Dear Eliana,
Next year, I’ll be living in a dorm with a kitchen as a junior. I’m really excited to finally be able to cook for myself, but I’ll be required to get a meal plan. Which should I choose?
– Mad About Meal Plans

Dear Mad,
If there is one thing at Brandeis that will always bring up controversy and questions, it is the dining services. The Campus Card Office website displays the current meal plan options, which gives you a rundown of the different meal plans and their prices. I would suggest one of the cheaper ones with fewer meals if you are planning on cooking for yourself most of the time. If you don’t think you’ll want to cook all the time, maybe go for a plan with a few more meals or points. I’m also sure any current upperclassmen that are in similar situations would have some good insights, so maybe talk to some of them. Happy eating!
-Eliana

Dear Eliana,
I’m having trouble working with someone who is the only person who can do something for me. He enjoys making me do unnecessary things to complete the task. How do I work with people who let small amounts of power go to their heads?
– Guy Just Trying to Get His Work Done

Dear G.J.T.G.H.W.D.,
Just because a person does you a favor, it does not allow him to push you around. In order to show him that he is not all-powerful, you will need to assert yourself and stand up to him. That doesn’t mean aggressively confront him, but calmly explain that you appreciate his help, but you want to be as efficient as possible, and that some of his methods are unnecessary. Try to offer alternative solutions and be direct. If he still doesn’t get it, and there is really no one else who can help you, then it might be easiest to just ride it out and let him have his quick little power trip. Hopefully, he’ll listen to you and realize that he’s being difficult. Be strong!
– Eliana

Dear Readers, If you can’t already tell, this is an advice column, and I’m here to help you with any questions that you might have! If you want more exciting questions, send them in, and I will do my best to answer them. Whether it’s relationships, social problems or just life in general—send them here. I can’t wait to start hearing about everyone’s problems (how often do you hear people say that? Oh yeah, never). Send questions to elianasadvice@gmail.com.
Thanks! -Eliana