Just Above a 2.0 GPA... Do I Drop Out?

College Life
1

As the title says, after receiving my grades for this last trimester I barely have a 2 GPA. The reasons for this are that I have had no interest in any subject so far I have studied, and therefore I cannot concentrate when doing my work. I end up trying to read the assigned work and after a page or two can’t focus anymore since I couldn’t care less about what I am reading about. Other factors were some depression but I got over it for the most part now. Should I even bother staying at my school (top liberal arts school in the country) or drop out and pursue something else.

2

You don’t have to drop out. You can take a semester or year off, get a job and start figuring things out.

3

You say the reason for your grades is that you can’t concentrate because you’re not interested in the material.

It seems to me that these are your choices:

  • opt out. But know that not having a degree will very likely affect the salary you’ll be able to earn for the rest of your life.
  • learn how to learn material that you're not interested in. You were probably able to do this to some extent in high school-- otherwise your grades wouldn't have gotten you into college. And I can't imagine that English or History somehow got dull during the time you spent preparing for college.
  • take classes that you're interested in.

But, regardless of which option you choose, continue to work with a qualified counselor on the depression issues. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who “got over” depression quite that quickly.

4

Are you not interested because of the material or because of the depression? Because before you mentioned depression that was my first thought. Depression can make you not be able to concentrate and lose interest.

Another thought is to request a medical leave of absense and get medically evaluated for depression. If you are prescribed medications, start taking them and once you feel you are stable, go back to school.

It may be better to be closer to home…talk to your parents about that.

  1. Were you medically diagnosed with depression? If not, have you seen or will you see a doctor? If so, then you may be able to get a retroactive medical withdrawal. Talk tot he Dean of Students about that.