school overload/stress

College Life
1

<p>I don't think I can do it anymore.</p>

<p>I'm a cc student and I've built my whole academic plan around going to Berkeley. I've been grinding so hard over the past two years with no breaks, summer schools classes and all, and I think I'm just mentally exhausted and done. I work, I'm the president of a club, and i'm just over worked and I dont think I have anything left in the tank. I'm taking calc 2 right now and it's freaking me out. I don't know what to do. I don't want to give up on my dreams of going to Berkeley but I literally can't function. Anytime I talk about math or my situation or applications I'm on the verge of tears. I almost want to just transfer to sac state and be done with it. </p>

<p>I've been a mess and I always feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack. I've never been the type to be overly emotional or depressed and now its like everything is coming down on my shoulders all at once. I'm freaking out and I don't know what to do. </p>

<p>Everyone keeps telling me to hang in there until December, but I don't know if I can. My face drops and I become really sad for no rhyme or reason when I'm around friends. I've never experienced anything like this before. </p>

<p>It's not just UCB either, all UCs need calc one and two, so I would literally only be available for sac state, which I don't really want to do other than that it would be easy. I have until the Thursday night to make a decision to drop or not.</p>

<p>Please help,
concerned, nervous, over worked college student.</p>

2

<p>How many classes are you taking? Besides calc 2, are they all needed to transfer? If not you could consider dropping one of the other ones.</p>

<p>Also see if there is someone you can talk to who might understand. Is there a friend/family member/someone else who you could confide in or are they all pushing you on? If there is absolutely no one try some other ways to put your thoughts out (maybe a journal?).</p>

<p>If you’re having trouble with math going for tutoring or your teacher’s office hours might help. But I feel like your problem is more about stress in general that overflowed in this class rather than starting in it. </p>

<p>Step back and take an honest look at your classes and other activities. What do you need to transfer? What do you need to do for other reasons (work, family, etc.)? What could you drop? See if there is anything in the last category that is stressing you out but isn’t necessary. </p>

<p>Then take one day to calm down. Go out with friends. Do something you enjoy. This is difficult with classes but it is very, very helpful if you can manage it. Taking just one day to “de-stress” will make you more productive later.</p>

<p>You’ve made it this far and I know you have it in you to continue, but only if you’re realistic with everything else. </p>

3

<p>It’s often hard to live a normal lifestyle when competing to get into the schools you’re looking at. It’s one of the reasons I try and tell people not to fixate on getting into super-competitive colleges, but rather look at which schools offer the best fit all-around. </p>

<p>If the stress is overwhelming to you, then consider less competitive schools. You will still get a great education, and will be able to live a more normal, healthier lifestyle. Plus, you may find that students are less cutthroat and more down to earth/friendlier.</p>

4

<p>Is it that you don’t get the content in Calc II or that it’s too time consuming?</p>

5

<p>I’ve talked to friends, parents, math tutors, math professors. No one is pressing me to finish but they all encourage me to complete this calc series for the reason it gives me more options.</p>

<p>My friends have mentioned though that I’ve seemed depressed over the past week.</p>

<p>I’m taking accounting and my final writing g course so I can’t drop it.</p>

<p>I do all these things and even made it a point to become friend with the tutors as math is not a strength of mine, but as you point out, I don’t even know if calc 2 is really THAT difficult or I’m just mentally done and have no motivation to push myself atm.</p>

<p>As far as my schedule, yes it’s a bit hectic which has majorly contributed to my burnout.
I own my own business, I’m the President of th business club, and I just dropped student council to try and cut my commitments where I can. </p>

<p>I really don’t want to give up but I’d hate to gain a little inspiration only to burnout again right around finals. My rational self has kinda accepted that Berkeley just isn’t right for me but my competitive spirit keeps telling me to dig a little deeper. Idk, a friend told me about ucsb that it doesn’t require the calc series I’ll look into that. </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

6

<p>Try and keep on gunning for a few more months. You’re in the home stretch of a two year race.</p>

7

<p>Actually the more I think about dropping thd class, the more it seems like the best choice for me.</p>

<p>Question though, anyone familiar with consulting firms on campus recruiting at ucsb?</p>

8

<p>I doubt you’d get MBB from ucsb, but I’m not too familiar with the school. Are you sure you can’t stick it out for Cal? I remember reading your thread like two years ago (the Berkeley transfer one) and hoping for you to succeed. Have you tried using Khan Academy? There’re some excellent lectures/materials for calc II on YouTube/online. </p>

9

<p>Haha yea man i remember that post, i wasnt gonna let anything get in my way I was so wide eyed and determined!
And thank you, I appreciate the support.</p>

<p>I know about khan academy, he’s great. But it’s not even the difficulty of the class. I’m just in this weird emotional place right now and anytime I’m around other people I get really sad and it’s hard to stay focused on studying.
Idky.</p>

<p>I’m a very outgoing, personable person this is sooo uncharacteristic of me. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I know I’ll snap out of it I just don’t know when.</p>

<p>I’ve skipped hanging out with friends twice this week just because I know as soon as I seem them I’m gonna get that sad look on my face.</p>

<p>I hope I’m not coming across as an emotionally unstable mess who’s just feeling sorry for myself haha, I’m just in a weird plsce. Anytime I make eye contact with people I can feel my cheeks drop like I’m about to cry. FOR NO REASON. I wish I could explain it. </p>

<p>Anyways, I have until Friday to make my decision, I hope I can get get out of this funk asap. Believe me I’ve tried everything, talking to friends family, teachers, counselor, motivational videos, meditation, long runs for the endorphins. </p>

10

<p>Ah, I gotcha man. Have you considered talking to a counselor/therapist? It can definitely help with an overwhelming amount of work/stress.
^Just reread your post and saw the last sentence</p>

<p>I know you’re feeling man. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends and the wax is almost gone. If you can somehow make it to December for Cal, you need a vacation ASAP. Atm, the biggest thing you could use right now is a vacation. If you ever have ~a week off from classes, go to the beach, some city, or somewhere where you can just chill and recharge your batteries. </p>

<p>Do you have any solitary hobbies? I know a lot of people who prevented burnout through gaming/playing the guitar on the side. </p>

<p>Also, I’m sure you’re good with time management, but make sure you always include breaks in your schedule. Schedule every hour of every day, but make sure you never work for more than 3 hours at a time. That’s one of the keys to keep from burning out. </p>

<p>Here’s an example copy/pasted from my calendar:</p>

<p>8:00am - Wake</p>

<p>8:00 - 8:45 - Shower/prep for day</p>

<p>8:45 - 9:30 - Coffee/breakfast/read the news</p>

<p>9:30 - 9:40 - Walk to class</p>

<p>9:40 - 11:00 - PHIL170 Disc</p>

<p>11:00 - 11:45 - Lunch/read the news</p>

<p>11:45am - 12:15pm - Finish GVPT100 hw (due: 1:00pm)</p>

<p>12:15 - 12:55 - Chill</p>

<p>12:55 - 1:00 - Walk to class</p>

<p>1:00 - 2:00 - GVPT100 Disc</p>

<p>2:00 - 4:00 - Study PHIL170</p>

<p>4:00 - 5:00 - Chill</p>

<p>5:00 - 5:30 - Study PHIL 170</p>

<p>5:30 - 6:15 - Quiz PHIL170</p>

<p>6:15 - 7:15 - Dinner/read the news</p>

<p>7:15 - 7:30 - Walk back to dorm</p>

<p>7:30 - 9:00 - Williams Direct (Mock Trial)</p>

<p>9:00 - 10:00 - Chill</p>

<p>10:00pm - 12:00am - Couples Cross (Mock Trial)</p>

<p>12:00am - 8:00am - Sleep</p>

<p>^Above is a random day (16 hours awake/8 asleep). Out of the 16 hours, I had 4 main assignments to finish that day (government homework, philosophy quiz, and a direct & cross for mock trial). I worked for ~10 hours and relaxed for ~4-5. To me, that’s manageable. Before I started scheduling my days, I would probably work 15 out of those 16 hours and not accomplish as much as I would in that time. Taking mental breaks throughout the day definitely increases productivity. </p>

<p>I mean, there’re days when we’re gonna have more work and there’re gonna be days when we have less work, but scheduling your day makes everything so much easier. Try to predict how many hours you’ll need to spend on an assignment to finish it (it can be conservative), and make a schedule that way. Then, make sure that you budget your time so that you’re never working for more than 3 hours at a time without at least a 30 minute break. </p>

<p>Plus, this makes meeting with friends a lot easier. It adds a sense of control to your classes. You won’t feel guilty about going out with your friends (as I have many times) because you’ll know exactly how much time you can spend with them and still get all of your work done. </p>

<p>Hope this helps in some way!</p>

11

<p>So I kept the class. </p>

<p>It’s not going to be easy, and I’m probably going to want to quit 20 times between now and December but I’d rather just go through this and celebrate when it’s over. I know I’d regret quitting. </p>

<p>Thank you for your example of a typical dday. I definitely don’t schedule in enough mental breaks or time for friends. I’m definitely a Type A and my natural tendency is go go go. </p>

<p>I own a guitar, don’t play it, but I’ll learn. I’ve been writing poetry since 3rd grade, haven’t don’t it in a while but will start to work it into my study breaks. I’m also going to look into crossfit as a new hobby. </p>

<p>I spent the weekend just chilling and relaxing sspent a little time with friends, no talk or thought about work and school and I feel great. I feel ready to learn some new material tomorrow. </p>

<p>Thanks for the tips and encouragement.
I’ll take this class day by day, and I’ll update this thread periodically. </p>

<p>Talk to you soon,
TeamAmerica </p>

12

<p>I know this sound like the parent that I am, but are you getting enough sleep? When I read your first post, it sort of screamed “sleep deprivation” to me. A couple of extra hours of sleep can really make your waking time more productive, improve mood, and give you “something in the tank.” I know you young uns think you don’t need it, but you do. Exercise and good nutrition help too.</p>

13

<p>Some days are better than others, depending on how busy I am and how much school work I havr. I slept pretty well the weekend after keeping the class.</p>

<p>As of right now, I’m behind, still haven’t shaken the sadness/stress. I really hate it. I keep hoping I’ll just wake up and I can go back to my normal self but it hasn’t stopped. </p>

<p>Exercise has been good. I joined a local cross fit gym and it’s been great. When I’m in the middle of the workout I’m very on the moment and feel fine, but as soon as that’s over and my mind has the chance to wonder, it starts back up agaon. </p>

<p>Weird, I know. </p>

14

<p>Hi everyone, a quick update with follow up questions on this thread.
thanks again for all the support</p>

<p><a href=“Got my grades back... - UC Transfers - College Confidential Forums”>Got my grades back... - UC Transfers - College Confidential Forums;