Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
My own diet consists entirely of post-it notes, but one of my helpers says it’s a matter of criteria: speed, variety, setting, quality, hours. Check here for menus: bit.ly/bcdining-menus. Check here for hours: bit.ly/BC-dining-hours. Want it fast? GrubHub: bit.ly/bc-dining-grubhub. Best dinner? Probably Lower Live for variety. Grab a seat by the fire.
![Do you have any favorite books on the philosophy of science? Or scifi like Ted Chiang! Thanks sm [crying emoji]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AW012124.jpg)
We do have Chiang’s Stories of Your Life and Others, which includes his short story, “Story of Your Life,” on which the film Arrivalwas based. Thanks for your interest! I’ll have my assistant order more of his work. Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions(O’Neill Library Q175 .K95 1974) is a classic in science epistemology. For a more recent work, try Nancy Cartwright’s The Dappled World (O’Neill Library Q175 .C37 1999).
Now that you’re here, your GPA is only important on two occasions: 1) getting into grad school, 2) your first job, when you don’t have a lot of experience to show. No one will ever care about it again. It’s a better long-term idea to focus on learning how to learn, learning how to relate to other people, and learning how to be your best self.
There are many ideas about this, but generally try to actively listen to what someone is saying and show genuine interest in their lives. Have warm, positive body language (a brief smile with raised eyebrows and keeping eye contact for example) to make folks you interact with feel at ease. Be a bit vulnerable to show you are authentic and folks around you can be themselves. Expressing humor and finding points of connection are a bonus but take time and practice to get right.
If you’re concerned about your physical or mental health in any way, it is usually a good idea to speak with a doctor, counselor, or other care professional. There are a number of services available at BC to connect you with someone you can talk to, even if it just for peace of mind (the worst that they can is that you’re fine)!
BC Health Services (https://bit.ly/BostonCollegeHealth)
BC Counseling Services (https://bit.ly/BCUCSOptions)
Yoon’s martial law was illegally called, and reminded citizens of past traumatic instances of autoritarian rule. I’m on the edge of my board waiting to see if Yoon will be impeached successfully. My thoughts are still tangled up as I read up on the history in South Korea. International Studies Department here at BC has a lot of great classes on Korea– there’s even a new one this coming spring semester EALC2330-01 that sounds really interesting.
First step, create a YouTube channel. Next step, talk about stuff that’s interesting to you. Final step, believe in yourself!
Perhaps one way to decenter men in your daily life is to focus on building strong relationships with friends – especially female friends. Podcasters Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman wrote a book called “Big Friendship” a few years ago about the work that goes into sustaining those relationships (bit.ly/BigFriendshipBook), and Rhaina Cohen’s more recent “The Other Significant Others” considers the way our world could expand if we picked our friends to be our life partners (bit.ly/OtherSignificantOthersBook). Decentering men in other areas, such as workplaces or academia, requires tackling some entrenched historical systems. You might find this article on “Rooting Out the Masculine Defaults in Your Workplace,” which was written by two psychologists, an interesting place to start (bit.ly/MasculineDefaults).
If by DCF you mean discounted cash flow, and by apple you mean Apple Inc., I shouldn’t be trusted with investment advice but this article on Investopedia (https://bit.ly/investopedia-dcf) provides a good explanation of how DCF works and some pros and cons to consider.
To BC? If a Jesuit institution with a sincere concern for your full personhood is where you want to spend 4 transformative years, apply. I hope you find the right college for you!
If you are referring to a long-distance relationship, I did some research but could not find evidence that long-distance relationships work or don’t. However, this doesn’t mean it’s worth a try. Like any relationship, communication is key, so I first suggest finding a regular time for you and your partner to call or video-chat each other so that you don’t feel as far. Also, if either of you can afford it, I suggest planning to visit one another in person to maintain a physical connection. There’s also a few titles in our collection on long-distance relationships that are worth checking out: Maintaining long-distance and cross-residential Relationships by Laura Strafford (O’Neill Library Call # HM1106 .S753 2005), Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (O’Neill Library Call # PS3569.P363 D43 2024), and Landing by Emma Donoghue (O’Neill Library Call # PR6054 .O547 L36 2007)
If you’re talking about religious forgiveness, I suggest talking with a pastoral counselor (bit.ly/bc-pastoral-counseling). It might also be worth exploring restorative or transformative justice, and the kind of truth and reconciliation processes that helped make peace in S. Africa and Rwanda. One helper recommended On Repentance and Repair by Danya Ruttenberg (O’Neill Library Call # BL476.7 .R88 2022) for the point of view of the one who did harm and how to make amends. Another recommended Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, by Miroslav Volf.
I can’t, but you might try one of our less academic books on calculus: https://bit.ly/bc-calculus
Indeed! If others are wondering, you might want to read the graphic novel, Watchmen, by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. There are two copies on reserve that can be requested at the O’Neill patron services desk on Level 3.
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’m sorry to hear you have some relationship struggles. Communication struggles are not impossible to overcome but do require patience. It’s hard to give relationship advice from my position as a wall, so I highly recommend talking to someone, perhaps in Counseling Services: bit.ly/BC-counseling
I don’t think there’s one path for this.
As a Wall, I have very little practical need for fashion. But my librarian friends have told me that there’s a lot of library resources all about fashion that might help you find out your favorite fashion designer. https://bit.ly/fashionsources. I’ve also been told that fashion is about self-expression which means that I would probably lean towards clean and simple fashion designers since I find lines, glass, and minimalist color appealing (as you know I am in a committed relationship with the lobby doors and very much like their style).
I am following up with my library helpers to get you a good list of recommendations!
And here they are:
1. “I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala,” by Rigoberta Menchú and Elizabeth Burgos
2. Saints of the Household by Ari Tison, Lizards Hold the Sun by D.H. Trujillo, Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
3. And check out the list from the Boston Public Library for books celebrating indigenous authors: https://bit.ly/bplindigenous
See a doctor, especially if you lost consciousness at all when you got it. Every case and every brain is different, but it will probably help to limit your exposure to things that make your brain work hard (light, noise, complex problem solving) for at least a few days. Here’s some detailed advice from the Mayo Clinic: https://mayocl.in/3Z83oxP. Hope you feel better soon.
