Am I On The Right Course?

[wantonhalo]

So I've been living in California and studying at Berkeley for a little over two months now. And recently, a lot of things have really made me question my attendance here. Basically, my academic performance in classes so far is decidedly lackluster. This is due mainly to laziness/procrastination. I am actually trying pretty hard to improve on this

Comments

[wisemonkey]

I also did poorly in high school because I couldn't deal with the narrowness of the high school system, which seemed to be geared completely toward the end goal of grades. I chose my college (University of Rochester) because of the combination of no core requirements and lots of financial aid, and I ended up really enjoying it and being reasonably successful.

That said, the first semester of college is a bewildering time, and your feelings aren't uncommon at all. I certainly wouldn't conclude at this point that college isn't for you. Colleges need to do better at helping kids through this transition, and there are lots of resources on campus you can seek out to talk these things through (counselor, advisor, sympathetic professor, etc.) There are tons of fun things to do and infinite paths to take as a student, and you'll discover where you fit in in time.

It does concern me that you're taking on so much debt. I strongly feel you can get a good, fulfilling education without burying yourself in loans that will constrain your options for your entire early adulthood. Just make sure you understand all the numbers, and that there's nothing wrong with transferring to an in-state school.