School rant

[Acensky 0]

Once again this another rant about school.

I just got my grades for this last term and I am not happy with them. Term I have been asking my proffs how I am doing so I know and get good grades. Well, they post their grades and I am in awe of my really bad grades. I am mad at them, me and the entire world at this point. I hate the people that can look at the text book and get all the info that they need or the ones that can sit there and listen and pass the tests without even trying. And then there is me I read the book a thousand times sit through every lecture and lab and I still can't understand it.

I am so sick of the shit that the proffs and students give out. Like during a test I had a question about a test question and the proff said, "this is very basic, very simple question." If it was a simple question why did I have to come and ask you to clarify it?

Here is a question for all you no longer in college. Did you take a year or a few terms off? I really want/need to take at least a term off and find a job that is at least in my major field.

I am so burnt out right now I don't know what to do. I have cried so many times today. about the smallest things. Every thing in my life has gone wrong. I feel so alone,but that is a different topic all together.

Thanks for listening,
Heather

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

[Meux 0]

Heather,

We've not met, I'm an old guy who graduated a long time ago. Maybe before you were born.

I took time off. It worked for me. When I went back I was focused, motivated and ready.

I wish you well in your decision. Life really is short. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

Cheers.

Mo

[f1freak 0]

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Ya know, most of the time it all comes down to what you enjoy. It is so much eaiser to learn.......
I Was NEVER good in school, and i never could understand why.
I was in my mid 20's before i found my thing.....
when i did, i couldnt stop wanting to learn about it. It was then that i started taking classes..... not for a degree, but just to learn....
When you find "Your thing" you will be shocked at how it feels...... untill then, hey.... just do your best.....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[matt91078 0]

I took off four years while I was in the Army and then went to West Point. Four years was what I needed before going back to school.

[Acensky 0]

What did you do while you were on your time off? I am going to start my senoir year but I have another 2(-/++) years to go. I want to find a job that is realted to my degree. Did emplorers hire you knowing that you without any expieince?



Heather

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

[Guest]

Quote

Once again this another rant about school.

I just got my grades for this last term and I am not happy with them. Term I have been asking my proffs how I am doing so I know and get good grades. Well, they post their grades and I am in awe of my really bad grades. I am mad at them, me and the entire world at this point. I hate the people that can look at the text book and get all the info that they need or the ones that can sit there and listen and pass the tests without even trying. And then there is me I read the book a thousand times sit through every lecture and lab and I still can't understand it.

I am so sick of the shit that the proffs and students give out. Like during a test I had a question about a test question and the proff said, "this is very basic, very simple question." If it was a simple question why did I have to come and ask you to clarify it?

Here is a question for all you no longer in college. Did you take a year or a few terms off? I really want/need to take at least a term off and find a job that is at least in my major field.

I am so burnt out right now I don't know what to do. I have cried so many times today. about the smallest things. Every thing in my life has gone wrong. I feel so alone,but that is a different topic all together.

Thanks for listening,
Heather

At least you got to go to college. Some of us weren't so fortunate.

So, would you like some cheese with that whine?

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[WatchYourStep 0]

Heather-

I know what you are going through. I just finished college a little while ago, and I didn't take time off. What I did do was take an easier schedule with fewer hours for a year. At that time not going to school was not an option for me because I knew that if I started making money, I would end up spending it, and before too long I would be in debt which would slow or completely stop me from returning to school. After the light year I was able to refocus and then I finished up with 2 degrees. My advice is stick in school. My parents didn't need a degree to get a job, but now a days (not in all but in a lot of places) you need one just to get an interview. Best of luck with your decision.

PS: I've had two employers since I graduated college. Neither of them asked me what my GPA was and I didn't list it on my resume. Don't worry about the grades too much. Most employers want to see that you stuck with something for 4, 5, or 6 years.

"You start off your skydiving career with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience up before your bag of luck runs out."

[f1freak 0]

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Did emplorers hire you knowing that you without any expieince?

I have no clue what your degree is in, BUT.... one reason I was hired was because i wasnt a "grad" (and no i'm not a bus boy somewhere).
Now....
If you are going to be a doctor or something...... thats different.
Make sure you are passionate about the direction your degree will take you.....
otherwise, you'll have a long road in front of you.....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[airtwardo 7]

Did you take a year or a few terms off?

***

I too took some time off...but mine was before starting college. After H.S. traveled the U.S. and did a few things I always wanted to do...got me focused on going to, and getting through college.

My travels did a couple things for me...
Showed me the "get a good job- get a good education" ads weren't BS...and it got me kind of in the panic mode, since now I was a couple years behind my peers...time I couldn't make back...
(It worked for me since I do better under 'pressure'.)

Probably the best thing that happened was...my first year I met a Prof. that took a liking to me.
He realized I was a dumbshit, but had good intentions...Instead to teaching me his class...he instead taught me how to STUDY!

Not something anyone ever taught me how to do...

We're all different, our minds work differently.
Some people CAN just sit in a lecture hall and get the A, most can't. If you're not getting the results you want the way you are doing things, do them differently.

Try other ways of studying...there are books on how, and I'm sure you can find a 'mentor' to help.

I can't tell you what to do...but for example, what worked for me was to go running every day before I was going to hit the books. Gets fresh air in the brain, felt energized not tired or bored.

If I had to read chapters 3-4-5, I first would go back and re-read the first sentence of every paragraph of the prior chapter. That got me back on track for the subject matter. Then I would read the first sentence of every paragraph of the assignment. Gives a thumbnail of what's coming.

And then go back and read 3-4-5 in their entirety.

I found this little exercise allowed me to understand and retain the concepts and information more thoroughly.

It took some time but I found little ways of getting the labs & projects done well and efficiently.

Maybe your load is to much...instead of taking time off...take less classes and add another year to the back end, there's no shame in that.

Bottom line, hang in there, in the end it will be worth it!

.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[f1freak 0]

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Instead to teaching me his class...he instead taught me how to STUDY!

WOW..... I havent thought about that. Looking back, i maybe had 1 teacher during my school years that tried to do that, and about 2 years ago i sent him an email and thanked him for that. (He replied and told me that he always could see it in me, all of my other teachers just said i would never amount to anything......)

Quote

If I had to read chapters 3-4-5, I first would go back and re-read the first sentence of every paragraph of the prior chapter. That got me back on track for the subject matter. Then I would read the first sentence of every paragraph of the assignment. Gives a thumbnail of what's coming.

And then go back and read 3-4-5 in their entirety.

I found this little exercise allowed me to understand and retain the concepts and information more thoroughly.

That's what i did, and Still do when i'm taking classes or just buying a book on something new.....

WOW.......
Very good advice....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[Nightingale 0]

Heather-

I would advise you against taking time off. The majority of people who do never go back because life gets in the way. They have a job and get married and have kids and just don't have time. Yes, there are some who do go back later and it works out, but most don't.

First, you need to figure out why you're having trouble learning. Do you know if you learn better through seeing something (reading), hearing something (listening to a lecture) or doing (a science experiment). What do you remember best, and what doesn't seem to work?

The key to school is to figure out your own unique learning style and making that work for you. Personally, I learn mainly by hearing, which meant that I bought books on tape whenever I could, went to every single class, and I don't take many notes. For me, taking notes is a distraction from listening, and I need to listen to learn. If I need to review something, I can always look it up later if necessary. That's what works for me. What works for you will probably be different.

There are a bunch of tests out there to identify your learning style. This one is a basic start, but even a general idea can help. http://www.ldpride.net/learning_style.html

After finding out your learning style, try to focus your study habits around it. Study groups, discussions, and flash cards (don't look at the card, have someone else read it to you) work well for people who learn by hearing (auditory). For visual learners, looking at flash cards, reading the text, and re-reading your notes every day helps. For kinesthetic learners (people who learn by doing), if you can come up with some kind of physical action, like a lab experiment or something, that's great. Otherwise, the act of recopying your notes can really help. Re-writing has been found to be slightly more effective than typing, but really, either can work.

Find out if your school has a learning resource center or something like that. If so, there are usually people who will help you with your classes and study habits. Otherwise, is there a college of education that helps teachers earn teaching credentials? You can go there and see if you can find a grad student willing to tutor you for not overly much money. There are a lot of options out there, and unfortunately, a lot of schools don't go out of their way to inform students of them.

College can require a very different skill set than high school, and a lot of the problems can stem from students not having the right study habits, discipline, writing skills, lack of a good educational background, or even the wrong major. You have to find out what is causing your trouble, and attack that. A lot of times, it's something like study habits, which applies to every class. Schools tell you what to learn, but most don't teach you how to learn, which isn't a skill that comes naturally to everyone, just like everyone isn't a natural athlete or a musical prodigy.

It can seem like school really sucks sometimes, and that it's not worth it, but there's a lot you can do with a college degree that are a lot harder to do without one. Also, in many industries, people with degrees get paid more money for doing the same job as someone without. At my last job, I made $10,000 more per year than the guy in the next cube, and we did exactly the same thing. Only difference was that I was a college grad.

Best of luck, whichever way you decide.

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[tsampson 0]

I went straight through undergrad and grad school, only because I knew if I stopped for any time at all I would not go back. On the other hand, it always seemed to me that the people who who had taken time off, or who were coming back to school for a second career, always did very well.

If you are having trouble in all of your courses, it might be the material, but it might be your study/learning skills. I would suggest getting advice from a guidance counselor or the equivalent.

If you can afford it, your school might offer a course in study skills. It won't count toward your major, but it might count as an elective. A light semester with that class and something else that you would find fun that would re-energize you and rebuild your confidence could be a good compromise between leaving school and pushing on.

Good luck.

[skymama 37]

I am going to advise that you keep plugging through also and finish school. I know way too many people who quit with only a few semesters left to finish and all of them said they had every intention to go back to school but life got in the way.

I also think you should focus on your study skills and why you are having trouble in class. We are going through this right now with my 16 year old daughter. She's very smart but has trouble with reading comprehension. She does great with homework, but terrible on tests. She is going to a tutoring center now to help her with that and her grades and her practice SAT tests have improved. If you have a center like that at your college, I urge you to go and hopefully they can test you and help you find your weaknesses.

It's not anything to be ashamed of. Teachers have to focus on teaching basic skills in grade school and teaching kids how to actually learn is never covered anymore. The fact that you want to learn and do well is wonderful. Good luck in finding help and let us know how you're doing!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Lindsey 0]

Having been through many years of school, I sort of understand your frustration. Not so much frustration with grades, but I've had other difficulties that made school really, really hard to get through. My suggestion is to suck it up and stick it out. Remember that today will pass. Before you know it you'll be finishing school. Try your darndest in the meantime to learn some study skills that will help you out. During my most recent 4 years of school, I was amazed by those people who went to class, rarely studied, and did SO much better than I did--studying 6 hours or more a day and taking care of my son. I wished it could be easier for me, but it wasn't. So I studied....and studied....and finally completed the degree. So glad I did. Hang in there, woman. It's worth the effort.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Acensky 0]

Thanks Skymama, I took some tests to see if i had ADD or other learning disabilities, and they said that didn't have any. I tested just below the line.

I will probably only be a half time student next year lighten up my work load. I really don't want to take complete time off, I know I probably will not want to go back.

Thanks to all who put in their 2 cents.

Heather

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

[Nightingale 0]

Andrea-

Has she been tested for dyslexia? It can cause comprehension issues, and if it's not serious, it just looks like the kid is struggling with reading. It's probably just a skills issue, since you've said her test scores have improved, but it might be worth it to check anyway. My cousin was diagnosed at age 24 and was so relieved to finally have an explanation for her reading trouble.

[skymama 37]

Yes, they tested her for that. She also has ADHD which plays a part in the problem. She can read very well, it's just taking the passages and pulling out the main ideas, etc. that give her issues.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Nightingale 0]

Cool. Sounds like her tutoring place or doctor has been very thorough, plus she's obviously got a wonderful mom who notices her struggling and does something to help! That's a big advantage a lot of kids don't have.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Thanks Skymama, I took some tests to see if i had ADD or other learning disabilities, and they said that didn't have any. I tested just below the line.

I will probably only be a half time student next year lighten up my work load. I really don't want to take complete time off, I know I probably will not want to go back.

Thanks to all who put in their 2 cents.

Heather

I took 8 years off...and am now back in school holding a 4.0 Life does happen, but if you want the education for whatever reason (please don't fool yourself into believing that a 'better paying job' awaits you because you have a piece of parchment -it may get you in, but it will not keep you there, I promise you that...) evaluate and then go for it. I have a husband and three atypical kiddos...and I still can focus much better than I could when I was 20. Life hasn't 'gotten in the way'. Life has improved me and furthered my resolve. A break can be just that; it is all about your intention to return and how you follow through on that.

Had I continued back when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I would not be on the course I am now. I would have blown thousands of dollars on a degree in Psych that wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference financially to my life (as that's what I thought education was for -to get a good 'job' in your field of major ).

I'm going to school for aviation now, and I am loving the journey. You will too, sweet-pea. You just may need to take a breather, in whole or, like you said, in part.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.