SCO Says: noisy families, cuffing season and senioritis

Welcome back! With the holidays finally over, we here at SCOsays have completely recovered and are ready to dish out more advice for all you confused people out there. So! Without further ado here we go on the third edition* of SCOsays.
*If you haven't yet (loser), check out our second edition (It's a video!!) SCOsays holiday special.

My family drives me absolutely insane. I have five siblings and they're all crazy and uber annoying, my parents are obsessed with my grades, and what I'm doing with my life. I just want to escape, how can I keep my sanity without lashing out at them?
-FamTroubles

Sandeep: This is my life in a nutshell. I find it's nice to go to the basement, close the door, and put on some music.

Lauren: I had the same problem! Ever heard of Beats? I got some of those in hot pink for Christmas, works like a charm. Seriously, game changing. You can't hear a thing with those babies in. Invest in them, wear them 24/7, never hear your siblings or your parents again. Plus you look like such a baller. Problem solved! You're welcome.

Eleanor: Sorry your family bugs you. Try finding a friend to talk to. A lot of times it can be really helpful just to let off all of your steam and rant a bit to someone and maybe your friend can give you some advice.

Divya: Who doesn't love a crazy, noisy family? Find your own way to add to the chaos at home!

I think I'm going to cry. All my best friends are getting cuffed and I'm all alone, what advice do you have for a girl who wants a man this cuffing season?
-Finna get cuffed

Sandeep: That's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, now you have time to yourself, time that you can use to do whatever you want and to focus on yourself. In your newfound free time, do something that interests you, hang out with your friends, and maybe study up on DJ Khaled's keys to success.

Lauren: YOU DON'T NEED A MAN! BE AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN. YOU DON'T NEED ANYONE GIRL. But, hey, maybe the right guy will come around. :)

Eleanor: First of all, who says you need a guy? You can have loads of fun being single. But if you really feel the need to get cuffed up, ask your friends for advice - they know you a lot better than we do. Just make sure you don't force it, because that would probably even worse than being single.

Divya: The best way is to make yourself a profile on a dating website or an app such as Tinder and let true love find you!

ScoSays

Photo: Lauren, Sandeep, Divya and Eleanor [left to right]

Lauren, Sandeep, Divya and Eleanor [left to right]  Photo courtesy of Randima Herath.

Sandeep: Why fight it?

Lauren: I think I have senoritis too and I'm a junior. It's contagious. See if they have a vaccination. Senioritis is so real, but focus on the goal: GETTING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. If that's not motivation I don't know what is.

Eleanor: You've made it this far, don't give up now! Just plow through the rest of your work and rest well knowing that it will soon be over.

Divya: Give in and give up. Early bedtimes and Netflix marathons will show you what life's really about.

I just finished applying to my dream school. The campus is beautiful, the people are wonderful, and the academics are rigorous and really amazing. However, college is so expensive and although I have some money saved up, I'm still really worried about the cost. How can I help myself pay for college?
-Broke B

Sandeep: Your counselor here is a really good source for help on this. After all, they're here so you can succeed in high school and in college. Try asking about any scholarships that are available or, if you can't find any, try to find a job to earn some money.

Lauren: Couch cushions are always a great place to start. Then try doing your parents' laundry and seeing how much money comes out their pockets. A job might be a good idea but that seems a little risky to me-- what if it doesn't pay well? In all seriousness though, look at scholarships, there are a lot of scholarships out there that haven't been claimed yet, scavenge,and remember that it adds up. Never be too proud to beg!

Eleanor: Well you can always ask around your family. Talk with your parents and see how much money they are willing to give you and if you can get any from anyone else in your family. Also, while summer seems like a ways away, applications for some jobs such as internships or being a summer camp counselor are available now, so get ahead of the game and try that, or you can wait until summer gets closer and look for job positions at restaurants like Starbucks or Chipotle.

Divya: I've heard of people going to college for free. It shouldn't be too hard - just write a convincing letter to the President of the University.

I have no idea what I want to do with my life. How do I answer when people ask me what I want to be when I grow up?
-No idea

Sandeep: Well, it's good then that you don't need to figure out yet. Try taking a variety of classes to find out what interests you and look into what you can do with that.

Lauren: I don't know what I want to do with my life either! I generally just think of the craziest thing possible. I mean why is whoever's asking all in my business anyways? They don't know my life story. What are the greatest ones I've used so far you ask? Professional Conker smasher (a very hard sport if you ask me, which you kind of did.). Telling people you want to a mermaid when you grow up is always a classic, especially if you add in a little kid voice. A personal favorite of mine is telling people that I want to be a professional cuddler. Yes, a cuddler. "Is that a real thing?" you may ask me. Yes, yes it is, No Idea, and I'll have you know it is a very high paying job as well.

Eleanor: If you don't know what you want to be there's no need to rush. You still have the rest of high school and a lot of college to figure out what you like and what you're good at doing. In the meantime though, pay attention to what different people do in their jobs and see what peaks your interest. Pay a bit closer attention to your teachers maybe, or ask your doctor what it's like to have his or her job. Just look around and pay attention to what you can see yourself doing in the future, but don't close any doors on yourself just yet.

Divya: If you want something interesting, pick and choose from this list.

I came back from break and I've realized that I am close to failing out of some of my courses. What should I do?
-Sad sophomore

Sandeep: Most teachers let you turn in some late work. I turned in ten assignments on the day I got back from break for one of my classes, so talk to your teachers to see what you can do.

Lauren: New year, new you? Nice try. It's a little too late now bud. It's not like anyone ever sticks with their new year's resolutions anyway. Good try though.

Eleanor: First, you need some motivation. Now, go figure out from Edline what assignment(s) is/are driving your grades down and see what you can do to fix that. Also talk to your teachers and see what you can do to better grasp the information you should be learning so that you can do well on your finals and maybe try and bring your grades up.

Divya: Eh, failing a few classes never hurt anyone. You should be focusing on more important things, like how you're going to enjoy repeating sophomore year!