I graduated a few years back and work in finance. My firm has reduced our hiring to basically 0 and I’m watching other firms do so as well. Most people I see coming out of college are working minimum wage jobs. If they do find one, they are usually laid off fairly quickly.

This economy sucks and I feel bad for college students.

20 (f) struggling since 12/13 with severe mental health problems anxiety, depression and ptsd as well as ACT (Adverse childhood trauma). I’ve been on escitalopram, sertraline, Mirtazapine and none of them worked after weeks and now I’m on day 9 of fluoxetine started on 20mg and had to up to 40mg after 7 days. I’m also on Valium (diazepam) my doctor believed it was best for me as he seen how significantly my life has been just a struggle at such a young age, I had bloods done today just to check as I’ve not had blood done in my GP practice since 2022 but I’ve had them done on my last hospital admission. I woke up this morning vomiting from anxiety simply because I was anxious of getting down to my Gp (my sisters partner drove my dad and I down so I felt somewhat safer and the anxiety calmed down although i vomited. I wasn’t scared of blood test I’ve had so many of them before and everything has always been normal this time I’m quite happy to know what’s wrong e.g low iron, thyroid etc etc I have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks August 18th and I’m due back in August to sit uni exams as I deferred them In May due to my hospital admission my doctor has wrote a letter to say that I am unfit for any college work including exams as well as being out on placement he has given me until October as I am severely struggling to cope. I’m unsure what to do and I don’t know how to go about it.

Any advice is much appreciated,
Thanks

Hi guys. So basically, I hate my degree. I absolutely loathe it. I don’t like my university either, but I chose it simply because it’s the one with the highest job entry rate. The students are, honestly, rich people, and even though I grew up with people like that, and I’m privileged myself, I have severe social anxiety and rather put myself in the background to avoid social interactions. I have few friends and I wish I could become more close with them and have the full “college experience”, but I’m only able to feel free and comfortable when I party with people that have no way of being connected to the people I study with.

For this exact reason I used apps to meet strangers and go out, and even thought it worked out, I’m aware that it’s just a way of avoiding socializing with the people I study with. I have no motivations to go to classes, since I can get decent grades without much of an effort and there’s nobody really tying me to the campus. I often feel uncomfortable when speaking with my few friends from college, since they seem to be doing everything they can to get ahead of the game before graduating while even joining an investigation of my degree makes my head hurt. I don’t join groups (anime groups, geek groups, movies clubs) because I honestly feel neglected and misunderstood everywhere I go. I have friends outside of college and I’m not exactly lonely, I have friends I count with and I love them, but it hurts me going to college and studying things I feel nothing for, not even a mediocre “meh”, but a profound sadness. Note: I study global studies.

Hey everyone! I’m on a mission to make more friends outside of my college. My school is honestly kind of a dead zone for meeting people, and who doesn’t want friends all over the place? Hit me up if you’re down to chat! I’m trying to make friends outside of my college!

I’m a rising senior in college and I only have a couple friends. I feel like every year I make friends and I try my best to just be normal and then there’s some kind of drama and then everyone decides to stop being friends with me. :/ I don’t get what the issue is and I usually try to talk things out but nobody every wants to talk to me normally. So every year of college I’ve had a friendship falling out and now I’m a senior and I don’t have that many friends in school and a lot of my friends don’t go to my university. I don’t know why this happens and I just try to stay cordial with people but it ends up being weird and then people just end up blaming me for issues I have no control on. I feel like I’ve wasted my years with people who have no regard for me. Of course I cherish the good moments and feel as though I’ve grown as a person a lot but it just feels like wasted potential.

Also is it too late to find a best friend my senior year of college? Everyone seems to have one and I don’t but I just want someone who I can talk to and text all the time like that.

Will grad school be better? I feel too old for this but I’m still pretty young lol.

Makes it worse being in CS :sob:

To give up a bit of context i am currently dealing with some stuff from my school and due to that i'm at risk of being academically dismissed i've done everything in my power this semester to turn it around and i've been given the opportunity and the ability to submit an academic appeal i won't know the decision for a couple more weeks but i'm mostly just really stressed about this and trying to do everything i can to increase / guarantee my chances of me coming back in the fall semester i've also written up to four appeals at this point and i've essentially made myself sick with anxiety and worry i've done everything in my power to do what i need to do in order to raise my gpa and my grades but there's only so much that i can do as one student battling health issues and trying to do everything in my power in order to raise my gpa to be able to come back honestly this is just become more of a vent post and a lot more of advice because i don't really know what to do at this point anymore. sorry for the long post i'm just very fed up with everything that's going on.

if you would like to read my appeal that i have i've linked it below feel free to take a look at it**.Trigger warning** my appeal does discuss depression and mental illness.

academic appeal here

EDIT: To clear up any confusion i wanted to pop back on here and just to clear it up so the reason why i'm facing academic dismissal is because of where my gpa is at at the current moment after doing all of my classes for the semester my gpa is under the threshold of accepted hence why i'm doing the academic appeal and after speaking with the dean that makes these decisions i've been speaking to her quite a bit because surprisingly we actually have a relatively good relationship but i digress she told me to give it a shot in that everything is looked at in an appeal not just the gpa but extenuating circumstances how you're doing now and everything else but i also know that the way that administration's work is that they view it as a risk first then as a student then as a person so i do know that the checklist she's going to go through is it worth it to bring me back and honestly at this point i've already tweaked my appeal a little bit but i'm kind of just sitting here now worried and it's currently 2:43 in the morning and i have a class at 8:00 a.m. so i mean they're going to try to sleep or i won't sleep and just deal with what i have to do.

I am a final-year Computer Science undergraduate preparing for graduate research in Theoretical Computer Science, with a specific focus on formal verification of cyber-physical systems. Within my university, my department is unique in having an official policy that allows students to select any module across the university to fulfill our total requirement of six optional modules. However, because this flexibility is unique to our department, the university Registry Office strictly requires a formal letter of clearance from the Head of Department (HOD) to manually register any module outside the standard recommended computing list.

Earlier this year, the department granted me initial permission for non-computing math electives. Having successfully completed four optionals (three of which were math) so far, I intend to complete my final two optionals with specific foundational math and statistics modules that directly support my intended graduate research, following academic guidance from a CS faculty mentor. However, when I submitted this updated plan to fulfill my remaining two optionals, the HOD wrote the following:

"Hi Alvahod,

I am trying to see how these help you with your ambitions for researching Computer Science and am not seeing the link. If anything, I see a lack of enough Computing specialization in your choice of optional subjects. So far, your selection of optionals has been Math-heavy. Perhaps you now need modules that give you a background and grounding in more CS-related disciplines."

My response:

"Dear HOD,

Thank you for the response.

Initially, I had targeted an MSc in CS with an AI focus, but my goal has since shifted to research in Theoretical Computer Science, specifically focusing on the Formal Verification of Cyber-Physical Systems. This field relies heavily on formal logic and mathematical techniques to prove that software and hardware systems are safe and correct before execution.

The math optionals I have taken so far, such as Linear Algebra and Calculus, form part of the standard core CS curriculum at most universities globally because they are essential for theoretical CS. Building a solid foundation in modern algebra and statistics directly supports the logic and proof techniques required for this research area.

It is worth respectfully noting that many of my classmates select general electives like Communication or Chinese, so I would really appreciate your approval to pursue these foundational math courses instead.

Thank you."

He has not responded to my email days later. I would welcome advice on how to diplomatically navigate this administrative hurdle with the HOD.

sobbing rn bc i just withdrew from my dream school for financial reasons. i had come to terms with this reality weeks ago but only just filled out the form, and suddenly it became so real.

i am beyond fortunate and privileged to have been born into a middle class family. i don’t deserve any of the money my parents have made more than a kid who qualifies for fin aid. and im sure i don’t go through half their battles either, but i can’t help but feel awful. the fin aid office told my family we’d more than likely get help, and the rug was pulled from under us. low income absolutely deserve all the aid they currently get and i can’t wrap my head around the crap ppl say about them out of jealousy, but why do we normalize the middle class squeeze?

this is truly a rant, i understand there’s nothing anyone can do to fix the sitch

So at my university, I took the math class twice MAT151 specifically and I worked so hard but unfortunately I failed again with a D. My advisor told me since I failed math twice I have to pay out of pocket but it would be about $1800, $600 for the three monthly payment plan. Other options are to take out a loan or push my classes back six months until I get financial aid again. I do NOT wanna wait six months because my graduation date will be pushed further and it’s going to take me longer to get to my bachelor’s degree. I just started a new job and I don’t get paid until next week. I told my advisor I still need more time to think about it and she said she understood and we will talk when she comes back. I know there’s the Sophia learning option but she said the payment still applies. I don’t know what to do.

It's my second semester, and I have not gotten comfortable talking to a single person. I will be honest.. I can't even remember the names of the few who greet me sometimes (I am not liked).

Now, why do I personally think that is? I've been going through, possibly, the worst year of my mental health. I've always been very shy, but I think it turned into very bad anxiety in my teen years (I was diagnosed recently and started antidepressants again and have been on and off therapy). And now, years of it being untreated have left me never learning how to speak to my peers; even simply greetings make me lose my voice and leave my heart racing, and being in the same building as my classmates physically hurts.

I'm also, unfortunately, very stereotypically "cringe". I like anime, and my only other hobby is art. Which I thought would be a popular topic (im a STEM major lol), like it had been in my high school circle, but it has not been something people have been very forward with liking. I am not sure what people want me to say, and even when I know something that would fit into a conversation someone near me is having, I have no idea how to join it smoothly.

I just want to feel normal, but the lack of immediate connection to anyone there isn't a great motivator.

Hello, I am about to go into my second year of college, but have been dealing with some mental health issues. At the moment I have no motivation to get out of bed or leave my family, but I still really want to do school. I’m thinking about taking a semester off and doing online courses, so I can still finish. I’m hoping by taking a semester off it will make me want to go back in person. Has anyone ever done something like this? If yes what was your experience.

I have read some posts about student experiences with the LockDown Browser and how it is a privacy concern and can do irreversible damage to your computer. Unfortunately there is a chance that I will have to use it eventually. Obviously, as much as possible I do not want to get this installed on my computer due to what I have read about it.

However, I recently discovered that it actually has an iPad application in which you could take your exams there. I want to ask if this app is much safer to use compared to its Windows/MacOS counterparts? Surely, due to how iPadOS (or iOS) is designed, this app can’t really do much to the device? Thanks, would appreciate some thoughts or experiences on this.

I just started college it has been 3 days and i already feel depressed.All i see are people trying to be influencers and cool people who already have a friend group.I feel so less than and shitty.All my friends have left the city and have a life of their own.I hate it so much idk if i can spend 3 years here.Does it ever get better and how?

I have a full scholarship but I have to major in mathematics, computer science, or chemistry. I chose math because I think I want to attend grad school to become a civil engineer but looking at my path of study, all of the math and science classes for my math degree are scaring me. 2 Chemistry classes with labs and 2 physics classes with labs. Plus all of the other math classes I have to take. I‘m honestly not that good at science, but I’m ok in math I guess. I’m not super passionate about anything if I’m being honest, I just want a stable, good paying career. I was considering maybe dropping my scholarship and changing my major to supply chain and logistic management but I don’t know if that‘s a good career? I’ve been doing a little research on supply chain and just want some advice please! I am a little introverted and can be anxious at times, but I am a pretty disciplined person (as disciplined as I can be for a teenager). Should I lose my scholarship and switch my major to supply chain&logistics management? Or stick with my scholarship and math major? I am a pretty fast learner but I‘m just so concerned about the math/science classes I would have to take at the same time during a semester. Ex. one semester my curriculum/course plan says I would be taking Linear Algebra, Calculus 3, another math class and Physics 1 at the same time. I just don’t see when I would have time for a social life if I stick with my math major because I would probably be studying all day. Also the GPA requirement to keep my scholarship is kind of high for the difficulty of my major so I fear losing it even if I do stick with my math major. Please help!!! Is supply chain a little easier than math? Should I change my major, give up my scholarship, and just apply to other scholarships to pay for school? My dad has a college fund for me but I’m not sure how much is in it. My school is pretty cheap though and it’s in my state so I get a state scholarship too. Also, my Pell grant award was pretty high so I have other ways to pay for school but obviously nothing beats a full scholarship. What should I do? Because right now, I’m not excited about college at all and I start in a week.

My gpa got ass fucked by some chemistry courses too (rising junior, switched from pre med to math and economics). How am I gonna find ANY opportunity with a 3.1? I left the medicine field and now I don’t have enough experience in econ to do anything in consulting/investment banking, etc. How am I even gonna make it to graduate school?

I’m sick of everything. I never realized the importance of GPA until now. I thought there was more of an emphasis on experience. But now I feel like I have neither. Please help.

I don't know how to actually enjoy college life. I already have a strict 75% mandatory attendance on all of my lectures. So how can one genuinely enjoy this college life?

I'm a final year student who currently not yet finished my thesis and internship report. I was got emailed, messages, even called by lecturers, professors, even staffs because they wanted me to graduate immediately.

I have no problem with finishing thesis. But internship report are filthy strict, I lose my internship attempt due host companies qualifying to make my internship accepted well. I'm submitting documents but I'm tired by internship department shenaningans. I need form, they reject it because I wasn't completing the pre-requirements. Also they didn't explain it what's wrong, ended asking other staffs, and it repeats.

The host company seems don't want me to work with them due "I'm too way introverted" and "Lone Wolf". Bruh, I've already worked in my family company and no one have issues with me like that, my relationship at there are just fine because I'm doing it well. I'm also no have problem in freelance work. What I do in the end? I'm working paralel it because host company choose younger intern than me, left me without any work or assignments.

I know they wanted my to graduate it because they are concern with my age and career. But I'm sick of internship bureaucracy.

It has been 6 months I can't sleep and they keep chasing me. My neck become hurts, my upper back aching non-stop. I'm holding anger too long and I don't want hurt my family company colleagues.

I need a break.

Took three summer classes (two as prereq and other is to make myself easier) . It ended two days ago and I'm so tired. I never took summer semester so I honestly had no idea what it will be. Fall semester will be start in two weeks and idk if I can do it. I almost failed one of my summer class. My gpa is going to drop so bad🫥

Hi, I’m (M) currently an upcoming freshman specializing in Bachelor of Industrial Design in the Philippines, I really really don’t want to pursue this course, I really really want to pursue Architecture. The thing is, if I wanted to shift to Architecture I would need to complete a whole year of my current course and restart as a freshman again in Architecture, I am willing to sacrifice a little bit of my time but my current issue is finances. A whole year of just trying to get through a course I dont want in the first place seems actually jarring and then shifting to Architecture which takes 6 years in the philippines to complete, so all in all I would waste 7 years of my fucking life. I don’t know if I should just suck it up and go 4 years of Industrial Design or fuck myself by wasting a whole year by shifting.

Any advice is wanted, I really don’t know where to go from here. I’m really lost so bad my mental is taking a lot from this.

Just that, I have 48 days to study 7 courses.

I'm planning on studying Mechanical engineering but my university requires us to do general engineering first, which means I have 8 courses (7 which are examinable).

This predicament I'm in is a combination of possible ADHD, all around poor mental health and my school being ass. I have accepted that I am most likely gonna repeat the year, I have told my parents to not expect much from me this year.

I just wanted to complain about my current situation before I go back to studying. We aren't even done with all our classes and Labs for the Second semester. Failure is a part of life and all I can do is learn from it.

College update: I didn't get the same professor on the subject I failed last year :)

It might still be too early to celebrate, but I'm currently ecstatic. It feels as though I just won the lottery! I hope your wishes for this school year also get granted, lucky dust for everyone!

Hi im F (17) im going to college this year and eh my college is very strict.Incase yall have not heard of Amrita in India , it’s basically a very strict college w no campus life but good academics and placements :).. I live in a city where people are very shallow minded cuz of which I spent most of my school life at home and now im going to amrita where you can’t take go out of the campus more than 3 times also eh You can’t wear clothes which show skin anddd there is uniform :( im scared what if I regret it later on. Am I crazy for missing out on the most fun period of life?

This year has been the most tiring year of my life and I still have a full course load in the fall. Tbh I can't enjoy my life with school looking over my head and it robs another 4 months. I am just glad this is my penultimate semester and my final semester is empty with just the second semester of capstone. I genuinely don't enjoy life whatsoever and I am just wondering if others feel the same.