The Shoemaker Bugle

In early October, The Bugle asked readers to send in some questions for advice from our columnist. Here is our advice:

I hate my friend’s new boyfriend. She wants to invite him to hang around with us but I literally can’t stand him. What should I do?

I always like to say you don’t have to like someone your friend is dating, but maybe tolerate them out of respect for your friend, you know. Plan some things to do outside of school without him. If she wants to invite him, hint that it’s “just a girls’ thing,” or maybe even tell her that you miss hanging out with her alone.

How can a person move on from their past mistakes?

Well, there’s two things to remember: One, you can not change the past and that’s ok; two, not to beat yourself up over your mistakes. You’re going to make a million mistakes in this lifetime, and I like to think of it as learning from them, rather than moving on from them.

How can you manage time with school, work, etc.? 

The biggest advice I can give you for this is time management and organization. You have to WANT to work, be able to make big commitments, and prepare to sacrifice your social time. It is totally manageable and possible, but I personally recommend starting with a new job in the summer because it’s easier.  😉

How do you cope with the transition from a student to an independent person going into university or college?

I answered this last question with help from Mr. Derrick Wroten, our senior Economics and Government teacher. So how do you prepare yourself for a drastic transition from student, to an independent person going into a college/university? Mr. Wroten recommends preparing ahead of time, and picking your career so you can find the college that will help you with that career. He talked about finding colleges that fit you and your interests, instead of going for those big popular colleges everyone talks about. Some great points he made are the fact that you’re, “Surrounding yourself in a new atmosphere,” and, “if that school isn’t your vibe due to certain subjects or rules, you shouldn’t go.” Lastly, Mr. Wroten ended it with something that sticks to me, saying, “Go into college with the confidence that you’re going to get what you need out of this school.” Thank you Mr. Wroten!