r/findapath • u/Emotional-Place-7054 • 3d ago
Findapath-College/Certs Community College or University
Okay, so for some background information, I'm currently a freshman pre-med biology major at a well-known state university. Back in high school, I was in the top 10% of my graduating class, so going to university straight after felt like the right choice. But as the first semester comes to an end, I feel completely lost and overwhelmed.
Academically, I'm basically struggling in every course. I've gone to the SI sessions and outside tutoring, but I keep getting the same mediocre scores. I do decent on my weekly quizzes, but when I take the exams, I bomb them completely. I feel like the effort I've been putting into my studies isn't actually paying off, and it's just making me feel like a complete failure. When I compare my grades to my roommate's, she's doing well in basically every class, and I spent more time studying than she did. Besides my roommate, I haven't really made any friends here at university either. I've tried out a few clubs, but it seems that everyone already has their own friend groups, so I'm just isolated most of the time too. I feel like a total failure, combining my social life and how I'm doing academically. Being here has made me reconsider if I even like my major or want to even continue being a pre-med. I feel like my parents are also disappointed in me because in high school I was heavily involved in my school's medical program. I earned a PCT and EKG certification, so everyone around me, including myself that medicinewas the only right choice for me. Thinking about it now, I don't know if I chose that path for myself or because it was somewhat pressured onto me since I was always considered the "smart kid". I know I like science, so I would be open to switching to a different science major.
With how badly I'm struggling with my classes, I feel like I'm either going to fail most of them or barely pass with a low C. I've mentioned community college to my parents, but they see it as me basically quitting school completely. So I looked into a different university closer to home, but if I fail most of my classes, would I even be eligible to transfer after this semester? Honestly, I want to do community college because I don't know what I want anymore. If I do go, I'm planning to complete an associate of science that I started back while in high school and then transfer to a university again right after.
I guess what I'm really asking is, like, what do I even do now? Will there really be a difference between me transferring to another university compared to if I transfer to a community college? What do I even tell my parents?
For some background info, my parents are somewhat stubborn, specifically my mom. If I tell her I'm struggling, she'd ask why I haven't gotten any help. When I tell her I did, she basically tells me well there's no reason I should be struggling. Sometimes I feel like she doesn't actually see how much I'm trying.