DR. WALLACE: I am a senior in high school, and I get really good grades, but I have a bad habit of studying compulsively before every test! I do pay attention in class, and I do a good job following the lessons in real time and then I do a thorough review at home as well.

But when it comes time for the tests, I literally study the day before the test and the day before that during all my waking hours, except for when I'm in class or eating dinner with my family.

The good news is my grades will get me into an excellent college in my area. The bad news is I've stunted my social life and given up many opportunities to hang out with friends, go on dates and do other fun social things.

My fear is that next year, I'll repeat this pattern all over again and spend my four years of college with no social life at all! What, if anything, can I do about this? — All Work and No Play, via email

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY: Now that you've been admitted to the college of your choice with excellent grades, allow yourself the reward of a fun and active summer.

Don't try to make up for several years of an overlooked social life by going wild for a few months in the summer but do get out there and socialize with your friends! Ask them to help set you up on a couple of dates and get your feet wet in that department as well.

A little experience and enjoyment socializing with your friends, and going on a few dates, should provide your motivation to carve out some similar time once you reach your preferred college next fall.

Look at it this way: Since you're an excellent student with excellent study habits, you'll likely maintain an excellent grade point average throughout your college years even if you do back off on your study habits by about 20%. From there try to cut your study time eventually by up to 35% by building better study habits and eliminating the redundancies you are likely experiencing.

I trust you can do this gradually over time if you truly make it a priority. Your social life will thank you once you accomplish this. Study hard when it's time to study but be sure to get out there and socialize a bit when it's time for you to do that as well. Remember two things: Number one, you've earned this time for yourself, and number two, these college years are precious and the friendships and relationships you develop may well last a lifetime.

Remember that no amount of extra studying can replace that.

I FEEL I DESERVE PRIVACY AT MY AGE

DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who is 13 and I live in a home where my parents don't like us to lock any doors, ever. I guess they do this so that we can't do something bad behind their backs and so they can reach us quickly if anything were to go wrong in our home.

But I have an older brother who pesters me a lot, and whenever I'm in the bathtub he tries to come in to ask me questions about stupid things that don't matter anyway. I think he's just trying to get a peek at me but my parents think he's harmless.

How can I keep him out and get my privacy when my parents won't let me lock the bathroom door? — I Need My Privacy, via email

I NEED MY PRIVACY: I agree with you completely. You deserve your privacy and there is no excuse for your brother to be barging into the room asking inane questions when you are bathing.

Therefore, ask your parents to either let you lock the bathroom door only for the 20 minutes or so when you are bathing or ask them to keep your brother in their sight the entire time if you must leave the door unlocked.

This seems reasonable to me. I can understand your parents' rules for the rest of the time, but if they are not going to keep an intruder out of your private bathing time, then you deserve to be able to use a lock for those few minutes.

In addition, if your brother somehow gets in again, after being told not to, then he needs to face punishments for his actions. It's as simple as that. The only way to curtail this type of behavior is either a foolproof way to divert or restrain him, or to apply punishments that cause him to think twice before continuing this unacceptable behavior.

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 rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. 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.

Photo credit: Jaeyoung Geoffrey Kang at Unsplash