Worried about college

LegacyUser

Hi there. First of sorry for the way this is written im using my phone. i am going to college in september im delighted really i am. Problem is my situation is different from most starting this year. i left school back in 2005 just after my junior cert. I worked a load of jobs which i always left either because i hated it or was about to be fired anyway. I was on the dole for a few months and decided that it was time to get it together so i enrolled on a short course and came out top of the class of seven. This really amazed me as i was hopeless at school. I went to do work experience for the course and got on really well again and was even offered a job afterwards which i am doing now and my boss seems to think the world of me. Any way i enrolled on a college course im not old enough to be a mature student so had to slightly exciesate my qualification. They were wary at fist but eventually offered me k place. Now all im worried is that i simply wont be able for this course. I was never good at school and im definitly not very bright its a fear of failure i have i wont be able to bear going back to my family and my boss and workmates if i dont do well. I am really scared that i will fall back into my old habits or just simply fail due to lak of ability. i know in the great scheme of things this problem is tiny but i would really appreciate some feedback. Im not sure what it is in looking for by posting this but any comments would be nice. Thanks for taking the time to read such a long post

christina_x

you can do it, youv shown in your last course that you have the ability to put your head down and work! If you believe your going to fail then you will!

As my sister says, you can believe you can, or you can believe you cant, but either way your right! Good luck:pac:

LegacyUser

Yep, you can do it. You will have to work harder if you've been out of the acedemic loop for a while and need to get back into it, but you should do OK. get advoise from someone who's been in your situation is my advise to you.

Most college courses start at the start, but move quite quickly. Depending on the course, you may not have missed much at all by not sitting the leaving.

Even if you are struggling there are facilities in many colleges for students that need help. you can talk to the students union, chaplain, councellors, your lecturers. You can get help in the form of grinds or from classmates.

i have seen some REALLY dense people get through college. It can be done no probs with hard work.. I am not saying you're dense, it seems like you, like me, just didn't like school. College is different to school anyway.

And for the record I was told by my teachers I basically wouldn't amount to anything, was always in trouble in school, did a mediocre leaving by any standards and I now have a MEngSc from UCC.

It can be done.

LegacyUser

OP, trust me, you can do it. I have seen first hand some of the dumbest people I know get through college. And 2 of them are now doing PHds, lord knows how. I think it is just because they are vry good looking girls.

Anyway, if you do the work, you'll get through it. It's not rocket science OP.

LegacyUser

Hey OP

Was in slightly the same situation as you - I hated school too - struggled through the leaving cert and started working, I then decided to go back to college after a few yrs and was pretty much going through the same feelings you were. You don't have to prove anything to anybody but yourself - forget about your family, boss etc. they have already seen what you can do. When I did go back to college I just made a special effort to go to my lectures, do a bit of study before exams etc.. - what you have learned previously doesnt make a damn bit of difference in college - its what you do when you get there. What I found was I actually started becoming the best in my class - all it required was just putting my head down when I needed to i.e. before exams and for projects - the rest of the time I went to 80% of lectures, paid attention, made friends, went out and enjoyed myself. Trust me whatever you have done before college its a different ballgame when you get there and everyone is on level footing - enjoy the experience and make an effort to make friends as well and you will love it.

Clseeper

OP. You are clearly a totally different person than who you were back when you quit school. You've done a lot of maturing since then.

You should focus on the positives from your boss and your last course. Mature students in general do a lot better because they are more focused and really want to do the course, have given up a lot to do it and are studying something they really enjoy. This is opposed to a number of kids from school who may have picked course because their friend did, they think they have to go to college etc.

The fact that you’re not old enough to be a mature student means you’ll be a lot closer to the ages of the other students and will find it much easier fitting in. Do you best and take all the help you can. Lecturers and post docs will be a lot more inclined to help you out because you’ve already proved you really want this and are prepared to fight for it.

Good luck and always keep the head up, everyone goes through tough phases in college.