I’m a senior in high school and I feel so lost and hopeless. I’ve been accepted into a college that I really like, but I’m now starting to realize I can’t afford and I have no desire to continue my schooling.
I literally hate school. I dread getting out of bed every morning. I enjoy the social aspect of school because I’m involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities but academic wise, I hate it. I feel so stupid compared to everyone and I feel like I’m always behind. I’m a C student who basically BS’ed my way through school. I did the bare minimum to pass my classes and never turned an assignment in on time. All my teachers allowed me to behave this way so I never felt the need to change. When I got accepted into college I thought that my life was set and that I no longer had to stress about high school. I was so excited about college life and promised my self I would work hard the rest of my senior year and end off good. Reality hit hard recently and I realized I don’t have what it takes to make it in college.
I’m already half way through the school year and in danger of failing English for the year (which could cause me to not graduate) and I’m still stuck in my old habits. I feel like such an idiot. I care about school a lot and want to do well and be successful yet at the same time I feel so beat up and so behind that I don’t care about anything anymore. I really want to go to college (mainly for the social aspect) but I know I’m just going to either fail put or drop out. Plus, my school is pricey and I’d have to take out at least 10k loans my first year (that’s after the scholarships and grants I’ve been awarded). At first I didn’t think that was bad and my counselor even said its okay to take out loans because everyone does it, but then I realized how little money social workers make and I instantly dealt defeated. Social work is the only career I can see myself doing and I can’t even afford to to get into to that field. My school offers a BA in human services so id have to get a masters to be a social worker but there’s no way I can afford 6+ years of debt of a social workers salary.
I don’t know what to do. I’m just so unmotivated and lazy that I honestly don’t see myself have a good future. I really do want to go to college, but I know I won’t succeed. I feel like my life is already ruined and I haven’t even really lived it yet.
Could anyone provide with some sort of advice?
Step one-RELAX.
Step two- consider your options
Finish up your senior year and get going or you may be rescinded from your college.
OPTIONS
- **Go to your 4 yr college with unaffordable loans and without good study habits, and possibly fail. **The classes don’t get easier, they get harder. The major you’ve chosen will require a minimum of 6 years of debt (with nonpayment of full time clinical hours). What kind of foolish GC tells their students to take out unaffordable loans? Some people take out federal loans which are purposefully low-$5500 for the first year.
- **Take a gap year and work at a 40 HR a week unskilled job.**. You'll find out about how your paycheck is eaten up by a bunch of deductions and you will dread having to get out of bed every morning, putting in a minimum of 40 hours for little pay. You will earn a little money and appreciate returning to school.
- **Go to a community college for 2 years and take the classes you want to take. **Learn good study habits/skills, meet with tutors, then apply yourself to your courses and transfer to a four year college. You need to know that you won't get a whole lot in financial aid as a transfer, so research your instate colleges.
You are almost done with HIGH SCHOOL forever! Finish strong and have a great time at GRADUATION!
@“aunt bea” Thank you for the advice! The only issue is the town I live is expensive and my mom has struggled to afford living here for a few years now, but has stayed so I can graduate from the high school I’ve been attending. As soon as I graduate she plans on moving down south where its more affordable to live. I don’t know how I’d go about paying tuition in another state (if I do decide to go to college). If I worked for a year in the state I move to, could I qualify for in state tuition?
If you and your mom and work for at least a year in a state (any that I am aware of) you should qualify as a resident and pay resident rates. Look up a few and see what they say about residency. I think a few even have less than a year before you qualify.
Really, it sounds like you aren’t quite ready for college yet to me. Take some time to explore your options before going into a huge debt. And your guidance counselor is right that many people have some debt, but not everyone has that amount and it’s not a good idea for most people.
Pick yourself up and work toward your goal, getting a degree in a field you like.
Get help in school, turn in your assignments, finish hs strong.
Move with your mom and get a job there, establish residency, save some money.
Then when you qualify for instate residency there apply to community college or other low cost local colleges.
Work hard with your goal in mind. College is your ticket to a degree. Work parttime.
OP, this might surprise you but I feel like congratulating you. It is so important in life to face your situation honestly and to take ownership over YOUR education. I am sorry to hear that you feel like an idiot (or whatever you wrote) but once you can get past those negative feelings, please know this. The fact that you are questioning $10 K in loans a year for a social work degree makes you sound much much smarter than many kids your age!
Please keep coming back and get more advice on this website. It is a great resource for you.
By the way, D is doing social work and H is a social worker. I would never have signed off on loans for her in that amount. There are many ways to reach your goal (if that is it, and by the way, you are entitled to change your mind!)
Do keep asking for advice on this website, there are lots of experienced posters.
@dreams2bemd , It might help you to talk to someone; you sound like you may be depressed. There’s probably someone at your school that could be helpful, but it may be included in your health care as well.
I’m impressed at how well you’ve analyzed your situation and your role in it (showing that yes, you could probably be a great social worker or mental health worker!). It’s easy to blame someone else for everything that’s happened – and a professional might be able to help you figure out why it’s so hard for you to do what you need to do, even when you know what that is. (That, by the way, is part of the human condition – not wanting to do things you know you need to do.)
The practical advice above is good. Don’t lose sight of your goals – and remember that change is difficult, takes time, and may involve repeated failures.
Focus on YOU for now, and get through high school. With a sense of accomplishment, whether you take a gap year, start community college part-time, or whatever, you could also start on the path of social work by getting involved in volunteer work, at a local shelter or mental health hotline, or wherever your interests lie. Sometimes the best way to develop motivation is to focus on a specific problem to solve, or the problems of others. This should also help you define your chosen path in college and beyond.