<p>I am a first-semester freshman at Penn State + Schreyer. Basically, I have been hating it here for going on seven weeks now. I joined several clubs and study groups, but I have yet to make any friends. I eat 1/7 of my meals with a high school friend who is slowly drifting away and the other 6/7 by myself. I am on my third assigned roommate (long story), who is actually looking to move back to where she was. On top of all that miserableness, my boyfriend (3 hours away) is having so much fun at his college.</p>
<p>So I basically hate life here, but I don't think that I'd have any more luck anywhere else. On top of that, I just got a B on a chem exam (should have been an easy A...the course is all review for me) and a low, low C in my honors math course. If I go any lower, I won't be able to stay in Schreyer. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm drowning. </p>
<p>First things first: This is college. Back in highschool, if you did all your homework and participated in class, you could pretty much get a 4.0. College is different, 4.0 is a ridiculous expectation. You’re probably going to get a B some day, you might even get a C, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s okay if you don’t always get A’s, so long as you’re doing the best you can. :)</p>
<p>Second, make sure you’re reading your grades correctly. Especially in technical classes (like math and chem) course grades might not correspond to the old 90% A, 80% B scale. If the exams or the course are curved, you might be doing better than you think you are. You might want to ask a TA or professor during office hours how worried you should be about your grades.</p>
<p>Building on that, go to office hours! Reach out to your professors (or TAs if it’s a large class) and ask them for help. Ask for study tips, if there’s any tutoring resources on campus, if they could walk you through a test question you really struggled with, etc. This should help you academically, and hopefully get you on track with the course material and how to study for it. And it’ll show the teacher that you’re trying really hard, which can help if your grade is borderline at the end of the semester. Getting to know your professors can also help if you’re ever looking for research or recommendations.</p>
<p>For friends… yeah, it can be tricky. Keep trying! Keep your door open if you’re in the dorms, study in common areas, keep going to clubs and study groups. It takes time to make friends, but it sounds like you’re doing the right things to find them. Try asking the people you’ve met to do things with you sometimes too (hey girl across the hall, want to go get dinner together?) so they know you’re wanting to make friends.</p>
<p>The exams are curved in college. My daughter was so deflated that she failed a final, might get a D or C but it turned out she got an A-. Make sure to check that.</p>
<p>i think the main reason why you’re not making friends in the first place is because you’re not letting go of your old friends. you’re still moaning and groaning about how their life is better and how you wish to escape this prison- and that, i bet 87%, shows off in the attitude you show towards other people. I mean, jesus, you’re going to penn state. be proud of your decision. it’s only midterm, keep trying on your test and probably make more of an effort even if you ‘think you know it all’- cause it sounds like you don’t. if you fail to prepare than prepare to fail.</p>
Keep trying! Keep your door open if you’re in the dorms, study in common areas, keep going to clubs and study groups. It takes time to make friends, but it sounds like you’re doing the right things to find them. Try asking the people you’ve met to do things with you sometimes too (hey girl across the hall, want to go get dinner together?) so they know you’re wanting to make friends.</p>