Welcome to Reggie Responds, Roar’s advice column! Our columnists are here to provide you helpful, or maybe not so helpful, advice. Tune in on Fridays to see what they have to say about your problems.
Q: I have a roommate who goes out most nights, and while I’m fine with that, she doesn’t take precautions like taking a Covid test. She’s now down with a flu and refuses to wear a mask in the house. What can I do to make her more considerate?
Nikita: Yikes, that sounds like a bit of a nightmare. Have you (explicitly) asked your roommate to wear a mask? If, despite this, they’ve refused to do so, I’d say your best bet would be to ask your other roommates to back you up on this. And if that doesn’t work either, I’d say it’s best if you started wearing a mask around them—if they won’t wear a mask on their own, guilt them into it. For your sake, though, I really do hope it’s just a bad case of the flu, take care!
Q: Second year is so different from first year, there are far more readings and higher expectations. Do you have any tips on how to navigate this transition?
Matthew:Â My biggest piece of advice would be to keep up as much as you can. Falling behind will always make the workload seem even more daunting, as you don’t just end up with what’s ahead (to focus on), but also what you’ve missed. Attend every class, watch every lecture, read everything that is set, but don’t expect to suddenly be an expert at this more advanced material just because you’re a year older now. That will all come in time. Do try to push yourself to contribute vocally in class, if you are comfortable doing so, as it is a great way to force your brain to engage with ideas that you might not have otherwise.
I often find myself sitting in seminars, feeling incredibly overwhelmed at the complexity of everyone’s ideas and wondering: what is setting me apart, what am I missing? Everybody goes at their own pace, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. You navigated your way to second year, you’ll be able to navigate your way to the end, it always just happens. As the famous quote goes: “It’ll all be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not yet the end”.
If you want to submit a question, you can do so here.
Matthew Seaman
