i’m a sophomore at a school that is definitely challenging for me. i deserve to be here, i got good grades in high school and what not, but i’m mostly an average smart with incredibly high expectations. i’m undecided and i don’t have any idea what i want to do with my life. to be honest, i want a job that will pay well, so i can help my parents who are struggling with money. so i decided to go into computer science, which i do enjoy, don’t get me wrong…but i work at a slower pace than everyone in my class and right now i am failing. i don’t have much time to keep changing my mind, and i just want to stick with a major already and that’s it. i don’t want to go to grad school because i don’t really enjoy school and i got a C last semester which would look bad on my application. now i’m starting to consider nursing, but nursing at the school i’m in is super competitive and i know for sure i wouldn’t get in, but i’m so proud of getting into this college i wouldn’t want to switch to another one. so basically i’m trying to decide between computer science and nursing, but i don’t think i’m smart enough for either of these majors and i’m stuck. i only have a semester left at this school to stay “undecided” and if i don’t chose by next semester i can’t return to this school. i don’t know what to do.
I would suggest speaking to your faculty adviser and the office of career services at your school. If the emotional component is challenging for you I would suggest you see a Mental Health counselor. There are resources there for you if you seek them out, there are people that will assist you.
Are you considering any other options besides nursing and CS? Are there any classes that you enjoyed / were good at?
@thshadow i think because my mental health isn’t in the best shape right now, it’s affecting the way i look at my classes because i don’t seem to enjoy any of them. i’ve always been a well-rounded student, history was easy for me but i don’t think i’d be interested in a history major. i like science, it’s always been a subject i needed to work a little more, but i do enjoy it. i also love helping people out and that’s why i was considering nursing.
@GreatKid yeah, i was planning on making an appointment with my advisor soon. i know my mental health isn’t exactly stable but it’s hard to find the time as a full-time college student. but thank you for your advice, i will look into both of these things.
Your mental health is so important I would make it a priority to see someone. Hopefully your school has counselors on staff that are available to you. They should be able to work within your schedule.
You are not lost, you are just finding yourself and that is ok and expected at your age. Sophomore slump is a real thing, the reality of adult life ahead can be a smack in the face. You are not alone in any regard. First of all, take some deep breaths and try to relax so you can think about this more clearly. From what you said, you only got into CS for the money and for your parents, which frankly neither are compelling reasons. I didn’t hear anything about you actually liking it. If it is the entire major and not just one really tough class bringing you down, why don’t you work from the model that you do in fact, want to change majors. You are at a good school, so obviously brought in some skills that perhaps you aren’t using in CS. Compassion? Writing? Strengths or interests in other sciences? What is pushing you to nursing? Nurses are often the most thoughtful, giving, unselfish and compassionate people, do you feel that is who you are?
I don’t think you know for sure that you couldn’t get in, only your advisor can confirm that for you or give you steps to take to do so. Many times students have been raised with this idea that you must be perfect and a C knocks you out of the running for everything. That is often times a myth. You can often times recover as well.
But perhaps there are other things you may like that you should explore with an advisor and/or career counseling center (depending on what your school has). Right now you are bundled up in stress and not able to see the forest through the trees as they say. I understand CS has tracks to follow, but perhaps you can schedule next semester to be core class heavy or throw in a health sciences class to see how you feel. I don’t understand a school asking you to leave if you don’t declare a major as a sophomore??? What? Please get to an advisor asap and/or check in with mental health services, they deal with what you are going through everyday and know how to help you.They really really do, and are there for you and situations like yours. I wish you the best.
I know that there is pressure to think about career during college, and your parents could use your help. That is a lot for you to think about. I just want to say that you CAN major in what you like and what you are good at and things can work out. History and English majors do very well in the long run: the research and writing skills are highly valued.
It sounds like you should not do CS, honestly, and your chances for nursing may be slim if your grades aren’t up to par and you haven’t done any volunteering or health care work.
There are lots of ways to help people.
If you like history, or some other subject, go ahead and major in it if you still can. And do some internships or practicums. I interned (as an older adult) with an organization that focuses on history and preservation of old houses, and it was fascinating. There were many jobs in that organization.
But your job does not have to correlate directly with major. Get a bachelor’s in whatever you can do well in and whatever helps you stay healthy mentally. Doing a major that is hard for you would depress anyone.
And yes get some counseling. We all benefit from that occasionally.
CS classes are time-consuming for everyone. I wonder if you are really working slower than other students, or whether everyone is working very hard but some don’t show it. Also, how much experience did you have with CS in high school? Sometimes people with tons of ability in CS, but not much high school experience, feel like they can’t succeed because they are comparing themselves with students (usually guys) who started programming when they were 10.
If you really aren’t cut out for CS then of course you should change majors. But if you’re just going through a tough spot, then maybe you shouldn’t.