Dear Jack and Jade,

I hate my math class! Don’t even get me started. First off, I have to wake up at 6 a.m. to get to an 8 a.m. class in one of the crustiest buildings on campus. Secondly, the professor is an old bat who makes it very hard to follow his lessons. He always stands in front of the board, causing me to have to strain my neck to see what he wrote, and he makes me feel stupid when I ask questions. To top it all off, last week, I received a D on my test… a D! I couldn’t believe it because in high school, I was an A student in math, so I don’t understand why I’m struggling in college. I get that college is a different pace from secondary school, but I honestly don’t know what to do. Learning should be fun, and right now I’m in hell. Please help!

Sincerely,

Miserable Ally

Dear Miserable Ally,

Girl, I totally relate with you on disliking a class. Sometimes you just want to scream. College is not an easy place, that’s why one has to stay organized and study, study, study! I advise you to get a tutor since it’s too late in the semester to switch out into another math course. I know it may seem hard, but keep working at it. You need to believe in yourself and not let the professor bring you down. You are paying money to attend school, so don’t let it go to waste! Getting a tutor will allow you to understand why the subject is confusing for you. The good thing is that next semester, you get the opportunity to chose another math course that better suits you. But in the meantime, remember to study so that you can get your grades up.

Keep in touch,

Jack and Jade

2. Dear Jack and Jade

My two best friends, Ron and Tamika, just broke up and I’m stuck in the middle. I thought they would last forever because they were so good together. They were always together and always laughing. I won’t lie; I hated this sometimes because I felt like I was third wheeling all the time. But they always included me in everything, which I loved. Two weeks ago, Tamika heard from one of her friends that Ron was cheating on her; that she saw it with her own eyes at a party. Instead of asking Ron if said information was true, Tamika jumped to conclusions and began accusing Ron of cheating. Ron got fed up of the accusations and they broke up. I tried to tell Tamika not to overreact, but she didn’t listen to me. Now they are both forcing me to choose. It hurts to see our family broken up. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault because I wasn’t able to prevent it. How do I fix this?

Sincerely,

Lone Wolf

Dear Lone Wolf,

I want to begin by stating it’s not your fault that your two best friends broke up. It was their decision so don’t feel bad. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be in such a situation, but I advise you to have a sit-down with both of them. At this sit-down, you can have them talk out their concerns with you as the mediator. Tell them you won’t choose between them because you care about them both equally. You need to tell them it’s not fair that they’re putting you in an awkward situation. By doing so in a calm and respectful manner, I believe you will be able to help them get everything off their chests. And you never know—they just may get back together after talking about their issues out in the open. I hope this helps!

Yours truly,

Jack and Jade