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LostUndergrad9090
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28 Aug 2011, 11:10 am

Well good, these sound like very reasonable reasons.



Sweetleaf
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28 Aug 2011, 11:19 am

Yes however one of the things i have been doing is not very reasonable......I have been pushing a lot of overwhelming feelings/thoughts to the back of my mind in an effort to just keep pushing myself a little longer before allowing my mind to deal with it because I've felt on the verge of losing control, I have been getting more anxiety attacks and more depressed.......so yeah I set myself up for a major mental catastrophe because I was afraid of missing a little class and thus failing and not getting financial aid/loans so I have been supressing what should have already happened...for what college that I am not really truly getting a lot out of to begin with?

And embarassingly enough it is also because I would be embarrased about losing control of my mental state, because my whole family and everyone would probably know about it....then I would have to suffer that weird look every time I visit any of them.



AngelKnight
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28 Aug 2011, 12:00 pm

Well, it seems like you have some good, logical reasons for delaying college. Best of luck figuring things out. Just be honest about yourself regarding whether this is just a temporary, timed delay, or a halt of indefinite duration.



EnglishInvader
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28 Aug 2011, 6:00 pm

I was in the OP's situation six years ago. I resolved the situation by leaving university. The following thought is what helped me make up my mind: "If this is how much they expect of me when I'm paying them, how much will they want when they're paying me?" I saw nothing but endless struggle and working three times as hard for a fraction of the things most people take for granted wasn't the sort of future I wanted.



katy_rome
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13 Sep 2016, 2:20 pm

It sounds to me as though you've already decided what's best for you. I'm reading right now John Tayor Gatto's 'Weapons Of Mass Instruction', a brilliant book, I'd recommend it. Also Grace Llewllyn's book 'how to quit school, get a life and an education', aimed mainly at high school students but with lots of creative ideas about how to approach other ways off gettting jobs, a higher educatioon, and finding a path for yourself that you enjoy and wlll bring out your strengths..

It is true that many jobs require a degree, a rule which i think is crazy .. it is designed not so much to make sure the best people get the jobs, but to ensure the perpetuation of the system itself. There may be a way to later go back into higher education if you need and want to.

Make sure before you leave, to find out what documentation you can have from your current programme.. even just a certificate of attendance may be good for later counting towards a new qualification, but also you may have credits, or completed modules that may count for something. It would be worth talking to a sympathetic counsellor or careers advisor, but considering your.fragile state of mind right now , remember you can walk out and find a different person if you feel dispproved of or criticised..

Very much good luck to you! Yes, the system sucks. listen to some John Lennon and you'll know you're not the only one who knows. this.. :)



katy_rome
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13 Sep 2016, 2:36 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
Yes however one of the things i have been doing is not very reasonable......I have been pushing a lot of overwhelming feelings/thoughts to the back of my mind in an effort to just keep pushing myself a little longer before allowing my mind to deal with it because I've felt on the verge of losing control, I have been getting more anxiety attacks and more depressed.......so yeah I set myself up for a major mental catastrophe because I was afraid of missing a little class and thus failing and not getting financial aid/loans so I have been supressing what should have already happened...for what college that I am not really truly getting a lot out of to begin with?

And embarassingly enough it is also because I would be embarrased about losing control of my mental state, because my whole family and everyone would probably know about it....then I would have to suffer that weird look every time I visit any of them.


just read this bit too. Reminds me of something I said to my sister recently about her having a nervous breakdown after a long and unhappy marriage, to an abusive man .. 'anyone in their right mind would have a nervous breakdown after 10 years of that!'

So i say the same to you, you're feeling totally overwhelmed and scared, because the situation calls for it, I think it's natural to feel that way and anyone with an imagination and some sensitivity would feel it, both of which you have and are gifts. It sounds bloody awful. In Scotland we still have free university, but I have a lovely American friend who never got out of debt from her college education, she worked all her life but also had to support her ailing mother. It is absolutely unacceptable and inhuman that anyone (sorry, make that anyone who doesn't have wealthy parents) should begin their young life under such a burden.

in these cases it seems to me more like Land of the unequal and unfair, than Land of the Free..



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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22 Sep 2016, 1:59 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
. . . is a sick society so I don't plan to just be another part of the machine . . .
Even most activist groups seem to be primarily about fundraising and their own smooth functioning. This, instead of trying to bring a project successfully to conclusion and then moving on to the next project.

One thing you might want to keep in mind are organizations/occupations where you get a lot of healthy feedback between theory and practice. I mean, this can be a dynamic process which really produces a type of magic. For example, my own job as cashier at *MegaMart. I've learned a lot about what works and doesn't work about drawing customers out in conversation, about customers feeling at least okay about the crappy credit card machine, about getting along with fellow employees, about being a low-key leader, etc.



Spiderpig
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22 Sep 2016, 2:34 pm

Yeah, drop out so there's more room for people like me, who deserve it much less than you do!


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Amebix
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23 Sep 2016, 1:31 pm

Where are you going to college, if you don't mind me asking? There's a huge disparity between top-tier private schools, which can be $30K to $50K per year, small liberal arts schools, which tend to be $15K to $40K per year, and public universities, which tend to be $3K per year and $15K per year.

In undergrad, if you're really worried about loans, my recommendation is going to a public/state school. Paying for a private university for 4 or 5 years seems insane to me.

In Colorado, if money is really tight, I recommend considering transferring to a cheap university like Fort Lewis College (which costs about $3000 per year) - it's a good, accredited, widely recognized college that's just as good as most any other college in the country, plus it's cheap. But make sure you're looking at good, accredited schools - avoid for profit schools like the plague, because that's what they are.

The other thing is, be smart about what you're studying. Earning certificates in computer science stuff can be more valuable than earning a full degree in a liberal arts subject like anthropology. One thing I think schools never emphasize enough is that for pretty much any liberal arts subject (history, English, anthropology, psychology, etc.) you're pretty much going to NEED to get schooling beyond a bachelor's degree if you want to work in your field, whether that be a teaching certificate, a master's, or whatever. So if you want a Bachelor's that can stand alone, really look for a technical degree. And note that I'm NOT using that pesky buzzword STEM - bachelor's in sciences like biology and chemistry are no more useful than ones in subjects like literature and history. If you want to be a biologist, you'll need at least a master's.

So yeah, to get to the point, if you aren't doing well with school and are stressed about debt, my advice is to make sure to get your degree, but get it in something really hands on and applicable, and figure out the cheapest way possible to get it.