I just withdrew from Berkeley for a semester. I have a 3.62 GPA in the biology major, with my lowest grade in Chem 3A (B). It’s Organic Chemistry 1. I plan to build my academic foundation in organic chemistry, physics, and biology when I’m gone and plan to pick up from there or switch to psych or public health as a major. I left because of depression and anxiety interfering with my academic performance/concentration/overall quality of life.
Although I currently plan on going back to Cal, should I think of transferring? Can I even transfer at this point, lol? To another UC, I mean. I was thinking UCLA or UCI, which are close to home. I miss SoCal.
Seems to me that you were smart to recognize your problem and withdraw – for that reason alone, I’d call you a winner (absolutely not a loser). Take care of yourself first and foremost. When you feel ready to return to college then it will be time to determine which college is will be the best option for you to continue your education at.
@janiemiranda@happy1 Thank you both for your reassurance, and a loser in life for withdrawing instead of finishing, I mean. I just never imagined myself withdrawing from college, rather, I’d persevere through it all and stuff, depression or not. My parents let me withdraw but don’t really believe in mental illness, so I don’t know what to think either.
Withdrawing now doesn’t mean you wont return to finish your degree later. I’m sorry your parents aren’t being more supportive but you are totally doing the right thing by addressing your health issues. That takes a lot of maturity!
I also agree that you are doing absolutely the right thing. Would you be a loser if you had another medical condition that required you to withdraw? Nope. It’s the same thing when it’s depression and anxiety, it’s just harder for outsider to see it.
Take care of yourself. Get yourself healthy. College will be there when you are ready.
@momofsenior1 I hope I made the right choice. It was a really hard decision and I was stuck between staying here and toughing it out. Last Friday was the last day to withdraw and get 25% tuition back, and I attended class all the way up until my o-chem lab section, my last class of the day.
@suzy100 Well, if it were physical health it’d be easier for me and my parents to understand. Because it’s mental, it’s like why can’t I control my thoughts and make it work out in my favor?
@idk690 as a fellow student at Cal, I respect and understand your decision. Have you talked to Tory or to other advisor in L&S? I know people who fell out of love with their majors during their senior year and decided to switch majors. If you’re going to switch majors as a sophomore, I bet it’s a lot easier. Cal is tough love, I would not have the stamina to go through these endless rounds of midterms and finals if I didn’t love my major. So, in addition of taking care of yourself, I think it’s really important that you find something you really like. In a few years, you won’t even remember whether you took a semester off to study abroad, or to figure things out, stop all that loser talk
Cal is a very demanding school, and there are a lot of people who feel like you do but don’t have the guts to pull back and regroup. They will continue on, getting more depressed and possibly being forced out, making poor decisions, and maybe getting turned off of college altogether. A bit of a breather might result in you figuring out you want to go back with a different major, or maybe a different school. There are many paths to and through higher education - if there was only one way, we’d all do it that way. Take care of yourself - good luck!
