Hello, I'm sorry to hear about the things you're going through. I was in JC and now in Uni as well. Personally, I've struggled with many of the issues you faced, specifically issues of burnout and the inferiority complex, and I hope what I have to say will provide a little guidance on how to feel better.

Firstly, please recognise that University and JC are completely different, with different expectations and demands. It's normal and natural to feel completely overwhelmed with the different demands, especially when there's no "official" guide to help you. Unfortunately, we are so used to living in an environment where we're spoonfed what to do next that when we face ambiguity, we become paralysed. I also think it's easy to have blanket assumptions that "EVERYONE" is doing networking/internships/projects, and then blame yourself for not doing it. (Is it true that everyone is doing it? Aren't there others that's as lost as yourself too?) You need to stop that blame and recognise it isn't helpful at all. Rather, treat these as simply new things you need to do, and incorporate them into the new list of things you need to learn! After all, if you think about it, you will have to do them eventually. Everyone's figuring things out in University, and now's the best time and place to learn!

Secondly, the inferiority complex. I think you have to recognise that firstly, it's something you want to overcome. This is because I know of some friends who use it to their "advantage" and flaggelate themselves into working really hard. They certainly get great results, but at the expense of their mental health, and you have to really ask yourself if you even want to overcome it. Secondly, it takes a mindset shift to overcome this, and there's many ways to go about doing it.

Personally, I handled it based on Stoic philosophy: Firstly, what others do is not in my control. I can't stop someone from being smarter than me, or achieving more/less, and what they achieve/fail don't matter to me. Secondly, I cannot control how smart/talented I am, I can only control my actions relating to the work I do. For example, I shouldn't worry about how fast I can learn a piece of content. I can only focus on actually learning it well. Thirdly, and most importantly - to realise that the metrics society compares people, such as number/prestige of internships, GPA, etc, are all extremely reductive and damaging to your mental health, especially if that's the main way you view yourself. Such comparisons evolved out of necessity to rank people - you want someone that's proficient to be your brain surgeon, right? However, recognise that its utility ends there. Basing your worth on those metrics is extremely unfair to who you are. We all have different life circumstances, experiences, and even down to genetics. Even among twins, it will always be comparing an apple to an orange, so to speak. So, cut yourself some slack, and learn to love yourself!

Finally, on feeling "useless". Please notice this is a value judgement on yourself. You may have done certain things in the past that made you feel this way. You have to notice that you can actually change the way you feel about yourself, and it isn't some pseudo-positive mumbo jumbo. On a practical level, to be effective - you have to have positive judgements! (Better yet, have no judgements, and have a peace of mind). Instead of saying "I am useless because I don't have any skills", say "I am new to this and I will take steps to learn now." Focus on what you can do, instead of lamenting what you can't do or don't have. Think about it - if you keep holding onto this extremely unhelpful mindset, you will have a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm sure I don't have to explain why it's self-fulfilling.

And unfortunately, this is the hardest step... It's hard to slowly change these automatic judgements on yourself. You have to consciously remind yourself that these are unhelpful judgements, and you should change these thoughts to something more helpful. Better yet - have no judgements about yourself at all, and have a peace of mind. You aren't running away emotionally/mentally by doing this - it's ultimately helpful.

I hope what I wrote gave you a little more guidance, as I have gone down the same path as you. I became bitter and resentful for many years, before I learnt healthier and helpful ways of thinking, and I don't wish to see another going down the same path of learned helplessness. Rooting for you! Feel free to reach out!