Dear Devil’s Advocate,
I’m having problems with my roommate who can be insensitive at times. She is the most obnoxious person I’ve met at school and she has this bad habit of asking inappropriate questions to my other suitemates who are coincidentally from foreign countries. She also makes rude comments and imposes her own beliefs on us and is one of those people who always think they’re right. When she says things she doesn’t take others feelings into consideration and I don’t think she realizes how much she irritates us. How can we tell her that she is a pain and we want her to stop her annoying habits?
-Irritable Roomie

Dear Irritable,
Naturally we encounter people like this all the time. But living with them is a different story. Your roommate doesn’t seem to realize that her big mouth gets her into trouble, and the rest of you shouldn’t have to suffer for her callousness. It is one thing to defend one’s own point of view but another to make your own statement without actually listening to the opposing viewpoint.
It may take awhile for her to limit her offending comments, but let her know when she says such things, this way she’ll be aware of it and can be more cautious in the future.

Dear Devil’s Advocate,
I am enjoying my college experience and I want to join certain activities but I have a lot of things to do aside from schoolwork. I can’t find the time to join all the clubs I want to join and feel left out when my friends talk about the ones they are in. How could I go about living my daily life as usual and including these extracurricular activities as well?

-Overworked Student

Dear Overworked,
There are plenty of ways you can go about enjoying extracurricular activities and live your own life at the same time. Studies have shown that students who are involved in after school activities tend to do better with time management than those who aren’t involved. Of course it’s different for everyone, but it is possible.
You could try joining one club that meets at a convenient day and time for you and see how it works out. The whole point of being in clubs is to do things you enjoy doing with others who share the same interest. I think starting out small will be best for you. Try one activity and if you feel that you can handle it, stick with it, and later on try incorporating another and decide what fits in best with your daily life.

Dear Devil’s Advocate,
My friend is planning on meeting a guy she met online in person. It creeps me out, especially since he is a lot older and from another state. She only started talking to him about a few weeks ago and I told her I don’t like the idea, but she insists on seeing him regardless. Should I just leave her alone or should I keep her from going?

-Friendly Glitch

Dear Glitch,
We’ve all heard about the creepy men on MySpace and the underage girls who meet them when the unspeakable occurs. You don’t want the same thing happening to your friend as well. Some people frown upon online dating, but lately it has been emerging into a new way to meet people. I don’t disapprove of online dating, as long as it’s done safely. If she really likes this guy, maybe you could accompany her and keep your eye on them from a distance (as weird as this may sound), because you’re right, it is dangerous, especially since she does not really know him. Later, after your friend gets to know this guy better, both of you will feel better about her going out without supervision.

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