DISCLAIMER:

Please note—We are not professionals. We are students looking to help fellow students in their time of need.

Submit questions to [email protected]. Submissions must be less than 200 words. All questions will be posted as anonymous unless specified otherwise.
Dear Jack and Jade,
I think I want to drop out of college. I started college about a year ago, in the fall of 2015, actually. I failed all my courses that first semester and I tried to retake them last spring. I ended up dropping out of the semester. I didn’t bother coming last semester and I told my parents it was because I did not have reliable transportation to and from school. My parents usually drop me off at school and back home but they weren’t able to do it all the time and so most times I had to miss school because of this. I got a car recently so now I have no excuse for taking a semester off. I pushed the whole college thing because of my parents. I don’t know if this is something I want to do and so I just want to stop until I decide what to do. I don’t want to tell my parents that I am dropping out of school.
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
If college is not something you want to do then that is up to you. And while I do not know everything that contributed to you failing your courses, a reason could be that you are just not interested in college and so you did not care as much or put in enough effort to get a passing grade. I think you should be honest with your parents. If college is not something you want to do, then it is just that you do not want to go to college. Going to college is not the only route to success. If there is something you enjoy doing such as a sport or hobby, why not try to see where that takes you? All you have to do is give it a try.
Best wishes,
Jade
Dear Jack and Jade,
My little sister applied to UMass Boston and if she gets in my mother wants her to come here. I don’t. I do not want to go to college with my little sister. I love my sister, I see her every day at home and I do not want to see her at school too. How can I convince my mother not to let her come to UMass Boston?
Annoyed Big Sister
Dear Annoyed Big Sister,
While you have a valid point, it would be selfish of you to only consider yourself and not take into consideration your mother’s reasoning for wanting you and your little sister to attend the same university. Does your sister want to come to UMass Boston or is this only what your mother wants? If your sister wants to come to UMass Boston, then why not? UMass Boston is a big school with a student population of about 17,000 students. I am sure you guys will have different schedules. If she wants to come to this university, don’t take that opportunity away from her. If you don’t want her sticking around you all the time, you should let her know.
It would be good if she had her big sister to show her around school, help her find her classes, and even help her integrate into university life.
Best wishes,
Jade