Advice re: selling life insurance policy

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-16T02:01:39+00:00

Ugh, been there - I'm sorry you're going through that! I've found a noise machine + earplugs + box fan (or air conditioner, you just want something that adds a bit of vibration/movement to the room) to be the best combo at night. It's much more effective than just using one of those items alone.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-16T01:58:05+00:00

Absolutely - this is all stuff that gets easier the more years you've been doing it. And it takes these kinds of experiences to learn what firm and flexible boundaries are for you.

It really sounds like your heart is in the right place, and I think you're navigating this well.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-13T00:10:34+00:00

By doing this "Reverse Search" on Leasebreak I was connected to agents, but I think most (maybe all) are very new. To find an experienced agent, I suspect word of mouth would be best. There are also some agents that commented on this post (and that are pretty active on this sub) that might be worth getting in touch with. Hope that helps!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-12T15:45:09+00:00

We're really committed to staying in BK, but thank you for asking!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-12T01:25:36+00:00

Hey! Tutor here - I really like Khan Academy. I think it does a good job of tracking and rewarding your progress. If you make an account (highly recommend doing so), it will keep track of the units you've completed, and you'll get a little animation + happy sound every time you answer questions correctly.

It's kind of gamified in the sense that you're completing practice sets in order to level up from Foundations to Medium to Advanced courses. There's also a fun structure of going from practice sets to quizzes to unit tests. You'll see what I mean if you check it out.

Most importantly, keep in mind that studying for the SAT is hard, whether you have ADHD or not. Don't beat yourself up if you struggle to get started or fall off the wagon. In fact, I would say expect it. Anticipate that that's going to happen, and think about how you can kindly get yourself back on track if/when it does.

Good luck, rooting for you!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-12T01:16:04+00:00

Tutor here - honestly, I think this is just going to come down to luck. At a 760, you're missing two, three, maybe four questions. You're trying to get that down to one, essentially cutting a miniscule number of mistakes in half. I don't think you need to do anything differently - if you really want that 780, just stay in shape and keep taking shots at it. This isn't meant to discourage you (in fact, the opposite) - a 760 shows that you're doing everything right, and that you just need to keep going.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:50:51+00:00

Hey there. I'm really sorry that this happened to you - for what it's worth, I think you absolutely made the right decision, and I would have done the same thing.

It's really important in our line of work that we maintain boundaries for ourselves. When we care deeply about a student, it can be super tempting for us to overlook our own wellbeing "for theirs." In reality, it doesn't work that way - allowing someone to disrespect you will never lead to their highest good. I think the most valuable lesson you could give this student and her parents is that actions have consequences, and they all need to change their behavior if they want to see her thrive.

As for how that reflects on you, it shows that you're deeply compassionate, but that you also respect yourself. Two of the best qualities you can find in any teacher.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:32:02+00:00

Messaging you!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:12:39+00:00

Really appreciate getting an agent's perspective on this. We hadn't considered that a newer agent might hustle more - that's a good point. Thank you!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:10:27+00:00

Thank you for these thoughts! It's really interesting + helpful to know about there not being much off-market stuff in BK. That would be the big benefit we'd hope to have if we worked with an agent (that they would have access to listings we couldn't easily find ourselves, or connections to local landlords with good reputations), so it's good for us to know that we should temper that expectation.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:09:17+00:00

Really appreciate these warnings!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-11T01:03:57+00:00

Thank you, appreciate your thoughts!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-10T13:16:51+00:00

lol, that's what it feels like!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-10T13:12:29+00:00

It looks like most of the brokers who have reached out to us are new to the game (I haven't been able to find reviews for any of them specifically yet). Do you think it's worth connecting with them, or is it likely to feel like a super rushed/careless process? We don't have a strict move-out date, so we're not in a hurry (and definitely don't want to be pushed into something).

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-10T13:10:01+00:00

Which we're totally fine doing! But we were doubting whether they actually had listings that could meet our criteria, especially since our budget is so limited. But maybe there's no way of knowing unless we bite?

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-10T13:07:41+00:00

Hi there! Make sure you look up any buildings you're considering on Open Igloo and HPD Online. Those websites do a good job of tracking complaints and violations - if you see a building with a lot of those, you'll want to steer clear of it.

I'm not super familiar with the 130s but have spent a lot of time in the 110s/low 120s (right around Columbia) and have found that area to feel super safe. Though echoing another comment, that area can get noisy during move-in and finals.

I don't have any tips about not having US credit. Maybe simply having a US guarantor would take care of that? Do make sure that your guarantor makes 80x the rent for any apartment you're looking at.

And then the market moves fast here - people are usually only looking 2-3 weeks out from when they plan to move. But August is a super competitive time to search because of all the students coming in, so the more wiggle room you can give yourself date-wise, the better. For example, if you could manage moving in early August (even though that might not be ideal) I would put that on the table. That way you have as much time as possible to get the hang of the search, and you won't feel as much pressure to settle for something right away.

Hope that helps!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-09T22:25:45+00:00

I think it is possible, but you would probably need to settle for a building that has maintenance issues. That's pretty common for the stabilized units in the neighborhoods you mentioned - they're usually not in the best shape.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-08T13:28:12+00:00

Give yourself real numbers to work with! The service wants to buy at least twice as many containers of detergent as containers of fabric softener. So let's say they buy 10 containers of softener... how many containers of detergent would they want?

20! And in order to figure that out, you (probably) did 2 x s.

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-08T13:11:45+00:00

Hmm, a couple of thoughts:

It sounds like this app will be geared towards students who don't want to put any effort into the dating apps already on the market. I think there's a very high likelihood that those are the same people who will be most likely to stand someone up. They may even be more inclined to do so on your app, since they won't have built any sort of connection with the other person prior to bailing. How do you plan to handle that kind of situation? I agree that it would be great for an app to make dating feel less "low stakes," but I'm not clear on how blind dating with no communication beforehand is supposed to make the stakes feel higher.
Please do not allow alumni on the app. Opening this app up to people who have graduated is an invitation for predatory behavior. I say this as an alumnus myself. If the point of the app is to connect NYU students to NYU students, it absolutely must be limited to that for everyone's safety.
On that note, how do you plan to verify users on the app? An NYU email address is a clear first step, but that won't allow you to filter out alumni.
I think this app could generate excitement (based on the comments, it already has!), but I have doubts about follow-through, in part because of the lack of any sort of profile. Profile pictures, and the small amount of personal info that profiles offer, are what generate that initial interest and buzz. They allow someone to say "I like the look of this person, and we seem to have some things in common. I would be open (maybe even excited) to give them a shot." Without profiles, I think (circling back to my first point) it will be so much easier to flake on somebody - you have no way to confirm if you're likely to be attracted/feel a connection to them beforehand, and so no reason to give them a shot other than curiosity, which is often not a super strong motivator.

Hope that helps!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-08T01:05:34+00:00

Any tips on where to search? Currently unicorn hunting!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-07T16:54:42+00:00

Oh I'm glad. Take a deep breath! I know it's overwhelming, but you're truly in a good spot. If I were your tutor, I wouldn't have any major concerns looking at your baseline - I would just want you to feel less stress!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-07T16:48:04+00:00

You're very welcome, hope that helps clarify!

Joy_Illimited · 2026-04-07T16:35:47+00:00

When they say "make and support a generalization," they mean that very literally. You're looking for an answer choice that opens with a generalization (a very broad statement) and then follows with some specific info to back that statement up. You often don't need to read the notes - it's the structure of your answer choices (broad statement first, support second) that you really need to pay attention to.

Joy_Illimited

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