Has taking summer courses ever made anyone else feel depressed?

I just finished my freshman year of college and am now transferring to a new university, which I am very excited about. I know I had posted the other day how I didn’t want to go, but it hit me recently how close it really is to home and I feel so much better now. However, I am currently taking a summer course because I am behind a few credits at my new school, and while I love my classmates and the professor, I am really starting to feel like a depressed hermit. The class is only 3 nights a week from 6-8:15, and there is no homework besides reading and only 3 exams and a couple of projects, but I never am able to do anything relating to summer weather, such as going to the beach or anything outdoorsy. During the day before class, I either work (part time in retail, so I work about 4-5 days per week) or just sit at home all day and wait to leave. I enjoy my job and have great coworkers, so that doesn’t bother me, but it’s the fact that all I do afterward is go to class and go to bed. I do sometimes go out after class, but by the time I am out, any public place around me that I am old enough to get into is closed, so I am left to walk aimlessly around town. I actually like the class once I am there, but having the motivation to study and do other schoolwork in the summer is truly hard. I understand that I will not have summers off as an adult, but I feel like that will be different because I will have evenings and weekends to myself. Luckily I never get scheduled for evening shifts at my store, so my days off from school are generally enjoyable. But so far, I do not feel like I am on summer break, and it will already be almost the Fourth of July when the class ends, leaving me almost no time to truly enjoy the break before having to go back for the fall. Again, I know I have to do this and don’t want to go to school for an extra semester, but it is really starting to make me feel depressed and isolated. I actually am happier once I get there than when I am sitting at home before leaving because the class is enjoyable, but just the idea and the schedule makes me feel depressed. Anyway, I am just curious if anyone else taking a summer course ever felt the same way I do, and how I can not feel this way about doing it, because I know how beneficial it really is. I commute to a local college for the course, a different one than I’ll be attending in the fall.

The class is over in 2 1/2 weeks! Just take a deep breath, sit out in the sun when you have a few free minutes, and get through it.

You have to stay focused because summer classes cover a lot of material in a short amount of time and you don’t want to fail. Make sure you manage your time well between work, class, and time off. You don’t want to have to repeat the class because that would just be wasting money. Your professor is not going to accept any excuses and will expect you to be responsible for completing assignments and learning the material.

People work, they take classes, and they take care of their families. Just because the weather is nicer doesn’t mean you stop doing what you need to do. When you have a lot on your plate you don’t have time to think about other things. You have to keep yourself motivated since you are paying for that class. (or your parents are) If you mess up you will get behind and will not be able to graduate in time. You have to work hard if you want to achieve something. Please don’t use weather as an excuse for not doing well and passing the class.

I leave my internship on a Friday, will spend Saturday driving over 600 miles home, Sunday I move back to school, and Monday I start classes. That’s no time. All of July plus half of August is plenty of time. :stuck_out_tongue:

Hi, I’m a Mom. I read your other threads and it seems you’ve been unhappy for a while. You were missing home when you were at school and now that you are home, you say that you’re bored - but then you say that you don’t have enough time to enjoy the summer when you’ve got 6 weeks of free time coming up in two weeks. I thinking that maybe you’re not unhappy because of where you are or the situations that you’re in, I think you may be a bit depressed. You’ve gone through a lot of changes in the past year (with more changes to come) and sometimes that can throw people off-kilter for a while. Do you think that maybe you could talk to a professional to see if you can sort out why you are so unhappy? I understand that you might not want your parents to know if you did see someone - that’s a very private thing, but that’s just the general feeling that I get from reading your posts. Maybe the community college you are going to this summer has someone on staff you could talk to. Or perhaps an adult that you trust and respect? Hopefully, the change to a new school in the fall will bring about a change in your mood also, but if that doesn’t happen I would definitely see a doctor or counselor at your new school to see if they can help to set you on a happier path. I won’t tell you to try to be happier and look on the bright side because a depressed person can’t just make themselves be happy. Sometimes you need some help to get there. I wish you luck. Hang in there and consider my suggestion.

@LeastComplicated the only reason I am bored right now is because since my class is at 6pm and most of my friends are still in high school or do full time internships during the day, there is no point in doing anything before or even after class. At least on the days that I have work I get out of the house for a while before going to class.

@raclut did I say I was not doing assignments or failing exams? No, because I am earning good grades. As hard as it is to stay motivated, I am managing. It just depresses me that this is all I do now and that I no longer have a summer vacation until July. I haven’t been anywhere or done anything fun for that matter, and I have barely seen my relatives or one of my best friends. And I leave for school August 30th, but 2 months just seems like nothing to me.

Again, your summer class will be done in a couple of weeks and you will have July and Aug. to be with your friends and family. The summer class is a teeny tiny bump in the road of life. If you are bored during the day go for a run, garden, do anything outside to enjoy the nice weather. But stay focused on your class and finish strong.

@happy1 I’ll certainly try my best. Thankfully I have motivated classmates and a good professor, so it makes it easy. Feelings of unhappiness hit me every time I get out of my car to go inside and it’s 70+ degrees and sunny outside and I can practically smell people barbecuing :/.

@beachguy20 OK, then. Well now I’m going to do what I said I wasn’t going to do and tell you to look on the bright side. You seem to be stuck in a rut of negativity. As happy1, bodangles, and any adult with a full time job and responsibilities would tell you - two months is a LONG vacation. Even though you work part-time, two months is plenty of time to enjoy your summer if you make the effort to do so. You asked in your post “how can I not feel this way about doing this, because I know how beneficial it is?” The answer is: realize that you are almost done with the class, that you will still have two months of vacation left, and because you took the class, your workload during the regular school year will be less stressful. BTW, I still think you’re a bit depressed so I hope you will take my advice if things don’t start looking up for you. Have fun during the rest of the summer and good luck with your new school.

Two months is a lot of time off. Enjoy it. I actually think your summer schedule is lite.

I wish I was taking summer classes right now. That would be less depressing than the situation I’m in right now.

Ugh, I’m basically at my breaking point. I’m about to go to the library to work on a huge research paper and then straight to class from there. Meanwhile, it’s 85 degrees and sunny outside. My friend is having a bunch of people over to watch the game later, and of course I have to be an hour late. I really can’t wait until next week, when the class ends. Because I am nearly in tears. I do not plan on taking a summer course again.

Suck it up, grow up and get the work done – and done well. Life will go on if you are an hour (or more) late to a party. If you are looking for sympathy, you are probably in the wrong place.

FWIW my D’s Masters degree program runs through the summer. This summer she is taking 5 classes and works in a clinic one day a week. It is her birthday today and she is in the library writing a paper and studying for her first set of finals which are next week. Tonight we’ll take her out to dinner to celebrate and she will see some friends over the weekend. She is not complaining.

Well, I am not your daughter. Having a 9-5 job, in my opinion, will be different than taking a class over the summer because I will do my work at work and have the same times off as everybody else. But when school is taking over my life, on what is supposed to be summer break, I am going to complain, whether you want to hear It or not. So if you don’t want to hear it, don’t open my thread.

MODERATOR’S NOTE: And @beachguy20, if you don’t want to read people’s comments, don’t start any threads. You can’t tell people not to open your threads or express their opinions. I’m closing the thread.