Failures of a Second Year ChE Student

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hey guys, I am a sophomore at a public university. First first semester of college went well, with all decent grades despite much effort. Second semester, I ended up failing both Chemistry || and my Engineering course (I thought it was a great idea to skip the finals because I already had given up in the classes). My Fall 2015 semester did not go any better. Though grades have not been published yet, I am most likely recieving D+s in Calculus |||, Chemistry || (which I had retaken, mind you), Biology |, and an F in Physics || (I never put any effort in this course from the start.)

I am stuck. I was depressed last semester, and thought that I had gotten better over the summer and would come back as a sohpomore with new habits. The beggining of this Fall 2015 semester went great, but only after about three weeks life got heavy again and I lost control.

I am sick of dissapointing myself, because recieving a degree in Chemical Engineering has been a goal of mine for the past five years. I have always had an interest in polymer science and the materials testing done in the footwear and prostetics industry, but I just can’t bring myself to actually sit down and focus on my work. This is a situation that is getting worse and worse, but I never really reached out to anyone at my university to fix this problem before it got bigger.

Basically, I am a smart kid who is making some really bad choices for their future. The course material is not too much for me, as I was once a kid who would spend hours on end researching scientific topics, but slipping in and out of depression has been stopping me from being the person I used to be. I don’t really know how to speak about it, so that is why I am coming here first for help.

Does anyone else have any advice on the topic? The easiest way to describe how I am feeling is that there is a wall standing between me and my dreams, and rather than just climb it, the back of my mind is telling me that the wall is impossible to climb.

I have contacted my math professor from this semester, and am waiting to hear back from my chemistry professor about taking this course for a third time.

I know this is the right road for me, I just need to refuel this engine of mine and keep on traveling along.

2

Depression is an illness that requires treatment. If you are depressed, you need to see a professional. Once you have addressed your illness, re-enroll in college. You can explain to the admissions people at the college why you did so poorly and they will likely take your illness into account in giving you a second chance. It is much more important that you solve this before any attempt to continue your education.

3

You should not expect a different result if you continue trying the same thing without addressing the root cause of your problems. Take a leave of absence before you are dismissed for academic reasons (with the grades you are mentioning, that is a likely outcome either this semester or next). You need to see a professional in person, not get advice form a forum like this one. It is possible that you can obtain the right treatment and try again in a semester or two but even if it takes longer, you can reapply and give your dream another chance later, it won’t be too late.

Part of yourself assessment needs to be whether the heavy academic load of engineering is really what you need to pursue. You don’t mention how you did in your high school courses and test scores but having enthusiasm for researching science topics is not really sufficient to be successful in an engineering curriculum. You have to be able to sit down and work through the homework and reading required to master the material. It is tough and requires a lot of time and effort. You certainly are not in a condition to do it now but before you start again, you need to understand whether this workload was a factor in your depression and whether it is the right thing to try again.

4

To clear things up, my GPA will be falling under a 2.0 following the Fall 2015 semester for the first time, placing me on academic probation. And ot honestly isn’t the course material that is hurting me, I am just choosing not to put in the time to redevelop good study routines and consostently go to class.

In high school I graduated in the top ten of my class with AP credits in Calculus AB (4), English (4), and Biology (3). Engineering material has made sense to me and was very doable, as second semester I had recieved an 85 and a 83 on my first two tests of the semester before giving up on the class after a 67 on the third test and a seemingly difficult final exam that I ended up walking put on without completeing.

And thank you for the truth so far. As it stands right now, things have been gradually improving, and I am creating a list of short term goals for if I return to school next semester.

5

You should see someone, even if it’s student health. It is part of the condition that you feel isolated and embarrassed at your “weakness.” Depression in students is very common. You are not alone. It is a real, organic condition. They know how to help. I can tell you this and others have said this too, don’t expect different results without getting professional help. It’s a self perpetuating problem. Good luck! You’ll do fine once you address the root cause.

6

Get treatment for the depression. People sometimes cycle in and out of unipolar depression or the depression of bipolar disorder, so a false impression is sometimes created that it has gone away. It comes back.

7

Seek help for your depression. You need to regroup and see that there is more to life than this program and this college and to start biting off manageable chunks to attain your dreams.

If possible, I would move home, seek medical attention, and try to take at most one or two of the classes you did poorly this semester in again. Focus on just one or two classes, study harder and smarter, attend study sessions. If money is an issue, maybe just work an easy job and take at most one class.

Engineering is a very hard major and trying to just force yourself to complete it in 4 years is very unrealistic for many people. Big flagship universities seem to just push people to keep banging their heads on the walls, with no real change and the same outcome until the student leaves the school or transfers into another major.

You also have to decide how many years and how much effort you are willing to dedicate to an engineering degree. It will likely take you more years and a considerable amount more effort than you have put in to date …

and there are other majors and other life paths … you are young and have a lot of options today.