<p>Add my story to the others: I was a top student in HS, and I bombed my whole freshman year. Life has turned out fine for me, though I still remember how hard it was. I second others’ advice about talking to your professors. My H is a college teacher who takes his out-of-class responsibilities seriously. Just this past week he told me about guiding a struggling freshman who apparently had issues a lot like yours, compounded by a death in the family. He put her in touch with an honor-student tutor, negotiated a change in the way he will calculate her grade, and encouraged her to pick up the pieces and keep going. (P.S.: I failed calculus. I should have been in a lower-level math class.)</p>
<p>Do not hesitate visiting home and talking to your parents. You are lucky to have so much of their support and understanding. Use it, it is not childish, do not feel bad about it. As far as your academic success, seek as much help as possible, give it a little more and if it does not work out, consider switching program/major. It is not the end of the world. It is much more important that otherwise you feel well adjusted, have your support group and you seem to be well rounded person in terms of balance of your academic and social life. Use what you have, realize that everybody has limitations, do not push yourself over your limits. It does not mean that you are stupid at all, it means that maybe you did not find your match in academic pursuit. Wish you the best, you deserve it!</p>
<p>Hang in there. I went to Princeton many years ago (I won’t mention how many - heh!heh!) and absolutely bombed my physics and linear algebra mid-terms in my first semester, despite studying very hard. I was devastated and crying every day. But I talked to a counselor just to get my emotions on track. I went to an academic dean and we both realized I was in way over my head in the physics class, so I dropped down a level. And I talked to a math faculty member for assistance in linear algebra. A librarian pointed me to some great study guides that I worked my way through. I made it through first semester with Bs in those classes. You can do it too!!</p>
<p>Ginsberg, in Fall 2006, my D felt as you do; she had just begun college at her first choice school. By January '07 she decided the school and locale just wasn’t for her, and began the transfer process. She transfered last fall, and now in a different school & a location more suited to her, she is far happier and doing much better. It’s important to explore options, and to dig deep enough to determine if it’s something you’re “traveling” with, or if the “fit” just isn’t right.</p>
<p>Your feelings are very normal! Many kids are very homesick when away from home for the first time. College life can be very demanding both socially and academically and lots of kids struggle with both. Even though you are happy socially, it still can be stressful to juggle academics and a social life. Having a close relationship with your parents is a good thing…don’t limit their support if you need it. Don’t let what you have heard from others as what you are “supposed” to be doing get in the way of making phone calls to your parents or going home if you feel you need to. Whatever helps you is perfectly fine. Everyone has their own journey and their own needs to fulfill. There really is no one like your parents to give you advice and support, friends, however well meaning are not the same thing. </p>
<p>You got good advice for helping yourself academically. I, too, had a rough adjustment to college life as many others have shared. I hated math…so much so that I chose my major, Psychology, because I heard there were no math classes to take. How crazy is that? Turns out I did have to take Psych Statistics and chose to take it over the summer so it would go faster and I would have a smaller class. I spent practically the whole summer in the TA’s office getting help so that I could limp through the class with a C. But I got through it! If you feel this class is too much for you, you can always drop it and take it again over a summer. </p>
<p>I wish you the very best, and have a feeling you will work through this. You sound like a very bright and capable person, with parents who did a great job. Life can sometimes have challenges and getting through those challenges helps you to learn how to do it in the future.</p>
<p>If you wish, let us know how things go at the counseling center.</p>
<p>A nephew struggling in an advanced math class sat through another section of the same class each day, in addition to his own. It helped him to hear another instructor explain the same material, and after hearing it twice, it sunk in better for him. Just an idea.</p>
<p>Ginsberg - My daughter’s freshman year, especially in Chemistry, was a difficult one. She had been val of her hs, a NMF, SAT/ACT in the 99%tile, etc., but I still think none of these things can prepare you for how difficult college can sometimes be. She stuck with it and went to EVERY help session she could find - professors office hours, tutoring, study groups, review sessions, etc. She spent 14 hours a week IN some type of classroom setting for chemistry in addition to the hours upon hours she spent studying in her dorm. Combine this with being a freshman and missing home, getting use to living with strangers, new food, etc. - it all adds up to making life very stressful. She ended the year with a 3.7, but she worked her tail off to get it. The B in chemistry was the first of her entire educational “career”. She was too far from home and had too much work to come home, so we went to her. As others have said, if it provides you with comfort and a refuge, I wouldn’t worry about going home to “recharge”. There were lots of tears last year, but she came out of it with flying colors. I have always thought the following quote from TheAnalyst hits the nail on the head - </p>
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<p>My reaction is that while you’ve settled in nicely, your heart has not found it’s place at your college yet. I really take issue with colleges where freshmen rush Greek houses just weeks after getting there. It becomes pretty random with kids having an insta social circle but real relationships/friendships are really not yet formed.</p>
<p>Missing your family is normal, especially before you establish strong ties. Having a dip in grades is normal too. Just get out and join organizations, spend time with profs and build meaningful ties and it’s likely everything will fall into place.</p>
<p>Exercise cures feelings of depression. A “runner’s high” is brought on by the release of endorphins in the brain. Exercise also makes concentration much easier. Try to run or jog two or three miles a day for a few months and then increase your distance to your comfort level. Your life–and your outlook on life–will change for the better! If you don’t like running, then try swimming or tennis.(As these are the only three exercise activities specifically authorized for curing of the blues.) Good luck! P.S. Plus exercise greatly enhances one’s physical appearance.</p>
<p>I flunked my 1st two calculus exams freshman year. I got a student tutor who was wonderful. I bet your academic resource center assigns tutors. I got the 3rd highest grade on the final believe it or not. (The tutor and i have been married for 27 years 
)
Get a tutor!</p>
<p>LOL, 1ofeach!</p>
<p>1ofeach, that’s the best calc story I’ve heard yet! :)</p>
<p>Everyone, thank you so much for your kind words of support and suggestions! I did not make it to the counseling center today, I woke up with the flu believe it or not. Certainly not a great addition to the stress I’ve been encountering, but for some reason I feel a little better today than I did yesterday. I still have this feeling of dread about my classes and the first time being sick away from home is not pleasant at all. Reading all your comments and talking to my parents today again has really upped my spirits though. </p>
<p>A few additions: I did take Calc BC in high school, but I’m taking Calc I here. I know a lot of the distress about failing my calculus midterm is the fact that I SHOULD know this stuff, because I’ve been doing it for two years! Granted, I didn’t pass the AP exam, but I still should have done better on my midterm. This is just a subject that I can’t master. I’ve found my problem is the algebra also, and so I’m seeing a tutor to go over my homework each week to work that out. </p>
<p>I wish entirely that I could drop calculus, but I’m only taking 13 hours (another embarrassing fact since that’s hardly a full load. I thought it’d be best for my first year). If I dropped it I wouldn’t be a full time student.</p>
<p>Oh, and just so everyone knows that I’m not totally academically depressed, I did get an A on my first english paper and am anticipating a decent grade on an economics test I took the other day.</p>
<p>I can’t convey enough how much I appreciate everyone’s support, I truly appreciate it. I’d love to hear more if there are any, I’m finding these incredibly inspirational and motivational. I’ll probably come back to this thread many many many times :)</p>
<p>Also, in the other course that I failed the midterm in I’m going to see the professor at his office hours every week, starting this week. I know it’ll be devastating if I can’t get things on track after trying this hard, but at least I’ll know that I tried my best.</p>
<p>Ginsberg,
Way to go on the English paper! And congrats on the maturity and wisdom you are showing in lining up help with calc. </p>
<p>I want to suggest that your impending sickness could very well have colored your outlook the last few days.</p>
<p>Now, take care of yourself, work hard, and wrestle the calc monster into submission.</p>
<p>Calculus seems to be a pitfall for many.</p>
<p>My brilliant younger brother, who went on to get an 800 on the GRE in math, camped outside his professor’s office as a freshman for several hours straight for sevral days, up until the time of the final exam, working calculus problems. (I think he procrastinated) He said he would work problems, come to one he couldn’t do, would go in, get the help from the prof, return to his place on the floor, keep going until another impossible problem, return to see prof, etc. etc until the prof went home. </p>
<p>My daughter dropped calculus in high school last week in tears, and will try again second semester. `She was up until 4 am doing calculus problems, which shocked her, becauise school has always been easy for her. She lost her confidence and feared for her GPA, and so she decided to drop it this semeter and can take this course in the spring semester the way they work things at her high school, and with a different and less intimidating (I hope) teacher. I hope she doesn’t wind up in your situation when she gets to college, but she very well may!</p>
<p>Glad to see you are getting so much support!</p>
<p>Ginsberg, </p>
<p>I was really homesick, and it was my sophomore year (32 years ago). Here’s the ironic part: I went to school 20 minutes from home! However, I went from the suburbs to the city, and it was a big change. Short term counseling really helped me. </p>
<p>THere’s nothing wrong with missing your family. They sound like a great family to miss! Keep in mind that you are probably more homesick now because of the difficulty you’re having with classes. Keep meeting with your professors, go for extra help, attend study groups if your school has them, and congratulate yourself for getting help through counseling. Don’t focus on grades, just do your best, as you always have. It will work out. </p>
<p>Remember, you can go home any time you need to. Your parents are there if you need them. </p>
<p>Good luck! You sound like a great person.</p>
<p>There are classroom video archives of a bunch of undergraduate and graduate math programs at [UCCS</a> | Department of Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.uccs.edu/~math/vidarchive.html]UCCS”>http://www.uccs.edu/~math/vidarchive.html)</p>
<p>Registration is required but is free. I’m planning on using the Calc I, Calc II and Discrete Math lectures with our daughter and a bunch of the others with our son.</p>
<p>You might find them useful.</p>
<p>Anyone remember Schaum’s Outline of Calculus?</p>
<p>I see it’s still in print, and it save my (math) life 30 years ago. I don’t know if it’s still looked upon favorably, but I loved the pages of worked examples, and many very repetitive problem sets that drilled each concept. Solutions were provided so that you could always see if you were on the right track.</p>
<p>Ginsberg, hang in there. Failing a calc test is an important rite of passage for college freshmen. You can do this. You have the right attitude, and that will make the difference.</p>