Dollars.

I need you guys right now. I am afraid, and desperate for help.

I am currently attending college to become an engineer, and my grades aren't doing so well. Last semester, I got B in pre-calc, and a barey passing C pre-chem. This semester, I got a C in calculus 1, and I may have likely failed Chemistry.

I was a great student in high school, and now in college. I'm barely making it at all. It probably doesn't help that I spent most of my free time being lazy, gaming, and watching youtube videos all day. My lack of discipline is bringing me down. It's been a year already and I haven't been able to get my act together. It's gotten to the point where my parents have become dissapointed in me.

I feel like a complete failure and a disappointment to everyone who ever believed in me. Friends, family, and everyone else expects me to do so well, and I feel like I let everyone who ever supported or believed in me down. What's worse, I've been told it only gets harder from here on out, and I'm struggling in the fucking BASIC CLASSES! At this rate, I'm afraid that I may never become an engineer, and I'll just end up being a failure at life, and everything I love will end up dissapearing.

I really want this degree. If I can't get it, I won't be able to live with myself, and I know my life will only get that much harder for me. I've become so ashamed that I haven't been able to tell anyone I know that i'm struggling so much.

I've realized all of this recently, and the guilt is ravaging my mind. I can't stand being a disappointment anymore, but I feel to guilty and ashamed to talk to anyone.

I've screwed myself over. I really need to start spitting out A's to make up for my early failures, otherwise, my whole career and basically my LIFE is at risk.

That's why I'm asking you guys for help, tips and advice on helping me to get my shit together. Studying and test-taking strategies. How to deal with test anxiety.

Anything you can tell me that'll help me at all. Anything I can do to succeed in college, and, hopefully, turn this problem around and beat it with a stick. I would really appreciate any advice you have to offer.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

My best strategy is to listen to piano covers of my favourite songs and make flashcards to memorise all the memory based questions. For chemistry, it helps, take notes and rewrite them too.

For test anxiety, I tell myself, "I WILL beat my rival on this!" I have a friendly rivalry with a friend. She got better than me at my best subject because I helped her, so I felt bitter. I had the mentality, 'I won't lose!', but of course, we congratulate the other if they got a higher grade. So competitiveness overcomes my anxiety, maybe it'll help you too?

Its my exam too, I slipped up on the first exam of the month, but that will be corrected.

Good luck, I hope I could help!

You are not a failure. I repeat, You are not a failure. College is tough and the first two years are the hardest. Why you ask? The first two years of college are full of classes that are supposed to make you a well rounded student and most of the time do not have a direct link to your major. This can be very frustrating to many students because it can cause you to lose focus on your overall goal. Who wants to study dead poets when you came to college to design buildings.

I see you have already identified some areas where you know you can improve in. Yes, cutting down on gaming and Youtube watching will help but finding a balance of school and fun will be the most beneficial.

Also, it sounds like you may be dealing with some depressive thoughts. Contact your schools counseling office and begin meeting with a counselor(it should be free as it usually included in your tuition costs). It is completely confidential and nothing to feel bad about or afraid of. We all need help sometimes in our life to overcome obstacles and it is OK to ask for it.

You are not a failure or a disappointment. Your performance in your recent classes was not your best and you know it. That is the first step to getting back on track. It is time to try a different study strategy. See if your school offers free tutoring and sign up(most do for the general classes that such as chem).

It is ok to retake a class. It also sounds like you are taking a heavy math and science load. Maybe cut back on one of those classes and add an elective class that looks interesting to you that you can use towards your credits. Talk with your academic advisor and see what they recommend.

You can do this and you will make it!

Sure as you advance the classes can become harder but when you enjoy what you are studying and can see the direct link to your career choice it starts to become less frustrating and more of an enjoyable challenge.

Now listen here, Kai. You are not a failure. Your grades In school do not reflect who you are and they do not depict what you will be in the future. Word of advice : you can't succeed without ever knowing failure. So take this as an opportunity .
Whether it be accepting defeat and moving on to something else or staying through the struggle until doesn't matter. Either way there will always be more opportunities with doors you can go through. You just have to pick the the way you'll go. But while it's happening don't be afraid to enjoy the journey of whatever path you take (or not, it's up to you really). Now i'm no counselor kai, but seeing you could reach out for help here already looks like a first step in feeling better.
Also, I don't see how not becoming an engineer makes you a failure. If that we're true then i'd be a failure too. I never even went to college and I am sure as heck that i'm no engineer. I'm currently working at a minimum wage pizzaria and I don't look at this in a demeaning way at all. It's just a stepping stone you gotta get through in your life, one way or another. By the way if this opportunity closes its door there are many more that are still open or that will open.
If this really does make you a failure... then we can be failures together with you. Atleast you got the opportunity to go to college . So you got that going for you, which is nice. Enjoy your life though. Everybody goes through different struggles in there lives and it's not always easy. Here's hoping that these words can be of some help to you Kai.

>>4>>3>>2 Yes, yes, and yes. Just yes, pretty much.

It's been said, and I'll say it again; academics do not reflect your worth as a person, you do. So the first and foremost step to improving your grades and what not is to not attribute your shortcomings and failures to your character or natural competence. People are bad at things, you will be bad at things, I am bad at things, and it will be reflected from time to time and it can only really hurt you if you let it drag you down and consume you.

Yeah, like >>3 said, the first parts of college are generalized academic study that don't directly apply to your career of choice but may be foundational to it in some capacity; likely not to the extent that you'd have to calculate which orbital an electron of Carbon is in when you design a machine or fix something, which is why early on the classes are even less reflective of your abilities; once you make it to the real stuff it will be more relevant, and in being able to pursue your goals more directly you will put more of your mind into it and it'll probably come easier.

You are not a complete failure. I think another person can only emphasize that point; you're just making mistakes and struggling. It's part of the unique experience of being a human; we screw up so that we can learn what NOT to do, and then figure out how to do it. Success only teaches you the right way, and in holding on to that, well, that's swell and even preferable but failure isn't a bad thing as long as you figure out how to start learning from it and subsequently applying the knowledge gained. In any case, there are much more to people than our grades and success in life should be measured by more than work and studies, or there's no point to work and studies; over devotion to a cause, ideal, or purpose will dilute it and render it pointless because if the only meaning is attributed to one thing then the achievement renders everything meaningless and that's just silly. Treasure the other things you have, your hobbies and talents; cut back a bit on the free time you make but keep plenty to support your sanity and just keep trying, and you'll go where you go as you go; you can do it and I think you'll be fine as long as you don't let this unfortunate turn of events overwhelm you.

As >>2 said music definitely helps and notes are nice of course; I recommend as well for things like Chemistry that you just practice a bunch to make sure you see as many problem variations as possible.

Good luck and I hope you find your inner reserves and turn them into a stockpile of willpower with which to slaughter your decadent grades and replace them with your success bred of wisdom~

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate everyone's advice. I was kind of panicked, but you guys helped me to gather myself, so thanks again, you guys!

To be honest , I am going to college starting this august and I might end up in a similiar situation. I went to a private school that was pretty easy , though i just averaged straight b plus 's in everything except math . I might end up having a hard time. Got any tips man... tbh bro my best advice to u is to seek help from tutors in your school and make friends in your class and seek advice, also be friendly with ur teachers, if you try hard enough then there really is no reason to not do well .. just dont give up man , i heard every engineering student goes through hell lol ... actually :'(

>>7
Nice picture, lol.
The advice scattered around here seems alright. I might add that asking figuring out how to study helps. Ask for advice on how. It's different for everyone, from what i've heard. It's like a rule of thumb to study 2-3 hours for every 1 hour of a particular class.

Bottom line. It's gonna take more effort than what grade school required. Motivation is key. I need more of it, lol.

We got this, though.
Good luck, man.
Ganbarimashou!!