Vol. CI | Fall | Issue III

We’re back! If this is your first time reading our column, here’s our quick spiel: we’re two seniors with Wisdom™ and we’re here to answer the questions you send in to us! And our usual disclaimer — take our advice with a grain of salt! We are not responsible for any consequences of the advice we give, but if you do take it we’d love to hear about it!

Question #1

Since school started again, I haven’t been able to work as much and I’m lowkey broke. This wouldn’t be the biggest problem if I wasn’t so addicted to buying food on campus every day. Any advice on how I can save money but still eat (commuter btw).

 

This is something we’re also trying to be better about since we love buying ourselves silly little treats for every occasion (even if we’re just celebrating the fact we went to class that day). But as you’ve definitely noticed, inflation is real, and checking our bank accounts can truly be devastating. Since you’re a commuter, it might just be time to try to incorporate more home-cooked meals into your everyday routine. Don’t be afraid to bring food from home as your lunch a couple days of the week. Plenty of students do it and there are microwaves all over campus if you know where to look! Perhaps this is your sign to join a club that has one and a fridge in their office (shoutout to the 4th floor of CC)!

With this in mind, we know that you sometimes just have a craving for good “outside” food. Look for good deals on meal delivery apps, student discounts, or just split some meals with friends. And if you scroll through your Corq app or Highlander Hub, there are almost always student organizations or NJIT departments giving away free food. Sometimes, if you go towards the end of an event, they’ll have so much leftover food that they’ll let you take it home, and then you’ve got free meals for the next few days. There is also the food pantry on the fourth floor of CC that is open to everyone, no questions asked. You can go twice a week and get 6 items for free per visit, and all you need to bring is your NJIT student ID.

Question #2

Be honest, how bad are the commons?

 

Commons are no joke! Unfortunately, you have probably taken your first one by the time this comes out, but here’s some advice for the future. We’re not going to lie — they’re not exactly a great experience, but they can be managed. Most commons involve a lot of math, whether it’s calculus, physics, or chemistry, so the biggest thing to do is PRACTICE. Book a library room before the common and redo all (yes, ALL) of the homework and in-class practice problems. You’ll be surprised by how much it really does repeat. And don’t suffer alone! Everything can be a game if you try hard enough. Plug in your laptop to a TV, display the questions, and have you and your friends answer them individually before revealing your answers to one another. Start studying as early as you can so you have time to use the tutoring centers or go to office hours. Nothing feels worse than going to a review session the day before the common and not knowing anything (been there, done that). Also, we can’t stress enough how important it is to get to the correct classroom early so you can snag a seat with lots of space. It’s kind of crazy how they want us to do full exams in lecture halls with desks that aren’t even big enough for the exam. But we know you’ll get through it, and we hope the curve is in your favor!

Question #3

So, one of my friends(?) just confessed their feelings for me and I didn’t know how to respond, so I’ve kinda been avoiding them…help!!! I don’t think I like them like that because we pretty much just met, but I don’t want to lose them as a friend??? I hate it here.

 

Oh dear. Rejecting someone is always hard, but if you value them as a friend, ghosting is not the way to go about this. You’re going to have to talk to them one-on-one and be completely honest. Chances are that they may be a little sad, and that’s okay! We just need you to not fall into any people-pleasing habits and remain clear about your feelings (or lack thereof). You might think consoling them is the best way to handle the situation, but we’ve noticed that people usually just need space and time to process their emotions when something like this happens. Trust us, leaving things ambiguous is probably only going to backfire. This should not be a will-they-won’t-they situation. And this doesn’t mean you guys can never be friends again! With some time, everyone will hopefully move on and be mature enough to be friends. But if they don’t want to be friends with you, you’ll have to accept that boundary, and that’s okay! There are plenty of other people to be friends with (and more than friends with ;)). 

Expenses, exams, and emotions, oh my! We hope our advice helped—even if some of y’all didn’t ask about anything to begin with. As always, if you have any questions or sticky situations you need advice on, don’t hesitate to fill out our form! See you next time!

With love <3, 

U & M

Vol. CI | Fall | Issue II

Hey! We’re two seniors with several years of wisdom (3 years of lots of mistakes, but also some wins!), and we’re here to counsel the masses. But for real, we’re here to help you with your college experiences! Take our advice carefully, as we might not have the full context of your situation, and please don’t hold us responsible for any bad decisions (but tell us about them; we love entertainment).

Question #1

I’m a commuter and I feel like I can’t make friends because everyone already has friends 🙁 – Is it too late?

 

No!!! Being a commuter can suck. The traffic and the inability to stay late are all annoying barriers. Think about it this way: if you’re leaving during peak traffic time, you’ll probably get home at the same time as if you had stayed on campus for an extra hour. 

We strongly recommend joining a club! We have so many of them on campus, so don’t be afraid to explore the ones that interest you. Many have office spaces that are honestly mini commuter social lounges. It’s way better to spend your breaks between classes there versus in random corners of CKB (speaking from experience here). We know it can be intimidating to just walk into a club, but if you go to a general body meeting, you’ll be among so many other people that it’ll feel less awkward. Clubs are a great way to find people with similar interests as you, and they are typically very welcoming environments, especially since every club is usually begging for more members. 

Also, don’t be afraid to talk to people in class! Those random groups you sit with can start as study groups and turn into real friend groups. 

A trip to Intrinsic (the cutest café nearby with the best beverages) with strangers can surprisingly do wonders. Bubble tea and board games — those are all you need for a budding friendship. 

Question #2

My roommate got a new boyfriend and he’s always over in our room. We live in a double room and he snores! I don’t want to move, so how do I deal with this in an unproblematic way?

 

You know what they say — never let a man get between you and your sleep. But really though, college is hard enough without losing sleep. 

We suggest talking to your roommate about it ASAP. I know that’s an awkward conversation, but this situation is already awkward! Being in ‘love’ or whatever can really make you lose your self-awareness, so we’re sure that an honest chat will probably help here. 

If you’re not comfortable with the boyfriend being there, that should be respected, considering how small those dorm rooms are. If the issue is more about the snoring, maybe get him those anti-snore nose strips as a little present. 

Hopefully, you all can work this out, but if nothing changes, don’t be afraid to get your resident assistant (RA) involved. They’ll probably be entertained, and maybe they can help you transition into a better room situation, if needed. We know you don’t want to move, but you deserve to be happy and comfortable in your space! Good luck!

Question #3

I know it’s early in the semester, but I’m thinking of dropping out. Please convince me to stay. 

 

Whoa! Although you provided us no context on why you’re thinking of dropping out, we know that you know that it might be a little too early to be making such big decisions. 

If you hate what you’re learning so far, we can understand that. Not everyone picks the perfect major on the first try, and we’ve had friends who’ve changed their majors two or three times. If you think this might be you, we cannot stress how important it is to start your research now on what major you’d like to switch into. NJIT understands this and hosts a Major/Minor fair in October, so be on the lookout. 

Now, if you actually love your major or switching isn’t an option for you (read: your parents are making you do it), we can try to help you make the most of it! The biggest piece of advice we can offer you now is to make friends! Talk to the people in your classes and try to make school less about academics and more about the fun stuff, which will make you happier. 

We’re basically telling you to distract yourself from the pain in a healthy way. Talking to the professor or your advisor might be cringe, but they’re there to give you the real advice when it comes to dropping out or not. 

That’s the end of our first column. As always, if you’d like to hear from us, fill out our form! Also, if any of you out there do end up taking our advice on anything, we’d love to hear about it in our form as well. We won’t let it inflate our egos too much — we promise. See you in two weeks! 

With love <3, 

U & M (see what we did there with the title ;))