I’m really stressed out by the end of the semester! How can I get my work done but not feel terrible all the time?
— Frazzled Fran
Sometimes it is helpful to work in a group of people to have people you are accountable to. Agree on a few breaks at specific times in advance and if you or your friends get off task before it’s time for a break, slap each other in the face. It can be helpful to do a few practice slaps beforehand so you know how hard to hit.
—Captain Dominatrix
What is the deal with mustaches these days? More generally, how do you feel about facial hair?
—Resuming grooming
This is college, so it’s a great time to experiment with facial hair options! However, sometimes you need to look good for upcoming interviews or presentations. If that is your case, ask for the advice of honest friends. Facial hair can be dashingly handsome. More often, what might have been stylish and attractive a century or two ago merely looks creepy or strange in the modern world. Your friends will be able to tell you which is the case for you.
—Duchess of Deportment
My teammates are more invested in our project than I am and want me to meet past midnight all the time. It’s ruining my life! How can I tell them to calm down?
—Lackadasical Lacey
There are two different issues here: your level of investment in the project and your team’s meeting times. For the first issue, you need to take a step back and objectively consider whether their expectations are reasonable. A good standard is Olin’s rough credit-hour equivalence of twelve hours per week of work per four-credit course. Are they expecting significantly more than that? If so, explain to them that you are not willing and able to put in the level of time they’re demanding. If not, you need to step up your level of commitment.
For the second issue, it’s acceptable to set clear and reasonable meeting time boundaries (e.g., no meetings between midnight and 9am), especially when they’re defined by your sleep schedule, as long as you communicate them to your team and are consistent about them.
—Duchess of Deportment
In my time at Olin, I’ve participated in a few eyebrow-raisingly scandalous conversations, and I was wondering: How much ‘I’ is TMI? Where is the line?
—Rarely have I ever
As long as the information is the speaker’s to share (that is, no secrets or rumors are being spread, because that is always unacceptable) and the conversation is taking place in private, there is no objective standard for the amount of information that is acceptable to share.
If you are uncomfortable with a conversation or you notice someone else becoming uncomfortable, change the topic and save the scandal for a setting where everyone is interested.
—Duchess of Deportment
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