Failing College and Depression?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>As of now, I have a really low GPA after my Freshman year of college. For starters about me, I have been getting straight A's in high school and everything wasn't as challenging as college was, but once I got into my college, a really highly esteemed one in California, I just got overwhelmed. </p>

<p>About how I got into this situation:
I started out as a Biology major, with planning to minor in Japanese, but decided to switch on over to a possible double major in International Relations and Linguistics.
In my first quarter, I wasn't too accustomed to the environment, only passing 2 classes (one was Japanese Literature, which anything that is French or Japanese is my strong suit) and Workload (preparatory) Chem, mainly because the teacher just decided to pass us all, despite me not learning ANYTHING in that class... I have failed Math and Biology 098, which i am still clueless what it is about. Thanks to that, my GPA is now a 1.0, which is really pitiful.... </p>

<p>After the first quarter, since I got a subject to dismissal notification, so I can't mess up this quarter. I seeked major help from all over campus, from peer advising and going to my professors for help, learning study habits. However, I am sitting in the same predicament I am in last quarter. The current classes I am taking are Basic Statistics, History (mainly focusing on the World Wars and after; also a requirement for my major), and Anthropology. </p>

<p>I have taken midterms for all of these classes, despite studying each a week in advance, but it doesn't seem like there is much hope in it all. I failed my History Midterm pretty badly; My statistic one, I got a 65%, which took up 1/4 of my grade, and Anthropology, I think I did decent in, but if i don't get at least a C in all of these classes, I am afraid I won't make it. I am currently getting the most help in History since its my worse subject, but it I feel like it isn't helping me at all... </p>

<p>I am too scared to tell my parent because they put all their money into my college funds and I don't want to tell them how much I failed them.... I have never been so depressed in my life and i don't know what to do. At this rate, I may actually have to drop out, face my parents, and more...</p>

2

<p>Can you get a partial refund if you withdraw now? If so, do that.</p>

<p>If not, stick it out and try to do your best. After this quarter, stop for a bit. Maybe just a quarter, maybe 2, maybe don’t start again until 2015, something like that. Do something else for a little bit and see how you feel after that. </p>

<p>There’s no need to go through college continuously. </p>

3

<p>I don’t think you should drop out of college. You can study harder and take help from your friends if you have any difficulty. Focus on your studies and set your goal and you are sure to succeed.</p>

4

<p>I think you should go talk to your advisor immediately. That said, keep in mind that you are not alone. Many kids get to college and are overwhelmed with all that is going on around them. Time management, school, social demands, life demands, love demands…It is a lot for anyone. I seriously doubt your parents will be ‘disappointed’ in you. Talk with them openly and again, know that this doesn’t define you as a person.</p>

5

<p>Pretty much the exact same thing happened to me during my first semester. I thought I wanted to be a bio major, so I signed up for “intro to bio for bio majors”, and also a calculus class (even though I really struggled with math in high school). And not surprisingly, I completely fell on my face. One of the biggest things I learned in undergrad is how different it actually is from high school. Because unlike high school, where you have to be super competitive just to get into a good college, undergrad is kind of all about cutting through red tape. You can probably see if you can retroactively withdraw from some of your classes, or even do extra credit/retake exams in order to retroactively change some bad grades from last quarter. But seriously, don’t worry too much because this happens to a ton of people. And grad schools really just look at the last 60 units from undergrad transcripts anyway. You should just take the next quarter easy by focusing on some of the GE classes you have to take regardless–like art, speech, critical thinking etc. These classes are required, so you’ll have to take them sooner or later, and they’ll also give you a chance to boost your GPA. And if it’s any consolation, I just had an interview for grad school at a top tier university last week, and when I asked my interviewer if my crappy GPA of 2.85 ruins my chances for admittance, she said “no” and laughed. </p>

6

<p>In the meantime, check out a community college that you could attend in summer and next fall as an alternative to your current school — just in case. However, I really like the plan suggested by pianoleg: register for some “easy” courses in which you’d be sure to earn top grades while you rebuild your confidence and improve your study habits. </p>

7

<p>I feel so bad for you, wish I could give you a hug. I was in a similar situation many years ago, and I too was a biology (premed) major. I think my GPA at the end of my freshman year was .98 - yes, you read that right. I think the only reason they let me come back is because I was paying out of state tuition. I didn’t really get back on track until spring of my sophomore year (even made the dean’s list) but it was touch and go from there out. I graduated with a 2.3, if I recall correctly, with a major I never put to use, but was successful in a different field.</p>

<p>You mention having sought help, but have you gone to the right people? You need a professional counselor, not peers, and I’m sure your school offers help to kids in your situation. Lots of high-achieving high school students get to college and are overwhelmed, so don’t beat yourself up. Maybe you could arrange a meeting between yourself, a counselor and your parents so they understand you are not unique or a failure. Even if they are somewhat disappointed, I’m sure they will still love you, and at least your stress will be lessened by letting them in on the situation. The longer you keep it from them the harder it will be. The adjustment to college is harder for some kids than others, but it certainly does not mean you are stupid. </p>

<p>It might be worthwhile for you to take a semester or two off - work, volunteer, take a class or two at a community college and figure out what you really want to do. If I could do it over again I would major in something that really interests me, not something adults I respected thought I should be majoring in. I wish you the best, and I cannot overemphasize to you that what you are going through is not uncommon. Many kids your age don’t really know what they want to do with their lives. Hang in there! </p>