I Want to Start Over

College Life
1

<p>I just wrote pages worth of text here, but stupid CC made me login again and wiped out my text. </p>

<p>Basically, I transferred schools for a better football opportunity, as well as it having more opportunities. I was a computer science and applied math major at my last school, but I found out I suck at programming, unlike everyone else there. I became disheartened and became an undeclared major. When I transferred to where I am now (I'm a Sophomore), I decided to give CS one more shot. I did great in a C++ programming course, but bombed an object oriented one. I also learned something after that semester. I don't enjoy programming. I absolutely love computers, but I just don't feel the spark when it comes to programming. </p>

<p>The summer before, I took 3 college courses in government, 400 level Japanese history, and microeconomics. I absolutely LOVED microeconomics. As I did with macroeconomics when I took it my freshman year. I also really enjoy math.</p>

<p>Here's the problem. I've procrastinated since my freshman year of high school. I wait until the last minute to do anything. I got straight As up until high school. Then everything went downhill. I finished high school with a 2.5 GPA. Granted it was at a really hard international school in Singapore. But I really wish I tried harder. I did bad my freshman year of college as well. I had a 2.3 GPA, and luckily my current school accepted me for football.</p>

<p>But I've been so disheartened lately about computer science. I don't know what to do. Should I try to do something like Economics or Finance, as well as a major in applied math? What can I do to break my horrible procrastination habit. To give you an idea of how bad it is, I tried to do a final programming project that was assigned a month earlier, on the last 2 days of class. 2 all nighters, and I burned out, and didn't even show up to present it. I still managed to pass though. </p>

<p>Today I went to Starbucks to study up for my interview tomorrow morning. I was there for 5 hours, and read about 5 pages of a programming book. I didn't even have a working internet connection there. *** was I doing?! I don't even know. Sometimes I feel like my mind drifts off without me realizing it. Maybe I have ADD/ADHD. When I'm on the computer, hours literally feel like minutes to me. When I watch TV, time literally flies by. But, when I attempt to study, I just can't focus on it. No matter how much I know how important it is, I simply can't. </p>

<p>I really need some advice here. I refuse to give up, but if I don't figure out what I need to do to change my ways, I'll potentially ruin my future.</p>

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<p>It sounds like you love economics and not computer science.</p>

<p>The first thing you should do is work on your procrastination problem. If you know that it gets you into trouble, then develop a plan to change it. It isn’t something that happens by magic, you need to be very conscious about planning and sticking to a schedule.</p>

<p>The reality is that everyone likes to procrastinate. Most of us has just figured out how to get past it.</p>

<p>Do you have your days and weeks planned out in a calendar? Budget time for everything and stick to the calendar. Break up a big task into many smaller tasks.</p>

<p>For example, if you have a big project, divide it up into small tasks, to be accomplished one day at a time. If it is writing a paper, spend the first day picking out books or articles to read. Then read them, one at a time. After you read each one, take notes about key topics. Do that again for the next book, etc. Then start to organize your notes. Then write a draft. Etc, </p>

<p>As long as you see a paper, project, etc as overwhelming, you will procrastinate. when you see it as a series of chunks, then you can tackle each one every day.</p>

<p>So, find a calendar, map out your days, and stick to the calendar. </p>

<p>If you find yourself drifting, then move to something else for 30 minutes, then come back to the original task. Break up your work into smaller timechunks. If you know you have to study for 5 hours all on one topic, you will most definitely drift off. Study 30 minutes on one, 30 minutes on another, etc. DAs you are studying, take notes. That forces you to concentrate.</p>

<p>These are just some ideas that have helped me over the years.</p>

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<p>Thanks for that advice! Whenever I have a big task to do, or a big project or program to write, I’ll usually have a pretty good amount of time to get it done. I usually take a look at it, and think to myself, “I’ve got a few weeks until it’s due, I’ll start tomorrow.” And then the next day, same thing, all the way until it’s 1AM, the day it’s due. I seem to focus a lot better under pressure. Although the work I produce isn’t exactly top quality. </p>

<p>I’ll take your advice about breaking up tasks into manageable and less daunting chunks, and I’ll definitely try to budget my time.</p>

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<p>This is a lie that I think a lot of students tell themselves. You don’t work better under pressure; that’s just the only time you do any work at all. Instead of looking at far-off deadlines as the very distant future, try to start a project the day you’re assigned it. Make an action plan, do some research–whatever. Just get the ball rolling.</p>