<p>So I am going to be a sophomore at UDel in a few weeks. Regrettably, I screwed up my freshman year pretty badly. I had an amazing time socially, played club lacrosse and joined a sick fraternity. I probably had a little too much fun, because I really screwed up academically. In high school I was a straight A student, mostly honors classes, and a 2000 SAT score. I was also in National Honors society and graduated in the top 10% of my class. Going into college, I didn't think it would be THAT much harder than high school. I thought, "well if I did that well in high school I'll be fine in college". I am a Finance major (I was hoping to do a Finance and Accounting Double Major, but that is basically impossible after my mistakes). I was really excited to do well in college and go on to a (hopefully) successful job in the business world. My dad and uncles are all extremely successful businessmen, and I was optimistic of my future. Now, I am constantly in a state of regret and wondering if I will even get employed. I finished freshman year with 25 credits and a 2.375 GPA. I dropped 2 classes (I should have 31 credits like my friends). To make matters (much) worse, I failed Calculus by 2 points (a test question is 5 points). The fact that I failed that class by less than a test question kills me, and now I must re-take it (the teacher wouldn't budge on the 2 points. I am just in shock about what happened. I put in a decent amount of study time and understood most of the material conveyed in my classes, but bombed almost every test for some reason. Now I am so far behind I am not even sure if I will graduate on time. I can't even take most of my sophomore required classes because I am still considered a Freshman (sophomore needs 28 credits). I have disappointed my parents and myself. I cannot afford to take classes over winter at the school like I had hoped to. I just really don't know what to do...I feel like I should just cut my losses and drop out of college (my dad said he would pay me the cost of my remaining tuition to do so). Any suggestions at all are appreciated</p>
<p>What is most important to you? Are you ready to re-prioritize? Do you feel like you learned from your mistakes and can make some changes? If you want to commit yourself to doing well (better), then I say go for it. But you have to change what you did (or didn’t do) last year.</p>
<p>It sounds like you really need to limit extra activities and put in more time studying. “Decent” time is obviously not enough; visit profs during office hours to increase understanding during the semester. Did you skip any classes? If so, make it a rule for yourself that you must go to every class. Sit in the front (FYI - my DD did that in a larger intro class and on the last day, the prof wanted to make sure she had her name so she could add a couple of points onto her average).</p>
<p>If you are willing to put in the effort, you can find ways to graduate on time (even if it means community college classes at home over winter break or over the summer). The past is the past. Learn from it and move forward. Just don’t do things the same as freshman year. That didn’t work. If you are succumbing to peer pressure to do things other than study, it will take plenty of maturity to remove yourself from those friends and do the right thing.</p>
<p>UD offers a lot of resources, including time management seminars (not sure if those are only for FYE).</p>
<p>You need to learn to balance the fun and the academics. If you are willing to make changes, you can get a great education at UD. If you are not willing to make changes, then you are wasting your parents money.</p>
<p>It sounds like you spent too much time having fun and underestimated the amount of study time you would need. Are you alone in this? I doubt it. Rather than give up, why not give it another try this year and prove to yourself and your dad that you can succeed academically. You might also want to take some time to consider whether you are in the right major. Seek out an advisor at U Del and see what your options are. Don’t give up!</p>
<p>Sounds a lot like what my son did his first year at another, big time U. Frat, partying, thinking he could get by the way he had in HS. But after kicking himself (a lot) and reorienting, changing a goal or two that probably wasn’t realistic in the first place, he has done well since then. Looking at his GPA no one would ever know. And a few years from now no one will know or really care anything about your or his grades, only that that you graduated from a good school.</p>
<p>Hopefully your dad is just goading you or trying to find out where your own head is at. Do you know? What will you do if you drop out? How long will that money last? What job will you get in a few years from now. Would your dad or uncle want to hire someone who took that course if you weren’t family?</p>
<p>Okay, so you did badly, really badly. You f*&%#ed up. What are you, 20? 21? You’ve got a lot of years and life in front of you. Famous businessmen have gone bankrupt first time around, athletes failed, artists actors and others done lousy at the start. You’ve learned some things others may not until they are older and will lose more when it hits.</p>
<p>You have to decide whether you’re just angry and upset at yourself or college isn’t for you. If it’s the first, there really is no choice: pick yourself up and start over. Your friends and frat brothers won’t care and the good news is, years from now it won’t make any difference.</p>
<p>You can absolutely dig yourself out of this hole. You are fortunate in that UD’s core requirements are loose enough to leave room for double majors and for fixing mistakes. If you seriously cut back on outside activities and take full advantage of every academic support, you can turn it around and graduate on time with a successful GPA and real maturity. Don’t be afraid to join study groups, visit professors or receive academic support. If you work hard enough, you will catch back up with your class, but you have to understand that it’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>My D had a similar experience at a different college.She was a stellar student and was accepted to 10 top tier colleges. Prior to attending college, she was informed that she would be required to have a minimum GPA. We gave her, in essence, an academic scholarship. We required her to take out a loan (from us) to pay for her second semester, due to her lack of attention to her academics. While she improved in some areas during second semester, she did not in others. She has 1 more semester to right the ship or she will withdraw from the the sorority (she was always on the hook to pay for that activity since neither my H nor I are Greek fans).</p>
<p>If you are as smart as you say you are, you know what you need to do. The question is do you want to do it? It is going to be hard work - no one can sugar coat it for you. it is up to you as far as what you want.</p>
<p>Sounds like you just made some really big mistakes in estimating what it takes to be successful in college since it came so easy for you in high school. Coupled with spreading yourself too thin (we’re all guilty of that at times), you’ve just had a set back. Stop comparing yourself with your family members and work on being the best YOU! You screwed up, so what! We all do, the question is did you learn from your mistakes? Sounds like you did to me or you wouldn’t be here, enrolled, and asking for opinions. You’re young, obviously very inteligent, and have time to turn things around. Now it’s time to be smart and take action to make some changes. You’ve have already made the biggest step in the right direction by recognizing you screwed up (won’t be the last time) and coming back this year. Just keep your head screwed on right, your eyes on your goals, and you’ll be fine. It may take you a little longer to finish, but this is not a race! Good luck and best wishes!</p>
<p>You can fix this if you really want to. You still have 3 years ahead of you to pull up your gpa, become involved in more meaningful activities on campus, and study hard.</p>
<p>My question is why didn’t you already start fixing the problem by taking 2 or 3 summer classes at a community college close to your home and have 6 credits transferred to UDel?</p>
<p>That itself would have put you back on track credit-wise…</p>
<p>Anyway, dropping out is a rash move, and entirely unnecessary. Go back to school, and prove to yourself and your family that you are a responsible person. Meet with an academic adviser for guidance, and take advantage of all academic support that you need to catch up, right from Day-1.</p>
<p>I agree with chocoholic, I do not understand why you did not take some summer classes at a local community college. It would have been cheap (certainly much cheaper than taking them at UD) and it would have gotten you the missing credits. Also don’t understand why you didn’t figure out that you had a problem after the first semester. </p>
<p>Anyway, good luck.</p>
<p>OP, I empathize with you. My experience (though at a different university) felt the same, and I understand how crushing it can feel to go from a star student to one who is mediocre at best and struggling at worst.</p>
<p>A few things that have helped:
As mentioned above, sit in the front of the class. It makes you pay attention better, and hey, perhaps your professor will do what LINYMOM mentioned.
Also, for classes you have textbooks in, make sure to read before class. When I took linear algebra my first year of college, it was sooo much easier to pay attention and understand material better after first reading the section.
Finally, ask if you can record the lecture for your own private use. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you, and remember, you’re not alone. Many college students, myself included, feel the same way and we can all empathize.</p>