Dear Sherpa,
I don’t know how I would have survived the past three years at GW without your constant unsolicited advice, so in another moment of stress I come to you. I can’t get away from the fact that in a year I’ll be on my own with no dorm room to nap away my days in. I’m trying to plan housing, a job, a life, and everything I’ll need for next year but it’s really hard!
On top of my preeminent problems, my little sister just started as a freshman and it’s killing me to hear how she’s blowing off her 4-year plan and not preparing at all for the best 4 years of her life. Helppp!
Tell me what to do,
Panicking at Home, Feeling Alone
Dear P.a.h.f.a.,
I’m glad you learned this key lesson during your studies; Sherpa knows best. You and your sister remind me of a story from one very particular winter I spent alone in the 1990s.
To my dismay, all my dreams were coming true! I was left alone in my house and I had BIG plans. Eat whatever I want, play video games past bed time, and not have to listen to anyone! It never occurred to me that I’d need a plan to survive my stint home alone. My lack of a plan literally put my life in jeopardy. But don’t fret, I was able to turn it all around because it’s never too late to plan!
I found out two doofuses were planning to rob my house, thinking I was also gone. Having learned my lesson about not planning, I went big and created multiple back up plans and intricate steps for my 4-day defeat plan.
I burned one guys hair off, I tricked them into stepping on broken Xmas ornament glass, and I even pushed them down the stairs with heavy cans, and tar and feathered them! It was amazing.
But there was an unintended side effect: I ruined my house! The stairs were covered in tar (don’t even ask me about cleaning that one up), the door handles and locks were ruined because I got them all red hot, and the drapes were burnt (plus the smell of burnt hair was in everything.) Plus there were about 20 other traps I had set elsewhere in the house that I needed to disarm when it was all over. I got so obsessed with building intricate plans that I didn’t see the simple solution in front of me. All I needed to do was call the police, or ask a neighbor for help. Everything worked out okay, but I got in so much trouble.
In the end, I regretted under-planning in the beginning, and over-planning at the end. College has so much in store for freshman like your sister, but to take advantage of all the possibilities, she needs to do some planning. Her 4-year plan is the first step to success in overcoming herself and thriving in college. You on the otherhand, must calm down. Some things you just can’t plan, accept it, and deal with what you can.
If you’re not sure if you’re over-planning or under-planning, or just need help in general, you have a lot of advisors at GW ready to help. Reach out to your school or major advisor, or talk to Catherine in the Honors Program.
Tar&Feathers for the win,
Sherpa
