floor is great. Looking for specialized software or tutoring for an upcoming midterm? The 2nd floor is home to the Digital Studio and the Connors Family Learning Center. The 1st and 4th floors also have study spaces and collections you might be interested in checking out.
How do we leave the library before 2:56am? plz help
The windows don’t open in O’Neill, so I think a door would work best.
I am finally regaining some internal peace during this break but school is starting again and I hate rushing around 😞
Why not sign up to meet with a wellness coach from the Office of Health Promotion (bit.ly/BC-health-promo) to learn some techniques to recapture that lovely interrnal peace during these busier days?
Hey Wall! Do you have any advice on school, stress, and covid?
Why not schedule a virtual check in with the Office of Health Promotion (http://bit.ly/BC-health-promo)? They’re experts in helping students with stress and health worries. The stresses won’t go away any time soon, but you can learn techniques to cope with them.
I wish that I have 48 hours in a day……
You’re not alone – but there are ways to make our puny little 24 hour days a bit less stressful. You can get help with this through Academic Coaching from the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) or with self-guided material from the Office of Health Promotion (bit.ly/OHPTIME).
Hiiii.. Answer wall, am I stupid?
If yes, is it bad being stupid?
No, you are not stupid. You came to me with your question, and that’s a very smart thing to do! Everyone has talents as well as areas that they struggle with. Perhaps you have encountered one of those difficult areas. Don’t limit yourself with a label like “stupid”. Work as well as you can at those hard things, and when a task is easy, know that there are others who will struggle where you don’t.
What is the best way to make yourself focus on school while at home?
its going to be hard for a lot of us with online school. Thanks!
It’s hard for everybody. Step 1 is to remember that working online is one thing, and working at home during a global catastrophe is another. Be kind to yourself. Try and carve out some regular work space for yourself. Try and keep a regular schedule, even if it’s a weird one. There’s a bunch of solid advice on this online, I like this: https://bit.ly/bc-wfh
I’m a senior that needs to overload next year to graduate on time.
If I have above a 3.0, can I just register for the 6th course during add/drop week or do I need to go talk to someone for approval before registering?
It looks like you can go ahead and add the course either if your cumulative gpa is at least 3.0 or your prior semester was at least 3.0. However, I advise you to talk to your adviser right away, to make sure there aren’t any other potential bars to an overload. Policy: bit.ly/BC-academic-policy
If there is a documentary that I want to watch but can’t find the free version online, can the library help with it?
How do we request a documentary through the library?
Check out our streaming video collections first–we’ve got lots of documentaries that don’t show up in other video sites. http://bit.ly/2pEI1pO. Then if we don’t have it you can put in a request: http://bit.ly/itemsuggestion.
Hello wall! Is it true that all BC summer courses are now going online? Or is that just a rumor? Hmmm…… or are you going to suggest me contacting Student Services again? 😂 lol
Summer session 1 is definitely scheduled to be online only. Stay tuned for news on summer session 2. More details in The Heights: bit.ly/BCsummerplanz.
How to stay motivated while working from home? I just end up taking a 2 hours nap everyday. It’s so hard to concentrate on work when there is GLOBAL pandemic going on. Looking at how severe this situation is getting really worries me, so I can’t focus on anything :( I really need some working from home tips.
You’re doing fine. Everyone is reacting a little bit differently to what’s going on, but fear, stress, and massive upheaval in everyday life are the exact kinds of things that make it hard to concentrate. Some people are dealing with that by keeping themselves busy. That’s not productivity. Also, there are about a billion lists like this online right now: bit.ly/bc-selfcare. Pick one thing off a list like that you might enjoy, and don’t worry about the rest. Be kind to yourself. Eat regularly. Try to keep a schedule.
I study so much & work so hard for my classes but still not getting the grade I want :(
It sounds like you should be proud of your persistence and hard work, not disappointed! One of my assistants notes that they saw a Twitter thread the other day of dozens of current practicing STEM PhD’s (many with jobs at prestigious universities), who shared how poorly they did at various stages of their education, some even flunking out. Persistence wins! You can do this!
I’m only able to focus on my work using library computers…
There are apps that allow you to block your access to websites, but most won’t be available to you on a public computer. One technique is to schedule a timed increment of internet surfing (10 minutes?) as a treat after getting a block of work done (read 25 pages/ do 4 calc problems/ write 250 words, etc.) For more help with time management and study skills, contact the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) and ask about academic coaching.
Hi Wall I have an exam in multivariable calc Wednesday and I’m freaking out…
I have faith that you can survive the all-nighter and multivariable calculus. But I want you to know that you can survive and thrive even if you were to fall asleep in the midst of the all-nighter and miss the exam completely. And after this exam is over – and you’ve had some sleep – maybe contact the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) for some academic coaching, so it doesn’t come down to all-nighters next time?
I hear voices…
If you’re hearing voices that don’t exist, and it is disturbing you, I suggest you check in with Counseling Services: bit.ly/BC-counseling. If you’re hearing actual voices and it’s disturbing you, try studying on Level Five – our quiet floor.
How are the Latin honors at graduation calculated for the Class of 2020 and 2021?
I’ll have my assistants check and get back to you.
The details are here under “Degrees with honors”( bit.ly/NewBCHonors ): For 2020: summa for the top 4.5% of the class, magna for the next 9.5%, and cum laude for the next 15% (at the end of 2nd semester senior year.) In 2021: Summa for GPA of 3.9–4.0, magna for 3.8–3.899, cum laude for 3.667–3.799.