<p>I am currently a freshmen at an Ivy League school, and as happy as I am for the opportunity to be at such a great school, I feel completely lost here. Socially, it's amazing and I have found an amazing group of friends, but I am really, REALLY struggling academically.</p>
<p>I knew that it would be a big change from high school and I tried to mentally prepare myself for it, but I just don't think I'm going to be able handle it. After prelims, I actually had to drop one of my classes because of a failing grade on the test. I have gotten scores in the C/D range in my remaining classes, and am doing extremely poorly in what was supposed to be my best/favorite subject. The classes are HUGE, the professors are inaccessible, and many of the TAs don't speak proper English. I certainly wasn't the best student in high school, but I was definitely in the top 10% and through sheer hard work was able to do "alright". Here, I feel that my peers are somehow able to NEVER work, yet still come out with better grades. My (short) time here so far has been filled with disappointments and rejections.</p>
<p>I know it's early in the year, but I really feel that I academically can't compete with the "best and the brightest" here, and I should transfer. My only problem is deciding where, and what to tell my parents. Any thoughts would be much appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>Hey!!! Never be so sad!!! Transferring under your reason sounds like an escape... If you transfer to another school which makes you academically comfortable, you will lose the opportunity of tackling the difficulties in your life, which means a lot in your future life and work. Perhaps 20 years later, you will treasure this period of hardship which benefit you so much. </p>
<p>So my suggestion is BE POSITIVE and WORK HARDER!!!</p>
<p>While it sounds as if you have made up your mind, there are a few things that might help. Have you sought out the folks who provide academic support? There are people on campus whose mission it is to help a student in just this situation. Your school wants to support your academic success. I am not talking about the professor or TAs--I am talking about people outside of the class who help students who are struggling academically. It's usually a department on campus. If you have an academic advisor, that's also a good place to start. Even your RA can help you find these campus resources.</p>
<p>Another strategy might be to form a small study group or, barring that, find a friend in the class or classes and ask them to help you out. Most people would be happy to work with someone because it also reinforces their own knowledge. </p>
<p>It's also possible that you are taking courses for which you were ill-prepared by your high school experience and that you need some additional skills or knowledge to catch up. This is probably also available on campus. You will want to consider your course selections as well for next semester in light of this.</p>
<p>I give you a lot of credit for articulating the problem. It's hard to face a feeling that we're not good at something. Cornell is a huge school with a lot of different types of opportunities. If you love the place, I would make every effort to seek out resources that might help you. I would hope that your parents would support whatever you decide, but I'd also guess that they'd want you to give it some more time and look into supportive resources.</p>
<p>aznsunshine, don't be fooled. Many kids would like you to believe that they aren't working that hard when I have found that these same kids tend to work like 'dogs." They just hide it better than most. </p>
<p>Get into study groups. See what tutoring and other services are available at your university. If you don't understand something, make sure you hunt down the professor or TA in order to get your questions answered. Become a "thief of knowledge." Make sure that you understand each and every concept before exam time.</p>
<p>If you go to Cornell, you should know and probably should have known that Cornell is repuded to be the toughest among all of the ivys for geting top grades. I don't think that attending a "lessor known' or state school will be that much easier. In fact, it could be worse because non-ivies tend to have a lessor curve for A's.</p>
<p>azn, I understand how you feel. I graduated years ago, but I remember my first year of college like it was yesterday. I was an outstanding student in high school, and my SAT/ACT scores were excellent. I "should" have been fine in college ... but it was a HUGE adjustment, and my first year grades were AWFUL. I attended a very competitive engineering school with a 100 point grading scale; anything below 70 was an automatic fail. First semester, my overall gpa was in the 70's. I think I finished my freshman year with a cumulative gpa in the 70's. Somehow, though, I got my act together in that time. Sophomore year, I made the Dean's List with a semester gpa above 93. I graduated with a respectable gpa in the high 80's. Sometimes, it just takes time to figure it all out. I am willing to bet the school you attend would not have accepted you if they didn't feel you have what it takes to make it. Remember, EVERYONE at your school was at the top of their class, and someone is going to have to be at the bottom now ... someone who is not used to it! You may find yourself struggling in a few classes here & there, and you will probably find yourself excelling in others (that is how you find your niche). Take the advice about study groups, and get tutoring ... visit your profs ... go to any support services that are available on your campus (study skills, writing lab, math center, etc.). Keep working & it will most likely get better after freshman year. Even if it is a struggle all the way through, it will probably be worth it! I know a young man at UMich who has struggled the whole way. This past summer, he interned at a company that thinks he is such a fantastic worker they are paying the remaining two years of his tuition & want him to work for them after graduation. I suspect the fact he has had to work so hard in school gave him the work ethic that impressed his employer. That's not a bad thing at all!</p>
<p>i personally don't like the "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the sun" concept. you have such an amazing opportunity just being at Cornell and a first semester freshman meltdown should not steer you away from the ivy league or the ridiculous opportunity that you have here.</p>
<p>i didn't do all that great the first semester i transferred to Cornell, but i learned from my mistakes, changed my study habits and am now dominating all classes in sight. this place is very intimidating and i wholeheartedly agree with your viewpoint on the situation. but don't just throw away an opportunity for the sake of getting a 3.6+. it really isn't worth it. you have PLENTY of time to bring your grades up.</p>
<p>I think it would help to set more modest goals for the moment. Instead of expecting A's and B's like you got in high school, just try to make C's and up. C's from a hard school first semester are not such bad grades. You can set higher goals as your study skills improve.</p>