Help I'm lost, College is getting the best of me.

Knowledgeable and understanding are just two words that come to mind when I think of F chat community. Any questions that I have asked have always been answered with the upmost intelligence, consideration and amount of thought. For what I’m asking now, I ask for the same input and response. I don't want to drag this out too much longer...

I'm a Junior at Ualbany right now and I am an economics major/ business minor. The Business program here is pretty decent, and if you do the 5 yr program you can graduate with both an MBA and bachelors degree. Unfortunate I’m not the best student, my grades a mediocre and sometimes I lack the drive to study, and procrastinate, ultimately leaving me with sub-par grades, which I take full responsibility for, I don't blame anyone else for my downfalls. But because of this I didn’t get into the business school and I just picked up some random major to satisfy my parents. This happened to be Economics and no offense to anyone else it blows. I love my Business classes and because of that I get A’s in all the classes, but in all my Eco classes I don’t do too hot.

Being that this is my junior year, naturally I only have one more yr before I graduate or decide to go to grad school. However, from the looks of my grades that’s going to be a struggle. Anyhow I 've always been interested in art and design, but before I entered or applied to a college I was told that there was no future in such major's, primarily financially. I feel like if I was doing something I like I would be doing much better in school, and it's not really the money im after it’s the feeling of accomplishment and progression. I want to leave Ualbany and transfer to another school, and pursue some career in art. Im my opinion the Art department is okay here, they have great professors but lack the funding and demand for it to go any further than it is today. They also lack the diversity an arts school would provide. What do I do...I feel like I’m wasting my time.

Should I leave and start all over, doing what i love. I’ll be 21 soon and i feel like I’m getting old real quick and haven't made any progress in life not to mention my hair is thinning, but that’s another story.

OR

Should I stick it through, man up, quit whining and do my best I suppose, not fully enjoying the short time I have to do what i want, try and learn new things and meet new people in this short amount of time allotted to me called college.


I appoligze for the rant and what not, i hope this makes sense, i just ask for you help.

-J

 

Stick it out. Not quitting will be far more beneficial in the long term scheme of things. Buckle down and make it happen. College teaches you how to think(a bit) and what you will wind up pursuing later may be totally different but at least you have the degree under your belt. Just think of where Michael Schumacher would be right now if he had of quit? Yea, racing sounds more exciting then Eco but you made a decision to go with that so IMO see it through. Good luck.

 

Is art REALLY what you LOVE, or is it just that the grass is greener on the other side? I have been in your shoes. I can tell by the rambling nature of your post. If you knew that art was what you wanted to do with the rest of your life you wouldn't have asked permission to quit school from a bunch of idiots on an internet forum. Tough it out. I didn't tough it out, and I am currently paying a heavy price.

If you're really doing well in your undergrad biz classes, why not switch your degree to marketing? You'd still get to exercize your creativity, and you'd have a college degree, even if you end up becoming an artist.

And since I have the uncanny ability to see into the future, don't listen to anyone who posts that an undergrad marketing degree is worthless. At least it's a degree. It gets your foot in the door. I wish I had finished mine, I still think about going back every single day.

-FD, graduate, school of hard knocks.

 

one of my business professors said that the "A's" start the companies, the "B's" work for the "C's", and the "A's" can't get jobs anywhere else, so they teach. Stick it out if you like business. If your passion is art, then make the switch. If you are passionate about your life's work, then it won't be 'work' and you will excel at it.

 

The answer to your question lies in this statement. Why are you not the best student?

Dale

 

School sucks to begin with so I understand where you are coming from and at 21 it is not unreasonable to question the direction your life is taking. Don't give up on your parents. Tell them what you've told us and I think you'll find them to be very supportive and willing to give advice. They don't want to waste money educating you on something you hate.

I agree with FarmerDave that any degree is better than no degree so finishing up anything is better than quitting. (not that you were talking about quitting but you know what I mean).


Have you thought about an engineering degree? It might combine your like of art with the foundation you have built on business. That's just me though, there's an engineer in me screaming to get out and build something. My sister-in-law is an engineer working on the cooling system for the next generation of Destroyers for the Navy. I'm very jealous. My degree is in Nautical Science so I give her the nuts and bolts info she needs for a guy who would be operating the system she's designing.

 

1. I know it seems like you're getting old, but 21 is young. If you don't believe me... write me back in 10 years

2. Finishing could only help you, so I suggest you finish.

3. If you want to get an arts degree that should be easy to do later.

 

I heard it a little different:

The A students work for the B students, the C students run the companies, and the D students get buildings named after them at the Universities.

 

In the long run, it is the A students who usually end up with the most money and the hottest wives.

 

I don't know man...some of those NASCAR drivers have some insanely hot wives. Gordon's ex-wfie...damn...was he an A student? LOL!

 

this hits a little close to home. the reason i started the thread of if you knew what you wanted to do after college was kind of because i'm in the same situation as you. i'm in my 3rd semester of college, and there are a few things bearing on my mind.
1. the cost. i wasn't born into a life of luxury, and pretty much everything in my life i've worked for. i'm at a school where it costs 21,000 a year, all in loans. do the math. granted i graduate in 4 years, i'm still 100,000 in debt! that's an insane amount, and i'm 99% sure i'm not going to spend much more than the rest of this year at this school, because of the cost.
2. the schoolwork. like yourself, i'm not a good student. i've always been in that awkward situation growing up where it seemed as though my sister could float by and get straight a's, and i would struggle to pull c's and b's. math-you could give me the answers and i'll still fail the tests, that's just how i am.
3. the stress. i average about 6 hours a night of sleep. and that sleep is not very restfull, and my roommate, who is also one of my best friends for years, constantly rags me because i'm in bed by 11 on most nights. (except friday and saturday, of course ). i'm constantly concerned about the money, the schoolwork, the social life, the drama, the teacher's seemingly impossible tasks, my fraternity, my family, etc. all this adds up, and in the longterm it's definitely not healthy for myself.
i am an advocate of college reform. i believe that you've taken 4 years of math, english, science and social studies in high school, and that unless it's part of your major, should you really be stuck in advanced trigonometry? i mean, come on. what non-math major uses that stuff in their everyday life? i'm positive i'm not alone in thinking that college is somewhat of a sham. the thing they don't tell you when you're touring a college is that they are big business. they're looking for the $, and this is especially true at large state schools: they want your money, and if they don't see you fit, as in not good enough in the grade department, they drop you, because they know there are two more students out there waiting to take your place in the following semester. they're not losing money on the deal, because they have so many ways to make cash: tuition, food, books, appearal, sports, etc.
sorry if this post kind of seems really down on the whole college thing, however i've had it rough since i started college. i know it's doable, and that many before me have graduated, however there are also those for whom college isn't for them. that is the biggest underlying theme of this statement.

 

Good post because honestly, that's the way I feel right now. Im majoring in Electrical Engineering too and I have the same "symptoms". I've told myself though that I'm not giving up and everytime I get on this website it's a reminder of how import an education is to get WHAT EVER you want at the end. I say, stick through it dude and don't give up.

 

I'm in the same boat, Aerospace Engineering at Ga Tech. Honestly, it's kicking my butt, especially since I'm also pledging a fraternity there. I'm about to just switch to Industrial Engineering and take the easy way out.

 

I use spherical trigonometry in my job every day. Figuring out angles and distances on a sphere (that particular sphere being the Earth). I think knowledge of math is the greatest skill one can possess. I mean come on, one of the reasons why it is cool to be a man is that you are naturally better at math than women are.

 

Stick with the Aerospace. Forget the fraternity if it will get in the way. Think long term. Your frat buddies who pledge to stick by you through thick and thin won't pay your mortgage. The Aerospace engineering degree probably will.

 

You've got the right attitude Hector! Keep up the hard work! In 10 years the guys who are out drinking beer while you are studying will be driving Fords while you sit in your living room drinking beer with a Ferrari in the driveway. Work now. Play later.

 

i'm studying business right now, and i understand all the math that is neccessary for what i want to do, and i understand math used in deciphering that tangled web which is the stock market. i'm not saying that math is not an important subject to know, but i'm simply arguing the point that it's not used in every field. i see you're a merchant marine. i don't know much about that field, and i trust that you are good and successful at what you do, which is awesome! there are many people out there like me who struggle with mathematics, and i just happen to be one of them.
which brings me to my point: what's 4 + 4?
that's simple.
44.

 

I don't feel an undergraduate education will really teach you much in what you will apply for a job. I think the closest major that will is something technical like engineering. But even with that, it's not as prepared. Or so says my dad who has had to deal with recent college grads in EE (he's a PE for 30+ years now).

A degree will just open doors for you. If you want to go to grad school, try as hard as you can for all As. Always aim for straight As and don't settle for less.

 

re-reading my incredibly long winded post, i believe that i may have come off a little too strong anti-college. i'm still enrolled, working my butt off, and trying to get through. i hope to graduate with a degree, albeit i might have a few choice words and some unhappy views about it. but stick with it, i'm going through the same thing you are, and i'm going to struggle with it. in the words of brother bluto: 8 years of college all for nothing. and he's a pre-med major!

 

Heh, I've gotten pretty pissed at myself a few times and look back seeing I was anti-college. I'm just glad I got a full ride to my school because I don't think it was worth what it was without a scholarship. The only real reason I went was because it's required for grad school...

 

Well, see I don't know that that's really what I want to do with my life. Honestly the main reason I'm in AE is because I want to design cars, which I would love to do. The problem is I don't care at all about rocketry and space technologies, all I really wanted were the structural rigidity and aerodynamics courses. The market for designers is small and the AE field is shrinking in itself. I've pretty much been set on either designing cars, or if that seems unreachable, starting a business.

My best friend's brother lives in Ft. Myers and has been constantly trying to get me to work for him full time for his very successful web design business, starting at around $25 an hour, and as demeaning as it is, co-ownership of a "modelling" website that he wants to start up. It is just so tempting to drop out and go live easy with a work environment most people only dream about (weekling boat outings counted as "business trips," company car, can "work" from his condo (play xbox all day/night)) the guy is one of the most laid-back, funny, and trustworthy people I know and he knows what he's doing when it comes to running a successful business.

 

You are right. The only thing a degree does is proves your ability to learn. So straight A's proves that you are a good learner.

 

Sign me up. When do I start?!

 

Exactly.

 

lol, if i had a full ride i'm positive that my whole outlook on college would be a complete reversal. unfortunately, my bank will be loving me in a couple of years...