<p>Go to all your classes, and if you don’t think you’ve mastered a section, keep trying, and then go to office hours for help</p>
<p>Son is in the same boat, maybe worse, depending on how you look at it, he is a senior computer E major, started feeling depressed in the spring semester of his junior year,had a 3.0 going in to spring semester, came out with a 2.7. He was lucky and did an engineering related internship over the summer, he did well and will have excellent references. His gpa is now down to a 2.6 overall, he is facing 18 credits this coming semester, and will not be able to graduate in April as we thought. He made a mistake in coarse planning, and will still have to take six credits worth of open electives over the summer in order to satisfy graduation requirements. This will cost us an extra 5k out of pocket, minimum. He is going to be looking into counseling when he goes back. We had a talk, he said he loves his major, and does not want to quit now. He is only twenty four credits away from graduating, at this point it seems so close, yet so far away. I will say a prayer for both you and my son, best of luck.</p>
<p>Such situations can really be debacling but it brings great prestige to be able to emerge from them.Try to discern all the things you could do but did not do.Do them ,now,with the hope that you will become better.Please do not hesitate to seek help from your peers who got it right the first time.</p>
<p>Plain and simple, the way you bounce back is to change your habits. You do realize that you are paying to go through college correct? So by skipping classes and putting minimal effort into studying, you are basically throwing your money out the window. The fact that you got a 2.5 GPA is not surprising to me considering what your habits are. </p>
<p>You need to attend every class, even the ones that seem pointless, easy, or whatever. Rule of thumb says you should study 2-3 hours for every credit hour you are in class. Now, does everyone abide by this rule? Certainly not, I know I don’t. But putting in a few hours of studying a week will go a long way when exam time rolls around. Your academic experience is what you make it, so if you are dissatisfied, then make these adjustments. If you can’t or are not willing to make these adjustments, then you may need to reevaluate whether college is for you.</p>
<p>I had a similar experience in my first semester of college. Coming from a small rural school where I did little homework and graduated with a 90 average, I thought I could just pay attention in class and that would be enough. I think that everybody reaches a point when “just showing up” isn’t enough. Things like calculus and chemistry seem very easy when the professors step through them in class, but require the (not fun) repetition of the homework excercises to really engrain them in a way that will enable you to succeed on test day. The other issue is that you should never take “free” points for granted. Do all the homework you can get credit for, whether it is worth 20% or 50% of the final grade.
The other issue is finding the motivation to try at courses that are less then inspiring. I suggest figuring out a system of deferred gratification, where you withhold a reward that you really want until you complete a “quest”/qualifying event that you need to complete.</p>
<p>I don’t think you need to see a doctor…lack of motivation is not a mental illness, and unless you have noted other changes in behavior it’s probably just that you never learned to study in high school. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself, plenty of us have been there, and it’s a transition. The good news is you recognize that you have a problem. Just make a schedule and stick to it–once you get into the habit of it, things will get easier. Also consider that you might not be in the right major. Try taking classes in other fields and exploring things you might not have considered before, see if you click better with those classes! 
Good luck!!</p>
<p>Join ROTC. That’ll straighten you out. Gives you real motivation, accountability, and purpose. Also helps with physical fitness, teamwork, and funds.</p>
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<p>This is why you are in college, to figure this out. You are learning about who you are.</p>
<p>Get professional help and the book mentioned already. Also, take a lighter load and possibly subjects you know you can ace. Then, increase difficulty slowly. If it gets you to engineering or science or math great. If not go with where it takes you.</p>
<p>Its not about wasting money Its all about wasting your talents yourself. Someone needs to kick and get you into the field. dedication is most important in education. attending college is not important for surviving your ife. you must study for better survival on the earth. coordinate your closed ones. how and where to start clear it. </p>
<p>It took me nearly 3 semesters to finally figure out how to properly study for a test and start to do well. It is not as easy as it seems.</p>
<p>I used to study about 6-8 hours for an average test, get a C or maybe a B- and get really frustrated. I finally came to terms with the fact that 6-8 hours is not enough, more like 12-15 and that is starting to make a huge difference. </p>
<p>It is easy to blame others, blame professors and things like that, but at least in my case, to do really well on a test, it takes a ridiculous amount of time spent studying and I am not talking about “studying hard” I am talking about “studying smart”.</p>
<p>I recommend the book " How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less" by Cal Newport.</p>
<p>If you follow everything he talks about in the book, in particular the section where he talks about using a calendar and make studying a “habit” rather than an obligation, you will see a huge difference in performance and you will start to “enjoy” school more which will result in more motivation to do even better.</p>
<p>I wish I had read this book before I started here but there is a lot more to doing well than spending a lot of time studying, </p>
<p>I would say, most of the suggestions he talks in the book are related to little details, some are very trivial, you may think they are crap but they are not, follow all his suggestions, it does not matter how dumb they may sound, all these things make a huge difference. </p>
<p>Many of these things may not be so obvious even to the most intelligent students but the combination of these “minor things” made a huge difference for me overall. </p>
<p>OP here, just wanted to say this semester has gone a lot better.</p>
<p>I read the Cal Newport book over winter break, and along with stressing myself out and going into the semester actually caring about how I did, I was getting A’s all around.</p>
<p>There are two weeks left and the past month or so haven’t been as good as the start of the semester, but still better than last semester in general. I remember getting back my midterm in Differential Equations a month ago and seeing a “100” and literally not reacting at all, I really didn’t care. I’ve realized I’ve been depressed for a long time and I think that’s the cause of my apathy and lack of motivation. Half-way through the semester I stopped caring as much (but still better than the fall semester) and started procrastinating and not going to classes more. I completely stopped going to my computer science lectures and didn’t do the labs and I ended up with a 68 on the last midterm/final… I guess that’s good for not writing a single line of code and skimming the lecture notes 5 minutes a week. I think I’m smart, I just need to figure out this depression thing (along with 5-10 other symptoms).</p>
<p>I’m looking at a 3.8 to 3.9 gpa if I end up studying for my finals</p>
<p>@PapaSmurf84 This is good to hear! I found the book very helpful but it is not miraculous. I started this semester really bad, then I read the book and I saw my grades go up but I still get discouraged by certain things.</p>
<p>I am taking this Materials Engineering class and I remember spending a ridiculous amount of time studying for the first test, my grade was horrendous. </p>
<p>I started studying with a friend and we tried several different approaches. I studies less for the second test and got a better grade, then on the third test, I spent half of the time studying and got the highest grade. So, I still don’t understand stuff like this.</p>
<p>I think it is helpful to keep the book handy and re-read it every semester because it is so easy to go back to your old habits due to a variety of reasons, in my case: dyslexia, ADHD, depression, financial stress and several other things that can bring you down. Good luck!</p>
<p>OP, talk to a professional, they can help. But great job on the progress so far! Keep at it!</p>
<p>Great to hear the good news. However, you need to treat that depression. Take it seriously. </p>
<p>Your progress great to hear, but like the people above me I recommend that you take your depression seriously if you want to sustain improvement. </p>
<p>I went through a work ethic crisis myself towards the end of my senior year in high school. I was in the IB program (similar to AP) and had been busting my butt for two years getting good grades, but I reached a point in my Spanish class where I could not bring myself to do the work. My teacher passed out the assignments and I stared at them until class ended an hour later. I learned from this once I bounced back and realized that my work ethic crisis actually had very little to do with motivation. My problem was completely personal: I was under the stress of choosing a college, not applying to enough scholarships, and feeling misunderstood by my family. I dealt with this inadequacy by shutting down. Stopping progress to avoid failure is a very strange defense mechanism but it’s all too easy to fall into this trap.</p>
<p>I recommend that you get to the bottom of your depression and what is bothering you. Who are you, and how does your life line up with your identity? Are your college studies helping to develop you into the person that you want to be (whether it be making progress towards career goals or stimulating your intellectual curiosity)? Are you passionate about engineering? It’s not easy to force yourself into. Learn as much as you can about yourself and use that knowledge to your advantage!</p>
Yes, they’re prerequisites, but they’re required for a reason. These classes are the basis of engineering. Everything builds on them. If you don’t like them, you won’t like engineering. Don’t forget a lot of people go into engineering and realize they like it BECAUSE they like the “prerequisite” classes.
Doing is different from saying. You either get off your bum and do what is needed or you keep telling yourself tomorrow is another day and continue to rant about what you’re suppose to be doing. Thinking too much about what everyone else thinks about you can set yourself back also. A lot of what everyone is saying is trying to encourage you to not quit because honestly you sound like a quitter already Papasmurf84. “Life is what YOU make of it”
“You do not need to study 8 hours per day if you are studying effectively. Of course it varies by person, but usually that is more than necessary.”
I find that completely untrue.
As a freshman in college, I can see this as completely possible.
However, in general, those who are studying this much freshman year are students who are much ahead of the rest of class.
Like for example:
They would be taking Data Structures, Modern Physics, Real Analysis Honors, Organic Chemistry II, Techniques of Diff Eq, English Composition
IF you are one of those freshman, then I completely understand “8 hours a day” because those type also seem to gravitate over “4.0” more than others
However, I agree that for most students in first semester should not be studying anywhere close to 8 hours a day.
I work about 11 hours a week with 18 credits in which some of them are filled with 3rd, 4th, and grad students (4 out of 5 classes are also considered to be ‘hell-holes’).
I seem to be living fine and enjoying the beauty of Spring.
It truly is time management and most importantly, “motivation”. I see my roommate and I see it.
If you aren’t motivated, you aren’t going to get good grades in college.
Watching video all day and then complaining how much work you have ain’t gonna go anywhere.
Why make a 30 min homework become a 9 hour homework?
And if your exam is the day after and you still aren’t fully confident to get a “100”, why sleep? You can always crash the moment after the exam. I don’t care if the average of the class is “36”. In fact, this to me is more of a motivation because I am graded on how little I know (and how can I be confident I won’t be getting a “36”?).
I don’t know of any of you but even with like 4-5 “hell-hole” classes, you can have such an awesome semester and make heecccck a lot of friends.
It’s really motivation I think.
Some people don’t crave to get good grades as much. I see them only complain and watch TV and stuff.
Why not just “get the good grades” and then complain?
It’s much easier than you think. You forgot to study effectively and you got 3 days and you have 2 heavy projects and an exam or two cause you had too much fun? Good. Then just don’t sleep for 3 days and get all those done and be prepared to study to point you are confident to get 100 or close to 100 on exams with average of 40-50.
And oh ya, get off collegeconfidential if you aren’t doing great academically for some time. Hahhaha, the amount of time I spend on youtube and facebook (and these kind of websites) is like…the most unproductive 
Well this is some pretty horrible advice. Studies have shown that getting a good night of sleep before an exam is much better for your scores than pulling an all-nighter to cram a little more. Sleep is when you brain files away all the things you’ve studied for later use. You areich better off keeping up with the work in the first place so that cramming is not necessary.
Studying for 100% is a very quick and easy path to burnout. That kind of perfectionism won’t suit you well if you have a heavy schedule.