BNFO 300 
Molecular Biology Through Discovery
Before asking for help
Fall 2014 

No problem is too small to warrant our attention, and no problem is so large that it cannot be solved, somehow.

However, don't expect magic wands. There aren't any. Requests for help that begin and end with "I'm sooooooo confused!" are likely to elicit nothing more than "I'm sorry to hear that."

Successful consultations will begin with your setting forth the problem you're confronting, the steps you have taken to overcome it, and what you feel you need to make further progress. You're responsible for the success of the consultation.

If you think a problem is not fair because it doesn't give you enough information to answer it, a good strategy is to write me an e-mail setting forth why the problem is impossible. Make sure you cover every possible avenue of attack, so that I have no choice but to admit that I was an idiot. If you do this, either you will (9 times out of 10) realize midway through that you forgot a loophole you can wriggle through or (the tenth time) have a solid complaint to send out.