Wallpaper
+303|5964|The pool
I was doing the same thing for a long time. I went to a couple doctors, and found out I have a form of ADD. We (me+my family) didnt even think of ADD because Im never hyper; but I got some focus pills (Focalin) and they seem to have fixed the problem. Instead of getting C/D/Fs (which was DEFINATLEY where I was headed) I got A/Bs because I could get shit done and turn it in.

If I were you, I would go to the doctors and ask him about it
SgtHeihn
Should have ducked
+394|6457|Ham Lake, MN (Fucking Cold)
Get off this website and work on school. You were probably doing better in your absence.
konfusion
mostly afk
+480|6520|CH/BR - in UK

Bubs, when's the last time you were really happy? ie situation/event?

-kon
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Could be depression, or a crisis of confidence.
I had a big fat wave of it in my second year at uni.
Didn't see the point of handing in a report which was worth 0.1% of my final degree, soon they added up though.

Get on with the work, stay off the internet and TV, no drinking alcohol, see your tutors and sort the situation out.
Don't put things off, do it right away.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
ZombieVampire!
The Gecko
+69|5797

konfusion wrote:

Bubs, when's the last time you were really happy? ie situation/event?

-kon
Yeah, that's part of what worries me.  I don't know.
Ajax_the_Great1
Dropped on request
+206|6617
Quit school now and stop wasting any more money. Thats the first thing you need to do. You can always come back when you are ready.
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6381|'Murka

Talk to a professional.

Then talk to your professors once you have a handle on your personal situation. I found when I was in college that, while they may seem aloof in class, they are more open than you would think to working things out for students who truly need some help.

BL: You've got to take the first step...nobody's going to take it for you.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
deeznutz1245
Connecticut: our chimps are stealin yo' faces.
+483|6463|Connecticut
Go get laid. Once you get some sirority strange you will do whatever it takes academicaly to remain on campus to get some more 20 year old college ass.
Malloy must go
Burwhale
Save the BlobFish!
+136|6192|Brisneyland
I was also pretty terrible at Uni for the first few years, however I got to third year and made a conscious decision to do well and it really worked. I then went back and did a post grad diploma and did really well. For me I think it was just a matter of growing up, and taking control of my life, but it took me a lot of stuff assing around before I could get there. Maybe take a break for a bit, and go back refreshed. Dont give in though.
san4
The Mas
+311|6658|NYC, a place to live

ZombieVampire! wrote:

I already work.  But I don't see the point in taking time off because I don't know what I want to do.
It sounds like the classes you're taking aren't part of any long-term plan to achieve a career goal. Not surprising you wouldn't be motivated to complete them. But it also sounds like you've got some reason you don't want to pass your classes.
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA
take a break from university.  get your head screwed on right.  if you are lacking motivation - don't screw around in school wasting money trying to 'find yourself'.  you can do this more easily and more cheaply in other ways. 

do you need structure?  consider joining the armed forces.  my good friend spent about 8 years trying to get his electrical engineering degree.  wasting tons of time, he realized he was lacking structure and kick in pants.  he joined the army (enlisted) and thrived.  after a few years, he joined the green to gold program and went back to university and finished his degree.  Now, he completed his OCS training and is a 2nd LT (officer).

also consider transferring to another school.  by doing this you can reset your GPA.  if you have a low GPA, you'll have your nice philosophy degree but nobody will hire you and you'll be flipping burgers - what a waste.  also, a change of location might be enough to jumpstart you.

lastly, philosophy degree is cool and all but what kind of employment opportunities are waiting for you on the outside?  are you planning on teaching?  this is admirable, but i wonder why not study something perhaps a bit more lucrative.
deeznutz1245
Connecticut: our chimps are stealin yo' faces.
+483|6463|Connecticut

deeznutz1245 wrote:

Go get laid. Once you get some sirority strange you will do whatever it takes academicaly to remain on campus to get some more 20 year old college ass.
srsly
Malloy must go
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA
sirostitutes rock!
ghettoperson
Member
+1,943|6619

I'm sort of in the same position. Just I hand the work in, but spend the last moment doing it  so that it's generally pretty crap. And I cannot ever bring myself to study, despite being interested in what I do. It's got to the point where I half wonder whether I should drop out, but I don't know what I'd do. I think that's why people go to uni, to save having to join the real world for another 3+ years.
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA

ghettoperson wrote:

I'm sort of in the same position. Just I hand the work in, but spend the last moment doing it  so that it's generally pretty crap. And I cannot ever bring myself to study, despite being interested in what I do. It's got to the point where I half wonder whether I should drop out, but I don't know what I'd do. I think that's why people go to uni, to save having to join the real world for another 3+ years.
what major are you studying?
ghettoperson
Member
+1,943|6619

Computer Science.
Vilham
Say wat!?
+580|6736|UK

ghettoperson wrote:

Computer Science.
The reason your having trouble is because its such a damn boring degree, I had exactly the same problems, you gotta just say, fuck it, knuckle down and pass, coz tbh, the grade you get at uni means jack shit after your first job. Its all about what degree you did, BSc CS will get you a job in finance much easier than Bachelor in Business/Economics etc simply because its such a hard degree. I know a lot of my business/finance mates didnt get internships but my dosser CS mates did.
Catbox
forgiveness
+505|6686
sounds like a bit of depression which isn't a crime... find someone to talk to professionally and get to the root of it...
you're a smart dude and i'm sure you can get back to enjoying school soon....
Love is the answer
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA

ghettoperson wrote:

Computer Science.
ok now you are speaking my language.  check it out.  first few years of CS are what some people think of as drudgery since you are learning syntax and various languages and taking math, physics, and chem classes etc.  you have little time to think of actual applications where you will apply all this knowledge.  this is not a fault of the material itself but rather the way it is presented.  later in junior and senior years, you will have classes that stress more medium scale projects.  this is where you will shine since you can apply all those various algorithms and data structure knowledge into a real 'thing' that does something rather than simplistic toy test cases in the more rudimentary classes.

algorithms and data structures themself are kind of abstract until you use them practically to solve a problem.  So is language parsing and compiler writing.  honestly i find the compiler bits fascinating since you really get down to the fundamentals of language itself.  then you start thinking about how non-computer languages work (like comparing spanish vs english and even chinese or other non-western languages in terms of grammar).  it depends on your interests.

if you like gaming, try grabbing a copy of a 3d gaming engine like Torque or the Quake3 engine and trying to figure out how the classes work.  once you have interst in an area, you will get the drive to learn more. 

how about writing your own java based IM client?  or, itunes clone.  or, join some open source software project (look on sourceforge.net). 

getting a job working at the computer labs on campus can also help pique interest in some things.  i did this.  i worked in the main engineering lab filing output and answering user questions.  people interaction skills i learned here i use today and are very valuable.  Further, i got promoted to a sysadmin so i was 'root' on some machines and was allowed to patch OS images and so on.  here too, the unix skills i learned i carried with me to my present job and i feel i was ahead of the curve when i started.  was it boring?  not for me - i was working with people all the time and had a blast.  again, it's what you make of it.

exactly what kinds of material are you considering boring?  what year are you?
Vilham
Say wat!?
+580|6736|UK
Wat you found compilers interesting? You carrrazy!

Creating compilers has to be the most boring thing I did. Especially in Haskall, the gayest language ever created. The modules that slightly interest me are large scale systems and that sort of thing, group projects in c++ and java, and graphical based ones where we programmed our own photo manipulator for things like image histograms and grayscale, image detection etc
sergeriver
Cowboy from Hell
+1,928|6727|Argentina

ZombieVampire! wrote:

No.  As in just get a letter saying I'll be kicked out for failing the last 2 semesters unless I can show cause.

But that's not even the part that really worries me.  The part that worries me is a I should be loving this.  It's everything I want to do.  And instead I avoid it doing things that don't even really make me happy (like watching TV or bumming around on the internet).
Maybe this is not what you want to do.  Ask yourself if it is.  I studied business and took the MBA just thinking of the money, not because I really liked this field.  I always liked architecture, but I was an asshole and went for the money.  I don't know but you could ask for help to a counselor at the Uni, they have this kind of people who can give you some advice just in case you are not sure about things.

Last edited by sergeriver (2008-07-23 05:00:12)

ReTox
Member
+100|6469|State of RETOXification
Go to a couple of doctors... one physical and one mental.  Explain to them both exactly what you are going through.  Get letters from them explaining what is going on and take those to your profs or to the dean of the department.  If they still fail you for having a medical condition then at least you have recourse for appeal or, worst case, a lawsuit to reclaim your tuition.

Depression happens to everyone, just to what degree.  I had it bad... really bad.  I can tell you without question that you can not solve this on your own.  I can also tell you that with proper help it all turns out fine.

Good luck dude.
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA

Vilham wrote:

Wat you found compilers interesting? You carrrazy!

Creating compilers has to be the most boring thing I did. Especially in Haskall, the gayest language ever created. The modules that slightly interest me are large scale systems and that sort of thing, group projects in c++ and java, and graphical based ones where we programmed our own photo manipulator for things like image histograms and grayscale, image detection etc
everyone has different interests.  probably what colored your idea of compilers is using a functional language to create one.  yuck! 

another reason i find compilers interesting is the low level code generation and this is from my electrical engineering background - i was not CS in school.  in school, i had a grad-level class as a senior that was advanced VLSI.  we had to pick a semester long project so a group of 4 others and me chose to design our own microprocessor from scratch.  i designed the instruction set architecture, the 16 bit hardware multiplier, wrote about half of the RTL, etc.  We did RTL to layout in the design all full custom.  one team member wrote an assembler for the architecture so we could write rudimentary programs to test the CPU.  at the end of the day, it worked and we could do things with it.  in fact, i was so in the zone that i spent over 40 hours straight laying out that hardware multiplier using Magic VLSI polygon editor.  anyway, from working at such a low level like this, i could almost see all the bits moving around in the CPU since we designed it.  i found that to be extremely satisfying.  Taking this into compilers, you are writing in a language, translating that into machine code and then you see the bits moving around (figuratively).  the fact that you can write something in a very abstract fashion (computer language) and then have the computer understand that and do the instructions is really cool. 

to each his own i guess. 

PS:  why o why would you want to use Haskell?  Or ML?  i use a language similar to these at work and i hate it.  it has a whole different programming groove to it and it's hard to get your head wrapped around it.  i can see laziness as a benefit sometimes, but on the whole i think the programs written in those languages becomes very hard to read and maintain.
CaptainSpaulding71
Member
+119|6327|CA, USA

sergeriver wrote:

Maybe this is not what you want to do.  Ask yourself if it is.  I studied business and took the MBA just thinking of the money, not because I really liked this field.  I always liked architecture, but I was an asshole and went for the money.  I don't know but you could ask for help to a counselor at the Uni, they have this kind of people who can give you some advice just in case you are not sure about things.
how do you like the business field?  did you ever switch back to architecture?  is there a possible way to combine the fields?  are you happy with your current position?  i'd think the OP would be interested in answers to these kinds of questions since it would give them understanding into what happens in real life after few years at job doing something you maybe don't like to do.  kudos on the MBA.  you have more guts than I. 
sergeriver
Cowboy from Hell
+1,928|6727|Argentina

CaptainSpaulding71 wrote:

sergeriver wrote:

Maybe this is not what you want to do.  Ask yourself if it is.  I studied business and took the MBA just thinking of the money, not because I really liked this field.  I always liked architecture, but I was an asshole and went for the money.  I don't know but you could ask for help to a counselor at the Uni, they have this kind of people who can give you some advice just in case you are not sure about things.
how do you like the business field?  did you ever switch back to architecture?  is there a possible way to combine the fields?  are you happy with your current position?  i'd think the OP would be interested in answers to these kinds of questions since it would give them understanding into what happens in real life after few years at job doing something you maybe don't like to do.  kudos on the MBA.  you have more guts than I. 
Well, I'm happy with the money I make, I own two businesses, however I really don't like what I do.  After a few years doing it you get used to it.  The MBA isn't that great anyway.

Board footer

Privacy Policy - © 2024 Jeff Minard