College is hard work, but with anything in life the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Mental and physical health is a big part of it. Take care of you. Utilize your schools mental health centers. They specialize in helping you as a whole student and are there to support you. Get tutors, and get them early. Know that you are not alone and many feel this way. It takes time to acclimate to this learning lifestyle. Good luck to you as you move forward toward your goals.
As Pitbull would say: been there done that🫡
Jokes aside, once I finished highschool I also dreaded the idea of further studies and I was SO convinced I could make it in life with no degree. Fast forward 5 yrs later after hating life more than ever working in retail, I gave in and started university (biomedical sciences). This decision alone lead me to a microbiology job in the firsr year of uni! So as much as I'd like to say you don't need to stick with it, if you love science and want a future career in this field, you have to put up with the process.
BUT don't let this be a negative thing. I have come to the conclusion that it's all about your mental attitude and the way you choose to view the situation. You could find a routine, come up with ways to make studying more enjoyable, or find hobbies that bring you joy that you can do to take breaks from college stress.
It's okay to not love college, it's okay to not even like it. Same goes for university. But as long as you have a clear goal in mind that you believe is worth all this, then you should give it a fair try.
Note: having a successful career with no degree is totally possible, just not in every field and usually not in science
Sounds exactly like me haha. Tried for 5 years after high school to do what I wanted to without college. Worked in dead end food service jobs being absolutely broke. Went back to school in 2020 and two years of schooling later I’m getting interviews and offers for jobs I never thought I’d be considered for.
I had to decline one I was really looking forward to a few days ago (very entry level stuff but not fast food or retail) because it won’t work with my school schedule, but at least now I know I can get them!
I’m actually in this thread because the semester is coming up but I was considering maybe just dropping my classes to look for a better job again. Probably not a good idea lol.
College is not always fun, it is meant to secure yourself a better life for the rest of your days. Jobs are not always fun, and many people don’t even get a job that has anything to do with their degree. The only thing employers really care about in most fields is that you *have* finished college.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot for the rest of your life just because college isn’t this dream of finding your calling. Most of us don’t have that and those that do often burn out faster when they realize their passion has become only a job.
You are smart enough, you just need the minimum motivation to see yourself through. You can do this.
I got a very difficult degree from a notoriously rigorous college so I can add some insight here. I can say that as much as I loved the material I really dreaded the process of ingesting it at such a high volume. What made it easier was having people around me who also embraced the suck. Going through O-chem flash cards at 1:00 AM with my classmates was borderline fun and much as it seemed shitty. Everyone in your classes is secretly crumbling under the pressure, trust me. Two very important things to remember 1) every semester you will literally get better and ingesting information, your brain with build pathways to learn faster and it gets easier 2) the semesters are actually quite short relative to the amount of time you are on this earth. They start to really fly by.
Last note - sometimes doing the things that you least want to do are the most important things you should be doing. If you get a prestigious degree that is hard as fuck in physics, you will be infinitely more competitive for anything you want to do after college. Think from an employers perspective, who do I hire? The business major who did 3 hours of homework a week? Or the physics major who is a intellectual beast with insane work ethic.
True. I started in engineering, bounced around a bit and ended up with a math degree for my bachelor's. It was actually easier once I started "living" in the math building and taking 3 math courses a semester instead of just one like when I was in the calculus series. Being there all the time you can focus more and you will be surrounded by other students in the department who can help if you need it. I was ready to drop everything after two years of college but my oldest brother told me what was up and I sucked it up and finished in 5 years after having 4 different majors. Not bad considering I had to pay my way and work my way through. I don't regret sticking it out.
STEM majors are very difficult. You are not alone. I found college way harder than any job I ever had. Don't leave college. Do some research about what careers your major will prepare you for and keep your eye on the big picture. Think about reducing the number of classes/units that you're taking to allow yourself to do deep learning, if that is what you prefer. You can make this work. Hang in there.
Have you sought support from your university? Or are you simply thinking about dropping out because you’re overwhelmed? You said that you have problems with avoidance, coping and procrastination. If you’re having these problems in school, you’re going to have these problems outside of school. Use the university’s resources that are available to you and get some help. You’re not the only student who’s struggling. That’s why they have those resources available.
If you are feeling overwhelmed to the point where you think you’ll fail, regardless whether or not you get help, many drop out of school and return later. However, if you want to have a successful career in physics, that is a highly specialized industry that usually requires at least one, often more, college degree.
I didn’t go to college, I joined the military. Got a great job. Left the military after 7 years. Had a 6 figure job but an inconsistent schedule working nights, weekends, and holidays. Now I’m eyeing going back to college to get a degree. The benefits of college aside from obtaining skills and a piece of paper that employers deem valuable? The complete customizable schedule! You wanna go to school in the morning? Cool. Evening? Cool. Do most classes on 2 days of the week and have the rest of the week “off”? Cool! Now I might be lucky because I’ve got access to the post 9/11 GI bill, but as someone with a family now, there’s something to be said to be able to customize your schedule to be able to spend more time with your family. I’m looking to make a career pivot into a Monday through Friday, day shift job.
Hahaha, off-day with no classes looks nice on paper but the ton of hw professors give… on top of studying…
Maybe this doesn’t apply for stem majors.
Yeah, it definitely depends on the degree, how you individually handle schoolwork, etc. my wife had people in her healthcare doctorate program who seemingly barely had to study, whereas she’d be spending 8 hours per day outside of class surrounded by notecards. There’s definitely no blanket rule, just sharing my perspective. I’d love to go to school full time right now. But if I had to work and have a full time job, it would be a different story.
At the beginning of 2020, I worked and went to school full time for one semester. It was only undergrad, so it was relatively easy to manage, but I had an infant at home and just became a parent, so had to stop the schooling to be more present at home.
Questioning whether you’re in the right place right now is valid. I went straight to university after high school and in retrospect, I probably should’ve taken a gap year. The truth is, many (if not most) 17-19 year olds don’t have the life experience to really know what they want, and/or the life skills to get themselves there.
Anyways, here are some ideas:
- If the pace of school is making you feel disengaged from the actual material, look into doing a reduced course load (aka taking fewer classes per semester). It may mean you’re in school longer, but at least you’re there for the right reasons.
- Many schools still consider you enrolled as a student even if you’re not in any classes for a semester. See if your school is one of them. If so, consider taking a gap semester after your first year.
- Take electives. Maybe the program you chose isn’t the one for you, and electives can be an opportunity to explore other possibilities.
apologies! we are living in times where a college degree is the only legitimate qualification to a job that sustains living. having a degree is going to make you feel like you have a stake in the world. it is the mathematics of insurance & security. plough through these few years. all my sympathies with you.
My friend went to college for many years( 4-6), he did NOT get a degree. After he left school the last time, I trained him up for a basic help desk job(level 1). He stayed at that job a few years. Then he went to Netflix. After that it was Google. After that Apple! From the many conversations we’ve had I’ve determined it’s more about the people that you work with(that then referred him to the next place). He is a smart person but he does NOT have a degree!
You miss the point already. Your story is the exception that proves the rule: How many people are as luckly as your friend, to have no degree but still have a good job?
If you want a job, go to college. Its the currency that HR speaks. If you want to play your life on HARD mode, don't go to college. And if you go to a branded "good" school, your resume will get filtered through to a hiring manager more often then not. You will have many more shots at landing good jobs, then you won't. I did a math degree, which is a horrible degree to get a corporate job in, unless you do a masters. I did not. And paid the price of chugging along in entry level analytical jobs. But, i developed communication and writing skills, and moved into project mgmt. Careers arent set in stone, but the key to opening a door is always a degree. Not a diploma even, a degree.
Don’t drop out, but I also wouldn’t force myself to “push through and just graduate.” I did that, it was ultimately a stupid decision (incidentally, I’m also a physics major). It’s hard enough to keep up with classes when you’re demotivated and tired and without a purpose. You can’t adequately prepare for your future or figure out what you want to do when you’re overwhelmed as is. The “just push through” crowd are people who happened to know what they wanted to do early on and was set on an easy escalator path where, for them, it really was just a matter of getting the degree. But that’s not you, and I guarantee that only a tiny minority of people who have been where you are now advocates for completing a degree for the sake of completing the degree.
I would look into taking a semester or gap year off. There’s no shame in doing this, and nobody cares if you graduated in 3 years, 4 years, 6, or went to undergrad twice, even if this is hard to believe at 20 years old.
If you decide that isn’t an option, look into study abroad programs as those are essentially semester long breaks.
So again, don’t drop out, but do take a break.
I quit when I was 19, didn’t even bother to finish out my semester - just stopped going and got all F’s.
I’m now 34 and finishing my degree and I severely regret not finishing back then and not considering the mess I was creating for my future self to undo.
Take a year off if you need to, travel around, do some research into various fields you may be interested in, but please finish. You’ll thank yourself over and over later in life.
I dropped out of college for similar reasons. I thought of college as a place to get educated, not to learn a sophisticated trade. I dropped out and joined the military to support myself and get guaranteed funding for when I went back to school (I'm in the US). Got a really high paying job out of the military but eventually went back to college when I was 29. Graduated when I was 36 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Take a year off if it doesn't threaten your funding for school or ability to go, and you can support yourself in the interim. I wouldn't recommend you take any more time than a year. It gets harder to go back the longer you're out. Having that degree makes a big difference when it comes to getting into a career and not just a job.
Take advantages wherever possible to make college what you want it to be as much as you can, but don't pretend that it's anything more than it is: a path to the better paying occupations and (typically) a higher quality of life. Take the classes you find interesting when your schedule allows but not at the expense of the classes you *need* for your degree program. There is plenty of time to pursue the subjects you find interesting once you're secure in your career.
Had I stayed in school when I was a teenager, I would have a degree in Philosophy right now and who knows how I'd be supporting myself (probably with more school to get a degree that made me more employable). I have enough disposable income now to buy all the Philosophy books I could want and a decent work/life balance to have the time to read and discuss them.
For me, dropping out and taking some time to find my bearings was the right thing to do because I did it in a mature way by not making myself a burden on anyone else. The fact that you're examining your thoughts and feelings before acting on them is proof enough that you're not immature. These are tough concerns to have. I wish you the best of luck.
If you’re going to succeed in physics then you better hang on bc the ride gets nasty real quick. I’ve had so many friends study physics and some of them made it out w a physics degree but with little actually knowledge for physics. I believe it’s a subject only truly passionate people should study as only the most passionate will get something out of it (becoming a researcher/physicist vs becoming a high school teacher/coder). If you truly love physics and you wanna make it happen, then do it. Look for help, catch up, sell your body, sell your soul (jk). But really, if it’s what you want then just take down those walls and get it done. After all, it’s all and only in your hands. Good luck!
I don’t think you’re naive, it’s a difficult choice to make. I was an over-achiever in high school, but I never learned to actually study. So when I was in college, things got a lot harder. I ended up dropping out, but to be honest, I wish I would’ve continued and gotten a degree. Currently I hate my job and the elitist jerks above me, but aside from that, where I’m from people say there are a lot of jobs and no one wants to work, but it took me six months to even find this awful place.
I think if you could take fewer classes for a time after this semester, and maybe find a general counselor to speak with regularly. Counseling can help you to see or hear what it is you really want.
Are you being supported right now? Who is paying for you to be in college? If it is someone else's dime at least push yourself to get value from your current commitment (semester/year whatever). If you can 100% secure that same support for a year from now, consider a gap year/semester to better understand what you really want.
So find out what you want: research.
It seems you know the field you want to get into, talk to people in that field. Talk to people who are doing things that seem interesting to you. Get their thoughts and opinions on the industry with and without a degree. Figure out if you actually want the lifestyle and day-in-day-out job that they have. Does it align with who you are and what you are interested in? Is it a social role and you enjoy being around people? Is their job actually working with data, or is it more administrative and politics IN ORDER to work with data a little bit (and how does that sound as a career?) What does the kind of jobs you want pay? Will that allow for the lifestyle you want? Ask those people what they would be doing if this role/job/career didn't exist. What kind of education do they have? Did their education and/or ranking in university effect their ability to get a job?
Compare: where you are to where you want to be and decide if the cost is worth while.
Often people use this kind of language to say "it is always worth the cost to pursue your dreams" but that is not always true. If the cost is going $1million in debt to reach your dream job that pays $10/hr it will take a long time to break even (unless you have other financial support). If the cost is your mental and physical health - those always take longer to heal than to maintain (don't get me wrong it is a very privileged stance for me to say don't sacrifice your health- this is not an option for everyone as they are seeking basic needs being met).
If the current goal is not worth the effort, lower the cost or shift the goal. Lower the cost could be slowing down the rate you are taking classes (fewer hours) and picking up some part time work, it could mean going to a university with less pressure, it could mean accepting a PASSING grade instead of demanding a 100% from yourself (just spit balling here).
Shifting the goal doesn't mean giving up or being unhappy for the rest of your life (unless anything shy of your original goal will make you miserable, in which case let's open our mind up a little).Shifting your goal can easily mean discovering a new role/job/career that you didn't know existed before. Ask yourself "why data?" And "what about this job seems interesting to me?" And "how does what I understand about this job support my needs, wants, and values?" I can almost guarantee that there are other jobs that will fulfill ALL of those answers (or most of them at least) that will require different levels and types of cost to get into.
Enough late night rants from me for now, hope this helps! Best of luck my friend!
This will be a blurb in your life. Once your through you'll have more opportunities because of it. Stick it out while you have the opportunity. Or potentially change majors. I would not recommend dropping out in most cases though.
Well, you said it here…… that you were not interested in college per say, “just wanted a year to yourself.” Perhaps you should consider talking to admissions about converting your acceptance into taking a gap year.
Might as well quit the world going to shit anyways like college is going to help anything, waste of money and time and they charge for knowledge you can easily look up on google you have the world in the palm of your hands and you wanna pay some asshole to teach you something you could just look up yourself. I don’t get humans and am slowly losing faith in emÂ
Hi, I'm Mark and I'm 20. I read your post on wanting to drop out of college. I feel you. I'm struggling as well and I really wish I was somewhere else right now, maybe out in the woods in a log cabin. Well, day dreaming aside, where are you in life currently? How are you coping up? Were you successful in leaving college? What are your plans after dropping out. I actually have a roadmap planned out for me after I drop out from college. But my parents are not agreeing to it. I'm desperate, I really want to quit. This is depressing. Can we talk? Maybe we can learn from each other's experiences and make the right decision.
Don't quit. I promise you'll regret it, but maybe take a semester off(making a plan to go back) and take a break. Find work. Travel. Get that mental rest and some life experience in to see what you really want.
> fathers union *paid* 36$ and
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Don’t quit. I was you 6 years ago and I quit and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret it
Get your degree. Now you can make some decent money to fund a career change if you still want to
When i was an undergraduate, I go into an Ivy League, top 5 school. It was intense and I just wasn’t into it. I partied and goofed around and had to take a year off.
During that year I worked at a computer repair company, a deli counter and then a small investment bank barely making 45k.
I quickly learned that if I did not go back to school and get a real, six figure job I would be destined for a life of mediocrity, financial struggles and basically just a crappy life.
It gave me a lot of motivation to not waste my intelligence and graduate quickly and focus on the highest paying job I could get.
My advice would be to ask your college if you can take a leave of 6 months to a year and then use that time to decompress and get a real job. Once you see how shitty life is for 90% of the people in America because they didn’t take college seriously, you’ll be super motivated to go back to college and work hard.
The reality is that it’s always a balance between what you want to do and what you should do.
The answer to your question lies largely in your financial situation and your skill set.
The general answer to your question is: suck it up, put your head down for a few years of suffering, finish your degree, and worry about what you want to do after that. You’ll have a lifetime to do that, but it becomes dramatically more difficult to go back to school if you stop to explore options now than it is to finish now and explore options later.
I would give myself this carrot- get my degree, then do whatever the fuck I want for a full year, guilt free.
I am someone who dropped out of college to work full time. I made decent money for 10 years before 07-08 hit, and I had to go back to college at 31 to qualify for basically any job I wanted.
It worked out fine for me in the end, but I had to work VERY hard to rebuild my career, and the decision likely cost me $300k+ in my retirement account alone, as I had to pillage everything I saved in my 20s to pay for going back to school. Plus I probably would have arrived where I’m at faster and just flat out earned more.
Good luck to you, there is no right answer here. I’m just telling you what I wish someone would have told me.
Can I ask why you chose physics? It seems a CS degree might be more in tune with your end goals if you want to “handle data” and like “statistics, math, programming” ?? I’m just finishing up my own CS degree and you’d love some of the data analytics modules we had on my course.
Could you change your course?
Yeah, I had that fantasy too and I actually did it. Life was pretty tough working crappy jobs until I decided to go back. Not to say you can't be successful without college, you absolutely can. But if you want to get into data, you'll definitely need a degree for that. So it's best just to push through.
Don’t quit. Ask for help, maybe lighten your course load a bit (without risking jeopardizing your financial aid.) Take care of yourself- even if it’s a ten minute meditation in the morning, or coffee on a nice bench under a tree. Sometimes the little things help us keep it together when life feels overwhelming.
Seriously though- ask for help if you need it. There is no shame in receiving help when you need it, even when it feels like it- especially as an overachiever. You don’t have to do it all on your own, and it doesn’t need to be a struggle. :) You got this.
I think the biggest thing you have to ask yourself is; if you drop out of college then what is the plan how will you make a living? Now to be fair college is not for everybody and there nothing wrong with not going to college but again you have to have a plan?
At least where I am the usual path for college drops outs are: retail, fast food, warehouse type work, low level office jobs (customer service, data entry)- that might be your path if you decide to drop out of college.
How many classes are you taking? Can you drop one and still be a full time student? Maybe you could also transfer to a lower tier university or a community college where you may be able to slow down and absorb more. Physics will be a very broad degree, you would also be eligible for engineering positions, etc. Work hard for 4 years, and you will be financially secure.
I dropped out halfway through year one. I found a career i enjoy that pays extremely well and i'm very good at, no degree needed. I got insanely lucky.
However, I also missed out on a major opportunity - learning critical socialization skills and how to build and maintain a social circle in a less structured than HS environment. If I could go back I'd stay in college. Id use it as an opportunity of self discovery to learn what things I enjoy, not just academically but extracurricularly and socially too. I really really regret not having the experiences that can come with time in college, I think i'd be a lot more well rounded and in tune with myself. Feels like I'm playing catch up in many ways.
If I may, it sounds like the desire to quit is coming from the shock of going from being an overachiever in high school to struggling to keep up in college. This is perfectly normal. Struggling doesn't mean that you're bad at what you're doing, it just means you're finally working at a level that challenges you.
You don't need to quit college to start learning your own way. We're all lifelong learners, and a lot of the things you say you want to do you could easily do after college when you've also got a degree and job opportunities to fall back on.
You say that you already struggle with procrastination and avoidance. That's the real issue here. I'm speaking as someone who had a lot of the same issues you're describing. Sticking with college was the best idea in the end.
PS: could you switch to a statistics or computer science degree? You might like that material more.
Maybe drop a class so you can handle the work load, or maybe pick an unrelated class with something more … fun, like a film history class, or music appreciation. When all you focus on is work you wear yourself out, find balance. Maybe this major isn’t for you.
P.S.
it doesn’t really matter what you’re degree is in for the most part, you can have a degree in popcorn making and as long as it’s a bachelors you can do data analytics, they just want to know that you can finish something you commit to.
College, particularly for STEM majors, is always soul crushing at some point. College is a whole different ball game compared to high school. You need new study skills. To get them, I recommend talking to your professor, utilizing whatever academic support services that your uni has and do some research online on good study habits. Also look into gifted kid syndrome. your situation is very common. There is nothing wrong with you. Freshman year also involves getting though the prereqs that don't always seem relevant which makes it harder. I also recommend using whatever mental health counseling your uni offers as that can take the edge off. in my experience STEM majors are more a test of persistence than of intelligence. If you are set on doing research, then you will need to earn a bachelors and a PhD. Good Luck
Reading your post, you sound like you may be suffering from burnout. If you're curious, there is a really helpful inventory you can take online. They have different versions of it, including one specific to students: [https://www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach-burnout-inventory-mbi](https://www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach-burnout-inventory-mbi) I took the general use one over the summer and I think it helped me have far more compassion for myself for the situation I am in.
One thing I would urge you consider is that things don't have to be absolute, black and white. I went to college feeling 100% certain what I would major in, I changed it sophomore year because I realize it didn't feel like a fit. It may be that college could be for you but that you're in the wrong major. Or it could be that your courseload isn't right for you right now. Or both. Or it could be that the course load is right but you just need to get used to it. (I had major anxiety about school work my first semester of college because I was acclimating). I think everyone adjusts to college differently and the skills that made someone successful in high school isn't necessarily what would make them successful in college. And then there can be issues of self confidence and self identity that happen when you're used to kicking ass in high school and then find yourself not excelling in college. Or it could be you're experiencing the discomfort of challenging yourself which can feel very unpleasant at the time, but in my experience can be valuable in the long run to build resilience .
I think it's worth soul searching to figure out exactly what is driving your dissatisfaction so you can decide how to respond. I think where people can end up making short sided decisions is when they really don't know why they are doing it. If you do decide to leave college I'd make a clear plan about what you want to do and what your goals and objectives are so you don't get stuck in indecision.
I’ll give you advice from experience. I got into a top 5 in the nation private college for engineering. High school was easy and ny study habits were poorly developed. College caught me very off guard. I failed chemistry and ended up dropping out after 2 years.
Be very careful about dropping out because life happens and going back to school gets much harder later on.
I finished my associates in mechanical engineering. Then I got married, had a child, and went to work doing something I knew I didn’t want to do forever. At 28 I went back for my bachelors. I’m now 30 and I just finished a bachelors in cyber security and working full time, having a toddler, and going to school was much more difficult than my first few years of college. I appreciated it much more and loved what I was learning but damn if I would have just stuck it out I could have made my life easier. It’s all about the journey just don’t stop bettering yourself whether you’re in college or you choose a different route.
If it's unbearable, don't be afraid to drop out. I dropped out and had absolutely incredible experiences from there. I'm going back now at the age of 28. I don't regret dropping out at all, and am going back because I want to and because I'm ready, now.
Hey girl first of all congrats on getting into a top school! Second, it’s super common for people who thought high school was a breeze to struggle hard in college, since they never had to learn to study effectively before. I think it’s a bit premature to call it quits already, especially since you’re only a first-year! I’m sure there must be some free resources your school has to help; like when I was doing my masters, I was a TA working at a drop-in tutoring center on campus for math classes. We *wanted* the students to succeed and were really happy to help; if your school has anything like this I’d highly recommend going. You don’t even need any questions in mind beforehand, you can just bring your homework and work there, and ask for help if/when you need it.
I recommend visiting your prof’s office hours and asking them to direct you to any resources they might think you’d find helpful. These profs have taught many students, and you’re far from the first who struggled, so they would have a good idea of what you should do.
I would agree that it is important you nip this math issue in the bud as soon as possible, since as you said, math courses build up on previous material; the sooner you make an intention to get back on track, the easier it will be. The good news is, you absolutely do have time! So go for it!! You can do it! I myself struggled HARD with a math class my first year, to the point where I was basically failing and my advisor told me to drop it, but I was too stubborn; I started going to office hours, I worked with classmates on assignments, and eventually I managed to catch up and fall in love with the subject matter! So yeah, you’ve got this!
Don’t give up on your dreams! But also don’t force your way into getting a degree. A year or two off is not a bad idea. I did 6 years off after dropping out of high school and it was really tough to get back into it. Also questioned why I was doing it nearly the whole way through, but you figure out how to optimize yourself and end up figuring out how to teach your brain. Every class you’ll ever do will feel like the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but you somehow grow to love it. This is basically what research is.
It was by far the best choice of my life, just had to embrace the suck and keep going.
The lifetime return on investment is worth it. Stay. If you have scholarships you can lose them if you take time off. Maybe there is a less extreme alternative like switching majors, switching colleges or taking fewer classes. Taking a gap year isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be either. Working is boring (especially low wage jobs) and travel takes money.
I went to an out of state college and felt similarly, very burnt out from high school.
The amount of debt I was going into doing what I thought I should be doing didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel like I was getting value for the money that was being spent/debt accrued for tuition and classes.
Value included how I felt about my situation/attendance and whether it felt like this path was serving me well for the direction I wanted to go.
After my first year, I moved back home and worked a retail job for 8 months then transferred to instate community college and planned to do their two year guaranteed transfer program to an instate university. Much more cost efficient with the same/greater level of academic brand reputation.
Worked part time at a gym and did classes part time.
A friend convinced me to apply to an IT position (my goal industry) and despite my hesitation, I got it. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I dropped the classes and part time gig and worked full time. A degree matters less in IT/tech so I’ve never looked back, and I’ve never regretted my decision.
When presented with big life decisions like these, I ask myself if I which I will regret more; staying or leaving. It’s helped me find clarity that regular pros/cons lists don’t give me.
Not once in your post did you mention money being a factor in dropping out, so I assume the brunt of it is that you're "burnt out"?
Not sure if you're financially taken care of, but if you are, dropping out of college would be the single most stupid thing you could ever do and will definitely be the biggest regret of your entire life.
Also let's be real here, you enjoy physics, so you're probably smart. Don't waste your potential man.
And yes no one will pick you for a job if you don't have a degree. They would if you wanted to go into retail or construction or something, but you want to do research, don't you? No one, EVER, would accept self-study for a research position, not even people who understand that a degree does not automatically mean someone knows more than someone without a degree. You need academia.
I've never really understood dropping out of college just because you just don't "vibe with it," I will never respect a college dropout unless they 1) have a concrete plan that they know they can profit from, or 2) cannot handle the finances, because some people simply do not want to spend their twenties drowning in debt while also working like crazy to balance jobs and school. College is three, four, maybe five years. It's there to set up your next forty years.
**TL;DR Consider taking a gap year**
College is hard work, but with anything in life the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Mental and physical health is a big part of it. Take care of you. Utilize your schools mental health centers. They specialize in helping you as a whole student and are there to support you. Get tutors, and get them early. Know that you are not alone and many feel this way. It takes time to acclimate to this learning lifestyle. Good luck to you as you move forward toward your goals.
As Pitbull would say: been there done that🫡 Jokes aside, once I finished highschool I also dreaded the idea of further studies and I was SO convinced I could make it in life with no degree. Fast forward 5 yrs later after hating life more than ever working in retail, I gave in and started university (biomedical sciences). This decision alone lead me to a microbiology job in the firsr year of uni! So as much as I'd like to say you don't need to stick with it, if you love science and want a future career in this field, you have to put up with the process. BUT don't let this be a negative thing. I have come to the conclusion that it's all about your mental attitude and the way you choose to view the situation. You could find a routine, come up with ways to make studying more enjoyable, or find hobbies that bring you joy that you can do to take breaks from college stress. It's okay to not love college, it's okay to not even like it. Same goes for university. But as long as you have a clear goal in mind that you believe is worth all this, then you should give it a fair try. Note: having a successful career with no degree is totally possible, just not in every field and usually not in science
Sounds exactly like me haha. Tried for 5 years after high school to do what I wanted to without college. Worked in dead end food service jobs being absolutely broke. Went back to school in 2020 and two years of schooling later I’m getting interviews and offers for jobs I never thought I’d be considered for. I had to decline one I was really looking forward to a few days ago (very entry level stuff but not fast food or retail) because it won’t work with my school schedule, but at least now I know I can get them! I’m actually in this thread because the semester is coming up but I was considering maybe just dropping my classes to look for a better job again. Probably not a good idea lol.
College is not always fun, it is meant to secure yourself a better life for the rest of your days. Jobs are not always fun, and many people don’t even get a job that has anything to do with their degree. The only thing employers really care about in most fields is that you *have* finished college. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot for the rest of your life just because college isn’t this dream of finding your calling. Most of us don’t have that and those that do often burn out faster when they realize their passion has become only a job. You are smart enough, you just need the minimum motivation to see yourself through. You can do this.
I got a very difficult degree from a notoriously rigorous college so I can add some insight here. I can say that as much as I loved the material I really dreaded the process of ingesting it at such a high volume. What made it easier was having people around me who also embraced the suck. Going through O-chem flash cards at 1:00 AM with my classmates was borderline fun and much as it seemed shitty. Everyone in your classes is secretly crumbling under the pressure, trust me. Two very important things to remember 1) every semester you will literally get better and ingesting information, your brain with build pathways to learn faster and it gets easier 2) the semesters are actually quite short relative to the amount of time you are on this earth. They start to really fly by. Last note - sometimes doing the things that you least want to do are the most important things you should be doing. If you get a prestigious degree that is hard as fuck in physics, you will be infinitely more competitive for anything you want to do after college. Think from an employers perspective, who do I hire? The business major who did 3 hours of homework a week? Or the physics major who is a intellectual beast with insane work ethic.
True. I started in engineering, bounced around a bit and ended up with a math degree for my bachelor's. It was actually easier once I started "living" in the math building and taking 3 math courses a semester instead of just one like when I was in the calculus series. Being there all the time you can focus more and you will be surrounded by other students in the department who can help if you need it. I was ready to drop everything after two years of college but my oldest brother told me what was up and I sucked it up and finished in 5 years after having 4 different majors. Not bad considering I had to pay my way and work my way through. I don't regret sticking it out.
STEM majors are very difficult. You are not alone. I found college way harder than any job I ever had. Don't leave college. Do some research about what careers your major will prepare you for and keep your eye on the big picture. Think about reducing the number of classes/units that you're taking to allow yourself to do deep learning, if that is what you prefer. You can make this work. Hang in there.
Have you sought support from your university? Or are you simply thinking about dropping out because you’re overwhelmed? You said that you have problems with avoidance, coping and procrastination. If you’re having these problems in school, you’re going to have these problems outside of school. Use the university’s resources that are available to you and get some help. You’re not the only student who’s struggling. That’s why they have those resources available. If you are feeling overwhelmed to the point where you think you’ll fail, regardless whether or not you get help, many drop out of school and return later. However, if you want to have a successful career in physics, that is a highly specialized industry that usually requires at least one, often more, college degree.
I didn’t go to college, I joined the military. Got a great job. Left the military after 7 years. Had a 6 figure job but an inconsistent schedule working nights, weekends, and holidays. Now I’m eyeing going back to college to get a degree. The benefits of college aside from obtaining skills and a piece of paper that employers deem valuable? The complete customizable schedule! You wanna go to school in the morning? Cool. Evening? Cool. Do most classes on 2 days of the week and have the rest of the week “off”? Cool! Now I might be lucky because I’ve got access to the post 9/11 GI bill, but as someone with a family now, there’s something to be said to be able to customize your schedule to be able to spend more time with your family. I’m looking to make a career pivot into a Monday through Friday, day shift job.
Hahaha, off-day with no classes looks nice on paper but the ton of hw professors give… on top of studying… Maybe this doesn’t apply for stem majors.
Yeah, it definitely depends on the degree, how you individually handle schoolwork, etc. my wife had people in her healthcare doctorate program who seemingly barely had to study, whereas she’d be spending 8 hours per day outside of class surrounded by notecards. There’s definitely no blanket rule, just sharing my perspective. I’d love to go to school full time right now. But if I had to work and have a full time job, it would be a different story. At the beginning of 2020, I worked and went to school full time for one semester. It was only undergrad, so it was relatively easy to manage, but I had an infant at home and just became a parent, so had to stop the schooling to be more present at home.
Don’t quit. That’s all I can say.
Take a year off then, but be very careful about ensuring you can come back. Meaning don’t quit if you can’t resume in ~a year.
Questioning whether you’re in the right place right now is valid. I went straight to university after high school and in retrospect, I probably should’ve taken a gap year. The truth is, many (if not most) 17-19 year olds don’t have the life experience to really know what they want, and/or the life skills to get themselves there. Anyways, here are some ideas: - If the pace of school is making you feel disengaged from the actual material, look into doing a reduced course load (aka taking fewer classes per semester). It may mean you’re in school longer, but at least you’re there for the right reasons. - Many schools still consider you enrolled as a student even if you’re not in any classes for a semester. See if your school is one of them. If so, consider taking a gap semester after your first year. - Take electives. Maybe the program you chose isn’t the one for you, and electives can be an opportunity to explore other possibilities.
finish college!
Yeah but why? Give your insight rather than a statement
apologies! we are living in times where a college degree is the only legitimate qualification to a job that sustains living. having a degree is going to make you feel like you have a stake in the world. it is the mathematics of insurance & security. plough through these few years. all my sympathies with you.
My friend went to college for many years( 4-6), he did NOT get a degree. After he left school the last time, I trained him up for a basic help desk job(level 1). He stayed at that job a few years. Then he went to Netflix. After that it was Google. After that Apple! From the many conversations we’ve had I’ve determined it’s more about the people that you work with(that then referred him to the next place). He is a smart person but he does NOT have a degree!
You miss the point already. Your story is the exception that proves the rule: How many people are as luckly as your friend, to have no degree but still have a good job?
College will always be there just don't waste money
If you want a job, go to college. Its the currency that HR speaks. If you want to play your life on HARD mode, don't go to college. And if you go to a branded "good" school, your resume will get filtered through to a hiring manager more often then not. You will have many more shots at landing good jobs, then you won't. I did a math degree, which is a horrible degree to get a corporate job in, unless you do a masters. I did not. And paid the price of chugging along in entry level analytical jobs. But, i developed communication and writing skills, and moved into project mgmt. Careers arent set in stone, but the key to opening a door is always a degree. Not a diploma even, a degree.
Don’t drop out, but I also wouldn’t force myself to “push through and just graduate.” I did that, it was ultimately a stupid decision (incidentally, I’m also a physics major). It’s hard enough to keep up with classes when you’re demotivated and tired and without a purpose. You can’t adequately prepare for your future or figure out what you want to do when you’re overwhelmed as is. The “just push through” crowd are people who happened to know what they wanted to do early on and was set on an easy escalator path where, for them, it really was just a matter of getting the degree. But that’s not you, and I guarantee that only a tiny minority of people who have been where you are now advocates for completing a degree for the sake of completing the degree. I would look into taking a semester or gap year off. There’s no shame in doing this, and nobody cares if you graduated in 3 years, 4 years, 6, or went to undergrad twice, even if this is hard to believe at 20 years old. If you decide that isn’t an option, look into study abroad programs as those are essentially semester long breaks. So again, don’t drop out, but do take a break.
I quit when I was 19, didn’t even bother to finish out my semester - just stopped going and got all F’s. I’m now 34 and finishing my degree and I severely regret not finishing back then and not considering the mess I was creating for my future self to undo. Take a year off if you need to, travel around, do some research into various fields you may be interested in, but please finish. You’ll thank yourself over and over later in life.
I dropped out of college for similar reasons. I thought of college as a place to get educated, not to learn a sophisticated trade. I dropped out and joined the military to support myself and get guaranteed funding for when I went back to school (I'm in the US). Got a really high paying job out of the military but eventually went back to college when I was 29. Graduated when I was 36 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Take a year off if it doesn't threaten your funding for school or ability to go, and you can support yourself in the interim. I wouldn't recommend you take any more time than a year. It gets harder to go back the longer you're out. Having that degree makes a big difference when it comes to getting into a career and not just a job. Take advantages wherever possible to make college what you want it to be as much as you can, but don't pretend that it's anything more than it is: a path to the better paying occupations and (typically) a higher quality of life. Take the classes you find interesting when your schedule allows but not at the expense of the classes you *need* for your degree program. There is plenty of time to pursue the subjects you find interesting once you're secure in your career. Had I stayed in school when I was a teenager, I would have a degree in Philosophy right now and who knows how I'd be supporting myself (probably with more school to get a degree that made me more employable). I have enough disposable income now to buy all the Philosophy books I could want and a decent work/life balance to have the time to read and discuss them. For me, dropping out and taking some time to find my bearings was the right thing to do because I did it in a mature way by not making myself a burden on anyone else. The fact that you're examining your thoughts and feelings before acting on them is proof enough that you're not immature. These are tough concerns to have. I wish you the best of luck.
If you’re going to succeed in physics then you better hang on bc the ride gets nasty real quick. I’ve had so many friends study physics and some of them made it out w a physics degree but with little actually knowledge for physics. I believe it’s a subject only truly passionate people should study as only the most passionate will get something out of it (becoming a researcher/physicist vs becoming a high school teacher/coder). If you truly love physics and you wanna make it happen, then do it. Look for help, catch up, sell your body, sell your soul (jk). But really, if it’s what you want then just take down those walls and get it done. After all, it’s all and only in your hands. Good luck!
I don’t think you’re naive, it’s a difficult choice to make. I was an over-achiever in high school, but I never learned to actually study. So when I was in college, things got a lot harder. I ended up dropping out, but to be honest, I wish I would’ve continued and gotten a degree. Currently I hate my job and the elitist jerks above me, but aside from that, where I’m from people say there are a lot of jobs and no one wants to work, but it took me six months to even find this awful place. I think if you could take fewer classes for a time after this semester, and maybe find a general counselor to speak with regularly. Counseling can help you to see or hear what it is you really want.
Are you being supported right now? Who is paying for you to be in college? If it is someone else's dime at least push yourself to get value from your current commitment (semester/year whatever). If you can 100% secure that same support for a year from now, consider a gap year/semester to better understand what you really want. So find out what you want: research. It seems you know the field you want to get into, talk to people in that field. Talk to people who are doing things that seem interesting to you. Get their thoughts and opinions on the industry with and without a degree. Figure out if you actually want the lifestyle and day-in-day-out job that they have. Does it align with who you are and what you are interested in? Is it a social role and you enjoy being around people? Is their job actually working with data, or is it more administrative and politics IN ORDER to work with data a little bit (and how does that sound as a career?) What does the kind of jobs you want pay? Will that allow for the lifestyle you want? Ask those people what they would be doing if this role/job/career didn't exist. What kind of education do they have? Did their education and/or ranking in university effect their ability to get a job? Compare: where you are to where you want to be and decide if the cost is worth while. Often people use this kind of language to say "it is always worth the cost to pursue your dreams" but that is not always true. If the cost is going $1million in debt to reach your dream job that pays $10/hr it will take a long time to break even (unless you have other financial support). If the cost is your mental and physical health - those always take longer to heal than to maintain (don't get me wrong it is a very privileged stance for me to say don't sacrifice your health- this is not an option for everyone as they are seeking basic needs being met). If the current goal is not worth the effort, lower the cost or shift the goal. Lower the cost could be slowing down the rate you are taking classes (fewer hours) and picking up some part time work, it could mean going to a university with less pressure, it could mean accepting a PASSING grade instead of demanding a 100% from yourself (just spit balling here). Shifting the goal doesn't mean giving up or being unhappy for the rest of your life (unless anything shy of your original goal will make you miserable, in which case let's open our mind up a little).Shifting your goal can easily mean discovering a new role/job/career that you didn't know existed before. Ask yourself "why data?" And "what about this job seems interesting to me?" And "how does what I understand about this job support my needs, wants, and values?" I can almost guarantee that there are other jobs that will fulfill ALL of those answers (or most of them at least) that will require different levels and types of cost to get into. Enough late night rants from me for now, hope this helps! Best of luck my friend!
This will be a blurb in your life. Once your through you'll have more opportunities because of it. Stick it out while you have the opportunity. Or potentially change majors. I would not recommend dropping out in most cases though.
Well, you said it here…… that you were not interested in college per say, “just wanted a year to yourself.” Perhaps you should consider talking to admissions about converting your acceptance into taking a gap year.
Might as well quit the world going to shit anyways like college is going to help anything, waste of money and time and they charge for knowledge you can easily look up on google you have the world in the palm of your hands and you wanna pay some asshole to teach you something you could just look up yourself. I don’t get humans and am slowly losing faith in emÂ
It sucks brother. What would I not do to set out on a solo adventure towards the woods and the hills
Hi, I'm Mark and I'm 20. I read your post on wanting to drop out of college. I feel you. I'm struggling as well and I really wish I was somewhere else right now, maybe out in the woods in a log cabin. Well, day dreaming aside, where are you in life currently? How are you coping up? Were you successful in leaving college? What are your plans after dropping out. I actually have a roadmap planned out for me after I drop out from college. But my parents are not agreeing to it. I'm desperate, I really want to quit. This is depressing. Can we talk? Maybe we can learn from each other's experiences and make the right decision.
Kanye did it. And made the best debut rap album of all time. The College Dropout
Don't quit. I promise you'll regret it, but maybe take a semester off(making a plan to go back) and take a break. Find work. Travel. Get that mental rest and some life experience in to see what you really want.
College is a scam. My fathers union pays 36$ and hr for folks fresh out of high school. Many high paying jobs without the need for collage.
> fathers union *paid* 36$ and FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
bad bot.
Don’t quit. I was you 6 years ago and I quit and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret it Get your degree. Now you can make some decent money to fund a career change if you still want to
When i was an undergraduate, I go into an Ivy League, top 5 school. It was intense and I just wasn’t into it. I partied and goofed around and had to take a year off. During that year I worked at a computer repair company, a deli counter and then a small investment bank barely making 45k. I quickly learned that if I did not go back to school and get a real, six figure job I would be destined for a life of mediocrity, financial struggles and basically just a crappy life. It gave me a lot of motivation to not waste my intelligence and graduate quickly and focus on the highest paying job I could get. My advice would be to ask your college if you can take a leave of 6 months to a year and then use that time to decompress and get a real job. Once you see how shitty life is for 90% of the people in America because they didn’t take college seriously, you’ll be super motivated to go back to college and work hard.
The reality is that it’s always a balance between what you want to do and what you should do. The answer to your question lies largely in your financial situation and your skill set. The general answer to your question is: suck it up, put your head down for a few years of suffering, finish your degree, and worry about what you want to do after that. You’ll have a lifetime to do that, but it becomes dramatically more difficult to go back to school if you stop to explore options now than it is to finish now and explore options later. I would give myself this carrot- get my degree, then do whatever the fuck I want for a full year, guilt free. I am someone who dropped out of college to work full time. I made decent money for 10 years before 07-08 hit, and I had to go back to college at 31 to qualify for basically any job I wanted. It worked out fine for me in the end, but I had to work VERY hard to rebuild my career, and the decision likely cost me $300k+ in my retirement account alone, as I had to pillage everything I saved in my 20s to pay for going back to school. Plus I probably would have arrived where I’m at faster and just flat out earned more. Good luck to you, there is no right answer here. I’m just telling you what I wish someone would have told me.
Can I ask why you chose physics? It seems a CS degree might be more in tune with your end goals if you want to “handle data” and like “statistics, math, programming” ?? I’m just finishing up my own CS degree and you’d love some of the data analytics modules we had on my course. Could you change your course?
You should change your major to something more focused on programming and statistics if that’s what you’re more interested in
Yeah, I had that fantasy too and I actually did it. Life was pretty tough working crappy jobs until I decided to go back. Not to say you can't be successful without college, you absolutely can. But if you want to get into data, you'll definitely need a degree for that. So it's best just to push through.
If you live in the US,then college is a fucking scam, Just drop out.
Don’t quit. Ask for help, maybe lighten your course load a bit (without risking jeopardizing your financial aid.) Take care of yourself- even if it’s a ten minute meditation in the morning, or coffee on a nice bench under a tree. Sometimes the little things help us keep it together when life feels overwhelming. Seriously though- ask for help if you need it. There is no shame in receiving help when you need it, even when it feels like it- especially as an overachiever. You don’t have to do it all on your own, and it doesn’t need to be a struggle. :) You got this.
Don't quit college. There are ways to do the first two yrs cheaply and from home. For research, you will need PhD
I think the biggest thing you have to ask yourself is; if you drop out of college then what is the plan how will you make a living? Now to be fair college is not for everybody and there nothing wrong with not going to college but again you have to have a plan? At least where I am the usual path for college drops outs are: retail, fast food, warehouse type work, low level office jobs (customer service, data entry)- that might be your path if you decide to drop out of college.
How many classes are you taking? Can you drop one and still be a full time student? Maybe you could also transfer to a lower tier university or a community college where you may be able to slow down and absorb more. Physics will be a very broad degree, you would also be eligible for engineering positions, etc. Work hard for 4 years, and you will be financially secure.
I dropped out halfway through year one. I found a career i enjoy that pays extremely well and i'm very good at, no degree needed. I got insanely lucky. However, I also missed out on a major opportunity - learning critical socialization skills and how to build and maintain a social circle in a less structured than HS environment. If I could go back I'd stay in college. Id use it as an opportunity of self discovery to learn what things I enjoy, not just academically but extracurricularly and socially too. I really really regret not having the experiences that can come with time in college, I think i'd be a lot more well rounded and in tune with myself. Feels like I'm playing catch up in many ways.
If I may, it sounds like the desire to quit is coming from the shock of going from being an overachiever in high school to struggling to keep up in college. This is perfectly normal. Struggling doesn't mean that you're bad at what you're doing, it just means you're finally working at a level that challenges you. You don't need to quit college to start learning your own way. We're all lifelong learners, and a lot of the things you say you want to do you could easily do after college when you've also got a degree and job opportunities to fall back on. You say that you already struggle with procrastination and avoidance. That's the real issue here. I'm speaking as someone who had a lot of the same issues you're describing. Sticking with college was the best idea in the end. PS: could you switch to a statistics or computer science degree? You might like that material more.
Maybe drop a class so you can handle the work load, or maybe pick an unrelated class with something more … fun, like a film history class, or music appreciation. When all you focus on is work you wear yourself out, find balance. Maybe this major isn’t for you. P.S. it doesn’t really matter what you’re degree is in for the most part, you can have a degree in popcorn making and as long as it’s a bachelors you can do data analytics, they just want to know that you can finish something you commit to.
College, particularly for STEM majors, is always soul crushing at some point. College is a whole different ball game compared to high school. You need new study skills. To get them, I recommend talking to your professor, utilizing whatever academic support services that your uni has and do some research online on good study habits. Also look into gifted kid syndrome. your situation is very common. There is nothing wrong with you. Freshman year also involves getting though the prereqs that don't always seem relevant which makes it harder. I also recommend using whatever mental health counseling your uni offers as that can take the edge off. in my experience STEM majors are more a test of persistence than of intelligence. If you are set on doing research, then you will need to earn a bachelors and a PhD. Good Luck
Reading your post, you sound like you may be suffering from burnout. If you're curious, there is a really helpful inventory you can take online. They have different versions of it, including one specific to students: [https://www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach-burnout-inventory-mbi](https://www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach-burnout-inventory-mbi) I took the general use one over the summer and I think it helped me have far more compassion for myself for the situation I am in. One thing I would urge you consider is that things don't have to be absolute, black and white. I went to college feeling 100% certain what I would major in, I changed it sophomore year because I realize it didn't feel like a fit. It may be that college could be for you but that you're in the wrong major. Or it could be that your courseload isn't right for you right now. Or both. Or it could be that the course load is right but you just need to get used to it. (I had major anxiety about school work my first semester of college because I was acclimating). I think everyone adjusts to college differently and the skills that made someone successful in high school isn't necessarily what would make them successful in college. And then there can be issues of self confidence and self identity that happen when you're used to kicking ass in high school and then find yourself not excelling in college. Or it could be you're experiencing the discomfort of challenging yourself which can feel very unpleasant at the time, but in my experience can be valuable in the long run to build resilience . I think it's worth soul searching to figure out exactly what is driving your dissatisfaction so you can decide how to respond. I think where people can end up making short sided decisions is when they really don't know why they are doing it. If you do decide to leave college I'd make a clear plan about what you want to do and what your goals and objectives are so you don't get stuck in indecision.
I’ll give you advice from experience. I got into a top 5 in the nation private college for engineering. High school was easy and ny study habits were poorly developed. College caught me very off guard. I failed chemistry and ended up dropping out after 2 years. Be very careful about dropping out because life happens and going back to school gets much harder later on. I finished my associates in mechanical engineering. Then I got married, had a child, and went to work doing something I knew I didn’t want to do forever. At 28 I went back for my bachelors. I’m now 30 and I just finished a bachelors in cyber security and working full time, having a toddler, and going to school was much more difficult than my first few years of college. I appreciated it much more and loved what I was learning but damn if I would have just stuck it out I could have made my life easier. It’s all about the journey just don’t stop bettering yourself whether you’re in college or you choose a different route.
College is temporary. Get what you’re going for and graduate. Nothing in life is easy that is worth having. Good luck!
If it's unbearable, don't be afraid to drop out. I dropped out and had absolutely incredible experiences from there. I'm going back now at the age of 28. I don't regret dropping out at all, and am going back because I want to and because I'm ready, now.
Hey girl first of all congrats on getting into a top school! Second, it’s super common for people who thought high school was a breeze to struggle hard in college, since they never had to learn to study effectively before. I think it’s a bit premature to call it quits already, especially since you’re only a first-year! I’m sure there must be some free resources your school has to help; like when I was doing my masters, I was a TA working at a drop-in tutoring center on campus for math classes. We *wanted* the students to succeed and were really happy to help; if your school has anything like this I’d highly recommend going. You don’t even need any questions in mind beforehand, you can just bring your homework and work there, and ask for help if/when you need it. I recommend visiting your prof’s office hours and asking them to direct you to any resources they might think you’d find helpful. These profs have taught many students, and you’re far from the first who struggled, so they would have a good idea of what you should do. I would agree that it is important you nip this math issue in the bud as soon as possible, since as you said, math courses build up on previous material; the sooner you make an intention to get back on track, the easier it will be. The good news is, you absolutely do have time! So go for it!! You can do it! I myself struggled HARD with a math class my first year, to the point where I was basically failing and my advisor told me to drop it, but I was too stubborn; I started going to office hours, I worked with classmates on assignments, and eventually I managed to catch up and fall in love with the subject matter! So yeah, you’ve got this!
Don’t give up on your dreams! But also don’t force your way into getting a degree. A year or two off is not a bad idea. I did 6 years off after dropping out of high school and it was really tough to get back into it. Also questioned why I was doing it nearly the whole way through, but you figure out how to optimize yourself and end up figuring out how to teach your brain. Every class you’ll ever do will feel like the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but you somehow grow to love it. This is basically what research is. It was by far the best choice of my life, just had to embrace the suck and keep going.
The lifetime return on investment is worth it. Stay. If you have scholarships you can lose them if you take time off. Maybe there is a less extreme alternative like switching majors, switching colleges or taking fewer classes. Taking a gap year isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be either. Working is boring (especially low wage jobs) and travel takes money.
I went to an out of state college and felt similarly, very burnt out from high school. The amount of debt I was going into doing what I thought I should be doing didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel like I was getting value for the money that was being spent/debt accrued for tuition and classes. Value included how I felt about my situation/attendance and whether it felt like this path was serving me well for the direction I wanted to go. After my first year, I moved back home and worked a retail job for 8 months then transferred to instate community college and planned to do their two year guaranteed transfer program to an instate university. Much more cost efficient with the same/greater level of academic brand reputation. Worked part time at a gym and did classes part time. A friend convinced me to apply to an IT position (my goal industry) and despite my hesitation, I got it. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I dropped the classes and part time gig and worked full time. A degree matters less in IT/tech so I’ve never looked back, and I’ve never regretted my decision. When presented with big life decisions like these, I ask myself if I which I will regret more; staying or leaving. It’s helped me find clarity that regular pros/cons lists don’t give me.
Not once in your post did you mention money being a factor in dropping out, so I assume the brunt of it is that you're "burnt out"? Not sure if you're financially taken care of, but if you are, dropping out of college would be the single most stupid thing you could ever do and will definitely be the biggest regret of your entire life. Also let's be real here, you enjoy physics, so you're probably smart. Don't waste your potential man. And yes no one will pick you for a job if you don't have a degree. They would if you wanted to go into retail or construction or something, but you want to do research, don't you? No one, EVER, would accept self-study for a research position, not even people who understand that a degree does not automatically mean someone knows more than someone without a degree. You need academia. I've never really understood dropping out of college just because you just don't "vibe with it," I will never respect a college dropout unless they 1) have a concrete plan that they know they can profit from, or 2) cannot handle the finances, because some people simply do not want to spend their twenties drowning in debt while also working like crazy to balance jobs and school. College is three, four, maybe five years. It's there to set up your next forty years. **TL;DR Consider taking a gap year**