I don't know whether I should take time off from school or just continue.

Student Lounge College Life
1

This is going to be my last post for a while.

I’m a 20 year old male. I just finished my third year of college. I was going for a Biology degree. I’ve been doing poorly in my classes. In my science classes, I’ve mostly received C’s, D’s, and a few F’s. I even did a little poorly in a few of my Gen-eds. My GPA was a 2.6 at the end of last term. It’s not that the work was ever difficult, I just simply never had enough interest to study and do my work. I started losing interest in school the further I went.

I wasn’t premed. I never wanted to go to Medical School to become a doctor. I thought about PA school, but I wasn’t sure. I thought about becoming a nurse. I was thinking about leaving my university and enrolling in my local community college to take prerequisite classes for nursing programs. But now, I’m not sure if I even want to do that.

To be honest with you, I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I don’t have a passion for anything. I’m not really good at anything. I really wish I would’ve took time off after high school before going to college. I just wasn’t ready for college yet. I only went because I saw no other option and my mother kind of pressured me to go. I didn’t even know what to major in. I just picked Biology and went on from there. Even if I wanted to go to professional school or nursing school, my grades are too poor to get into a reputable program.

I’ve never had a job. I still don’t have my driver’s license. I suffer with social anxiety and possibly ADHD. Having social anxiety and ADHD can really hinder me as far as with career aspects. No one wants a nurse or other professional that’s an introvert with no people skills. I’ve lost my scholarship twice for not being able to maintain the GPA requirement.

I just don’t think I’m in the right frame of mind to be in school right now. I shouldn’t be in school if I don’t know what direction I’m going. That’s just wasting my time and money.

I’m thinking about taking a few years off from school to work full-time, probably volunteer on the side, learn how to drive, and get my mental health in order. But most importantly I want to try to find my passion in life.

I’m $17,000 in debt right now. I know my student loans are going to be due in a few months. If I don’t go back to school next year I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and use up my grace period. If I can find a full-time job before repayment starts, I can start paying the loans off. I think this may be a better alternative than wasting time in school with no direction on what I want to do.

I would like to hear what you guys think. Do you think it’s best for me to take time off to get my life together or just continue?

2

I think you have very sound reasons for wanting a break. I don’t believe $17k in loans is horrible. If you can live at home you should be able to handle the payments. I’d follow up with your physician to make sure your health is on track. That’s the most important thing.

3

You’re doing the right thing: taking a break is a good idea. I’ve known MANY people who, like you, became uninspired in college, left school and went to work for a few years to get a little clarity. I wish you well – you sound like you’re intelligent and insightful, just a little lost. That’s OK. People grow at their own pace and you’ll find yourself in time. Know you can always go back to college if you decide you’re ready. That’s a huge plus of the American college system: it’s quite forgiving. Meantime, be nice to yourself, and try to find a job with benefits so you can address your emotional/psychological issues. But even those could disappear as you regain some self-confidence. Chin up. You’ve made a tough decision: sometimes, that’s the hardest part.

4

Taking time off to work full time seems like a wise decision based on your present state of mind. Fortunately, unemployment rates are very low so you should be able to secure employment.

If you have medical insurance & access to a doctor, it might be wise to ask for an evaluation. Otherwise consider scouring the book offerings on Amazon that relate to your symptoms or overall feeling of lack of passion and despair.

Also, if you have a local community college, look through the course offerings to see if any one course is of interest to you. If so, consider working full time while taking just one course that interests you.

5

Take a complete break. Get a job. Get your driver’s license. You’ll figure it out. It might take a while, but you will. I’ve known several people that did just that and it may be a struggle for a while but it will work out as long as you keep trying to better yourself.

6

The great thing about college is that the old high school timelines don’t apply. There’s no pressure to finish 4 years after you begin.

It sounds like you have lots of other priorities in your life right now.

Work on that social anxiety. Get tested for ADHD. Get your licence, get a job.

There’s no rush to decide right now what path you’re meant to take.