Sometimes, despite our best efforts, times get tough. Tough times can range from a bout of extreme homesickness, to a serious illness, to a death in the family. I experienced some tough times myself, as my father became ill with cancer and died after a two year battle while I was an undergraduate. I also learned I was pregnant shortly after starting graduate school with Child #4, so had some challenges to face then, too.
Even the toughest times can be weathered if you don't give up. Winston Churchill, who guided England during World War II, had a famous saying. He said, "Never give up, never, never, never, never give up." That's a great motto for college students.
Here are some tips to help you if you should face some very tough times.
_____1. Make sure you know when you can drop your classes without getting an F.
Every semester, I have students who stop coming to class, but don't drop the course. I hate to do so, but I have to give them an F at the end of the semester. Occasionally students stop coming to class who had an A at the time. However, they didn't communicate with me, so I have no idea what came up in their lives. It's so much better to have a W (withdraw) or D (drop) on your transcript than an F, so please be aware of drop dates.
_____2. If an emergency happens, and it's too late to drop, communicate with your professor immediately.
She can probably make arrangements for you to get an Incomplete and will help you come up with a plan to finish your coursework. In most cases, a student facing a true emergency or serious illness can make use of an Incomplete. I had to do that one semester when I became ill and unable to complete a major project. My professor kindly worked with me, and I eventually earned an A in the course.
_____3. If you must, look at your schedule and decide if you can make it through the semester by dropping one or two classes, instead of withdrawing from all of them.
Sometimes you just need some breathing room. Perhaps if you reduce your demands somewhat, you can still get through the semester.
_____4. If life gets tough enough that you have to withdraw for a semester or two, you don't have to let your dream of a college education die.
When it became clear that my dad was going to lose his fight with cancer, I made the hard decision to leave college halfway through my sophomore year. I took a few classes at a local community college while he was sick, but that was all I was able to manage. I still earned my degree, but it took me five years instead of four. When I became pregnant in graduate school, I scaled back then, too, and spent two years getting a degree I had planned to finish in one. Nobody holds that against me now, though.
_____5. If you find yourself floundering because of homesickness, a bad breakup, or other personal stresses, make use of the college's counseling department.
Any help you get from that department will be held in strict confidence. It's better to get help early, so that you don't become so depressed and stressed that you can't function.
_____6. Remember the importance of keeping to a routine and study schedule as much as possible.
That way, when life gets a little crazy, you have a framework to help you keep your sanity. Also, if you know your schoolwork is under control, other stresses (not the huge ones, but the more manageable ones) won't throw you so much.
_____7. No matter how difficult your circumstances are, or how much you're tempted, refuse to cheat on assignments or exams.
Not only will this harm your self esteem and sense of pride in your accomplishments, but the consequences will be severe if you're caught. Cheating includes cutting and pasting reports from the internet, purchasing papers, writing information on your hands, sneaking in "cheat sheets", or using your cell phone to relay answers. Remember that professors are smart, and it's difficult to pull a fast one on them. If you get caught cheating, at a minimum you'll probably earn a zero on the assignment or test. You may also face expulsion from the class or even expulsion from school. To make matters worse, your transcript may reflect that you were caught cheating--something difficult to explain to a prospective employer some day. It's not worth it!
_____8. Consider summer school to help you stay on track.
If you've had to drop a course or two, or even withdraw for a semester, taking classes in the summer might be a good option for you. Just be careful about courses that cram a whole semester into six weeks. Those move at a very fast pace. A 12 week course might be a better option.
Above all, strive to stay motivated. You'll treasure your college degree some day. The journey you must take to earn it may be rocky sometimes, but it's worth it in the end. To help you keep things in perspective, the next section will be all about staying motivated.
