TeenHelp - college...

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I'm pretty sure that I'm failing all of my courses except my music class and English. I don't know what to do. I can't drop them it's too late. :( I'm such a failure.

Ciara,

I'm going to move this to Education and Careers, I think you'll get the best advice there.

I'd personally, though, recommend that you talk to the teachers of these subjects about how you feel. Their job is to get you through them, and if you're struggling and want extra help, hopefully they should be able to give you some extra support.
It's as easy as asking for some clarification or going over something again after class if you don't understand it.

Best of luck! :)

You shouldn't feel like a failure. Schooling can be really hard, and sometimes it's just not right for you. I know I really disliked school and college but I made my way through it.

I think the best advice I can give here is to not panic too much about it. Speak to one of your most trusted teachers or a school counsellor if you wish, to let them know that you're having a bit of a hard time. They should be able to help you out and help you get through your courses.

Does your college have a tutoring program? The college I am going to next year has a few that are free and they try really hard for all of their students to pass. As for the art one, I think you'd have to talk to the teacher and ask what you can do to get better. I did that with my art teacher and it really helped a lot.

I think it would be a good idea to speak to the tutor of the lessons that you aren't doing well in and see if they can help you with what you're struggling with as they are there to help you as well as teach you. You shouldn't feel like a failure at all, we all struggle with school/college work at some point but I'm sure if you speak to someone about it, they'll be able to help you with it :)

Hey Ciara ,

Don't feel like you are a failure because some point in life everyone finds school hard. Is there any way you could speak to you teachers as I'm sure they would want to help you to get the best grades. Maybe you could have tutoring in the subjects which you are finding hard. If you ever want to talk feel free to PM/ VM me.

Love from Meera xx :hug:

Thanks. I talked to the History teacher(I'm normally really good in history, so I was confused when I found out my grade was so low.) He's giving me a make-up midterm because that's what brought my score down so low.

I guess I just feel bad cause I'm used to having all A's and B's.

Ciara, there's no need to feel bad. No-one is perfect. :)

I'm sure your grades will pick up again, and you'll be back to normality soon. :hug:

I was (more-or-less) a straight A/B student in high school... so I was appalled when I received a C in one of my classes during my first quarter of college. College courses are VERY different from high school courses - it can be a huge adjustment for many people!

In addition to the suggestions that were already provided, I would take some time to re-examine your study habits. For example, I discovered that I relied heavily on recognition for exams. I have a (somewhat) photographic memory, so if I was given a multiple-choice exam, I could easily pick the correct answer. There are some exams that require you to actually learn the material, though. You have to go one step beyond simply recognizing words/terms... you have to be able to actively solve problems. One I realized where I was going wrong, I began spending more time on practice problems (which force you to go a step further), and I began to do better on my exams.

It's also important to be aware of your limits. Some college courses are easier than others, so take a look at your catalog in order to determine whether you are ready for a particular class. For example, there were several different types of psychology courses within my college's department. Through trial and error, I discovered that I had an easier time with social and clinical psychology courses, whereas physiological and behavior psychology courses were extremely difficult and time-consuming. If I had to take any of the latter courses, I made sure I only took three courses for that quarter vs. four courses, to ensure I had extra time to devote to the difficult course. If that wasn't possible, I made sure I took easy courses (ex. a lower-division "movie" course and a fun upper-division course) in order to balance everything out.

Hang in there! I have felt like a complete idiot at various points in my life, but I didn't give up, and I managed to graduate from college (I even earned a Master's degree afterward!). You'll get into the swing of things soon enough... as long as you take the time to reflect upon what you need to do differently in order to perform better!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I enrolled in next Semester's classes. I retook that midterm and am waiting for the grade. Things are definitely going better now that I settled down. Thanks. :)

So glad to hear Ciara! Best wishes!!