academic success,  current student,  leave of absence,  mental health

you can do it!

my time in undergrad has been rough, in addition to much longer than expected; i don’t know how long it’s going to take to get my degree nowadays, and most of my friends have already finished undergrad. i haven’t been in a good place for a while now and haven’t been diagnosed with depression by a professional but everything about me absolutely reeks of it. i still want to continue with higher education, but i don’t know if i should take a break or continue at a relaxed pace. too heavy, or…?


hi there,

i think the best thing to do here is to get some professional advice — for mental health, academics, future plans, or whatever else you may have on your plate. your registrar is a good place to start as they can probably direct you to other resources and options, and you can also book an appointment with your family doctor or a clinician at the health & wellness clinic, and get confidential counselling over the phone through mySSP.

i think it’s a bit hard to know what path would be best for you right now without having a more detailed discussion. it all depends on how your health right now, what your priorities/goals are, possible accomodations… the list goes on. it’s complicated! so, really. reach out to these supports!!

now i may not be a medical professional or academic advisor, but i’d like to think i’m a bit of an expert in giving some perspective, emotional support, and wholesome gifs.

speaking of wholesome gifs:

i think it’s important to remember that it’s ok to take your time, and rather than trying to push and do things “on time” (whatever that means, anyway) make sure you’re doing it in a way that works for you and your priorities — a very important one being your health!

i was trying not to get all into the realm of cliche quotes and ~positive thinking~, but since we’re here already i might as well drop a few more, like:

  • “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”
  • “comparison is the thief of joy”
  • “time is a social construct and plenty of students graduate in 4+ years anyway” (ok i just needed to fill a space here but still, it’s true.)

cliche? oh yeah. helpful? hopefully. easier said than done? yeah, probably that too. but you get the point.

there are probably other practical considerations that’ll affect your decision, like career goals, finances — all of that fun stuff. i think it’s important to think about these things first and figure out where you really want to be at the end of the day. do you want to enter a career that requires a degree? or maybe you’re really passionate about what you’re learning but just need the time, or the right time and circumstances, to work through it. if neither of these is true, maybe it’d be better to look into other options to really reach your goals. you may feel tied down to finishing your degree, but if it’s not what you really want/need, there could be better options out there — and tbh there’s no shame in jumping ship if this just isn’t working out for you.

if finishing your degree is your end goal, you’ll have to consider your health, finances, and academics this semester to decide whether to take a leave of absence or drop some courses. there’s still a bit of time until the course drop deadline (literally tomorrow!)

a leave of absence could be a good option if you really feel like you are floundering right now and need the time to rest/get things together. you’d have to drop all your courses this semester by the deadline, and cancel your registration on acorn. there might also be other ways to take a leave if you ask your registrar (they have their ways…)

on the other hand, if you feel like you could pull through for some/most of your courses this semester, then cr/ncr may be a good option, especially for more difficult or stressful courses. this way, you could save on the tuition you’ve paid so far while earning some more credits towards your degree. you could then take a leave of absence next semester if needed

there’s a lot of other stuff that can be done/planned out academics-wise too, like going over study strategies with an academic advisor, getting accomodations and support for health concerns or other extenuating circumstances, or changing to programs/courses that play to your strengths.

uni life is a depressing mess sometimes, but i think with the right advising and supports/resources, you can definitely plan things out to finish your degree in a manageable way, hopefully with a clear, realistic timeline — that way, there’ll be a real light at the end of the tunnel, and you won’t feel like things are just left hanging up ahead. (it really sounds like i’m just regurgitating some kind of smart goals framework thing right now but hey, i guess the theme of the day is cliches.)

anyhow, i hope this helped give you some ideas on how you could move forward. it’s a tough situation for sure, but i hope you know that it’s ok to take your time on this journey, and that there are tons of resources you can reach out to for support and advice.

rooting for you!

aska

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