Education & Career

Perspective for struggling university students out there.

Perspective for struggling university students out there.

Been there. It sucks to struggle at university...especially when you are taking out so much money to do so. If you are struggling at university out there, perhaps I can give you some hope.

In high school I was not a particularly hard worker. I thought I was...but I was not. I did not have to work hard to earn my 3.5 GPA and a whole bunch of other accolades and honors that came with it. I thought I could do just about anything. I wasn't conceited or arrogant or anything like that...I just felt like I could walk right in. Then came university.

I wanted to be a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. To do that, I needed to apply to the College of Science and Engineering. I could not apply immediately and go right in because the average GPA of students coming in right out of high school to apply was a 3.75. It was the first reality check I had. So I needed to establish myself as a college student to apply there. 3.2 GPA guaranteed admission. However I shouldn't sweat it if I had a 2.9-3.0 GPA because most of those students are able to get in on space available basis. I thought this would be easy.

My Freshman year was...chaotic. I won't touch on my social life because it was...extremely dysfunctional. Sticking purely to grades, I had failed a class in my first semester and almost failed another had I not dropped it. In my first semester at university I almost got myself suspended. I had a pitiful 2.5 GPA.

I had never had to face such adversity in my life. I had never even got close to failing a class ever. The lowest grade I had ever gotten was a C. It was one of the most massive blows to my psyche ever.

I told myself I needed to get a grip. I walked into my sophomore year determined not to lose control like that. With my head up I walked into my sophomore year...and plateaued at a 2.7 GPA. I was never more miserable than that. My social life was crap, my grades made me feel like crap and I basically felt like I had nothing to look forward to.

Junior year I started to piece myself together and made some improvement. My senior year (during the Covid plandemic) was almost as awful as my freshman year. I got a D in one of my classes. I got heavy into drinking and all other kinds of destructive coping mechanisms. Nothing seemed to work in terms of quelling a deep misery swirling inside of me. I even remember one time I was studying for an exam the next day and stressing so hard that I went to give myself just a little drink to try and ease my nerves.

One shot of vodka turned into 2 and then to 3. I woke up the next day totally hung over but I dragged myself to the online midterm and forced myself to take it because I knew if I didn't attend I would get a 0 and receive an F for sure. Of course I failed that exam but I was looking to scrap whatever I could in order to save my grade in that class.

Throughout all of this my GPA was not where it should have been if I wanted to apply to the College of Science and engineering. I had never wanted to give up more than that moment right there. Had it not been for reconciling with my parents and a support group of friends and after putting a lot of thought into my spiritual journey and finding a church I probably would've given up. I would've regretted that decision.

So, as a super senior I decided to get my ish together and stop being doom and gloom. from that point on I strong armed my GPA up into the 2.9-3.0(ish) range and could justify applying to my desired college as a Math Major.

Got in first try 😊 I finished strong. I think my GPA is around a 3.3 right now 👍🏾

So to anyone out there considering giving up, I would pose some questions to you:

Do you really want to attend university or did you feel pressured to do so?

Are you working hard or are you lying to yourself?

If you are working hard, what do you think your problem is?

Could you live with the idea of walking away from university? And if so, what would you do if you did?

I had to answer all of the above questions. And I finally came to a realization: I did not know how to learn effectively. I was spending time in my studies but not a lot of that was effective. I had to learn how to learn. Up until that point all I had to do was just sit in lecture in order to study. But that wasn't going to cut it. I needed to do things differently. So here is how I turned things around.

1) I cut out bad connections with others and made better ones. Bad friendships/relationships/etc. can really sink your mood and effect your studies. You cannot afford to have to deal with stuff like this. There's enough stress to go around as is without worrying about stuff like this. In addition to making better connections I made a big effort to make connections with people in the class that I regarded as smarter than me. Part of it was competition...I wanted to perform just as good as them. Part of it was wanting to learn with them. And part of it was just wanting to maintain a healthy learning environment as a whole. A positive social environment will definitely have a higher rate of success than a negative one

2) I read the textbook. Lol, laugh it up with me...I had never read a textbook in my life up until university. You might ask yourself "how the HELL did you manage that?" Well...up until that point I didn't need to. I could sit in the lecture and get it all...and then do the homework and get full points. I a) stayed up to date on the reading and b) took notes. How did I take notes? What I would do is skim the paragraphs and summarize each paragraph of the reading into 1 sentence. Then I would go back and do the whole reading. The reading would pass by MUCH faster when I did this. Lectures should ONLY be used to reinforce the reading...being taught in class really should be a last resort.

3) Pay attention to your classroom habits. When I got my ish together, I sat closer to the front of the class. That way if I decide to goof off everyone will see me. I didn't want that, so it forced me to pay attention. Secondly, I took notes. They say that you should take handwritten notes rather than typed because you'll remember it better...honestly? That's your call. I remembered better when I typed notes because I could do it faster to keep up with the professor and I just remember it better. And do your best to follow along and answer the questions. Don't be afraid to get it wrong.

4) Repetition really helps with learning. I know it's time consuming but sometimes it is necessary. Especially for a class like Mathematics or Physics. Problems, problems, problems. I started to treat homework as a practice exam. I would do my best to avoid looking at my notes and would focus on trying to get the problems done as fast as possible.

5) Be a part of something outside of school. You need to take your mind off of school every once in a while. It'll help your time management skills as well as provide a well needed rest for your mind so that it can operate at it's peak. For me? That something outside of school was my church. I became involved in volunteering and helping out as much as I could. Now my church is unique given that it's a sabbath church (and all of the biblical festivals) so I have to set aside the 7th day of the week completely to rest. This was a good reset button that helped in my studying a lot.

6) Learn to hate the word "try". Try is a word we use as an excuse mechanism for if we fail. Inevitably what this does is make you go into something not giving it your all. And when you fail, you can say "well, I tried." Try eventually devolves into "Did not do it." To quote Yoda..."Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." Don't say that you'll try...just do it. Or don't. Trying doesn't count for anything in the end.

7) A bad grade isn't the end of the world. Rectifying the mistakes that led up to that low grade is key, but it is not the end of the world. Talk with the professor. Move on from it and rally yourself back. Maybe you might not get that A in the class but a B is still a good grade.

I don't really want to be a celebrity or some bigger than life person or some "hero". I just want to help out anyone out there who is struggling or needed some sort of inspiration or encouragement. Because I was there. It was painful. It sucked. But I found a way to rally it back. I pray that anyone out there who is struggling finds success in this new season 🙏🏾

Perspective for struggling university students out there.
Post Opinion