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College freaking me out/making me depressed. Help!


Rose21

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College is MAJORLY stressing me out! I graduated HS in June 2008 and directly after the summer was over enrolled in College. From than to know I've been taking a very wide load of 5 classes and working most semesters.The first one was my best, I wasn't really working. I've been in a hurry to take as many classes as I can to get out to transfer to Texas Tech to join my bf and end the part-time distance. This semester I found out that I was going to go to UNT instead and instead of moving out in the fall, stay at home perhaps another year THAN move out. So there is no rush to transfer so fast, I wish I knew that before I made my classes this semester!!

 

This has been the worst semester so far and I'm super stressed out. I'm taking my usual heavy load of 5 classes plus I'm taking night classes which is a first for me as well as morning AND online classes. I've also been working more than I have during any semester pushing 35 hrs some weeks, before I lost that job a few weeks ago. Also, it seems the most personal problems have spout up too. I've been more stressed/emotional than usual, sick all the time which has resulted in me missing A LOT of class aswell as having my car break down and being without one for 3 weeks and than having to gather money from everyone and trying to get a new one and dealing with that. My grades really took the back burner when that happened.

 

My problem is I got a warning last semester when my GPA dropped below a 2.0. If It does again this semester, I won't be able to come back in the fall (suspended) and have to wait til Spring semester. It is official that I have a F in math and there is nothing I can do to change it. My heart sunk when I found that my other classes, which I have been working hard in, will not be able to be better than a C, "maybe" a B in "one" of them.

 

That leaves either 1 F, 4 C's, or 1 F, 3 C's, 1 B. I have over-all a 2.5, will I still be able to get a 2.0 if I get one of those combinations??

 

I really am trying. I was crying today, it's really hard. I'm going to my HS tomorrow to get my modifications for math which really has been what is holding me back.

 

IF I get suspended for a semester, I can still come back in the spring and still take summer classes. I've already signed up for one semester being re-taking that math class and an online Govt. I will take a 2nd semester in the summer if I cnt go back in the fall aswell and re-take the THEA over and over until I test on a college level math. That being the case, I would only need TWO more classes (College level math, online computer class) left til my AA is completed!! SOOO close.

 

I feel like such a failure and I wish I hadn't been over-loading myself because I'm totally stressed out. My CJ teacher said he only took one class a semester, BUT he came out with a 3.7. My GPA is shot by taking too many classes and failing math over and over(Which I have ADHD & Dyscaculia and had help all throughout HS, I need help now!!) I tested so low I needed 3 remidial until I get to the one that gives me credit. I took Pre-Algebra twice. My first teacher was a dunce though, so I could of passed it the first time if I had my 2nd teacher for it. Beginning algebra I failed by ONE POINT last semester. Grr fml! This semester my teacher is horrid and I have like a 50 something.

 

I am taking that in the summer. I still have intermediete, but I hope to get through the THEA and skip it to get to the college level (stats instead of alg) which will save time.

 

I know if I miss out a semester it wont be the end of the world and my friends say I could use a break and time to re-collect myself and re-organize study schedule and not over load myself and realize my limits. That it doesn't make me a failure, but human.

 

The counsler says it will always be on my transcript that I was "suspended" but it will be a huge turn out if I go back the very next semester, which a lot of people never do and wait years. It will show determination and good will power on my part he says.

 

Also, he says I could try and bargain with the board to give me a second chance meaning not being suspended which could work bearing in mind my modifications.

 

I tried to get them from the start and they said I didn't have the paperwork and when I brought it back they said it wasn't the right things or enough, which is ILLEGAL To refuse mods to a student that has needed them all their school career. I have! It said it right there in my paper work, it was a psych evaulation and everything!

 

I'm going to study my ass off on my remaining classes (minus math, no hope there) There is just under 4 weeks left.

 

I am going to do my best to pass all my other classes and get a B in ATLEAST one of them.

 

I really really hope I get a 2.0.

 

And next time I won't over-load myself and take just enough classes to be considered a full time student (12 hrs, 4 classes) and not take morning AND night classes.

 

I feel just so depressed right now and feel like if I sat out a semester (again just one) I'd be a total loser, worthless and an un-educated bum.

 

What do you think?

 

Sorry it's so long, I'm just laying it all out there!

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I'm sorry about all of this. You kind of sound similar to me. I believe I have dyscalculia and possibly add however, I haven't yet gotten officially tested for it (kind of figured it out on my own). I have failed my calculus class the first try but when I retook it, I got by with a C which was way better than an F for sure. I struggled a lot in my mathematic base classes (physics, genetics, chemistry) way before college and the struggle just got worse in college so I get how you're feeling. All I can say is don't give up in trying. I'm pulling for you!

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Before you get the F on your transcript, have you talked to your prof about that? Can you drop the class and have the W versus the F or explain about your car and in light of the classed you have missed see if he will grant you an incomplete and you can do some sort of project to bring your grade up?

 

I know that you have been doing some part time modeling, maybe you can cancel that entirely until the end of the semester. Can you cut back on your work hours so that you have more time to study?

 

I worked a 36 hour week and went to school full time and then later I worked full time and took courses. My days were 17 hours long sometimes. So I know how hard it can be. When things got tough I tightened in the reins. I didnt do social events with friends or family and spent my time working. If it meant getting up at 8 am on a Saturday and going to the library until it closed at 5 that is what I did. I took breaks, about 10 minutes every hour, but I worked solid all day. It sounds like that is what you need to do too. I am not saying you need to work harder, I am suggesting that you allow more time in your schedule to do the work.

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Rose, you still have a couple of months left to turn your F around. In my experience, math classes involve a lot of homework, so you if you get an A on each one of them (and it's not hard to get an A on math homework) I'm sure you can bring your grade up to a C. Do you go to a community college? Go see the tutors there. It was always helpful for me when I went.

 

Is your ADHD really bad? Are you taking Ritalin or Concerta? That might really help.

 

Also, I suggest you cut down on your work hours and modeling. I always struggle in school too when I have too many work hours.

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Well I've already postponed modeling until the summer. If I had a choice to never model again in exchange to pass math (even just pass) the rest of my college career, I'd do it in a HEARTBEAT! And I wont be getting more than 25 hrs a week, and if I get this job I'm looking at, Sat is the only long shift and M-F is just 3:30-6:30, that leaves lots of time to study.

 

There is nothing I can do to bring up my math grade, we have 4 tests and I've failed them all. I've given up hope on it.

 

It's my other grades I can can change.

 

My ADHD isnt THAT bad andI really don't want to add another med to the mix, it doesnt work so well when your an adult. I haven't had it since 9th grade.

 

It's the dyscaculia that kills me, I can't even to the BASIC math and need a calc to multiply/divide simple things. Still count on fingers etc.,

 

Oh how I WISH I could drop math! unfortunately (has anyone ever heard of this??) Because math is a remidial, if I or my teacher drops me it drops my ENTIRE schedule!!

 

Couple months?

 

Try BARELY 4 WEEKS.

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This is the description of how I feel right now:

 

All throughout HS I was babied and lead with my hand held through math, I was made to use a graphing calculator (yes, forced) And I had a 36 vs 18 week semester, I didn't have to take things like Chemistry/Alg 2 and instead things like Math Models and Aquatic Science did, one of my math teachers treated me like I was 5.

 

It took me 4 tries to finally pass algebra in HS, and 3 for them to realize I needed the MODIFIED version. I wish I could take Geometry instead, because believe it or not I nearly got a B my first time on it!!

 

I'm good with shapes, and have a good spatial memory. I STINK at Alg=/

 

When I first got to Pre-Algebra they said I couldn't use a calculator at all and I was zoomed in on in a corner, I can't even do all my times tables! I still haven't gotten to the point where I can use the $80 calculator they made me get for HS!

 

I feel like I've been yanked by my collar, thrown into college, and just kicked down the hall way as I continue to fall over and summersault down the aisle of shame, feeling defeated and alone

 

Dramatic, maybe. I'm a writer.

 

But that's how I feel!!

 

I feel like if not in school, I have nothing to live for in life and I'm just wasting away...

 

Yes, semester ends in May. Only in HS did it end later.

 

I have a final and one more test I believe, but it isn't going to be enough.

 

Trust me, it's how it works. I don't understand it either about the dropping and it really pisses me off but it's because it's a REMIDIAL that it drops everything else. I go to NCTC in Corinth TX.

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Trust me, it's how it works. I don't understand it either about the dropping and it really pisses me off but it's because it's a REMIDIAL that it drops everything else. I go to NCTC in Corinth TX.

 

I am not saying I dont believe you. I have worked at two colleges and I have never heard of such a thing.

 

I looked in your college handbook and it says nothing about that. It says this, but even at that it sounds like you may be past the deadline. My best advice is stop freaking out, analyzing how you feel, and make a schedule. Take the energy you are spending freaking out and make a plan. Then go to bed. Its after midnight I am sure where you are, so get some rest, you have a lot of work ahead of you.

 

DROPPING COURSES

If the personal circumstances of students dictate that they

need to reduce their academic load, they should confer with

a counselor for assistance in adjusting the number of courses

being taken. A grade of “W” will be given to students who

officially withdraw from a course, or “drop,” at least by Friday

of the 12th week of Fall or Spring semester, or a proportional

number of weeks prior to the end of a summer session. Any

drops after this will be made with the approval of the instructor

and the Department Chair.

Requests for course drops may be submitted in person or

online. All requests will only be honored if received by the last

date to drop a course for the current semester. Students who

submit a request online are required to contact the Registrar’s

Office in order to verify the request was received before the last

date to drop for the current semester. All requests received

after the last date to drop will not be honored.

It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the action

necessary to drop courses under the conditions outlined

above. This requires the completion of a form available in

the Registrar’s Office in Gainesville and Corinth, and in the

Administrative Office in Bowie. See the NCTC Catalog, page

46, for additional information.

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Well I think it is totaly unfair and retarded but that is what happened, and this is the notice I got when I was half way to missing all of the classes I could miss in math:

 

Hi Meagan,

 

 

 

Thank you for your e-mail about the warning letter you received recently. As the letter stated, you have already missed at least 3 hours of this course, and your attendance in this College Prep course is mandatory. We in the College Prep department truly want you to be successful here at NCTC, and your attendance in this class is critical to being able to finish it successfully this semester.

 

 

 

The letter is a warning and a reminder that you have already been counted absent in this class. Please remember that after 6 hours of absence from this class, you can be dropped from this course. If this is your only College prep course, being dropped from it will also automatically drop you from every course.

 

 

 

If you have any other questions about the attendance policy, feel free to call or email your instructor or you may contact me at ....

 

 

 

Have a great day!

 

 

 

Look at that!!! That was the email, and being dropped from every course just pisses me off. If I make it this semester, I'm finishing at a different community college. Think that'd be better?

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Well, all I have to say is best of luck to you, keep working hard and you will get there. I struggle with Math (struggling is an understatement, actually) and I really admire you for sticking with it. Early on, I decided that my college major would not include any math. I challenged myself to take one college level Math course and after many tears, much frustration, help from tutors and my boyfriends, and determination on my part, I got a C. That was the highest grade I'd ever recieved in any Math course from Kindergarten to Grade 12. That one course was enough to turn me off of ever taking any more Math in my LIFE and I thought long and hard about a career that would be suitable for me. I can't imagine having to take all of those Math courses to get a diploma/degree and I commend you for having the guts to keep at it.

 

But please, don't drive yourself insane because you feel you "must" be in school. Are you sure you're after the right career choice? It's only going to get harder and harder and you may want to think about pursuing something that is better suited to your natural talents. Right now I really get the impression that you're fighting against yourself and your natural talents and abilities, and that is definitely contributing to your stress level and unhappiness. It may sound crazy, but I've been there. I was a Psyc major before, and I was so unhappy in school. After I switched majors and started focusing on my strengths, rather than on simply getting through the classes on my way to a BA, things got so much better.

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Rose, you really need to work on your study skills. You need to realize that every little bit counts. First of all, you shouldn't be missing three hours of your math class, especially when you know that you have a math-related learning disability. That time in class is important. Secondly, you shouldn't work so much. I know that money is tight as a college student... I am one. It's tough. But 35 hours a week is a lot. I've met very few, if any, people who can handle that load. Cutting down expenses or taking out student loans to help pay for living expenses can help alleviate the amount of time you need to work to make ends meet.

 

I know that my college has services for students with documented learning disabilities. Does yours? Having someone to work with you that really understands what you are going through can be invaluable. Also, see if your college offers tutoring to students. Many colleges offer peer-tutoring free of charge.

 

Also, I do think you need more foresight. I know earlier this year, people gave you advice to put the modeling on hold for school, but you didn't follow the advice then. It seems like you were so confident you could do well, but are now freaking out at the end of the semester. Sure, now you are only working 25 hours a week and are not modeling, but these changes cannot happen within the last month if you expect to make a difference. In the future, keep focused on school at the beginning of the semester, and the end will not be nearly so worrisome.

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Yes I'm sure I'm in the right major, it's Criminal Justice.

 

I want to be a criminologist.

 

Technically, I do just need ONE math class. But it is a college level and because I didn't test high enough I have to PAY to take THREE remidial classes that give me no credit before I can take the ONE that I need that does give me credit.

 

So my major only requires one math. Yet because I'm so bad at it that one math class has turned into 4, plus the amount I have to take each, or any of the ones I need to take over??

 

How is that fair?!

 

I've never thought of myself as NOT being in college, I will finish out my BA that is certain.

 

But would I be a failure if (worst case) have to sit out for one semester? After that, I go back in the spring, take the 2 classes I need left (provided I dont fail!) And I'll have my AA by the end of the semester and can transfer to UNT in the fall.

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Yes, I tried to go to the disability place to get more help and brought my paperwork and I wasn't able to get anything, because they said I didn't have the RIGHT paperwork when I did have some and documentation. It is illegal to refuse services to a student.

 

Things happen to miss math classes.

 

I missed 6 classes.

 

I was really sick, locked my keys in the car, my car broke down, my mom took my garage opener so I wasn't able to get my car out of the garage, etc.

 

3 tardies=an abscence.

 

There are lots of reasons!

 

And in the past 2 months my modeling went from once a week to once a MONTH. That was just one session on a weekend!

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First question-- If you are failing remedial courses, you would be completely floundering in the college level course. They make you take the remedial courses so you can learn what you didn't learn in high school so you can succeed in the college course you do have to take.

 

Second question-- No, you wouldn't be a failure. But you would need to come back and do really well to prove yourself to any four-year college you plan on transferring to. If you do end up sitting out a semester, I would suggest a) working and saving money so you don't have to work so much during the school year and b) getting some tutoring on study skills/learning techniques/math/anything else you may need.

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Yeah I would deffinatly do that.

 

And while I would be floundering, atleast I'd just need the ONE class and would feel a lot better that after that ONE class I'd be done, and I'd get tons of tutoring etc.

 

Sometimes, as weird as it sounds, I do better at higher levels of math than the lower levels. I get stuck on a lower level, and than the higher it moves in the Ch. the more I may understand.

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Yeah I would deffinatly do that.

 

And while I would be floundering, atleast I'd just need the ONE class and would feel a lot better that after that ONE class I'd be done, and I'd get tons of tutoring etc.

 

Sometimes, as weird as it sounds, I do better at higher levels of math than the lower levels. I get stuck on a lower level, and than the higher it moves in the Ch. the more I may understand.

 

If you have trouble with arithmetic and numbers, that makes sense as higher maths tend to move away from that. This is why you need to make sure you get the help you need from your college. You don't want to ignore your dyscalculia. You want to be able to work through it and learn to do the math you'll need in life despite having it.

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Sometimes you can get a hardship withdrawal to withdraw from the entire semester without GPA penalty. If you have any medical documentation, you might try that. If you can drop every class with W's, then they may not suspend you. From what you said, your grades are not going to be very good anyways so a semester of W's is a better choice. Also, if that keeps you from being suspended, then you don't have to sit out a semester and you will actually be further ahead in the long run.

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Rose,

 

I've mentioned this is another thread where you were upset about classes, but judging from the things you have told us on here - it is clear you need to focus and study more.

 

You often tell us how you stay up really late at night and sleep your day away. Instead of sleeping so late, why not set your alarm for 9am and read through the chapters or look at the power points. Instead of just doing this once a day, you could do it twice a day (even 3x's if you have to) and that alone would probably make a difference. Go to tutors - as much as possible. If this is really want you want to do - then you can't just give up. You have to work at it. I completely understand that math is difficult for you, but just saying "there's no hope" is not going to make anything better. Look online for tips, go to a bookstore and get a book on math, ask your professors to meet with you and discuss your difficulties, go to the tutor center, pair up with someone smart in the class, etc All of those things are something I would do if I seriously wanted to graduate school It may not be fun and it may take up a lot of your time, but if you want to continue on with school then you NEED to do it.

 

It seems that you tend to say that you cant read that much or spend that long of a time working on school because of your ADHD, but I think that means you HAVE to work THAT much harder. Instead of saying that you would go crazy reading that much, just sit down and do it because you KNOW you need to for your grades and gpa. If you are serious about being in the FBI, you really need to focus MORE on school and less on other things.

 

Maybe take a complete break from modeling, maybe spend less time online , less napping and constantly read/practice for classes. I think in the end, that will really benefit you. You can definitely do it, you have to put your mind to it.

 

I have been over my head the past two semesters in work. At first it was REALLY overwhelming. I am taking 5 classes and working 2 part time jobs AND an internship. I thought I was literally going to go insane after the first month. I barely had time to sleep. THEN I made myself a schedule of everything I needed to accomplish in the month. Broke that down and made myself of what I wanted to get done each week (in order to accomplish that monthly goal) and then broke down that even further to what I needed to get done each day. For example if I knew I had a paper due at the end of the month - I would tell myself I had to write 3 pages a week. Then I would say and I have to do so many paragraphs a day. Just writing down a list of things you need to do (for example: you could make a list like : do 20 practice problems a night, go to tutoring for a half hour, read the textbook chapter twice, etc) If you complete your checklist you could reward yourself with a little something (a cupcake, watching a tv show you like, whatever) and if you don't complete your checklist - then you don't get that.

 

It sounds silly, but sometimes it takes things like this to get yourself into a pattern or to motivate you.

 

I have a routine I do every day - I wake up early (7am) go to the gym, eat breakfast, take my dog on a walk, go to class, go right to work, come home and do my homework, cook dinner and watch some tv, then I go to my other job, come home and do more homework. Obviously it varies from time to time and on the weekends its different - but I tend to stick to my "weekday" schedule because it helps me to accomplish everything and not fall behind in school. I think you could really benefit from some type of routine.

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Well I know I'm not going to be modeling much, deffinatly not until school is over with.

 

I can wake up earlier and go to bed earlier.

 

Today, I went to my HS To get my mods and they said it should be ready by Mon so that should help out a lot!

 

I also called the career center I went to during HS and got my classes transfered over to my college which resulted in 6 full credits!!

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