i really messed up..... after 4 years of college, only 2 of my eight semesters here have been any good. i have a tiny handful of credits that actually count towards my major.

i just had my advising appointment for next semester, and it was a new guy, so he just sat there and read aloud all my classes and how many times i had to fail some of them before passing...... humiliating. he just acted so shocked at my transcript... there's nothing i'm more ashamed of than my transcript. it was horrible. i mean, i guess i needed a dose of reality, but that was too much.

i'm not going to graduate for another 3-ish years. that's seven years for my undergrad. and we're not even sure i can get my GPA up high enough to be admitted to teacher ed.... so i might take longer. i'm thinking about giving up on music ed and changing schools, since i can't help but associate this school with failure.

i really hate myself for letting this happen. i just need to hear someone say that 7 years isn't the end of the world, and that i haven't destroyed my life before it even started.

its never too late to start over :)

It is definatly NOT the end of the worls...and you have not destroyed your life before it has even started!!

Good luck!!

and p.s. i hate advisors...they are so unhelpful..and in your case, just plain mean!

Keep your chin up girl! I'm in the same boat as you are. Right now I've been to 3 universities/colleges, might be 4 this summer. On probation and have a pretty crummy GPA. On the bright side, I started taking meds (just got diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type) this semester, and things seem to be turning around.

i really messed up..... after 4 years of college, only 2 of my eight semesters here have been any good. i have a tiny handful of credits that actually count towards my major.

i just had my advising appointment for next semester, and it was a new guy, so he just sat there and read aloud all my classes and how many times i had to fail some of them before passing...... humiliating. he just acted so shocked at my transcript... there's nothing i'm more ashamed of than my transcript. it was horrible. i mean, i guess i needed a dose of reality, but that was too much.

i'm not going to graduate for another 3-ish years. that's seven years for my undergrad. and we're not even sure i can get my GPA up high enough to be admitted to teacher ed.... so i might take longer. i'm thinking about giving up on music ed and changing schools, since i can't help but associate this school with failure.

i really hate myself for letting this happen. i just need to hear someone say that 7 years isn't the end of the world, and that i haven't destroyed my life before it even started.Is it possibly the actual school that isn't helping you. I mean the surrroundings, etc? People? There are other factors besides our ADHD that influence how we work, so make sure you check out all influences in where you actually perform your work/study. All impact on us in differing ways.

What are you aiming to do at the end of your study? Teach music or perform?

7 Years is not a waste of time. ;) I really wish you well!

AltoClariTone, if you really want to be a teacher you can do it! :)

The advisor that you saw is a JERK, and should be dismissed.



step 1
Have you been thoughly tested for ADD? If not get further testing by a Qualified certified professional, exspecially if it been a long time since your orginal test. Do not go to your regular medical doctor, find a professional with experiance in adult Learning disorders. Ask for a referral anonymously from one of the professors in the Education Dept. that teaches special ed.;)

step 2
Go to your school's office for Students with Disabilties, and ask them for their advise on who to talk to in advising. From now on talk only to that advisor, and nobody else. Also register with that office for services, and for your academic protection. "books on tape" " extra time on exams" tutors ect.

step 3
Ask him/her if there is any type of Academic Fresh Start policy :rolleyes: at your college. This might allow them to erase your records. You might have to change schools. If you do have to start at another college, I would go to your local school board office or school, and ask them which colleges are they hiring from.

step 4
Are you sure you want to be a teacher? YES/NO, either way ask your new advisor if you can take the Myers Briggs, and STRONG career interests tests. These tests are often availble online, and can give you some insight into your career choices. Also have a good friend fill out the test with their perception of you. This will help you to see if there was any bias in your answers. Keep the results, you could use them when applying to your major.:rolleyes:

step 5
The Academic Fresh Start policy will also impact Financial AID at some colleges. Make an appointment to talk to the head of the F.A. department. Ask them for their advice on what to do in your situation.

:) :) Keep a Diary, copy everything, ask for copies, get CC on all emails, and print all correspondence

Trust me 7 years is not that bad. I am on 6 and I only have an AS degree and working on another one of those....no BS yet! I am at my 4th college and finally getting somewhere. One thing I have learned to accept with this ADD is that sometimes things do take longer then I wanted to get done. That is just the way it is. Hang in there and keep visiting here for our help!

I seem to remember when I went to school that most (non-ADD) people took at least 5 years to do teacher ed... I think if you follow some of the suggestions in this thread, and consider meds, you can do it with no problem. :)

BTW, I clicked on this because next semester, I'm literally going to be a professional student... a TA... hehe. ;)

thank you all for the support.... my friends have been kind of crappy lately, so i don't hear much encouragement.

i've been diagnosed for a long time, and i've been registered with disability services for awhile. unfortunately, part of my problem was a sleep disorder, which they can't provide an accomodation for. i've finally been diagnosed with delayed sleep phase syndrome, though, and that's getting better.

i'm looking into changing schools...... i'm increasingly miserable here. but then i'd be in school for another 4 years instead of 3. and dad is retiring in a year, so i don't even know how i'll pay for college after next year. i just want to start a real life.

i went and talked to disability today, and it was actually ok. she gave me a number of a ADD counselor that's actually in the same town as me (it's a small town....) and i'm making an appointment to see him this week. i'm also going to start seeing someone on campus that can help me get more organized (organization is the root of all my problems) so maybe i'll be ok.

AltoClariTone
Hang in there! Don't beat yourself up (other people will do that for you anyway). It took me 10 years to finally finish undergrad. Now I'm onto my 2nd masters degree. Follow the very sensible steps from CharlieG above & hang in there, you can do it!
Cheers :)

Alto you've written my biography. I'm also considering moving to a different school. I have personally been struggling with the question, "Am I moving on, or running away?"

That was before I started dealing with my ADD. I think it's perfectly logical to start anew. I won't be able to do that until I'm sure I've found healthy ways to get through a semester or two. Otherwise it's just the same thing, different place.

Good luck!

I'll just chip in; 7 years really isn't that bad. I'm graduating this spring, myself, with an Honours BA in history. I was diagnosed with ADD this past October, though I'd suspected I might have it for 6 months prior. I'm still working out meds; my psychiatrist has seen people get overmedicated for it too much so he's playing it slow and careful; I'm on Wellbutrin daily and generic Ritalin at night to help me sleep. We're still changing the meds every month or so, though, since I'm not working much better yet.

That's just to set the stage; I'm professionally diagnosed, I lived without knowing through most of my college career, and I am graduating. That's the important bits.

Now, I'm graduating this spring with an Honours BA. That's a 4 year program. I am 27. That's 8 years since high school. Do the math; that's 4 years "wasted". Not all of it was full-time school; I worked for a year full-time in there, and another year part-time while attending school part-time. It works out to about 2.5 years of university that was wasted time.

I'm still graduating, though. The last three years (I had about 1 year of transferable credits from my old campus) have been pretty serious, and I had enough figured out to get through with good grades; my GPA is somewhere near the 3.5 mark. Does this mean my grades were always good? No, my first year, my GPA was 0.82. I'm doing better in school now than I have since elementary school.

Believe me when I say this; a couple years that aren't useful won't kill you. However, I strongly suggest you take some time and figure out what you want to do. My experience tells me that getting a degree in something you love is hard as hell. Getting one in something you're "eh" about is dang near impossible. On the good side, if you find that right thing, you can do amazing things when you get pushed to the edge. I (and I'm not proud of this) basically wrote my Honours thesis in 3 days. Didn't sleep that last night. Got it done, though, and I'm very happy with it. The thesis defense is in two days, so we'll see how that goes.

Also; I support changing schools. I did, and the fresh-start feeling of knowing all those failed/withdrawn courses no longer exist as far as your record goes is incredibly liberating. It'll also give you the ability to get a decent GPA, if you've failed some courses or gotten poor marks because your head wasn't in the right place.

Best of luck. Don't let people push you into thinking you need a degree, either, if that isn't what you want. Degrees aren't necessary today, to be well-off. You want money? Be a plumber, or other tradesman. Shorter school, work that will always be in demand, and much better money than anything you'll get with a BA. I'm of the firm opinion that there are lots of people in university who really shouldn't be there, because it isn't what they want and they won't get anything worthwhile.

"no one can make you feel inferior without your consent"
-eleanor roosevelt
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"with enough courage, you can do without a reputation"
-rhett butler, gone with the wind
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Hi Altoclaritone. Sounds to me that you have a lot of drive and a willing spirit. Read the signatures you put on the bottom of your profile! Don't let anybody discourage you and please do not despair or give up. Your education counts for everything, and if you need to have a certain degree to go where your heart leads you...then I hope you continue. I gave up just short of my degree and have beaten myself up for years. Stop the negative self talk today..
because it gets you nowhere.

If your friends are being crappy that is a problem...but it's theirs. I am sure if they were having the same difficulties, you would not be judgemental or discouraging. Also, you need to think...if you are being this hard on yourself, you may be misreading them. I have a tendancy to do this when I'm down. Be strong :)

Hugs,
Annie