So my first try in college, I was dismissed due to consecutive semesters of failing grades. Unbeknownst to many people though, I was going through a severe depression brought up on by several reasons. I personally feel the biggest one was that I never felt like I belonged at the university. I had no friends and failed to join any clubs because I couldn’t connect with the other students, so going to class and being on campus really started to become more of a chore that I paid to do. A little time forward, I enrolled into community college but withdrew roughly two months into the semester due to a similar feeling of isolation and lack of connection (among other reasons.)
I feel that these feelings seem to follow me around and continually bother me when I think about going back to school. It’s he primary reason I continually hold myself back from making any decisions regarding this issue. I feel as though that I’m only motivated by a certain social factor that some of the bigger universities offer. I don’t seem interested at all with the academics, with most classes seeming tedious to me and teachers having little impact on me.
I guess my biggest question, is how I should proceed considering what I want to do v.s. what I need to do.
@JulsofNev The two big questions are:
- What do you want to do with your life? (career-wise, etc.)
- Why do you want to attend college if you are not interested in the academics, and are likely not prepared enough?
If you can’t answer these questions, then I do not suggest enrolling at a university, and another path might suit you better (finding work, re-enrolling at CC). You can definitely live a successful life without a university education, however, education is getting much more important these days, so you should try your best to not blow any opportunities you might have.
Or maybe it might be better for you to work and take classes part time…so you are not living in the world of college but can maintain your friendships at home but still work toward a degree.
Also maybe talk to a doctor/therapist to see if there are some depression issues as well.
- What do you want to do with your life? (career-wise, etc.)
Probably something sport related: coaching, teaching, or even something like sport medicine or administration.
- Why do you want to attend college if you are not interested in the academics, and are likely not prepared enough? The social factor. I never found classes "hard," just tedious, meaningless, and uninteresting which in turn became my total outlook of my college experience. I mean in addition to that I would like to see my earning potential raise; I already work two jobs and I can tell that its awful.
@bopper
That’s my current plan (although I’ve been working longer than that). All my home friends have moved on and so should I. I thought college was a great time to make friends because of the new environment.
@JulsOfNev I didn’t search very long, and perhaps you might know more about it than I do, but it seems like the majority of these positions will require a bachelor’s degree, or at the very least, lots of training and experience.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but I don’t think “the social factor” justifies obtaining a university degree.
If you really wish to study at a university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in physical education or a similar field, then you need to demonstrate that you are capable of succeeding there.
No, it’s not wrong. Life is short. You only live once. There is nothing wrong with choosing happiness over logic, sometimes.
That’s is your choice, but if you choose the social life at least try to go to classes because that’s the main reason you are going to college for. I want to party in college as well, but I know education is the biggest priority if I want to be the best I can be. It is really all your choice just giving my input. Hope you choose what’s best for you.
If you really want a degree and career, if it really important to you, then you will find a way to look past the negative aspects of being a student, dig in and get the job done. Until you stop making excuses and continue to believe that the place you go to school versus the actions you take while in school make the difference in your outcomes, you will probably continue on the path you are currently on. You either have to change the way that you think about your situation and become more tenacious, or choose a different path that suits you better.
Some career counseling and psychological counseling might also help. Especially if you actually suffer from clinical depression.
Honestly, I think that knowing you need a BA to do what you want to do and wanting to enjoy the social life might be enough. shrug
Not everyone is the kind of person who enjoys intellectual discussions about praxis and lectures on the meaning of some minor motif in some novel. 
Quite frankly, the reality of life these days is that a BA is increasingly necessary to live a middle-class lifestyle, and lots of students who would never otherwise be interested in going to college in the 1960s or 1970s are going today because they need to. I mean, back in the day to be a nurse all you had to do was get a diploma from a technical school or a hospital program or, if you were really fancy, an associate’s degree. These days you have to go to school for four years and take phys ed and French lit to be a nurse. I’m not saying it’s not for justifiable reasons, but imagine how bummed a burned out B/C student who has dreamed of being a nurse (and would make a good one) is about that now?
You say that college classes aren’t hard, just kind of boring and uninteresting. shrug That’s okay. I think if you are mature enough to recognize that despite being uninterested in them you have to do well in them and earn a BA to do the kind of work you want, and you put your head down and are diligent, there’s nothing wrong with that. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with being more excited about the social aspect of college than the academic: I’d imagine that describes a rather large chunk of college-bound seniors.