I just feel really awful and need to say so

Wetterdew
Wetterdew Posts: 142 Member
in Motivation and Support
First of all I'm sorry but this isn't about my diet/exercise. I don't mind if nobody replies, I just feel better articulating my thoughts somewhere. I just found out that for my next and final semester of college, I won't be able to take ANY of the courses I wanted to take due to a scheduling mistake. I have to drop out of not one BUT TWO of my current courses (my fault for overloading while taking my major's most difficult course) and I just feel humiliated and guilty for letting it happen.

I will have to graduate without taking the course that is by far the most important in preparing me for a job related to my major, and I just learned it an hour ago.

I'm meeting with my advisor tomorrow but I feel so bad now that I can't wait to speak about it. So I came here. It's rare that I feel this bad (thank goodness) but I just feel so stressed out that it feels like I'm about to shrivel up and vanish. I should go outside or something. God.

Replies

  • Sovictorrious
    Sovictorrious Posts: 770 Member
    What's your major?
  • amberxy
    amberxy Posts: 35 Member
    Hey... no need to feel guilty. Put simply, s**t happens.

    You've accomplished something fantastic by finishing a qualification. Well done!!

    Perhaps there's a way to do the course you missed separately after you've graduated? Not sure where you live but in Australia, we have online and distance learning available so you can enrol in separate units without committing to a full degree.
  • bakemma
    bakemma Posts: 161 Member
    Did you try and get an override?
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Scheduling mistake as in the courses are at the same time as the courses you are currently taking? My suggestion, as someone who teaches at a university, speak with the course director(s) of the courses you want to take. If they are full, you might be able to get on a waiting list or perhaps they will let you take them anyway. Alternatively, look into taking a "directed reading" course with said professor - I did that twice back in the day when I was an undergrad. There was a course that I wanted to take but it conflicted with another course I was already taking, so I took it as a "directed reading" with the prof - basically, I read everything on the syllabus, met with the prof for an hour or two every few weeks and talked about the books one on one, wrote a paper...it was fantastic. Another time, the course I wanted to take did not count towards my major - it was a 3rd year and I needed a 4th year. So I took it as a "directed reading," but really I attended the class and just wrote a longer paper and got the credits I needed. Another option is to audit the course - if you don't need the actual credits, but just need the knowledge, that's a good way to do it. Or get the syllabus and read the books on your own... there are ALWAYS ways around the system, you just have to figure out how to work it.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    That is such a bummer! I know the feeling … I had to take a different course for my minor than I wanted because a class for my major was at the same time :cry: Glad to see you're meeting with the advisor, hopefully you can find some solutions. Let us know what happens!
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
    That sucks. I hope you get things sorted out. If you don't, just remember that almost everything you need to learn to work can be learnt on the job. School is primarily to teach you how to research, prepare and make presentations, present arguments and play nice with the other kids. If the class was that important to your degree, it would be a requirement and not an option (it sounds like it is, or you would have to take it and would be in school for another semester/year).

    Indulge your feelings for as long as you need and not a second longer, then figure out what you have to do to make things work for you, regardless of how the convo with your advisor goes. And don't be embarrassed for too long. Everyone encounters some difficulties and trials. Without them, successes are not as momentous.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If it makes you feel any better, in my experience there really isn't a one class that can most prepare you for the work you're going to do...once you actually start working all that book stuff goes out the window and it's all about real world application and OJT. Your degree just shows the potential employer that you have a background and the necessary brain power to understand whatever field you're in...but awesome book smarts and special classes don't always translate to awesome job performance. When I worked at the CPA firm, there were lots of young hot to trot associates flaunting the fact that they took this class and that and studied for and passed their CPA exam before they even set foot in the office...most of them really sucked *kitten* at their jobs for a long time...they had all the papers and classes and book smarts but no real experience.

    TL/DR...don't worry about it, you'll be ok.
  • Wetterdew
    Wetterdew Posts: 142 Member
    I'm a computer science major. I'll talk about all the suggestions with my advisor tomorrow, thanks for the help.

    I think I could learn the course's material by reading the passages the teacher assigns, maybe I could devote this December and early January to doing that.





    I wish I had another year. and that I had taken less time to find out what I wanted to do. I used to think I would enjoy a neuroscience major. Hah!


    BTW, I'm also doing an art major, but that's all taken care of already. Plus I can self-study art more easily than I can computer science.

    I'm just down in the dumps.
  • Wetterdew
    Wetterdew Posts: 142 Member
    That sucks. I hope you get things sorted out. If you don't, just remember that almost everything you need to learn to work can be learnt on the job. School is primarily to teach you how to research, prepare and make presentations, present arguments and play nice with the other kids. If the class was that important to your degree, it would be a requirement and not an option (it sounds like it is, or you would have to take it and would be in school for another semester/year).

    Indulge your feelings for as long as you need and not a second longer, then figure out what you have to do to make things work for you, regardless of how the convo with your advisor goes. And don't be embarrassed for too long. Everyone encounters some difficulties and trials. Without them, successes are not as momentous.

    It used to be a requirement, but a few years ago they made it optional. It should be required, from what I've heard, though.

    I'm also disappointed that I can't continue taking Chinese or do the advanced silkscreen printmaking course.


    Thanks for the support, everybody. I came here just to vent, and I didn't expect anybody to be able to say anything specific enough to help me feel better, but I do feel a bit better now.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    I hear you. My college wasn't offering the course I wanted as my last course for my last semester. Luckily for me, it was my final elective, so I ended up taking a different course so that I could graduate on time.

    Perhaps you could take the course you want during a different semester? Is it offered online or at night? Just a couple of thoughts.
  • cc141
    cc141 Posts: 55 Member
    hey..don't feel bad about that- scheduling problems happen- I just had a big one too this semester
    I'm a senior so I figured I was all set to graduate in May and then I looked and I didn't have close to enough credits (i was short about 26 mainly because I just didn't notice and also they have been switching my advisor around the past 4 years).
    Luckily- my new advisor helped me out and we figured a way to get me enough credits before May.

    So don't worry- I'm sure your advisor will know exactly what to do- you could probably take that one class in the summer if your school lets you (that's what my school lets people do).
  • girlinagirdle
    girlinagirdle Posts: 37 Member
    I have had a super sh* day as well (week actually) so just want to say there's someone the other side of the pond who knows what a PITA life sometimes is. Hang on in there.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Aww! I had a similar situation and just held off graduation while I waited to take the one course during the summer at a different uni. That might be an option for you, depending on lots of things.

    But I agree that auditing it or taking it for a grade later (separate of your degree) is probably very doable. That would make you look better to an employer, imho, because it shows you don't just do the minimum required. It could even make you stand out, so who knows? It might be a good thing in the end :)
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Are You kidding Me?! Gotta say, there is NO one course that will prepare you for the work place...and in MOST cases not even your 4 or 5 yrs of Undergrad work. The purpose of college is to teach you HOW to think, NOT What to think. I am a Lawyer and college courses did not Substantively prepare Me for Law School, and Law School did not Substantively prepare Me for the work place! Move on and Handle those matters that are within Your power to handle, and One of those things is Attitude.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I feel your pain. I felt awful after a scheduling mistake that resulted in me not being able to graduate on time with my fellow classmates due to missing ONE required class. I thought it would be offered during my final spring quarter, but they'd recently cut back on offerings, and decided to only offer that class in fall quarter. I had to wait until the next fall to take one stupid class and I never got to walk at graduation. (Which is ok, since graduations tend to be hot, crowded and boring anyway.) I felt like a total jerk for not paying attention. :sad:
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    My final 2 courses for my CS major were completed as independent studies. Talk to a professor/advisor, you may be able to work something out.

    I would posit that the most important course is Data Structures. I had a prof that said "I will make this the hardest course you ever took, because if you don't know this cold, I don't want you coding next to me." But the fact of the matter is - one course won;t make or break your ability to besuccessful or competent at work.

    What EDesq said.

    hell, you'll learn more in 6 mos on the job that you did in all 4 years of college.

    There's a saying amongst engineers: Circuit theory teaches you how a circuit *should* work, not why it doesn't.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Are You kidding Me?! Gotta say, there is NO one course that will prepare you for the work place...and in MOST cases not even your 4 or 5 yrs of Undergrad work. The purpose of college is to teach you HOW to think, NOT What to think. I am a Lawyer and college courses did not Substantively prepare Me for Law School, and Law School did not Substantively prepare Me for the work place! Move on and Handle those matters that are within Your power to handle, and One of those things is Attitude.

    you said that much better than I did...yeah...^^^^...that's what I meant.

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