Thanksgiving is fast approaching and so is college application season. With everything going on, it might be nice to have some advice. So don’t worry, the new edition of The Good, the Bad and Ugly is here to provide you with all the advice you need about college admissions to dealing with freezing temperatures.

Dear Howler, it’s college app season and I want to impress the admission officers. What should I write about in my essays?

The Good: 

Don’t fret about impressing the admission officers. Essays are about you, the amazing student that you are. Colleges want to learn about your personality and your interests through your essays. They don’t want to know what they can already see on your student transcripts or activities list. If you’re still wondering abouts a good topic, there are an infinite number to choose from. It doesn’t always have to be some great achievement you did during your high school career. It can just be about the time you went to get boba and you tie it back to yourself or what you learned.

The Bad: 

College essays are a blank canvas, giving you the opportunity to paint yourself in any way you want. You can pretend to be the most overachieving student and write about how you got a master’s degree when you were a junior in high school. Maybe even pretend to be the smartest person alive by figuring out the secret to teleporting. Is it true? Definitely not but it’s not like the admission officers are going to double check.

The Ugly: 

Why bother trying when you already know that anything you come up with won’t even come close to any college’s standards? Save yourself some time, give up now, and wallow in self pity and thoughts of your inevitable future as a failed pizza deliverer and aspiring novelist.

Dear Howler, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I have no clue what to make. What should I cook for Thanksgiving dinner to make sure my family is stuffed with delicious food?

The Good: 

You can never go wrong with Thanksgiving classics. Mashed potatoes with a lake of gravy in the middle, the sweetness of cranberry sauce in your mouth and the scrumptious smell of oven-roasted turkey will surely fulfill the picky palate of your family members. Achieving this is relatively easy nowadays with recipe articles and video tutorials on the Internet, some of these are even easy for a new cook to make. Just remember that what’s most important is spending time with your family, so don’t stress about what you need to cook.

The Bad:

The dreaded Thanksgiving dinner can be a hassle with its excessive planning and preparation. But why go through all the trouble of that when you have a neighbor who’s cooking a family-sized feast right next to you? Just make sure you aren’t caught breaking open their kitchen window and you have a feast ready for your family.

The Ugly: 

Serve your family a heaping platter of gratitude; remind them of people in less fortunate situations, then have them rethink their frankly petty aversion for brussel sprouts.

Dear Howler, I want to get ready for holiday shopping but I don’t know where to go. What’s the best place to go shopping?

The Good:

With everything going on this year, especially with the pandemic, holiday shopping is going to look a little bit different this year. Luckily enough, stores are adapting to this and having deals online. Besides, staying inside in the comfort of your house scrolling through pages of gifts is definitely a lot more appealing than waiting in the cold outside a store for hours to not find any good deals.

The Bad: 

Holiday shopping is always better in person. Especially this year, you might as well use the pandemic to your advantage. Part the seas of holiday shoppers with excessive coughing and make way to any deals you see. Nobody wants to mess with a sick person nowadays.

The Ugly: 

No need to go shopping at all, or, take it further and ask people to go shopping for gifts for you. Remember that the happiest people are not those who get more, but those who give. Think not about what you can do for someone, but what they can do for you. 

Dear Howler, it’s that time of year when the weather is actually cold in California. What should I do to keep warm so I won’t freeze in the middle of the night?

The Good:

The great thing about colder weather is the many ways you can warm yourself up. Wearing a fluffy sweater or a puffy jacket can help stop the freezing temperature at night. Curling up in a cozy blanket can also do the trick or just sitting by a fireplace. If you really want to feel warm, maybe invest in a mini heater or buy some hand warmers.

The Bad:

You’re in Southern California. 75°F is not cold. Get over it.

The Ugly:

Watch some fluttering K-dramas; the key is to binge watch so as to overheat your laptop, subsequently keeping you warm. Not only will the “will they, won’t they” banter across the 13 filler episodes make you red with anger, but some of the cute scenes might warm up your cold, frozen heart.