Unhappy with path/standing after 2 years - need advice

Student Lounge College Life
41

I think the main thing you should change is your attitude. Look we all have to do things we don’t like/are boring. This is life. But you won’t get as far with your big ideas if you don’t realize you have to do boring things. Like wanting to change the world. You know how most people get it done?

By connections and money. Networking bores me to tears but I still do it because the museum I work at needs donors and people who want to come. We also have to write grants which is pretty dry. But we still do it because that’s how we get money to go on digging trips and field trips for little kids. I may not change the world but I get a kid interested in science and they may change the world.

You will most likely ignore me since I’m one of those people who are happy with the “average american life” and that’s ok with me. But you want to go into a field that requires you to work with a lot of people and a lot of boring details. Some of my friends are in the same field that you want to be in. They don’t get to be a superhero, their jobs are pretty boring at times. That’s what they tell me.

But those grades will follow you because universities and colleges require all transcripts from where you attended school. If you don’t provide them, they could kick you out or maybe sue you if they gave you money. My advice is retake those classes you didn’t do so well in. Then withdraw and go to school online. After you gain all the credits you need apply to the main branch and maybe some other schools. William and Mary, George Mason, American University, and George Washington University are all good but pricey schools for political science.

42

How much is your family borrowing? Tuition is ~$13k/year. Are you planning on borrowing $50k for your undergrad degree? If you’re borrowing more than the $27k federal student loans, you don’t really have the option of taking 6 years to finish. It won’t be affordable.

It sounds like you need to withdraw and work for awhile then return when you can appreciate the opportunity you’ve been given. But you can’t just drop your classes. You have to file paperwork to formally withdraw from the university or you’ll be billed for the semester. If you miss the deadline, you’ll still be responsible for the bill.

43

Thirding the recommendation you insure your student loan payback situation. It’s unlikely that the loans aren’t due until after graduation because often people don’t graduate…and the loans don’t go away.

It’s good that you know yourself. At some point you may have to decide if your perfectionism (which my kid has too), depression or other attitudes you hold are actually serving you well in life. Best to you.

44

As @bopper stated you can not have a complete do over. Schools require all transcripts from previous schools. I believe there is a national database that tracks where students have been enrolled. Also be aware that any money owed to a previous school must be paid before they will release a transcript. I am not implying this is an issue. Just make sure that all the miscellaneous stuff was paid. My school would not let me graduate unless I paid an outstanding book fine.

Also look into federal student loans before private loans. Usually they have better repayment options.

45

I have more advice, which is similar to the good advice above. You also need to learn to listen to people … not everything you need to learn in life is on the internet. Actually, you are on the internet, on this forum, and there are likely other good resources on “How to Turn Around My College Education”. You are not on academic probation, you don’t really seem to be on a plan … which is why you are so lost.

Drive up to Penn State Main and talk to an advisor, preferably in your department (Poli Sci?). You will also notice that students are actually going to class there, not laying on the lawn drunk in the snow or anything. People work.

And yes, some students can handle socializing and studying and get even a 4.0 in a hard major. It happens. Or they correct their path, buckle down, and graduate. Or … they go on academic probation, which is worse than where you are now.

Driving 30 minutes each way is something that most Americans do for work, it is not a hardship. Why did you schedule only only one class per day, and do you have to go in 5 days a week or less. While on campus, why don’t you do something fun, like go to the gym (usually nice facilities), go the library, have a meal at the cafeteria, ask some fellow students if they want to go out for coffee and study, whatever.

I think cognitive behavioral therapy or similar would be great for you. Retrain how you think in small steps that make a positive contribution to your future. For example, what is to stop you from getting up tomorrow morning, making breakfast, driving to school and attending that one class? Make sure it is not interesting … you know many professors are pretty bored teaching intro classes but really get motivated when they are closer to their personal interests. And, some of the boring professors might still have interesting work you could do for say research credit …

Throwing away 2 years of work is both stupid and impossible. Lots of people get Bs or Cs and you say yourself you have not put in the work. Put your report card on a copying machine and enlarge it really big. Annotate the classes you had bad grades in with why you got bad grades (didn’t show up, didn’t do homework). Annotate the classes you had good grades in with why you got good grades (Did great project, good relationship with professor, had a good TA or study group). If you remember put down hours per week you put into each class.

With this pattern clearly marked on this sheet, which you can frame, you can now see that grades are exactly related to effort. Now, you just put in the effort and out pops an A.

Penn State main campus will surely find a plan that would get you a transfer by fall, with summer classes, or at least by spring. This satellite campus is likely cheap, right, since you commute. They may also allow you to take classes at other locations even closer to home.

46

@MrElculver2424 I reread your post several times, but I still cannot tell if you are just overwhelmed with school and your financial situation or simply lack motivation… If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a step back, give yourself a break, take a week off (not the whole semester) and do something that makes you genuinely happy. You may find yourself in a completely different place when you come back to school refreshed. If the break does not help, sit down (preferably with your parents) and think about your options then. Maybe you can still transfer to the main campus. Yes, there are a lot of different requirements, but that’s ok, approach them one by one. Or maybe you can change your major. Your parents know you better than anyone, so they might recommend something that will suit you well. Either way, don’t make an impulsive decision without thoroughly evaluating it first.
If you are worried about the loans - don’t be. Everybody’s got them. Anything under $100K for undergrad is considered normal. You will pay it off fairly fast, once you graduate and find a job in the field. Plus, there are so many opportunities (loan forgiveness, debt restructure, etc)… You will be ok.
If you are lacking motivation to continue your education (based on “I only do what I want to do”, "perfectly content having 2 or 3 friends and working at my part-time job "), that’s a totally different story. In that case, no one can convince you that college is right for you. The best course of action would be to drop out, cut your losses and stop wasting money on something that does not interest you. Maybe you just need time to do some soul searching. You may find your own reason to go back to school 5, 10, 20 years down the road… or maybe sooner. I am assuming that you are very young (under 20) and financially dependent from your parents. If so, drop out and try to find a full-time job and make it on your own. Desire to go back to school and receive ANY kind of degree will hit you sooner than you think. Especially, when you add together a cost of rent, utilities, food, phone, car, gas, insurance, etc. These are things people don’t normally think about while living under parents’ wing. In my experience, $2000 - $2500/month is a bare minimum you need to survive alone (depending on where you live).

47

Totally disagree about not worrying about loan debt under $100 k.

48

lenocturne, the average student debt is about 29K (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/average-student-debt_562f766de4b0c66bae595a2c). Debt above that is not recommended by most and can be crippling. These loans are normally take at least 10 years to pay off. Not my idea of pretty fast. You are right that there are many payment plans for federal student loans but the amount you can borrow is usually less then 30K for all four years. Many borrow more using private loans which explains all the horror stories of drowning in debt.

49

@noname87 I consider 29K to be less than 100K, which is exactly what I meant by “anything under 100K” and “normal”. I am sure OP’s debt is much lesser than that, but even if it was $99.9K, it would still be manageable, assuming average salary $50-60K. 10 year term is actually pretty standard (government source): http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/597/how-long-does-it-take-pay-federal-student-loans.html
I agree, taking out a private loan is kind of like signing your soul away (along with your firstborn).

50

Many grads make way less than 50k! Some like a lot of engineers, computer science majors or investment bankers might make that or better. Also taxes for single taxpayers are high. I would not assume 99.9k of debt is manageable with a income of 50k. Maybe if you live with the parents or have a lot of roommates.

51

People who took out what were supposed to be low interest loans often ended up being screwed because they were not really low interest and they can not be discharged even in cases of bankruptcy contrast to what happened with the banks themselves but that is another story. Anyway, I’d rather 2nd mortgage the house if it isn’t already than take out educational loans that are actually “guaranteed student loans” because of the rules about bankruptcy, etc. The loans can outlive the school and the student!

52

The federal direct student loans have some nice features that are worth considering. Once you reach the limits for these loans then the decision is a lot more difficult. There are pros and cons for all loans. The devil is in the details. If the OP needs help in this area, I would suggest posting on the financial aid board.

Any decision made by the OP needs to factor in what loans have been taken out and how they will be repaid. At this stage, I think the OP has gotten the advice he was looking.