DR. WALLACE: I'm 18 and a freshman in college, and one of my closest friends in high school was attending a different college about two hours away from our hometown.

I hadn't heard much from her since this new school year started because I've been so busy, but I finally tried to contact her over the holidays.

She's a real go-getter type, and she was planning on not only getting her undergraduate degree in her field, but also thinking ahead to her master's degree. I had no doubt she would succeed fabulously in college, just as she did in high school.

However, I tried to call and text her, but the calls wouldn't go through, and the texts were never returned. Through mutual friends, I found out that she left for some mountain area of Colorado and dropped out of college already. I was beyond shocked to hear this!

Apparently, she has joined some kind of commune, and my fear is it could be something worse than a commune — maybe even a cult. Why would my good friend, who seems so well balanced and driven, drop everything and take off to the Colorado mountains to live with what apparently is quite an eclectic, odd group of people? — I Don't Get It, via email

I DON'T GET IT: Teenagers and young adults make impulsive decisions for a variety of reasons. This may or may not be a mistake for her personally, depending on what she's getting into and what type of lifestyle she ends up living.

Warning signs of trouble could be if this group she's staying with now cuts off her access to the outside world. Certain groups can become exploitive and manipulative and even woo new members with false promises.

Make contact with as many of her other friends as you can, and reach out to her family if you know where to find them. Hopefully someone can make contact with the group and try to establish regular communication with her to ensure her personal welfare.

MY PERFECT RECORD GOT NO ATTENTION

DR. WALLACE: I'm in junior high school, and I'm a serious student, even though I'm "only" a solid B student.

I pay attention in class, ask questions, participate and make sure to allocate enough of my free time to studying to get the good grades that I've achieved so far.

My older sister is a junior in high school, and she's a straight-A student. My parents fawn over her because of her academic success and the fact she's already thinking about college. She's a good sister. I love her, and we get along great, but I feel it's unfair that my parents pay so much more attention to her grades than mine.

My sister is also the type who will miss a few days of school for various reasons or ailments, and she's late to school like once a week. But nothing seems to happen to her because all of her teachers like her so much.

On the other hand, during the first half of the school year, I achieved a perfect attendance score (never missed a day and was never late)! Only four kids at my school achieved this, and I was one of them. Even though I'm not quite the student that my older sister is, shouldn't my perfect attendance count for something? — Living in My Sister's Shadow, via email.

LIVING IN MY SISTER'S SHADOW: You absolutely deserve your share of congratulations, and you should not be evaluated against your sister's achievements. You're running your own race in life and moving forward to the best of your own ability. In my opinion, you're doing a spectacular job.

A student with a perfect attendance record right down to being on time for every class absolutely deserves praise and a pat on the back. The good news is this type of regularity and reliability will serve you very well in your future life, especially if you decide to go into the workplace after graduation.

Good, productive work coupled with being as reliable as a Swiss watch is something employers truly value, and this will also serve you well in your personal life. As you age, you will garner great respect for being someone who is punctual, reliable and consistent. Congratulations, and keep up the good work.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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