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i had to drop out of college after my freshman year. i had to finish the year at home because i was so depressed. at first, i was so upset with myself, and tried to hold myself to an impossible standard. i never thought i would ever drop out of college, i ended up taking a semester off and transferring somewhere new. even though i took 6 months off, i graduated on time and felt so much better. putting yourself first, especially your mental health is always the right call. life is anything but linear, and thatâs a wonderful thing.
May 30, 2025
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đi took two "gap" semesters, but instead of focusing on my mental health i went ahead and worked part time and took a few classes at a community college...unsurprisingly i still struggled when i went back to school
i would say if you do take a gap semester for your mental health, ONLY focus on improving that. go to a therapist, rest, do light exercise, and develop healthy coping mechanisms for whatever things you were struggling with doing school full time.
i so wish i prioritized that, because i feel i would've suffered a lot less during my undergrad.
cons would be: interrupting your studying momentum would be the only thing i can think of? there is a stereotype of students taking gap semesters and just not returning but i know of more who did return than didn't
because i took two semesters off i was a year behind my friends and that kinda sucked but more because i was sad about how things played out for me
good luck! you deserve rest and good mental health! you're still very young so take the time you need!
i would say if you do take a gap semester for your mental health, ONLY focus on improving that. go to a therapist, rest, do light exercise, and develop healthy coping mechanisms for whatever things you were struggling with doing school full time.
i so wish i prioritized that, because i feel i would've suffered a lot less during my undergrad.
cons would be: interrupting your studying momentum would be the only thing i can think of? there is a stereotype of students taking gap semesters and just not returning but i know of more who did return than didn't
because i took two semesters off i was a year behind my friends and that kinda sucked but more because i was sad about how things played out for me
good luck! you deserve rest and good mental health! you're still very young so take the time you need!
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đȘŽi had a similar mindset to you coming into college where i wanted to achieve a lot. it's important to have that ambition earlier on, as it can propel you to improve yourself.
at the same time, don't get disheartened if things don't work out the first time around. i had a lot of issues in my first two years chasing after this idea of "lifelong college friends", and it's only after i stopped chasing and focused on myself that i was able to build some stronger friendships. engage with your hobbies and the things you like to do - people with similar interests can be found there.
be flexible and open - have a list of priorities for the day, and engage in "productive procrastinating" where you procrastinate on something by doing an unrelated productive thing (like taking a break from an essay and cleaning up my room). i split my time between career prep, clubs, and other engagements using this tactic.
it's a time of a lot of change, but you got this. good luck :)
at the same time, don't get disheartened if things don't work out the first time around. i had a lot of issues in my first two years chasing after this idea of "lifelong college friends", and it's only after i stopped chasing and focused on myself that i was able to build some stronger friendships. engage with your hobbies and the things you like to do - people with similar interests can be found there.
be flexible and open - have a list of priorities for the day, and engage in "productive procrastinating" where you procrastinate on something by doing an unrelated productive thing (like taking a break from an essay and cleaning up my room). i split my time between career prep, clubs, and other engagements using this tactic.
it's a time of a lot of change, but you got this. good luck :)
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đȘ€I wasted a lot of time overfour years in college because I wasnât there for any particular reason. So step one in preparing for college is to want to go to college.
Another thing is to know âyouâll find your peopleâ isnt quite right. You can find your people but you have to look for them! Try lots of things and meet lots of people.
Balancing your people and your studies comes down to discipline. I donât think thereâsa universal answer to that. If youâre in a nerdy major at a nerdy school, itâll be easier than if youâre taking sociology at Arizona State or whatever a big party school is nowadays.
I think failing is a valuable part of college. Whether thatâs literally getting an F or just not getting the grade you want or the person you want, etc. Just like itâs a great place to meet people, itâs a pretty safe place to make mistakes as you figure things out. Especially because youâre surrounded by other people doing the sane thing! No one knows how theyâll do at college, you just figure it out.
I recommend watching the Psychology ofWell Being before you go. Itâs free on Coursera and is a popular course from Yale that teaches important things about what does and doesnât make us happy, and how our minds trick us into emphasizing the wrong things. Itâs really good!
Another thing is to know âyouâll find your peopleâ isnt quite right. You can find your people but you have to look for them! Try lots of things and meet lots of people.
Balancing your people and your studies comes down to discipline. I donât think thereâsa universal answer to that. If youâre in a nerdy major at a nerdy school, itâll be easier than if youâre taking sociology at Arizona State or whatever a big party school is nowadays.
I think failing is a valuable part of college. Whether thatâs literally getting an F or just not getting the grade you want or the person you want, etc. Just like itâs a great place to meet people, itâs a pretty safe place to make mistakes as you figure things out. Especially because youâre surrounded by other people doing the sane thing! No one knows how theyâll do at college, you just figure it out.
I recommend watching the Psychology ofWell Being before you go. Itâs free on Coursera and is a popular course from Yale that teaches important things about what does and doesnât make us happy, and how our minds trick us into emphasizing the wrong things. Itâs really good!
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nothing touches my soul deeper than the sound of music. all of the women in my family have cherished the movie forever, and i grew up listening to the music. everytime i hear that opening song, i cry and am flooded with pure and unadulterated joy. iâm convinced my nana is in fact maria, making it that much sweeter for me. a perfect film that makes me believe that musicals are the closest thing we have to magic.
