Take our quiz to find out what your revision personality is! >>

Really struggling with college - what do I do?

I started college in September and it started out perfect. I got on really well with my classmates, and I was really enthusiastic about going. But only 2 months in and I already desperately want to leave the place.
My attendance is getting worse by the day, I'm having at least one day a week off and I really hate it. The workload is way too much at the best of times and no matter where I am, I can never knuckle down to do the assignments. I don't particularly like the tutors either, I don't understand why. I'm not really enjoying many of the units we do, except for maybe one. I feel really left out from everyone else, in fact I cried once because it felt really painfully obvious that not a single person in that class ever includes me in anything.

Reply 1

Funtimes01_

Hello.

I didn't really like college either. I got bullied periodically, didn't get on with one of my teachers, and suffered from really ill health towards the end. I did manage to get through it and got to Uni in the end though. So please don't lose hope.

Here's some advice I can give you from my experience of college:

First years who are 'different' may struggle to assimilate to college. Unfortunately in my experience you are given advanced level qualification work, but are still in a sort of secondary school like environment - hence social problems can arise from this for some as it did sometimes for me. The best thing I can recommend for this, is try to push through. I don't know what your aspirations are, whether you want to go to University or get an apprenticeship, but you'll need to get your grades to do either. So study to the best of your ability, and try to dissociate your negative experiences of the environment around you from the qualifications you are try to attain. They are external after all to what you need to do, and I wish I had have seen it like this when I was your age.

Try not to obsess over work load, but concentrate on getting through as much as you can.
If you are passing stuff right now with assignments and getting D-C grades, then I'd say you are in pretty good stead for the second half of the first year and the remainder of college. Remember, an E is a pass at A level. So keep trying to do the best you can, and make sure after lessons you are at least reviewing what you have done. That way you'll have a better chance of remembering it.

For motivation and interest in what you are doing, do a brief read around what you are doing. If you're doing a unit on behaviourism in psychology for example, have a look at some YouTube videos on it, or see if you can find some helpful websites or online academic sources surrounding the unit. Lack of interest, can sometimes revolve around lack of in depth understanding as, because of exams, teachers may tend to rush through the syllabus. Have a look for yourself into what you are doing, as this helped me particularly in my last year of college and at Uni too.

Last one, make sure you email your teachers and ask about the stuff you have missed. If they don't email back, CC the email to your form tutor and/or the head of section. That usually gets them to reply back if others get involved.

I really feel for you. I hope that things start looking up for you soon. If you want any further advice, please don't hesitate to let me know 🙂