Laundry room would be too small for 34 people S <| sep |> I am sorry for your loss . I couldnt imagine what it is like to be in your situation . As for the college stuff , econ and finance are relatively down the same path , but civil engineering is way on the other side of things . Im sure that you can make it in a STEM field , but I think you gotta decide on what you want to do . If you decide on finance or econ , you can take classes that cross over . This allows you to start to get a feeling for each major and see which one you like more . But with civil engineering , once you start down that path , its hard to alter it , as there is not that much cross over . But no matter what you choose , I think you should go in 100 % to it . Fully committing yourself to the major is a good way to stay busy and to enjoy what you are doing . As for a mentor , talk to one of your teachers that you connect with . I connected very well with one of my teachers and now he is my adviser as well . Start going in for office hours and see which ones you connect with both in and out of class and then go from there . As for dating , the college scene may not be the best example . It is hardly the paradigm of virtue that you would want to learn from . I would just follow your heart and hope that it leads you down the right path .