I love Since You Asked. So I don't feel very good about saying this, but it really does feel like we're getting soooo many angsty, sense-of-displacement/discontent letters that's it become sort of exhausting. When the letters start to feel like deja vu, I think it may be time to shake it off and open the windows, get some fresh air in here.

These letters are variations on the following theme: I am a special person and I am supposed to be happy, but I'm not.

Now this is a great theme, and most of us can relate to it, but only to an extent, because we've all mulled it over for ourselves and frankly, we're sick of thinking about it. We've decided to get dressed, have some eggs, and go on living and doing our best. Just because it's a common and important issue doesn't mean we need to endlessly rehash it.

I know Cary's forte is mental/emotional conundrums, but wouldn't it be fun to step outside the comfort zone and try to answer some questions that don't fall squarely within the confines of things he's already meditated upon umpteen times, in his own life and in the lives of others? Many, many of us are creative strivers with disappointments in our wake--and it's not so incredibly interesting.

I hope this doesn't come off as mean-spirited. I just think, well, that this topic, as universal as it may be, has had its day. At least for a month or so. A lot of times, the solution for people who think too much is to get back to basics and focus on something grounded rather than abstract. Could we try that, collectively, in this column we all love or love/hate? We can call it group therapy.

LW, you sound pretty depressed to me. That alone is going to have you viewing your Ivy League through a dark lens that makes it into an overwhelming "empire" ("rankled" sounds like the least of what you're feeling). (Also, hardly. Yes, you're making good connections, but there is life outside of Ivy League education, and no guarantee there anyway. I'm sure you know that deep down.)

But...a lot of what you are going through sounds like college. Work piling up, exhaustion, roommate arguments, just being generally less healthy...college! Some of these things might transfer to the west coast. The weather will not, and that's a real issue. People shouldn't underestimate the misery of six-month winters. The good news is, it's finally spring. You may find that finishing out the semester gets a little easier. And while you're stuck there, try to remember what it was you liked about where you are now in the first place. Presumably more than the name and connections?

What do you think college is supposed to be? What can you live with, instead? Any chance of talking to transfer students at the school you're thinking about moving to? How about looking up the resumes of people who have jobs you want? I'd bet good money they don't all come from "empires."

What you're going through sounds familiar. Sounds like a college thing, a relocation thing. But it's happening to you now. Good luck with it.

Almost everybody snaps out of it in Sophomore year. Do not quit. You and all your family have bragged about you going to Harvard, and now if you quit, everybody will have to eat crow. It may be high-class crow if you transfer to Stanford, but crow tastes terrible no matter what.

And, stop writing so much. Take Haiku and Public Speaking and Sailing. If the writing wears you down, don't do it. In your future, if you want to write again, you can. Your letter reads okay. It's too long and silly in a self-ptying fashion, but it looks as if you may be able to write.

I have known many Harvard undergrads, and I took some grad courses there. Most of us came through fine. My honest advice, to be happier, get busier with things in Boston, outside college, and let your school chips fall where they may fall.

I have a niece, a Freshman at Lewis & Clark. (She turned Harvard down, and went to L&C instead.) She has had a fantastic time this year, including rowing. Are you rowing? If you are interested in Lewis & Clark, contact me somehow, and I will put you in touch.

Cary, you have a great point about self-care, but let me add some more here. Gentle LW, you need to give yourself a break. You seem to have it all decided -- what career you want to have when you finish your schooling, what kind of social life you want to have. You've decided that your life at this east coast school is over before it's begun.

Here's the thing: you're a freshman. The things in the world you do know are vastly outnumbered by the things that you don't. And that can be overwhelming at times, particularly when there's a war on and a crappy economy and you're thousands of miles away from everything you've ever known.

But you're a freshman. You're not SUPPOSED to know everything. The whole point of college is exploration. It is the last time in your life that you get to try new things without any barriers to entry. You get to try on new ideas, new selves, new thoughts, new outfits, new activities, with impunity. And this process, this opportunity, is amazing. When else in your life to you get to go on such a boundless adventure?

Instead of pining because all your grand plans have fallen through, rejoice that you get the opportunity to explore who YOU are, to test the assumptions you've made about what you can do, what you like, and what you want. Enter this brave new world and embrace the freedom of not knowing. Give yourself permission to take joy in discovering exactly how much possibility there is yet out there for you.

And yes, YOU will make mistakes along the way. You'll fail a class. You'll wreck a friendship over a little thing. You'll sometimes feel miserable and overwhelmed. None of us is perfect. Part of the adventure is the mishaps. As a writer you should already know that. No heroine in any great story lives without some conflict, both from within and without.

You are probably no older than 20 years old at a University that has thousands of students, millions of dollars worth of resources and countless programs clubs, and activities, and you really believe that you've exhausted your opportunities? Think again. Yes, some of what you are going through is clinical, and you should treat that clinically. But some of it is your attitude. Change your world by changing your mind.