So, I spent my first year of college at a local college and I’ve transferred into much larger university. Out of my 44 credits, the university accepted 24 credits but in reality only 6 of those credits are worth something at the university. I accepted the fact that my first year of college was worth nothing. Following this event, I took the Math Placement test and it turns out I did horribly. I was places in a very low level math class and in order for me to take my first class for my Major, I need at least 3 semesters to work from where I’ve been placed to where I need to be. This leads into a few issues, mentally and financially. First, I was told my credited courses aren’t advanced enough to be accept, am I dumb? Then I see that I don’t have any mathematical abilities and now, I may or may not even be able to attend classes that I need to graduate until a year later.
The Computer Science course here is extremely competitive but not as competitive as the Business and Engineering courses. I’m concerned about the classes as they might be too advanced for me and that I can’t keep up. My parents are spending so much money for me to attend this university and I don’t want them to spend so much if I’m just going to fail. I’ve been given little to no financial aid here and I know it’s putting a heavy burden on my family. My family’s total income in less than $40,000 a year and the college tuition is pretty much all of it and then some.
I’ve never felt so beaten down before in my life, I’m not trying to throw myself a pity party but I’m slowly breaking. There were several issues other than what I’ve stated above, about six months of conflict and today was the final blow. I’ve broke and am feeling depressed.
Any advice on anything would be appreciated. Thank you.
I’m sorry you’re in this situation. A few things: it seems extremely odd that a family income of ~$40k is resulting in no financial aid. What’s the school? Have you sat down in person with the financial aid people? Is the some other aspect of your family’s situation that’s causing this disparity?
Maybe your mind would be more at ease if the financial burden were lessened, so I’d see whether there was something to be done there.
Second, try not to dwell on the negatives of the academics. What’s done is done - maybe there is an appeals process, as far as credit transfers, but I don’t think I would dwell on it.
I gather you are in your first few days/weeks at the new school? Probably daunting on every level.( And probably just as daunting for just about everyone else new around you.) When it comes to worrying about trying to keep up, you may be worrying about nothing - give your classes and professors time! Try to find a helpful person in your major - department head, academic adviser - to discuss your concerns about the extra work you are having to take on, and see about free tutoring (most large unis offer something like this) to get your math abilities up to snuff.
You’re in a huge university now, and you can quickly become anonymous and sink unless you do something about it.
Believe it or not, the best thing I can offer is to get out of your head. Find some place to volunteer like a soup kitchen, or join a club. I am hopeful that it will help you.
Best of luck - I’ve been in similar situations and it really sucks.
It’s one of the current Big-ten schools. I’ve actually went into the financial aids office and all they gave me was a pamphlet directing me to take out a loan with a company associated with the school. I’ve already applied and am waiting to find out how much money they will allow me to borrow.
It is my first week here and I guess some of the mental burden comes from being overwhelmed and then having no one to refer to. I’ve emailed and checked in with my adviser but she isn’t helping. I’ve asked her about math tutoring, summer/winter courses, retaking the placement test and orientation. Different messages, no response to any of them.
I feel less intimidated after reading your response, thank you. I really hope everything smooths out over time. I’ll pray about it.
Are you at a for profit college? I hope not. If you aren’t, please go see the academic advisor at your school. Tell them what you have said here. Is it perhaps a better idea to choose a different major? Meanwhile, work hard and study. Use your spare time getting involved in campus life. Get a part time job. Keep busy, but prioritize doing well in your classes. Stay positive, and you will get through this just fine.
Are you in a dorm? If so, maybe the ra can help.
Since you mentioned prayer, I’d also check in with a local pastor/priest/rabbi. They are always there.
It’s not a for-profit college, but a majority of the students, that I’ve talked to, feels ripped off. I’m going to meet with a different adecmic advisor tomorrow. The one I was emailing and went in to meet hasn’t responded to my questions via email since. As for the part-time, I was looking to get one after seeing how I do in my classes. Thank you.
I wasn’t able to get into a from due to Freshmans getting priority, along with Sophomores, followed by International Students, then Juniors/Seniors, and finally Transfer Students (me). I’ve also been talking to my Pastor via text, everything since I’ve moved in as been a downhill spiral. Thank you for responding.
If you need to borrow more than the federal student loan (~$5500/year), I think the school is unaffordable. Did you apply anywhere else? Is there a college you can commute to from home?
I have applied to other colleges but this one had the best Computer Science program. The colleges in my state aren’t the best, my state is ranked pretty low on the education scale, like bottom 10. I’ve checked if neighboring states were able to get in-state tuition but it’s pretty much impossible with the restrictions they have.
It sounds like you are not getting aid because you are out of state. Out of state tuition plus no aid plus not being on track to graduate in four years is a disaster.
Please withdraw. The deadlines for when tuition is fully or partially refundable come up quick, and the faster you get out of there, the less your financial disaster will be.
Get all your withdrawals (from academic enrollment, from housing, etc) in writing in case there are problems later.
I agree with the above. Withdraw now, before you owe a bunch of money. Start at your local CC and get the classes like math out of the way. You are not stupid, but may need some remedial help with math and CC have a programs in place to help you. It is probably not too late to start classes at your local CC, but if it is, work for the fall and get yourself registered for Jan. Best of luck.
It’s already too late, classes have already started, and I’ve passed admission acceptances respond time from all my other colleges. I’m still waiting on my results for federal loan. I think I also meet the requirements for the Pell Grant. I’ve cut my meal plan, and am going to apply for a job on campus which will save me $2,000. I live off campus, because it’s cheaper and because they ran out of room on campus to house me. I’m kind of stuck here for the year, I have a lease for off-campus housing.
Just because classes have started does not mean it is too late to withdraw, without penalty. I think you may have bit off more than you can chew. It makes no sense to spin your wheels at this school if you have prerequisites like math you need to take before you can even start in on your major. It is not the end of the world to go to CC for a couple of semesters. You could ask the school to defer your admissions til next fall.
Yes, it may be too late to go somewhere else. However, it may not be too late to get a refund on the tuition you cannot afford. Or, at least a partial refund. What week of classes is it? Please, take the time to check and find out.
If you cannot get out of your lease, get a job locally to pay the rent. You don’t need to dig yourself further into the hole by having both rent and unaffordable tuition.
If you end up leaving this school owing big money, you will not be able to go to any other college until you pay it off. You cannot transfer without a transcript and statement of good standing from all your previous colleges and you cannot get that if you owe money.
Well, my prayers were answered. I’m qualified for the Pell Grant and the school is giving me a transfer scholarship. I’m also getting some government loans, so now it’s 15,000 for the year. As for my math classes, I’m allowed to retake the placement test in a month and they’ll place me in a higher level course if I do well. My current math course is preparing me for the upcoming class and test, so if I work hard enough, I’ll be able to take classes required for my major this Spring Semester. Fingers crossed!
Thank you all very much for responding to my concerns and giving me feedback. It was frightening thing as everything came crashing down so suddenly. Once again, thank you all so much for caring!
I’ve now hit a new wall, I was informed, today, that my Math class credit was accepted and I’m able to take the Math course I need to enroll in my Computer Science class. The problem now is, I’m two weeks late entering a class and because of the scholarship, I need to enroll in an additional class, which I’ll also be two weeks behind in. Any advise on what I should do? I’m actually paying more for my current math class as well.
Keep your current math class and take the required class for your major next semester. Being two weeks behind in a college math class is tough! Is this additional class a specific class or do you have to choose an additional class? If you have to choose, try going with something easy or see if you can take a class as pass/fail so you have less pressure to get a high grade.
