Advising little girls

**Fe 26** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:18 AM

Can anyone give me any pointers on this?

My little sister started her first semester of college this year. An hour ago she was in tears over the whole affair.

She's an English major (I know, irony, LAWL). She apparently is over worked. Ok, that isn't exactly true. She thinks she is, but in truth I think she just doesn't know how to study and is wasting lots of time trying to learn in a manner that isn't good for her.

The class that is giving her the most trouble is Bio. She says she studies a lot. The way she studies is by reading the book. I think that is problem one as some college text books are pure crap when it comes to communicating material.

Problem two is that she has it in her head that part of college is being social. She's pledging and is a member of the local school chapter Democrat party. It infuriates her that we, her family, expect her to give those two things up if she can't do them and pass her classes. She just does not agree that grades come before clubs.

I've done my best to give her advice but she has yet to give any of my recommendations a fair chance.

My advice goes as follows

1) stop doing clubs and put more time into school work. (she refuses this one)
2) make friends with class members and;
a. break chapters up and teach each other your section
b. do the review at the end of the chapter together
c. if they are doing well, get them to tutor you.
3) talk to your teacher IN PERSON, and your advisor, and anyone else in the department about study guides, old notes, and old test to be used to supplement the class material
4) see if your book has a solutions guide and use it to check yourself
5) check amazon for good study guides
6) break the chapter up into an outline
7) make flash cards
8) see how things go, and if she doesn't pass her classes, go to a good CC where teachers will put more effort in helping her.

Recently she has been talking nonsense about dropping out and becoming a cosmetologist. I've told her that she can't go through life running away from things she does not like. This just makes her cry more because she knows bio 2 and her future math classes will only be harder.

Does anyone know how to deal with this situation? I normally try to make her laugh and see how silly she is being, but frankly, there is nothing silly about this current problem. Personally I think she is being a puss and a bit stuck up.

=/ but I don't like her crying

Do any of you have any advice?

**Tommy Tallarico** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:25 AM

The only way for anyone to learn is to make mistakes for themselves. She won't see that quitting college will suck until she actually does it and experiences service labor and realizes she'd be doing that for the rest of her life. And if she somehow becomes successful without college, she wins anyway.

Let her drop out, fail at life, and come back in a couple of years with more maturity and better prepared for what she has to do. You're right and you're trying to steer her in the right path, but she won't follow it until she decides to stick to that path for herself.

**Razor Ramon** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:27 AM

Tell her to pay me a visit.

**Mykozo** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:27 AM

Where she loses is...
1) stop doing clubs and put more time into school work. (she refuses this one)
I don't know how my text got so big, but clubbing/partying every night is the kiss of death. Being awake and alert in class is the easiest way to not fail.

**Fe 26** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:33 AM

she isn't doing that though. She is pledging for some dork scotish heritage club and is an active member of the schools democrat party.

But you know, you gotta cut that shit, no matter what kind of shit it is, when it gets in the way of real goals.

I told her that essentially the classes are work, and the clubs are freinds. You don't get your ass fired over freinds, and you don't fail your classes over clubs.

**Fe 26** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon

Tell her to pay me a visit.

yeah, getting a good dose of tnl cock will really help her out.

**Vasteel** · 01 Oct 2006, 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by buttcheeks

The class that is giving her the most trouble is Bio. She says she studies a lot. The way she studies is by reading the book. I think that is problem one as some college text books are pure crap when it comes to communicating material.
This just makes her cry more because she knows bio 2 and her future math classes will only be harder.

Bio 2, and every subsequent biology class, is actually a hell of a lot easier than Bio 111, at least in my experience. Reiterate that.

Fuck the textbook, she needs to just hook up with a study group or TA when they meet. Also rather than using shit like flash cards, she should try quizzing and being quizzed by study partners.