I’m graduating from a second-tier LAC soon, and I hate it. It’s embarrassing that I ended up here due to financial reasons (I had the test scores to get into a significantly better school), and I’ve just been a mediocre student here because I’ve never been motivated. I feel embarrassed telling people I go to school where half the students don’t even submit test scores. I know this has and will continue to negatively impact my life and opportunities. My degree isn’t any better than one from CSULB or ASU or any other awful school. Is this normal?
Go see a college counselor. Please. I’m sorry you’re hurting, but this is not the place for you to get the help you need.
Yes, absolutely, at yourself.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. If you have “never been motivated” and thus has been “a mediocre student” at “a second-tier LAC,” you wouldn’t do well at the “significantly better school” anyway.
I was going to a top university. Due to a situation beyond anyone’s control at the end of the sophomore year, I had to move closer to my family and commute to a third-tier school while working full-time. I then graduated top of the class. After I established myself as a valuable employee, noone even cares what school I graduated from.
Misplaced embarrassment. Absolutely nothing wrong for top students to be at schools for financial reasons. Embarrassing that you underperformed and did not learn as much as you were taught- if you truly could have.
Most people in most places do not care where you got your degree from. Employers care about what you know and can do. btw- schools you consider “awful” are far better than some of those online for profit schools whose grads have a piece of paper that gets them jobs. Look at the credentials of professors at top tier colleges and universities- many will have undergrad degrees from Podunk U’s.
Ditto on seeing your school’s counselors. You need to improve your outlook on life and that begins with your own self awareness and self esteem.
“I go to school where half the students don’t even submit test scores. I know this has and will continue to negatively impact my life and opportunities.”
For VAST MAJORITY of people, success is linked to on-the-job performance. Going to a tier 2 school may keep you from getting a first job at, say, Google or a fancy-pants consulting company – but that’s about it.
The way most people succeed is by getting a job, doing well in it, moving onto a better job or a higher position, etc. You can do the same too. Along the way you might find motivation for grad school — if you do exceptionally well on your GREs your school grades may not matter as much.
And by the way, there have been many, many success stories from grads of ASU or CSULB.
Hmm… just noticed this part of your post, “My degree isn’t any better than one from CSULB or ASU or any other awful school. Is this normal?”
In one of my previous lives, I was the manager of a group of engineers, the most experienced were (1) an MSEE from Univ. of Washington, Seatle, (2) an MSEE from Syracuse University, and (3) a BSEE from CSULB. When I resigned from that company for a start-up, the director of engineering asked me to recommend a person to replace me. Number (3) got the job.
Yes, you definitely should be upset with yourself.
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My degree isn’t any better than one from CSULB or ASU or any other awful school. Is this normal?
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lol…since I’m from the area where CSULB and CSUF are, I can tell you that those are not “awful schools.” In fact, I have 3 siblings who graduated from them and they are earning very high 6 figure incomes…very high.
You are soooo wrong.
My D1 went to a test-optional school. She got good merit aid, and decided she liked it as well as the higher ranked schools she got into. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, had two different great study abroad/off campus experiences, excellent internships, made great friends and keeps in touch with some faculty, wrote a senior thesis that was nominated as one of the top 60 in the country in her major, and got a great job through the alumni network where she is doing very well a few years out of school. Don’t be an idiot. There is plenty of opportunity where you are. You are wasting your college experience while moping over other schools that could have been.
I went to CSULB and have a pretty good life. I am not sure if this is a serious post, but if so, please get some counseling and try to move on. It’s all on you how things end up. Where you went to school might say a little about you, but comments like the ones you’re making here say more about you, and not in a good way. Good luck and please talk to a professional and try to work these feelings out.
Agree that the only person you should be upset with is yourself. Do you have any clue how many people would give anything for a chance at a 4 year college education? Do you think you are the only person to go to a school for financial reasons? If you chose to excel at the school you ended up at instead of sulking you likely would have set yourself up well for your future. Life is what you make of it.
And as an aside this is post #1 from thaw77 – perhaps just done to agitate people on CC?
Feeling like you’re too good for something is incredibly destructive.
Interesting choice of topic for one to put forth as their CC debut …
I graduated from one of those “awful” schools and did great. They’ve got the #1-rated public honors college now, which didn’t exist when I attended. I had the stats for fancier schools but I didn’t whine about it. After a few years it didn’t matter anyway.
Consult with a counselor who can coach you and adjust your attitude so you can make the best use of the degree you just paid for and do something gainful with it. At all costs, do not present yourself to potential employers until you’re able to see the glass half full and demonstrate how you can be an asset and not a drain.
You are getting q college degree. Now go out and do something with it. After your first job and some work experience on your resume…no one is even going to ask where you went to college.
I agree that you might benefit from some,counseling at your school counseling center. And I don’t think that is a mean comment at all.
The OP doesn’t sound like he/she would come across very good in a job interview.
Go get screened for depression if this post is for real, you may have depression or some kind of adjustment issue since you are focusing on unimportant issues, and sound like an uninformed high schooler.