starting to get seriously burnt out in college

[dlmvii]

Anyone else have this problem when they were in school?
I'm in my third year of a computer science degree, and every week seems to be getting worse.
I'm an ok student, about a 3.0-3.1, but my grades have been slipping more and more lately, which in turn makes college seem worse and worse.
I know I'll get done eventually and it'll be fine, but in the meantime, can anyone else relate?
I know asking for advice on such a thing is silly, so maybe i'm just venting.

[schi0249]

I hear you. My problem is I'm in my last semester. As long as I pass my classes (nothing worse than a C) I graduate.

[Zork]

I'm in the same position. I simply elected to take a semester or year off to recharge, I don't live on campus or anything and I've decided to go back home for a bit and just work to build up some money and blow off steam from school. My college is actually in town so this is incredibly convenient to me.

[sneth]

it doesnt matter if you hate college, hate what you are studying, or if you are out of money.

you finish college.
if you can stomach it, you get an advanced degree
and you do it right away without "breaks"

would you rather suffer through college, or go the rest of life full of regret and average salary...?

i wish i finished my advanced degree, and i regret it every day. I'm doing PhD level work now, but it took me 8 years to get here.

[Flashman85]

I've certainly been there. I agree with sneth that it's absolutely worth the effort to keep at it, but there are so many things you can do so that you don't have to suffer, or at least not nearly as much.

Three things I've found that helped me:

- Do something totally different and out of the ordinary. Go on a road trip, hang out with people you never see, start a writing journal, show up to some club or event you've never attended; whatever.

- If you spend a lot of time alone, get out and have some real conversations with people. Over lunch, coffee, late-night movie--anything will do. Or, if you're around people all the time, lock yourself away somewhere quiet for a while. This kinda falls under "do something totally different," but oh, well.

- Set some sort of goal or challenge for yourself that has absolutely nothing to do with school. Try to watch every movie in the school library and see how far you get. Concentrate on a single personal flaw and try to fix it. Learn how to moonwalk. Anything.

Or, if you wanna get a little more philosophical, ask yourself this: Am I intellectually, physically, spiritually, and emotionally satisfied with my life? Perhaps thinking on a broader scope about where you are and aren't happy will guide you.

[Ack]

Hey chief, I went through the same thing during my undergraduate years, and even as I work on my Masters, certain weeks I just feel really burned out. But keep your chin up, it's worth it to see it through. Spring break is coming up for you, and then summer's not too far away. We're over the hump at this point, and even if you aren't, March and April have always seemed to fly by to me.

Maybe consider doing something else during the summer. I don't know if taking a year off would be a good idea, as I know some people that did that and never came back, but a semester can do a world of good sometimes. Also, how friendly are you with your professors? If there's one that you're taking that you're on really good terms with, go talk to him about it and see what he suggests. Most likely he's seen folks in your position before, and he might have some good advice.

[Jrecee]

I had gone insane by the end of my junior year in highschool.

[Mozgus]

would you rather suffer through college, or go the rest of life full of regret and average salary...?

That's kind of offensive. Some of us have no interest or need to amass a huge fortune, and we just want to enjoy our lives. I'm tired of people acting like college is the only hard step in a life of "success". College is nothing but preparation for the kind of pressure and stress you're setting yourself up for in some high power career. Not everyone wants to spend their prime years that way.

I had gone insane by the end of my junior year in highschool.

As did I, that's why I dropped out during that year and got my diploma through a much better program.

[JimMiller]

This sounds very familiar. I'm also in my last semester of a Psychology degree at university (I'm in the UK) and am finding it very hard going. I'm up for most of the night, every night (it's 4.20 am now and I've had enough) and am trying to get an essay on Cognitive Neuropsychology out of the way which is due on Monday. This is to say nothing of the thesis I have 7 weeks to complete, coursework for another module and two more exams to revise for.

This wouldn't be too bad if I were a younger guy living on my own(which is when I should have done it), but I'm 29 now have a wife and three children to consider. My youngest is only 7 weeks old too and he was born a week before my last two exams This is all pretty rough on my wife, which leaves me feeling permanently guilty as I'm needing to spend so much time studying. I'm sure others can relate and I'm only going into all this to let you know that you're not alone. There are plenty of us going through this at the same time. But it will be worth it and you will get through it. Don't beat yourelf up too much on the grades either, it's a shame as this is when it counts most but just consider that these things usually become more difficult in the final year. My grades have also dipped slightly, but the work is harder so this is normal.

Hope this helps you feel a bit better

[vash23n]

yikes, its definitely hard. i went to undergrad for 2 years and then got my masters and really got burnt out... i hated it and put about half the effort i should have into everything... i realized it was mainly because i was studying something i wasnt really interested in. about halfway through graduate school i realized i liked working with animals so i started working at a vet hospital and volunteering with wildlife. now im back in school studying to be a biologist and i love every minute of it.

so, in sum, are you studying the right thing for you? i switched majors like 12 times, which is why i ended up an extra year in undergrad... and i still decided it wasnt what i wanted to do.

i also agree with moz about college not being for everyone... i work with other vet techs who never went to school and they make the same amount as those who did (techs not actual vets). i also have a lot of respect for vocational schools. i heard this is more popular in europe than the here (USA) where it always gets kind of a bad rap because so many people think college is the only respectable path. you will find (if you are young) that hardly anyone does things the "normal" way where they know what they want to do from the start and get a degree in 4 years. most people go extra years now, a lot take semesters or years off, many go to vocational schools, and MANY just start working right away and do very well for themselves.

do what you love! thats the main point. when i was growing up i heard from adults about how hard life would be and that i would be miserable most of the time and that i should just get through college whether i liked it or not because the only goal in life was to go to work so you could make money, come home, go to sleep, and start over the next day... bullshit man. why go through school doing something i hate and work somewhere i hate... i always did what i wanted, i took the classes i wanted, i got the job i wanted... if it sucked (and i put in a genuine effort) i switched (even after earning a masters). im happy everyday and doing something i love (including school, but thats just me).

ps - i am 27 and married and it does make it harder, which is why i go part-time now.