Will I make this semester or finally get thrown out?

[erwin1978]

Just how dumb can I get? You be the judge as I already know. I'm a senior in college, working on a Computer Science degree, but I've got at least one more year to go. This semester will be the determining factor whether I get kicked out of school if I don't at least pass all my classes. You see how deep in the hole I am. I'm scratching my head, wondering how am I going to get through college let alone this semester.

Prior to college I've been doing above average work in school and never really put much effort into my classes and was still able to get good grades. Ever since I started college I felt like my brain has slowed down; I can't seem to concentrate or comprehend things as quickly as I used to. Freshman year was OK, but I went downhill from there.

Year after year my goal was to make the Dean's List; three years later I realized it will never be. I just need to pass my classes and get out. I know I will have a hard time getting that first, good job if all I can show for is my sorry GPA.

My parents don't even know my predicament since they don't really pay much attention to my school. I'm just ashamed thinking how much money I've wasted. Let's just say it's a years worth of tuition. Well, I have a month and a half to turn things around. I don't fear failing as much as facing my parents when I have to tell them that I've been dismissed.

 

[Phantasm66]

You know, I felt a similar way when I was close to finishing my degree.

Of course, I know now that I did the wrong course.

You may have picked the wrong course as well, but by this point, you have invested so much time and energy in this one anyway that I think its a waste of your time not to just get your head down and finish.

Even if you did pick the right course, there is a certain "learning fatigue" that everyone feels by the time they are reaching the end, and I'll bet a lot of your fellow students in your year will be going through the motions of handing in asssignments, studying for exams, etc, without enjoying anything of this at all.

My advice: You have come too far to turn back now, and the wonderful world of working (and no longer being poor, or having to study for any exam ever - well, in a manner of speaking) is waiting for you. Forget about what makes the happy and what does not for the next 18 months and get on with your work. Force yourself into it whether it makes you miserable or not, because its only a year and a bit and before too long it will be over.

 

[svtcobra]

I was in your shoes when I was in college. I really had to buckle down and get through it..I felt the same as you at first..Then I made some big changes. I stopped living at school and started commuting. This may not be an option for you but my first semester bachk home I made the Deans List. See, although I liked living there alot, I wasnt going to class all the time, I was drinking and smoking stuff all day and all night and I wasnt studying at all. When I moved home that all changed. Then a few years later, my grades started to suffer because I decided to take on 7 classes in one semester so I could graduate on time. This was a mistake. I ended up dropping 2 classes which cost about 500 bucks each and I barely passed through the rest of the semester. Now I decided to do something that I should have done awhile ago, I started to go to school at night. The students were older and more mature, I wasnt real tired becasuse I didnt get any sleep the night before, and I was willing to listen and make more of a commitment.

Im just lending you some advice that worked for me..Good Luck.

 

[SNGX1275]

I am at that stage to. 15 hours left to take until I get my Geology/Geophysics degree with emphasis in Groundwater and Environmental Geochemistry.
I tried to take 17 hours this semister with them all being senior level classes and had to drop one, costs a lot of money to get the class and then dropping it and losing that money makes one feel kind of bad. I thought by dropping that class though I'd have more time to focus on the others - well I do have more time - but I'm not focusing any harder on the remaining classes. I'm just kind of floating through right now hoping I get above a D in another class that I'm struggling in. D's really kill your gpa.
I do see the light at the end of the tunnel though and I'm not in a big hurry to get there. So I think I'm going to take a real light load for 2 semisters rather than a normal load through 1.

 

[uncleel]

Originally posted by svtcobra
I really had to buckle down and get through it..

This sounds like clinical depression.
You can really turn it around. Change your diet, routines, & habits. Cut out the latenights, the partys, even this forum. Get plenty of sleep & you'll pop out of this depressed phase. Take advantage of any tutor programs your school has to offer, & tell your friends to keep you on the straight & narrow.

Tuff it out!

 

[Ronin Tetsuro]

I took three junior load classes in my Comp Sci major my first year at college. I thought I was capable of maintaining a decent grade point while taking a large chunk out of my core classes right away.

Ah, how free I was from the ravages of intelligence.

My acedemic advisor warned me strongly agianst committing what he termed 'acedemic suicide' by taking subsequent class loads. I, of course, didn't listen.

And that's what got me to a prestigious private school and on my current career path. Had I listened to him, I never would have recieved the job I have and wouldn't be set to make $40K/year after I graduate.

Cheers to stubbornness!

 

[ScarletHippo]

My advice is to make a schedule. draw it up all pretty on A3 paper and glue it to the wall. Designate yourself study time of no longer than 45min each (With 10 min break in between). Any longer than that and your brain becomes saturated and you get frustrated.

Once it is stuck on the wall you have to do it. If you just say 'yeah, i suppose ill study some time today.. maybe later' then you end up not doing it at all

 

[setscrew]

The first you should consider doing is to stop the harmful cycle of self ridicule. Self loathing is far more damaging than any other type of external force manifested toward you. People make mistakes all the time; if you feel you made a mistake by lapsing in your study schedule (or lack there of), accept it and move forward.

The question you need to answer is do I really want to stay in college?

Good fortunes!

 

[uncleel]

My kid had a part job after school, but her grades were falling. She sought some counseling & to our surprise was diagnosed w/ DEPRESSION
We had her quit the job & she is taking some medication. It has worked wonders.

 

[Ai Hate]

Originally posted by ScarletHippo
My advice is to make a schedule.

that sure is one effective little trick, if you could possibly follow it, that is.
my friend got a GPA of 4.00 last semester. i wasn't too surprised since he excelled in maths and physics. anyway, he has never gone as far as a 4.00 in highschool. one day when i stayed over at his place for the holiday, i messed around with his things on the desk making way for my meal. then i found a little notebook. it's not exactly a schedule or anything, just a notebook. in it, it has stuff like:

physics study, friday
maths tuitition, saturday
physics lab report, monday

and so on..
he also has stuff like..

)@&*#$&) WHY DIDN'T YOU READ IT!?!!?!
!)&#$!@)#&$ YOU!!!!
I TOLD YOU TO STUDY!!!!!

or

WOW! got 70/100 in the social science test!!!! Am i good or what!?

and stuff..
now you wonder why this guy got a 4.00
i guess it's all about self discipline and motivation.

and don't laugh at the part he complemented himself. this is a very effective way of getting yourself up and going...

of course, this is all about my friend.. not me :dead:

 

[erwin1978]

I have a younger brother who just recently got his GED, a highschool equivalent diploma. He's been out of regular school for nearly three years and doesn't appear to have any solid plans to go to college. Everyday he goes out to hang out with friends and come home late past midnight. That's been going on for three years and as you'd expect my parents argue with him almost on a daily basis, to the point that it's affecting me.

I know I shouldn't be, but in a way I'm jealous that he's having all the fun while I'm stuck at home all by myself doing the dirty work. I know all the fun he's having is just temporary and I'll have mine eventually but it just seems so distant.

A smart friend of mine, who majored in Business, only took three years to graduate. I was just thinking that I should be graduating this summer if only I had done everything right.

 

[Phantasm66]

Originally posted by erwin1978
I have a younger brother who just recently got his GED, a highschool equivalent diploma. He's been out of regular school for nearly three years and doesn't appear to have any solid plans to go to college. Everyday he goes out to hang out with friends and come home late past midnight. That's been going on for three years and as you'd expect my parents argue with him almost on a daily basis, to the point that it's affecting me.

Yeah, yeah..... MY brother still stays with my folks.... he smokes dope, drinks, stays out till late... I did all of those things and was told, basically "do that stuff and go do it somewhere else...."

You have to face the fact that parents treat children unequaly. Life is imperfect, matey, live with that and you will feel better.

In the end, he probably got to stay because he kept his damn mouth shut, which yours truly didn't.....

 

[Ai Hate]

Originally posted by erwin1978
A smart friend of mine, who majored in Business, only took three years to graduate. I was just thinking that I should be graduating this summer if only I had done everything right.

don't push yourself too hard on the graduating stuff. what's the use in finishing in 3 yrs if you don't get one bit out of college?

 

[SuperCheetah]

I could not agree with you more Ai Hate!!! College is the time to have fun and study when you're not having fun. College is supposedly the best time of your life so you might as well had enjoy it while it lasts and not try to get out ASAP. My advice is to stick with what you are doing and enjoy college while it lasts!!! I know I am anyway, it is 4:45am here and I just got back from drinking in downtown Athens, GA at the pretigious University of Georgia with some good friends of mine and meeting lots of fine girls along the way. Always remember to have a good time while in college and live it to its fullest!!!

I agree that college is hard, but there is always a way to get through the hardships and persevere on to better things!!! To sum things up, study hard, but have fun at the same time!!!

 

[SNGX1275]

Originally posted by SuperCheetah
I know I am anyway, it is 4:45am here and I just got back from drinking in downtown Athens, GA at the pretigious University of Georgia with some good friends of mine and meeting lots of fine girls along the way. Always remember to have a good time while in college and live it to its fullest!!!

Ahh - drinking - 3:45 here or thereabouts. Just recently got back from drinking with fraternity brothers, always a good time. Although I can't say the same about the women - 4:1 guy to girl ratio at this school.

 

[Goofy Newfie]

college blues

I started out my undergraduate degree in computer science. I could do the work, I just found I had to work way too hard just to get by. I went to the other end of the spectrum entirely and switched my degree to English, because I found I liked it better, and I was getting A's in it. You really have to find where your strengths are, and just go for it.

 

[Ai Hate]

choose thy path..

goofy's so right. but locating your strength before going to college is such a hard thing to do.. some people are lucky enough be able to identify themselves since school, while others aren't..
guess it's just a matter of chance. you may be a genius in astrology, but never got to study it before. so you don't even know that you have that gift.. so sad..
i came into this field not because i'm good at it, but more because i'm interested in it. actually, i have greater interests in art, but since it's not for a dumbo like me to be successful in, i decided to walk in this route..
it may be the wrong choice, but at least i'm happy with it right now.. and that's what counts, IMO

 

[Ai Hate]

for example, the guy i said he got a 4.00 GPA.
he may have not got this far if he were to go into law or arts. but he made the right choice. engineering is definitely is field. no just hope computer engineering would suit him

 

[Ai Hate]

oh, and one more thought. actually, this isn't for someone in the middle of the 3rd year, but maybe you want to take it into consideration..
i've heard from my teacher that when some kids don't feel like studying anymore, they drop their studying for a while (a year or 2). then they go around doing sth else. get some other jobs, travel around. and when they come back again, they come back with fresh new motivation for learning.

but if you really think you really can't get a decent job even if you managed to crawl out of college, and spending some more time as a student doesn't matters, maybe changing your major is an option..
my friend (a freshman like me) changed from computer science to IT. he said that it doesn't need extreme maths and programming and stuff like CS, but is still in the computer field. so he changed his major since he is VERY bad in maths.
maybe you could look up in the college's syllabus and see if there's any other option for a major. some majors have the same subjects, so you could possibly transfer your credits. therefore, you won't have to take it again.

good luck

 

[erwin1978]

From day one my strengths have always been in art and I often wonder how different my college career would've been if I majored in that field. About a couple of months ago I bumped into one of my highschool classmates and he thought I was majoring in Art because he had seen the drawings I did in highschool.

Right now I'm interested in video games and I eventually want to be a game programmer. I would've gone to a school that specialized in video games if there was one in New York. Going out of state was out of the question.

As of now I don't know how I could possibly break into the video game industry. My school only teaches us how to be a general programmer and other courses I didn't need. I'll need to learn DirectX on my own I suppose.

 

[Goofy Newfie]

final thoughts...

I am not certain where Erwin attends school, but I am assuming that he is quite restricted in what types of courses he can take. At a university, I was able to, after completing a year or so of general studies required by all degrees, I was able to discover anothr discipline that suited me more. I admit that there are not many choices available to someone with an English degree, and I will probably get back into computers afterwards(IT or something). I just had options open to me that played into my strengths. Erwin, I don't know how old you are. Just recently out of high school? If so, don't sweat it too much. But remember, if you choose to do something you don't like, you will be miserable later on in life. Like I said before, go with your strengths. P.S. I can totally relate to wanting to do CS, yet not being able to deal with all of the advanced mathematics.

 

[erwin1978]

I've got about a year more to go. A Computer Science degree wouldn't be so pain-stakingly boring if I didn't have to take courses I really wouldn't need in the real world. My school does require all students to take liberal arts courses as part of the 120 credits required to graduate.

 

[Goofy Newfie]

120 credits...

I also need 120 credits for a degree. But there are a pile of courses I have had to take as requirements for the degree. It's part of becoming a well-rounded graduate, I guess. They want you to be able to read and write as well as fiddle with progamming and stuff. It really sucks, but that is the way it is....
I hear where you are coming from though.

 

[Ai Hate]

the importance of doing general studies..

i think it's just a part of being in college (not a technical school/college). they make you learn everything from social studies to your major course and PE. it is a pain, i have to agree. actually, i don't mind studying about a lot of things, but doing exams, projects, and exams are NOT fun.
anyway, i've come to see a bit of a use in this kind of learning.. it enables you to be able to learn anything you need later in your working career. lets say, you want to produce some good comp games. if you really want to be big in the project, not just a programmer, but the producer, then you have to have a vast variety of knowledge. maybe some architecture, art, music, blah blah blah. even my all time favorite HISTORY :evil: !the working life isn't so linear, i imagine, especially if you want to be BIG. let's say you're a CEO of a comp company. you'll need man management skills, some psychology perhaps, definitely knowledge on the market and economics, and of course, computing.
my mom, who's a doctor, now has read books on man magement, and economics nowadays.
you really can't limit your life dedictaed to the field you studied in. what if you get transfered to some strange country? then you'll be flipping your old social science books on culture to really understand the natives and work with them comfortably. i'm presuming you're sth BIG here, at least with some people under your command and have to have a good social image. don't think that being a boss is all that easy. it's not just scolding at your employees and force them to do what you want. the better they are, the less they're gonna tolerate with it. and you'll end up with some useless bunch of employees who cannot think on their own.
ok, so now lets say your not BIG. you're just some employee that gets fired (admit it, it may happen). so what're you gonna do? oh no. all you did in college was 20 computing courses.. you can't be a salesman, for you can't talk properly. you can't open your own shop for you don't know one bit about the law or the economic. you don't know what it takes to set up a store (selling computers, lets say).
i'm not saying that you NEED to get these knowledge/skill from college. but if you've studied through these general studies in college, it makes you a better learner, for a life time. of course, if you've got them out of college, then it's an advantage. but even if you don't, then you could still learn it with ease (compared to not having any basics at all), IMO.

actually, it also lets you make friends with people in different fields. what's so important about that? well, just like i said, what if you get fired and there's no job in your field?
just think about it.

 

[Goofy Newfie]

You hit it on the head...

I totally agree with AI Hate. While some of those'crap' course seem like....well, like crap...right now, you will eventually have to draw on all of your knowledge later on in the workforce. You never know when some of those 'crap' courses will come in handy. Enjoy college: it's a jungle out there when you are done.