Struggling in university

Okay so a little background I was a stellar student in highschool and got into a Canadian university program with a 4% acceptance rate with a 98% average. However, in my first year of university I really struggled and had low marks. I attributed this to the fact that I basically found myself in two different relationships and two different break-ups along with drinking and partying for the first time in my life, and also just a general transition.

This year being my second year, I kept socializing to a minimum, wasn't involved with any girls, and didn't party, but my marks were still terribly low. This was concerning because my habits were good and I was studying around 7-9 hours a day. It was really discouraging studying an incredible amount for a midterm and only getting a 70%, the same mark they got by studying for just 2 days. The final straws for me were getting a 59% on an Anatomy midterm which I studied very hard for. When talking to friends, I studied for the midterm in a similar manner/on the same schedule as most of them. The other low mark I got was 50% on a Psych midterm which I also studied solidly for for about a week.

I am willing to accept that my study methods may not be perfect and need improving, but I am doing way below average, which I feel probably indicates some deeper issue -- my only problem is that I don't know the issue is. I don't think having imperfect time management and study skills leads to marks this bad because I spent the majority of time studying for school. I've been studying the same way since 10th grade and it used to work wonders (except for in first year, but like I said I rationalized it by being a transitional period/period where I was distracted), I don't feel anxious or stressed for exams, and I find the content of the material I study to be fairly easy and understandable. (cont)

went to a Psychiatrist to figure out what could be wrong (possibly recovering from being in romantic relationships for the first time and having them both fail might still be bothering me to the point of harming my grades) and they said I was depressed/had social anxiety and prescribed me citalopram. My question is, do any of you know if depression really effect marks this bad? Like I said before, maybe my study habits aren't perfect but I'd say they're decent/good and I don't know how I could go from getting 99% in highschool anatomy to 59% in university anatomy..

So I basically I went and talked with the Assistant Dean of my program and we worked out an arrangement to withdraw me from my current classes without them showing on my transcript and also withdrawing me from my second semester classes so I could come back to school in either next semester or fall 2017. I had to tell my parents what had been happening which was hard but they were understanding and at first agreed that I should go back fall 2017 instead of winter but now said either one is my choice.

I need help deciding which to do, go back next semester and take whatever classes I can that didnt require my first semester classes as pre-reqs or take the next 8 months off? And if I do take the next 8 months off, what should I do to make sure my marks improve? I guess I kinda got in an argument with my dad last night, and he said go to college/technical school but I really am not interested in that. My goal was to get into Medical School and then if my marks weren't good enough for that I would seek out a career in academia/industry science by pursuing a PhD. I guess my whole life I always saw myself academically oriented and I thought my head was in the right place for that this year but I guess not

tl;dr
-did bad in first year but was distracted
-doing bad in second year with no tangible distractions
-if i take the next 8 months off, how can I get that 4.0 gpa

>Reminder: Veeky Forums is for discussing topics pertaining to science and mathematics, not for helping you with your homework or helping you figure out your career path.

>If you want advice regarding college/university or your career path, go to /adv/ - Advice.

advice isnt responding

Fuck off with your "woe is me" blog shit, slut.

git gud

>adv isn't responding
>omg i NEED attention
>better go spam other boards

it's not woe is me my life is falling apart and I'm not sure why.

Do you think people who have their careers figured out go to fucking /adv/?

do something else bitch
stop whining

where did I whine

Study your past exams/homeworks when you get them back and understand what you got wrong.
Socialize with your classmates and fellow majors, not girls or drunks/druggies.
Compare your approach to problems with classmates.
Go to group study sessions.
Speak to you professors.
Find Jesus.

I have a similar story like yours but I was far less lucky than you. I had really good marks and graduated HS at 16 but a very severe personal tragedy basically fucked me up mentally for several years.

I don't recommend that you take that antidepressant. I was advised to take them as well but read many articles and studies and came to the conclusion that they are more toxic than helpful. Instead I experimented with nootropics and various supplements before finding a few things that work really well for me. If you have underlying physical problems with your brain then you should consider doing the same.

Another thing I can't recommend enough is exercise. Fuck the elevator, use the stairs whenever you can. Lift weights or do isometric exercise (pullups, chinups, pushups). Things like this improve your arterial health and circulation, giving you an overall better thinking capacity.

Avoid alcohol and drugs for the most part as they greatly inhibit your working mind and disrupt your brain chemically. An occasional drink or a little weed might be okay but not more than once a week and be very moderate about it.

Consider that your major just isn't for you. You haven't said what all the classes you took were, but if you're not interested, it just isn't going to happen.

You should really shelve the whole "Med school" idea until you start succeeding again, though, otherwise it will just add undue stress. Also should keep in mind PHD programs are often more difficult to get into med school, not easier. Ph.D. Programs have built in scholarships, which is one of the reasons why they're more competitive, in addition to fewer spots, etc.

The good news is that if you're at that selective/prestigious of a university, no matter what your major is, you're in a pretty good place to land a high paying and stimulating job afterwards. This board would lead you to believe that stem is the only acceptable choice, but people can and do succeed and make memorable contributions in liberal arts, business, etc.

You should take the spring semester off and focus on going over the material covered in the first year. Knowledge is cumulative, so if you did shit and never bothered to learn the material from your first year, it makes a lot of sense you didn't do well this semester.

sounds like, your just stupid.

I went through some similar stuff. I had people tell me my entire youth i was brilliant and smart, but when i moved to texas from alabama, i started struggling. Turns out, the people in alabama were just stupider. (fyi - the schools i went to in bama had alot more blacks while the schools in texas had alot more Asians).

So you got two options - accept your just not cut out for this, or start taking drugs to increase your marks.

And what do you expect from a board that exists to discuss math and science? No one here gives a shit about you. No one in your life gives a shit about you. That's why they pump you full of drugs and shove you in a closet until you're no longer a burden. Fix your own shit or KYS, attention whore. Go suck a dick if you're so desperate to validate your existence.

>studying around 7-9 hours a day

brainlets shouldn't be allowed to post on Veeky Forums

What does this mean?

I enjoy my classes, I think my approach to studying may not be time efficient enough and I should change that. It's just surprising that in university you can do that poorly if you're not studying properly, even if you study a lot. I didn't do much besides study this semester

I'm sorry for your situation but asking for advice on Veeky Forums will only result in responses like He's implying OP is dumb.

what did you do?

Dumb animeposter

haha sick dude you are one edgy cunt

*brofist*

high levels of emotional stress coming from various sources will impede your brains ability to absorb and store material, dont beat yourself up about it, if you are studying in the way you describe your habits and intelligence isnt the issue, find the source of your emotional issues and resolve them, rather than search for the answer to your low grades in your approach to learning

Do you think it would be wise then to not go to school next semester?

Thanks for making me feel good about myself OP, I though my fucking life was over because I dropped calc 2 to avoid getting a C and now I have a W, and everyone on this damn board won't shut up about how big of a genius they are, and even if I know 90% if them are trolls, it still triggers me. Like wew there eat just some poptarts and chill and ride a bike or something haha

KYS for one semester (can't hurt to try). If that doesn't work, then try something to else.

>what did you do?
lol, you accept your limitations and move on. I scraped by high school and got a job. Turns out, low level working force is stupid also - so all my bosses think im some sort of genius. Even the CEO of the company i used to work for thinks im a genius. I'll be going to college after im done paying off my home loan. I won't be going because i need to, but because i want to.

Your probably just too stressed, starting to realize certain things about life that makes you feel like shit. But the worst part is how dependent you are on succeeding.

I mean, what classes have you taken? we can better answer your question that way.

>my habits were good and I was studying around 7-9 hours a day

I can almost guarantee you are grossly overrating how much you study. If you really studied 7-9 hours a day, and I mean REALLY studied as in nose in the book/grinding problems and absolutely nothing else you would be acing your exams, even if you were borderline retarded.

You probably do what most people do. You don't study 7-9 hours a day, you "study" 7-9 hours a day. You probably have other shit open at your desk while you study, Facebook, youtube, Veeky Forums, porn, texting, etc. and you probably get distracted doing shit you shouldn't be doing instead of studying. In a 7 hour block of "studying" you may end up actually studying for less than an hour. That's your issue.

Forgive me for not believing that you study so much but everyone overrates their abilities, it's natural. You want to project the best image of yourself to other people so you sugarcoat reality. Everyone does it. So for me to give you advice that might actually help you I'm making some assumptions and trying to read between the lines as to what's actually going on in your life.

Also if you're keeping up with hw and readings and shit you shouldn't need to study 7-9 hours for one exam. I can't see you realistically needing more than 3, assuming you don't "study" of course.

What this guy said. There's a big difference between "studying" and studying.

this is not your blog faggot

if you want an answer to "could depression be responsible for my grades dropping significantly" that's all you need to post. Not this irrelevant flood of self-pitying whining so long it takes you two posts to finish it.

and yes, chemical depression is capable of seriously fucking cognitive ability.

I guess you're right
I would be texting friends in our group chat during studying, but I still felt as though I was absorbing material, but based on my performance I guess I'm not. Although they all seem to be getting better marks than me, but I guess you can't compare

Don't let this knock you down, but you're probably in the wrong major.
I went through literally the same thing as you. I worked my ass off for a physics degree and constantly got bad marks and blamed it on this or that. These things like depression and anxiety do affect us, but what's more likely is that we're just not good at certain things. I bailed from physics in hopes I could jump into computer science or engineering. My experiences there for a semester or two were similar and my grades kept slipping to the point where I had to change majors. Now I'm in a simple, easy major. But ya know what? I love it more than anything and wished I would have just done this in the beginning of college so that 1. I'd be able to enjoy life, and 2. so I could have a life that fit my skills. That's what it sounds to me like you need to do. As hard as it may be to read that not everyone is cut out to be in a highly intellectualized field, and there are people who are better suited to it anyway.

If you're major is something typically considered easy, like English, or something, then you're probably just stupid. If it's something that's considered hard though, take solace in the fact that although you might not be as smart as you thought, at least you're not stupid. Already 2 years in and not getting better? Switch now to something you're good at and enjoy. And find a way to get over your feelings. They only cause you to waste time. Peace.