Panicked faces. Wild hand gestures. The signs of course selection season are evident around the school, and the advice students receive isn’t helping.

Although upperclassmen have good intentions, freshmen receive an overwhelming load of contradictory advice around course selection time. Too often, advice is given to us without considering the nuances of our situation. While a lot of advice is generally true for the general population, the giving end of advice must take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the receiving end. Because when we hear two contradicting pieces of advice, we don’t know which to believe.

So before upperclassmen answer a question about course selection, they should think about the consequences. Will knowing the number of AP’s they’ve taken cause freshmen unnecessary stress? Does how easy they found the course apply to everyone?

When giving advice, less information is better than wrong information. So upperclassmen shouldn’t throw their words around too lightly, because whatever they say will make an impact, for the better or worse.