Giving relationship advice of any kind.

Q: Hey Mama, I want to get my girlfriend a really good first anniversary present. How do I earn some cash on the side quickly and easily?

A: I like to jump around on side hustles a lot. If you’re okay with something long term, on-campus jobs are
always hiring, and pay well! For shorter term things, try selling old brand name clothes or electronics online, participating in user studies (I do them at Microsoft), or doing freelance work if you’re good at anything creation-based like the arts or writing. Good luck!

Q: So I’ve had a crush on this girl for a while now, but I’m not sure if she likes me back. She seems to flirt with me a lot, but I don’t know if she likes girls, too! How can I find out?

A: You can always just ask! If that’s too direct or could be awkward depending on her and your personalities, a good move could be talking about how you like girls or girls you’ve dated in the past, and see if she seems to respond in a reciprocal way. She could be wondering the same thing about you, also afraid to ask! Worst case, it could just turn out that she wasn’t flirting and is just a very confident friend. All in all, that’s not a bad worst case scenario. Thanks for your question!

Q: I’m a junior and all my friends moved off campus. It’s so hard to see each other now, and I feel kinda lonely. Aren’t college friends supposed to last forever?

A: That’s a common struggle I hear about. It can be jarring going from being able to drop by your friends’ dorms whenever you want to having everyone live a mile or more away. Luckily, transportation around here is pretty good, and you can rely on discounted Orca cards and the Nighthawk to take you to your friends on the cheap! Don’t stress too much about how long your friends will last, you’ll meet new people throughout your life, and those who are worth it will put in the effort to stick around.

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