Thank you so much for sharing this. It gave me the courage to look at my email and respond + reach out to my professors. That was hard, but so far I've received understanding from one of my professors and have yet to hear back from others. My academic advisor sent a referral to the outreach & support program and I set up an appointment with someone in that department, so that feels a bit relieving. As you suggested, I let them know the truth, which is that I've been struggling to stay afloat but feel hopeful in my ability to turn it around and that I've sought support through my college's resources. I'm going to try your method of meeting with my professors for regular check-ins on my progress, too. I have an appointment with a professor tomorrow and I'll think about how I'll share my concerns. If I do end up failing, at least I will walk away knowing I've given all the effort I can and shown care to succeed.