Feeling hopeless, desperate for help

College Life
1

<p>Hello I am currently a Sophomore (1st semester) in college and currently failing ALL of my classes (5 total 16 credits). I am not a bad student as my freshman year I have finished with a 4.0 but this semester I was not so lucky. Toward the latter half of the semester, I have been overcome with severe depression (though I did not seek help yet) and was not able to do well in any of my classes. I ended up losing all the motivation I had for studying and did not even go to my classes. Now there is barely a week left in my semester (before finals) and I am literally failing every class. Need help as to what I should do. Does anyone have any suggestions?</p>

<p>How does getting an incomplete mark work? Can I still withdraw from my classes or is it too late (I know student voluntary dropping classes deadline was about a month ago for my school but can I get a force drop?). Please I need help fast.</p>

<p>edit: if I can drop or get incomplete marks for this semester I plan to take a break from college for a semester so I can get my life in order.</p>

2

<p>The Drop-D and Withdraw-W deadlines would be over in all colleges by now. I think the only option is to get an Incomplete-I for all those where you are failing. I read somewhere that “You have a year to complete the class, meaning to retake the final. If you don’t complete it within a year, you’ll receive the letter grade you would’ve gotten if you hadn’t got an Incomplete.”</p>

<p>Some more info I read someplace and I quote,</p>

<p>"What is an incomplete grade? </p>

<p>An incomplete grade is a temporary symbol given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed due to serious interruption not caused by the student’s own negligence. To change an incomplete grade, a Change of Grade form is submitted by the course instructor to the College or School’s Dean’s Office. When approved, the form is sent to the Registrar’s Office where it is processed.</p>

<p>How long do I have to change an incomplete grade? </p>

<p>An incomplete must be made up as quickly as possible but no later than two semesters. Otherwise, it will automatically default to the grade that you earned in the course. There is no extension of the two semester deadline. Do not re-register again for the course to make up the incomplete."</p>

<p>And your school might also have a forgiveness policy, which is, and I quote,</p>

<p>"What is the forgiveness policy? </p>

<p>The forgiveness policy is a way in which students may repeat a limited number of courses to improve a grade point average (GPA). It allows only the grade received on the last repeated course used in GPA calculation. Under the University’s forgiveness policy, you must file a Repeated Course form with the Registrar’s Office. There is no time limit on the use of the forgiveness policy for grades. "</p>

<p>But you must check with your advisor or go on your college website and check how they deal give/with Incomplete grades.</p>

<p>Do not worry. You can fix this. It happens to the best of us. Look for damage control solutions. And walk into Student Health Center and get help ASAP and set up an appointment with your advisor to sort the academic part. You are going to be fine. Cheer up.</p>

<p>And you know what, it is Thanksgiving time and you should say your Thank you because you are Blessed with wisdom to ask for help. The fact that you are asking for help proves you are smart. Best wishes for you.</p>

3

<p>Advice in the above post is excellent. Go to student health. Ask to be seen as soon as possible because you are “in a crisis.” Have a frank discussion with a medical professional about your depression. They will offer an exam and perhaps do some blood work and tests to see if there are other health issues (ie. thyroid, hormones, anemia, nutrition etc) You can also talk about stress reduction techniques and medications. Ask the doctor to write a letter summarizing all of your health issues this semester. You can ask your RA about who to take the letter to on campus. Your RA can steer you in the right direction in terms of getting support now. You will most likely need to speak to all of your professors and show them your letter. This is the reason that the grade of “incomplete” exists. I had the experience of being very ill at the end of the semester and I was not able to learn what to do in time. I ended up with some very bad grades. I think the “incomplete” is the way to go along with the help and support of campus personnel that are there to help you, the student. Good job realizing that you need help and best of luck seeking out the campus services!</p>

4

<p>Thank you guys you have no idea how distressed I was over this… really thank you for your help. But couple things I am still curious about:</p>

<ol>
<li>How can I go about getting an excuse for incomplete? As mentioned I was severely depressed and cut off contact with most people so no one knew what I was going under (not even my family).</li>
<li>Is it actually possible to get an Incomplete for all 5 of my classes?</li>
</ol>

<p>Again thanks alot for the helpful replies!</p>

5

<p>Marinebase,
Hang in there. You have your whole life ahead of you and you can do this. In fact in a year you will look back and you will see it is just a matter of getting through this time.</p>

<p>Above posts are right on. You need to talk to people at your college to find out specific strategies for your school. Do it NOW. Don’t rely on websites only. TALK to people.</p>

<p>Your instincts are good and the fact that you are trying to deal with this before it goes further speaks well of you and your maturity. Best of luck and know you are not alone.</p>

6

<p>marinebase</p>

<p>The details of Incomplete grade should be available on your College’s website. And better would be to first visit the Student Health Centre or Wellness Centre and ask for HELP asap and from then on with your Academic advisor. At my child’s college the wellness centre takes these issues very seriously and have 24/7 Wellness Exchange hotline. So I am pretty sure your college too would have these resources and support. Go now and get help. You are going to be fine. Everything will work out.</p>