<p>So most people are getting over that initial slump of freshman year problems…I seem to find myself unable to escape it.
I was a great college applicant. I got in early write to several schools and not a single rejection. I chose a top LAC over several Ivies based off a great visit. Little did I know, it wouldn’t reflect my actual life at the school.
My first semester, I played a sport (which I grew to hate), took lots of interesting classes (none of which I liked or was good at) and pretty much just did everything wrong wrong wrong. For awhile it looked like things improved. Took another class and got honors. I quit my team. I signed up for better classes. But instead, now I’m having issues with my roommate, my grades are slipping again, I have good friends but not enough to remedy how miserable my experience is. I’ve been really sick for the last few weeks and just got annihilated during midterms.
I tried so hard to change my habits, my attitude, my friends, my surroundings, but I’m still so so so unhappy.
I’m a person with no mental health problems, healthy self-esteem, my parents love me and support me…I just forgot how to succeed. Everything about this place irks me - most of my classmates, the location, the social scene, the awful weather, and I just want to LEAVE.
Everyone’s getting all these internships and summer opportunities and I can’t even complete a single application. I don’t even know what to apply for, since I’m so far below most GPA cutoffs. There goes law school, and probably most competitive grad schools.
I have about a 3.5 for my major but a 2.5 overall GPA - meaning as rigorous and reputed as this prestigious school is, I will not be able to transfer ANYWHERE. Money is a factor too, so that serves to limit my options even more. And a reminder of all the places I COULD’VE been instead just makes me even more bitter and regretful and hopeless.
I don’t know where I went SO wrong. My father was a Rhodes Scholar finalist, and I was supposed to go all the way! Now, graduating even at the top half of my class seems like a stretch.
What do I do? How do I help myself when it’s everything else making me so unhappy?</p>
<p>Counseling services</p>
<p>Take time off</p>
<p>Join another team/club</p>
<p>Grit your teeth and power through</p>
<p>It’s rough, bro. You’re just having adjustment issues - it’s pretty common. Unless you can identify a specific thing that actually impedes your success (by success I mean job/grad school), stick it out. I mean, you hate everything, but your opportunities aren’t actually severely limited, are they?</p>
<p>You have to figure out what is up with YOU. It isn’t the school; you liked it. I would think you would be having the same issues at any school right now, because something inside of YOU is off. Maybe you miss home, maybe being in a new place has brought on anxiety and depression, which you haven’t been able to identify - if your mental health was excellent right now, you wouldn’t be so unhappy. Look, it happens. Lots of people have a tough adjustment period. Fear of success is a real thing that lots of people experience. You can rebound from the 2.5 GPA, and graduate in the overall 3.somethings if you pick yourself up, refocus, and work hard. College isn’t just about grades; it’s about learning to function on your own, setting career goals, experiencing life, traveling, etc. If you need to, take a leave from your school for a year. You may have to start paying on any loans you’ve taken this year after 6 mos or so, but if it saves you money in the long run by making sure you are borrowing and spending it on the right major, etc, then it’s worth the time off. Work for a while, or investigate possible careers. Many top high school students find themselves in your shoes during college. No longer at the top, and maybe even a little burnt out from working so hard during high school. Talk to counselors, and your family, and give yourself permission to be a little confused about things; you will figure things out eventually. Good luck!</p>