<p>Hey everyone. I'm a 21 year old senior at college right now. I transferred schools my sophomore year since my parents wanted to retire and could no longer help pay for the college I was going to. At my new, university I now live at home and I am so miserable. I go to one of the largest universities in the country and have had no luck making friends. My life basically consists of going to school, taking tests, and then working at this internship that I got. I am a biology major and to be honest, I don't really enjoy it most of the time. It's extremely repetitive. Most of the time I don't feel like I learn anything. I just regurgitate what's in a book and then forget it a couple of days later. I'm only doing it because I'm almost done and if I dropped it, my parents would be completely ****ed. I've considered doing other things before but my parents always told me to be practical and said they wouldn't pay for me to do something that doesn't pay well like anthropology. So I'm basically stuck. I've tried joining student organizations but most of them are very large and impersonal. I don't see the same people consistently so it's hard to stay in touch. </p>
<p>I've been seeing a counselor for the past 8 months and she's the only person I really have to talk to. I have depression and lately, I just seem to be getting worse. In addition, I'm also gay but my parents don't know since they're extremely religious and anti-gay. Also, I'm not sure what I want to do with my life and I'm almost graduating. I just don't seem to be interested in a lot of things lately.</p>
<p>Anyways, that was the background info, but I'm thinking of dropping out of school for a year, getting a job and moving out. A part of me feels I should just stick it out but I'm too unhappy here. I do have a 3.9 gpa and I have an internship that's hard to get but I don't really enjoy the internship at all. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>PLEASE don’t throw away all of your hard work and accomplishments! I’m also a rising senior commuter, and I deal with hiding being gay from homophobic parents. Nevertheless, I know that once I finish school, I’ll be moving out and working as a teacher. Perhaps one reason you’re depressed is that you don’t have any career direction. With your GPA, there are a lot of routes you could take. I think that you should decide on a direction for your future, as that seems to be a significant reason you lack drive.</p>
<p>I agree with Luke. You are so close to being done, don’t drop out now. If you took out any loans along the way, you would have to start paying those back, and that won’t be easy without a good income, right? Just because you are a bio major, doesn’t mean you are limited in careers. Why not talk to professors, career advisors, etc and get an idea of all the various things you could do for jobs, Maybe something will excite you. Were you ever interested in Bio, or was that always just your parents’ choice? What does your gut tell you you would enjoy? What do you see other people doing that looks interesting to you? Are you interested in humanitarian stuff, or health concerns of certain groups, etc? Maybe you could look for work with non-profits addressing those concerns. I think people without a life focus often have depression, because we are all meant to do SOMETHING meaningful, and when you don’t have that, it feels like you’re a little lost, bored, etc.
Have you tried getting involved with the LGBT student group at your campus? That might help your social situation.</p>
<p>Please finish your college ,and then move to what’s next . Good luck !</p>
<p>I think you should finish because you are so close and it is so great that your mood has not done harm to your gpa. I too am really confused about what to do after college but just know that you can try different jobs. Even if they go outside of your related studies you can still get get different jobs with a degree. I plan to try finding something that fits for me because I am really lost. And while you might not feel like you have a lot of friends or support you can actually create some pretty tight bonds via the interwebz as long as it doesn’t get creepy. Haha</p>
<p>Did you minor in anything, or take a number of courses in another area that interests you? That could help with making a career change if biology doesn’t work for you. Just remember that studying a field and actually working in the field can be two very different experiences.</p>
<p>Finding something you are passionate about and throwing yourself into it can really help. Whether it is a club (don’t just join for the friends, join a club you sincerely enjoy being a part of), a volunteer/charity organization, a particular subject to study, etc. Later, once you are independent and away from your parents and their pressures, you can always choose to return to school and either earn an associate’s or second bachelor’s, or attend graduate school for something different. You are not trapped in the field of biology forever just because you majored in it. The best thing you can do for yourself is educate yourself on as much as you can. Are you interested in business? Learn about advancing your career in that. Are you interested in social services? Start volunteering and find a mentor to help you with that career path. </p>
<p>You are only limited by your own creativity and motivation. Your parents cannot stop you from taking your life in a different direction after graduation. But believe me, whether you hate your major or not, you will regret leaving school so close to the end. It is hard to go back and finish after being out of school for a period of time, especially if you move out and have bills. Don’t worry about making friends; it is tougher to do when you have the pressure on yourself. Just finish your degree with awesome grades and internship experiences and be proud of what you accomplished. Then, move on.</p>
<p>I would try to stick it out too. Although you say that you are not crazy about your internship, things could be worse on that point. There are so many crummy things that you could get stuck doing that you really have no idea. With your degree finished you will at least have some choice as to jobs. When you don’t have many choices, what’s out there can be pretty dismal.</p>
<p>As for being depressed, have you talked to your doctor? There are so many meds available that will help you keep your mood up to get finished in school. Sometimes just a mild antidepressant can give you just enough of a lift that things won’t seem so bad. It doesn’t mean that you need to take them forever either. I don’t know if your counselor can get you the medication that you might need.</p>
<p>If you can get finished with school you will at least have that behind you and it will help you to get a job that will support you. Don’t worry about things not interesting you right now, it will all come back eventually and you will feel better.</p>
<p>I think you should stay in school. Suppose your job doesn’t go in the direction you want it to or you want to go back to school later? I could of stayed in school longer! My experience says it’s easy to find work while attending college by working there.</p>
<p>I understand what you are going through. I am also 21, a senior, and i am so unhappy with school. I think that the obviously smart thing to do is finish your degree. But, you are only accountable for your own happiness. If your friends and family truly love you, then doing what makes you happy will make them happy. Not everyone is picture perfect and not everyone goes to college gets a degree, gets married, has a family. There are no rules. It is your life. Do what you think its best for you. The wonderful thing is, that if all else fails, there will still be universities to choose from when you want to finish a degree.</p>