<p>My nephew still thinks badly of himself because he so wanted to drop out of a school at the first Thanksgiving break. He dropped a course and toughed it out, got the credits, then left. He doesn’t understand how proud of him we all are. This mostly was because he got convinced to do a program that he liked but didn’t love, and it was like a conservatory, although not in the arts - an isolated intensive program within a big state U where he felt more and more uncomfortable every day, and less connected with the other students, who all seemed to him perfectly happy with their choice. </p>
<p>Since then he’s completed his general ed at a community college, and is now re-matriculated at the state U in a completely different field (oh, by the way, one I would have paid $1000 that he’d end up in ever since he was a little kid! Written all over him! Not that I think I’m some great prognosticator - it’s just that you can see so often what lights people up, even when they can’t). He’s happy as a lark and finally feeling proud of himself. Of course we were all admired him all along, for having the strength to switch gears and take his time to think.</p>
<p>And that first major was because someone in HS said, Oh, you should do XYZ and go to THIS program, and he felt guilty not taking their advice - I guess it shows that he’s a sweet kid who’s had to learn to be more assertive! </p>
<p>This all takes so much maturity! I admire all of these kids so much.</p>