<p>@mathyone: Yes, I do dress appropriately for the weather; that doesn’t mean the weather isn’t still cold. It is often negative 25 degrees Celcius here in Canada – you’re going to feel a bit cold no matter what you wear. And it isn’t just the “short walks” that are exhausting me – it’s the entire 3-hour daily Mon-Fri commutes that exhaust me over time. I can’t even rest over the weekend because I have to do more chores for my parents. Speaking of which, I should mention that I attended an out-of-town university before I had to move back home due to running out of the savings I had from working throughout high school. Needless to say, I gladly did my share of chores among my roommates, and it did NOT ever take 2+ hours every single day. Back then I only had to wash my own dishes, etc., whereas here at my parent’s house I have to wash all their dishes for them, wipe the floors using a rag with my hands, etc. And back then when I lived on my own, my grades were MUCH higher. The situation I’m in now is exhausting and time-consuming. The only real time I have to complete homework/studying is during the time between classes – and when you’ve only got an hour here and there before you have to pack up for class again, it becomes very hard to concentrate. I can’t rely on studying during the train rides either, because I travel during rush-hour periods and oftentimes I’m unable to get a seat.</p>
<p>I’d say the biggest problem is that I’m not getting student loans. It would be so much easier if I had loans – so many students on campus seem to have so much more time in their day for schoolwork because their loans enable them to focus on school for the most part. I live in a very expensive city, where the cheapest rooms you can rent (with several other roommates) for is ~$650/month. Hence, most of the students who live on their own on or off campus are subsidized either by loans or their parents, as no regular part-time job at minimum wage at ~15 hours a week would be able to cover the cost (and this is just the rent alone, nevermind grocery bills, tuition, and the like).
I also have to buy my own food, since my parents keep the cupboards locked and track food items in the fridge (which I’m not allowed to eat without their permission), and eating out all the time gets expensive (my parents will not allow me to cook for some reason). </p>
<p>I’m glad I’ll only have to tread through this situation for a couple more months, but my grades, ever since moving back home and transferring to this local uni, have taken a nose-dive since, and I’m depressed and angry about it. </p>