Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Perpetually lonely is not good. I highly recommend BC Counseling Services (https://bit.ly/BCUCSOptions) to get some support. But, I can say, don’t lose hope. Loneliness is not a permanent state, you will overcome this.
The good thing that’s also scary is that you get to decide what your life is about, and it’s totally OK to not have it all figured out. I’m a library wall, so maybe you’d like to read some of the many many attempts to answer your question: https://bit.ly/436GxoG
I recommend seeking information from two offices here at BC: the Office of International Students and Scholars (bit.ly/BCOISS) about employment & work authorization, and the Career Center’s offerings for international students (bit.ly/BCCareerIS)
It depends on what kind of researcher you’re planning to be. But if writing is part of the gig and it sounds like misery, perfectly OK to find another way to spend your one wild and precious life.
I don’t think there’s one path for this.
Boston: fall leaves, snow, spring, picture-postcard towns, Dunk’s, occasional Nor’easters and hurricanes, and colonial & industrial history. LA: warm or hot all year, surfing in cold water, In-N-Out Burgers, potential earthquakes, wildfires, and floods, and show-biz. Shared: nearby skiing & nearby whales & sharks.
The BC Career Center ( bit.ly/BC-career) is a great place to start. Best of luck!
Right? Get started. You’ve got this!
As a wall I’d have a hard time transferring, but for you humans, I’d say it all depends on where you feel you’d fit best. Before you make a decision, talk to friends and advisers about why you feel the lack of fit here, which will either clarify what you want in another place, or open up possibilities here.
If it is your dream to be a doctor, taking a few extra classes seems a small extra step. But I would highly recommend talking to the Pre-Health Program folks: prehealth@bc.edu or 2-4663.
I bet you do have untapped potential! Yay for wanting to develop more productive habits and better focus. Why not set up a wellness coaching session with the Center for Student Wellness (bit.ly/BC-wellness-coach)?
Everyone’s different, so it’s hard to give advice without knowing your specific situation or what kind of grad school you’re thinking about. But I will say, grad school is not “undergrad-plus”, it’s an entirely different thing which is largely self-directed. It can help to have a couple of years doing something else to clarify your thinking about what you want to do in grad school. But: talk to your advisor and the career center also before you choose, I’m just speaking from the experiences I’ve seen.
The Career Center has terrific resources on networking (bit.ly/BCCareerNet) and can also meet with you one-on-one to discuss your individual needs. Best of luck!
You aren’t alone. Why not schedule a consultation with the wise folk at the Career Center to discuss your options (bit.ly/BC-career)? They can also help you connect with Eagle Exchange which is the alumni mentoring network – and BC has some of the most dedicated alum networking anywhere.
Yes! And if not right now, “fake it till you make it” really can get you through the hard part, sometimes. Strength to you!
Sigh… it’s true, it’s harder to find time to see people when you work a 9-5, but you can make them a priority during weekend and vacation time. It helps if your family and some old friends are in the same geographic area: stay with family & arrange to see friends. It also helps if people are within easy driving distance, making weekend visits practical.
Oh, I hope you can lose the guilt. I expect your family is so proud to have you at BC. It is just a brief moment in time; you have a lifetime of opportunities ahead to give back and pay it forward; to your family who has supported you, to your own kids if you have them, and to the larger world.
My helpers are all Boston College Libraries staff. So, maybe that is something you might want to consider as a career path!
So many ways! Check out the Career Resource Center at the Mathematical Association of America website: bit.ly/MathishCareers
