# I just ruined my future



## I Lurk Life (Oct 9, 2013)

I feel like I just ruined my life. 

I'm in my 4th year of community college and I half-heartedly chose Computer Science as my major. I don't have any coursework for my major, but I applied to a bunch of universities anyways, having signed up for some classes this current semester. 

My plan was to hope that I'd get accepted for my 4.0 GPA and that I'd get out of college fast, so I signed up for a bunch of hard STEM classes.

I underestimated how hard Linear Algebra was and today I just failed my first exam horribly. I got like a 20% on the exam and now I'm going to need to get a perfect score on every single exam to get an A in the class, and this class is extremely hard.

I'm thinking about dropping this class but then I feel like I'll be stuck at my community college forever. People are shocked all the time when I tell them that I'm 21 and in my fourth year of community college. Well, now it feels like the window of opportunity is getting smaller and smaller...

School is my only way of pulling myself up... Without my education, I'd just be reduced to some socially awkward quirky guy that people get creeped out by, that no one wants to be around.

Wow, I feel like I just ****ed up my life. I feel like it's all over for me...


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## Missing Link (Jan 20, 2014)

Don't get yourself down. It's happened to me where I did badly on midterm, but subsequently recovered. First, try to understand why you did poorly. Did you spend enough time studying? Did you cram or paced yourself? Did you do the homeworks? Was the textbook understandable? etc... Once you identify that, try to correct it. Go over the exam and understand what you got wrong.

If time constraints are not the issue, also check out this edx course on Linear Algebra that's in progress right now: https://courses.edx.org/courses/UTAustinX/UT.5.01x/1T2014/info

Also Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/linear-algebra

What textbook are you using? Is it any good?


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## Bert Reynolds (Dec 18, 2013)

I've been in your shoes before in college and what happened to a class like that ended up with me either failing it or dropping it in the end. You have to think reasonably and realistically in a situation like this. Do you really think you can Ace the rest of your exams after having failed your first with a 20? Only you can answer that but from experience I'd much rather drop a class than get stuck with it and have it dramatically affect my overall GPA. And being that it is so difficult and you failed the class the first time around makes it near impossible to take the course over again with hopes for changing that F to a decent enough letter grade.


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## Higgins (Apr 19, 2012)

So, would you rather stick around CC for a little while longer with the higher odds of keeping an excellent GPA, or do you wanna risk the chance not acing every single exam in your course hereafter? I wouldn't feel bad about being 21 and still in CC... I'm 21, gonna be 22 in four months and I just started my very first year of college (not CC, but still!). At least you're doing something with yourself, and that's a lot more than I can say for other people who are even older than us.


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## Remnant of Dawn (Feb 22, 2012)

I Lurk Life said:


> School is my only way of pulling myself up... Without my education, I'd just be reduced to some socially awkward quirky guy that people get creeped out by, that no one wants to be around.


Oh boy I know this feeling.

I wouldn't worry too much about one exam. Sure, that's not a great score, but how critical is it that you maintain a perfect 4.0? Getting a B wouldn't be the end of the world. I would just work hard to make sure you get your way back up to that grade (if you think you can do it), and not worry. I'm sure you'll still get accepted to a very good school. But if you decide to stay in community college for another year, I don't think there's anything wrong with that either (as long as you can afford it).

Good luck!


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## Gamesizer (May 23, 2013)

I Lurk Life said:


> School is my only way of pulling myself up... Without my education, I'd just be reduced to some socially awkward quirky guy that people get creeped out by, that no one wants to be around.


This hits really close to home.


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## HelpfulHero (Aug 14, 2013)

Drop the class and take it again next semester.


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## meepie (Jun 20, 2010)

If you need help with Linear Algebra, contact me. I am willing to tutor(have 4+years exp) you for free(math major here). That's all. I could use some review too since I'm taking a graduate math course for numerical linear algebra. Good luck OP.


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## simpleindian (Oct 25, 2011)

Sorry to hear that...but don't lose hope...computer science is a gud field with great opportunities....if u r finding math tough just try hard to pass it as I don't think that there will be lot more math after this as ur field is computers and not math but u have to pass this one

I never understood y they put so much math into this at the first place...I have also done my masters in computer applications...I think that in a field such as computer science the emphasis should be on more on programming languages rather than algebra...but u can't Change the education system. 

Be focused and give ur best.


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## HelpfulHero (Aug 14, 2013)

meepie said:


> If you need help with Linear Algebra, contact me. I am willing to tutor(have 4+years exp) you for free(math major here). That's all. I could use some review too since I'm taking a graduate math course for numerical linear algebra. Good luck OP.


Could I take you up on that for multivariable?


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## rawwr (Feb 9, 2014)

if it makes you feel any better, im 2nd year Law school and pretty much ****ed every chance i have of getting a job by underestimating first year and getting low grades (my study philosophy then was study just to pass) but obviously I failed to realise how there are thousands of applications for one job, so yeah i probably not only wasted my money on the course but also my time because my chances of getting employed after i graduate are slim and none.


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## mike91 (Sep 23, 2012)

I dropped out of high school when I was 15 and got a job making 12k a year was good for my age back then now im 22 earning 30k when other people my age are on twice as much if not more and dont work weekends so dont give up finsh it and get a good job even if your there till 25 it sucks working a job you hate and cant change


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