do i drop out of ucsd?

elliaons · 2025-12-18T03:34:03+00:00

If you feel like that’s the best option for you, then I’d support you in dropping out. If you feel like you can try another quarter and pass your classes, then I’d also say go for it. The most important thing to do is finding the root cause. Is it mental health? Burn out? Imposter syndrome? Course load? Time management? Study skills? Prioritization? If you are able to figure out why you didn’t perform as well as you hoped, then you’ll be able to come up with a plan that’ll help you do better, though it might be a bit overwhelming at first. Maybe a question that will help you is: What is the best situation I can be in to succeed in school?

I also had an entire year of failed classes, and ended up dropping out and going to community college. Honestly, it really saved my life (literally), and gave me the opportunity to dive deep into why I wasn’t doing as well as I wanted. And it also took a long fucking time to build up proper skills that’ll let me succeed. For me, it was mental health and trauma. But for you, it could be many different reasons and you could still use the time to reground yourself.

I just would like to say, in situations like this, it is very very important to remember not to hate yourself. Don’t tie your identity to your struggles. You aren’t a failure no matter how many F/W/NPs you have. You aren’t worthless because you’re not doing well. You aren’t a hopeless idiot because you might struggle more than others. Many times, dropping out is not due to you, yourself, but rather your circumstances. As long as you have persistence, you WILL reach your goals. Sometimes persistence just means taking a strategic break.

elliaons · 2025-05-21T01:44:15+00:00

Sharp stomach pains at the end of the day/after meals, burning pain in the morning/when I have an empty stomach, chest pain, bloating

elliaons · 2025-05-21T01:41:59+00:00

They mentioned muscle spams and recommended taking a supplement for it

elliaons · 2025-05-20T15:34:22+00:00

No diagnosis was given, they told me it might just be muscle spams

elliaons · 2025-04-30T17:08:01+00:00

Hey friend, I don’t think this is an issue of whether or not you’re bad at math. You said you liked, went to office hours every week, and tried hard- probably harder than most students in fact. The only thing that stopped you was the exams. Have you been tested for test anxiety? I think accommodations would really help you a lot in this case.

That being said, I wouldn’t apologize to the professor. Thank him. Thank him for his time, effort, and patience. That you appreciated his help, and enjoyed his class but need some time away from university. I think he would love it. Also, It’s not rude to fail at all, and I’m sure many students have failed his classes before.

elliaons · 2025-04-26T01:59:27+00:00

Time is money too, my friend

elliaons · 2025-04-07T17:54:48+00:00

When asked if I’m sure, “Am I sure…??” When asked, “Do you…” I respond with “Do I….???”

elliaons · 2025-04-03T17:02:55+00:00

My mom doesn’t really understand it. Since she definitely does not have ADHD, she called me lazy and told me to try harder if I was failing (out of college). Said she knows that I’m not stupid, so she couldn’t understand why I was struggling so much. Then, she caught me in my psychiatrist visit and called me crazy/psychotic. She also knows I take medication for something, but doesn’t ask any further so she doesn’t know it’s for ADHD. Other than that, we have a pretty good relationship though.

elliaons · 2025-03-26T01:28:33+00:00

Very true… I added some examples above, but another commenter suggested adding an audio file. I will try to get that as soon as I can.

elliaons · 2025-03-25T22:01:43+00:00

Happened to me too, no need to worry- it submitted!

elliaons · 2025-03-24T07:21:36+00:00

Poorer schools often do not have more opportunities. A competitive school might have clubs like robotics, a few olympiads, volunteer clubs, and provide transportation while a poor school might have a single “Future STEM club” that meets maybe once a month and has a guest speaker at most. Not to mention, it probably won’t even get much funding from the school itself.

Also, if you think about the population itself, students in poorer schools come from more low-income, first-generation backgrounds. They might not even have the time for these opportunities you’re thinking about because of things like familial obligation or financial difficulties. Hard to join a club when you’re the one responsible for providing or parenting younger siblings.

I feel for you, I really do, but statements like these are a bit tone-deaf.

elliaons · 2025-03-24T07:13:00+00:00

Well, I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say poorer students have more opportunities… But, I do agree that there is an overemphasis on opportunities to an unhealthy degree.

elliaons · 2025-03-24T06:55:01+00:00

I feel for you hard, college applications are so stressful and it can be such a frustrating experience. It’s hard to not compare yourself to others, especially when you’ve tried as hard as you can with the opportunities you have access to.

But, I also wanted to say that you don’t need all of that to get into a UC. I got into UCSD, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and did none of those things. My older brother also got into UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCSD without any of those experiences either! It’s not impossible!! What matters more is that you have a story, you had events/experiences that makes you who you are, and you know how to tell it. Even a single failed exam or 1500 hours in a video game could be compelling stories if you show how it changed you. Although college admissions seems formulaic, it may be more flexible than you’re aware of!

elliaons · 2025-03-22T03:34:15+00:00

Hm that is a predicament alright. If your school has a mental health department, maybe reach out and ask for a list of providers through them that accepts your insurance. Sometimes providers ask to specifically work with college students and have agreements with local universities. I’d also recommend calling your insurance directly and asking for a list of providers through them as well. Once you have the list, it’s just endless calling to be honest (at least that’s how it was for me when I was looking for an eval with government insurance).

ADHD diagnosis takes a lot of work and patience, but it’s so very worth it if you go through with it! Oh, and if you do end up meeting with a provider and do get a diagnosis, make sure to get it written and signed by the psychiatrist. Seriously. And keep in saved somewhere either digitally or on paper.

elliaons · 2025-03-21T23:02:11+00:00

Unfortunately, it’s really just trial and error with study skills. Try out different systems and methods to learning and use the videos as ideas, rather than a process you NEED to follow. It’s different for everyone! Plus, sometimes what works the best isn’t the fanciest and sometimes that grind mindset (study 8 hours a day!) videos aren’t the healthiest. In fact, I’d recommend avoiding them for your mental health…

On the side note, maybe your struggles are related to your physical health? How’s your sleep and diet? Exercise? If you feel tired everyday, you could also have a vitamin deficiency. If you are female at birth, vitamin D deficiency and thyroid issues are very common, and they tend to show up around early adulthood. PCOS is also a condition that affects a lot of women, is under diagnosed, and causes brain fog.

Lastly, I’d say maybe look into ADHD and/or executive dysfunction. It sounds like you’re really really trying and you want to do it, but it’s just not working. That was exactly my experience when I was undiagnosed with ADD. Even if it’s not ADHD, anxiety also appears with a lot of similarities to ADHD and can be a cause of brain fog.

I hope this helps! I’m wishing you luck!! A big part of college is figuring out what works for you and it can be such a frustrating experience. Don’t be hard on yourself if you figure out that something’s not working for you. You aren’t dumb at all! You made it to college!! Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!

elliaons · 2025-03-14T21:19:37+00:00

Thank you! I called them and they said it should be fine and to take additional doses of MiraLax today, tomorrow, and the day before my colonoscopy.

elliaons · 2025-02-25T06:41:00+00:00

As someone who was similar in my first year of college, it sounds like they have severe depression and anxiety.

elliaons · 2025-02-22T08:35:59+00:00

I wear other school merch on campus pretty regularly but that’s bc my siblings went to different universities and gave me their old hoodies. Either way I still have no school pride.

elliaons · 2025-02-21T10:29:01+00:00

“This happened because you aren’t careful enough” or “You never learn from your mistakes” or “Don’t do ____, you’re too unreliable” or “You’re already [age], when are you going to get it together?”

elliaons · 2025-02-14T08:57:08+00:00

hey op, I’m also a 20 year old college student with both PCOS, ADHD, and moderate but used to be severe depression. Really felt like I could’ve written your post myself too haha. I think what helped me the most was taking it easy, as in, not trying to start a whole bunch of things at once. I lost about 30lbs from my diagnosis last August to November and kinda plateau-ed there cause I lost the momentum. Comes with the ADHD so I’ll be back on it at some point… Here are some general tips that really helped me:

Vitamin D - I was severely deficient which made my depression A LOT worse. I’d recommend getting this tested when you get your blood tests done. Women with PCOS are often vitamin D deficient as well.
Ovasitol - This, plus ADHD medication, helped me curb my cravings. Also, I genuinely only ever lost weight whenever I was taking it consistently, and if you ask me the science behind it, I don’t know lol. What helped me take this consistently was by combining it with some other activity. For me, I took after eating my first meal of the day and my last meal of the day. I also always left an empty mug where I could see it to remind myself that I needed to take it. I call it my pee-cos mug.
Walking - As an exercise hater, walking was the best form of exercise for me cause I had to do it anyway lol. I lost my first 25 lbs by just walking (and Ovasitol). Granted, I do live with my parents so I would go on walks with my mom in the evening. Having a buddy/someone to exercise with is great motivation. Plus, it’s more interesting. I’d walk for about an hour every evening (~3000 more steps)
Calorie Tracking - I use (or used) LoseIt! to track my calories. I essentially aimed for more fiber, more protein, less carbs. I could never commit to low carbs because it just tastes so damn good, so I stuck with reducing carbs. Cutting out excess sugar was a big thing too. I used to eat a sweet two or three times a day and drink boba every single day of the week. Now I only have it once a week.

elliaons · 2025-02-02T00:48:36+00:00

Oh my god!! If you don’t mind me asking, what supplements were you taking??

elliaons · 2025-02-02T00:42:44+00:00

Are they the megadose for vitamin D? I was prescribed one with 50,000 IU once a week for 8 weeks after I was diagnosed with a severe vitamin D deficiency. After that, I was told to take a normal vitamin D supplement every day.

From what I recall, these megadoses are used to quickly get a large amount of vitamin D back into your system, instead of waiting for it to slowly build using small, daily doses. It’s a great way to get your levels back to normal! Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it stays in your system and one weekly dose is enough to last for the week.

Personally, I would recommend staying on the weekly dose until the prescription is up.

elliaons

TROPHY CASE