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What other bad situations in school can possibly happen to me now?!?Jun 25 '01 (Updated Jul 11 '01) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Acknowledge the source of the problem, ask for help when you need it, and hang in there! Looking back at the early years of my life, I realize that most of my problems in college started from elementary school. Even back in first grade, I remember going to school every other day because I just didn’t feel like going to school that morning. Little did I know that this would become a reoccurring problem for me for the next 16 years. High School During high school, I was getting involved in too many activities and would often get burned out before school finished. Starting my junior year in high school, I started having problems getting myself to go to school in the mornings. I was working part-time in a fast food restaurant, taking honors classes, and playing on the volleyball and badminton teams in school. To top it off, I was having the typical teenage love life problems. All I thought about were clothes, video games, making money, and boys. ~~ Dropping out of high school ~~ During senior year, I ended up leaving my high school and decided to get my diploma at an independent high school for kids who dropped out of school, got into trouble, or got pregnant. My principal and counselor made an effort to get me back into my old high school by coming to my house every other week. Sometimes I would wake up and see them sitting right on my bed. After 2 months in the independent school and due to my counselor’s, principal’s, and friends’ persuasion, I ended up going back to my old high school and graduating with my friends. Looking back at those years, I realized that most of my tough times began from really miniscule problems. Junior College After I graduated high school, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. After high school graduation, most of my successful friends went directly to a University outside of our hometown. My older sister was still going to UC Berkeley, so my parents couldn’t afford to send both of us to college at the same time, and I really couldn’t get myself motivated enough to apply for financial aid. ~~ Finishing the semesters ~~ I spent a few years at a Junior College close to my home and earned 4 Associate degrees. It took awhile because I would get burned out before the 16-week semesters would finish. I ended up withdrawing a few times and repeating the classes. But at least I didn’t waste too much of my money trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I finally realized the best way to get through the semester was to take a few classes at a time. ~~ My problems during junior college ~~ I was often put on progress probation because I would drop more than half my class load during the previous semester. Throughout my time at JC, I was holding down a full-time and a part-time job and had a demanding boyfriend who always wanted to go to the movies, go out to eat, or waste time at his parents’ house. My boyfriend had dropped out of college, wasn’t working, always asking me for money, and was always pressuring me to get involved with his Church of Scientology. He proved to be the main thing holding me back from succeeding. California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo Because of my parents’ income, I was only approved for a financial loan that would barely even pay for my college textbooks every quarter, let alone pay for my tuition. My parents struck a deal with me to pay for my college education as long as I stuck with it. I was lucky to have their emotional and financial support. ~~ Accepted ~~ I decided to apply to Cal Poly SLO for their Electrical Engineering program. I was accepted and when I finally transferred, I was on the 10-week quarter system. The length of the school terms made it a lot easier for me to hang in there and finish. During the first quarter I did pretty well since I was 240 miles away from home, no friends, no job, and nothing else to distract me. My other classmates from my old JC weren’t transferring over until the next quarter so I was pretty much alone there. This gave me a chance to focus on schoolwork and get acquainted with the school. ~~ Homesick ~~ The second quarter I made the mistake of going home often because I was homesick for my friends and family. I wanted to party and see my boyfriend at the time. Eventually I drifted away my friends at home and I ended my 4-year relationship with my boyfriend. This proved to be the best thing I could do for myself because he was holding me back from doing the things I really wanted to do and becoming the person I really wanted to be. Because of all the problems I had that second quarter, I was getting really behind in school. I skipped classes and just stayed at my off-campus apartment or I would go home to my parents’ house. Luckily, I was able to go to a college counselor and tell her my problems. With her professional evaluation, I was able to withdraw instead of flunk that quarter. ~~ When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange ~~ During my third quarter, I decided to become more independent and outgoing. I changed my whole outlook of school and life in general. Gone was the lethargy that I had developed while with my old boyfriend. I got back into sports and socializing while still concentrating on schoolwork and extracurricular activities. I went to the recreational center, took aerobic classes, ran the track, worked out on the weights, and lost those 25 lbs that I had gained with the sloth of a boyfriend I had. I played volleyball and racquetball with other sports enthusiasts and made some new friends as well. I joined clubs for engineering majors and my Filipino culture. ~~ Schoolwork ~~ You must be thinking, “Well, what about your schoolwork?” Instead of studying alone like I used to, I made friends with my classmates and we formed study groups to do our homework together, get ready for tests, and to discuss labs. Being one of the very few females in my Electrical Engineering classes, I really made an effort to excel in my classes. I spent extra time going to the laboratories and redoing my lab work to make sure I understood it completely. ~~ Extracurricular Activities ~~ For a year, I avoided getting into a relationship and decided to concentrate on school. I joined some engineering clubs such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Power Engineering Society (PES), and the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE). I became an officer in my Filipino Cultural Exchange club and got involved in activities I never would have even thought of doing before. I started body boarding at the nearby beaches with my new friends. I went hiking and 4 wheeling at the surrounding mountains with my buddies in my 4X4 pickup truck. I did a couple of tandem skydiving jumps just for the thrill. I even took one of my lab instructors skydiving with me. By the way, I got an A in that class. I wanted to experience as much as I could while I didn’t have any responsibilities holding me down. ~~ Another little problem that came up ~~ I was doing well in school, socializing, partying, and feeling good about myself. I met my future husband and we ended up starting our family a little earlier than we planned. During my last year at Cal Poly, I became pregnant. Gone were my partying days and death-defying activities. I continued to attend college and stayed alone at my off-campus apartment while my husband, who had graduated the year before, was working in a city 200 miles away. All I did was go to school, go home, and do my homework. Because of my commitment to schoolwork, I was able to make it on the Dean’s list at school. I went into labor 6 weeks before I graduated. ~~ Other Medical Problems ~~ After my son was born, my husband stayed with me for a week while I went back to school 5 days later to take my midterms. Everything was going good until 2 weeks later when I suffered a gall bladder attack. I went into surgery and didn’t return to school for almost a week. When I finally got back, I ended up getting the flu and stayed home again for a few days. ~~ Almost giving up ~~ All through the last 6 weeks of college, I had my husband, mother-in-law, or my older sister staying with me to help take care of my newborn. I was still taking a full load including my labs and senior projects. I spoke to my professors and they were able to arrange my makeup exams, labs, and homework. The last week I really didn’t think I was going to make it through my finals. I was tired and I just felt like giving up. But I couldn’t stop. I only had a week left and then college life would be over. I stuck it out, took my finals to the best of my ability, and graduated. What I learned In the end, I learned that it was best to stay away from things that brought me down. Since a lot of my problems stemmed from my family, I realized that I couldn’t completely get rid of my problems. I did realize that my old boyfriend was the main source of the tension between my parents and me. ~~ Depression ~~ During my times of depression, I was driven to attempt suicide. Starting back in junior high school, through high school, and even up through my 2nd quarter at Cal Poly, I would try to slash my wrists, overdose on pills, run the engine in a closed garage, or even contemplate crashing my truck with me inside. I’m glad I was too much of a coward to go through with it, but I finally realized that NOTHING was worth killing yourself over. Especially not over a heavy school load, parental problems, or even a boyfriend. Keep these in mind ~~ Acknowledge the problems ~~ To get out of your tough times in school, realize the source of your problems and take action to get rid of it. Go to a counselor. Talk to your friends and family. Speak to your teachers and explain the situation. If your problems are severe enough, the administration may be able to help you by allowing you to withdraw instead of flunk. At least if you withdraw, your Grade Point Average (GPA) won’t suffer too much. There will be no low grade that they can average in even after you repeat the class. For example, if you get an F (0.0 points) but repeat the class and get an A (4.0), your average score for the class will be equivalent to a C (2.0). But if you are able to withdraw and you get an A, you will retain that A (4.0) on your overall GPA. ~~ Homesick ~~ If you find yourself getting homesick for friends and family, try to get involved with more activities at your school. Meet new people and experience new things. This is the time to discover who you are inside without the familiar things around you holding you back from your true potential. ~~ Cut back on the fun ~~ If you find yourself partying too much and neglecting your schoolwork, cut back on your extracurricular activities. Skip the party, get that midterm out of your way, and concentrate on passing the course. Prioritize your schedule and make sure you get the crucial things finished first. ~~ Study with classmates ~~ Go through your assignments one at a time so you won’t get overloaded with the amount of schoolwork your professors have assigned to you. Remember, there may be others in the same boat especially if you’ve already started taking classes in your major. Study with your classmates, you may be able to help each other understand the subject better. Unless, of course, neither of you have any idea WHAT the heck you’re doing, then it’s a little matter of the blind leading the blind. ~~ Ask the professor for help ~~ Find someone who understands the material, or better yet, go to your professor during his office hours. Most of the time, they WILL try to help you understand. Luckily for me, many of our instructors would see the glazed look in our eyes and realize everything he just said went WAY over our heads. They would try to explain themselves until a majority of the class would get that “Ohhh, I understand now” look. Occasionally I did go to my professors for more help if I couldn't fully understand the problems. One-on-one was actually much easier because I was able to point out exactly what concepts were hard for me to grasp. ~~ Financial problems ~~ If you find yourself in financial troubles, speak to your family. If they can’t help, apply with the financial services at your college and see if you qualify for any loans, grants, or scholarships. Take a part-time job with the school. They usually have flexible hours that will work around your class schedule. I worked as a grader for one quarter. It didn’t take too much of my time and I was able to refresh myself on material I had learned the quarter before. I had friends that worked in the rec center, library, campus bookstore, computer labs, and engineering labs. If the financial problems become too severe, maybe it’s time to take a break from college, find a job, and save up for your expenses. I know a few people who had no support and they were able to do it all by themselves. They took a few years longer than the rest of us, but they did it. You also have the opportunity to go on a job co-op where you get paid to work in a company related to your field of study. Some of my friends were able to use the projects that they worked on during their co-op as their senior project and earned credit towards their major. Conclusion The main thing to get out of the tough times is to have the motivation to stop whatever is holding you back and do something about it. I was lucky to realize that my old boyfriend was the leech that was bleeding me of my time, energy, and money. ~~ So what did I get out of all of this? ~~ I have a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on Power. I have Associate degrees in Mathematics, Physics, General Science, and Liberal Arts. And I have an education that no one can take away from me. In addition to my son that was born during midterms, he now has a brother and a sister all of whom we love and cherish. I have my husband and soul mate that helped me through my tough times. Although I’m not working in the field I studied in, I still have the opportunity to enter industry with my hard-earned education. I realize that some parts of my life may seem dramatic and made up, but they aren’t. I know that my situations are not the absolute worse that can happen to a college student, but they proved to be tough times for me. As I was saying to my fellow Cal Poly classmate zhouse (even if he did go to Cal Poly Pomona), for those of you who are going through college now, I won’t wish you luck because that’s not what it takes to finish. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to see the job through. College is merely your first step towards independence. Once you’re finished, you can look back at your years in school and those tough times will only be a faint memory.  |
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