If you are thinking about quitting school, you are reading the right column. I, personally, have been wanting to quit for a few years now. This last year has been brutal in terms of workload and life balance. Spoiler alert: I have no life balance. My family is supportive, but I am hanging on by a thread.

Now I know that school isn’t for everyone. I am on my second Bachelor’s and, frankly, regret my decision. I see the opportunity cost of my choices. A graduate degree would have been better. It may have taken me longer to get my Professional Engineering license, but the cost would have been less overall. Oh, well, that’s water under the bridge now as I am a year out from graduation.

School is hard work

Most good things take work. Being surrounded by high-achieving peers can make our efforts seem small. I am amazed at the ability of some of my classmates to answer complex questions in lectures. I hadn’t even comprehended the question while some of the students were shouting out the correct answers. It makes me feel dumb, but I know that it doesn’t make me dumb.

It’s okay that I need time to process things. Not everyone has the same abilities to recognize problems and solve them in their heads right away. Everyone is different, and though we all may be sitting in the same lecture and have the same major, that may be where the majority of our similarities end.

So with that being said, it is essential to make time to study or review the information covered in our classes. Maybe even consider meeting up with the professors teaching your classes or getting a tutor. At the very least, making time to study will help you in not falling behind.

I remember that I once had to study over ten hours a week for one class. I had zero idea what it was about and struggled with it. On the first exam, I got a D. It took hours of studying and pretend I was teaching the class to myself to really understand the concepts of that class. I passed with an A.

Growing up

College is a time where we need to start being responsible for our lives. Growing up comes with responsibilities. Loans or not submitting your FAFSA on time can be variables that lead to challenging situations in any student’s life. These are real things that affect us currently or down the road.

We don’t always know where to start, but we can always start where we are. If you got a scary-looking email from the school, reach back and let them know you need help.

ISU offers many resources. You can go and speak to your adviser for starters. They may point you in the right direction. If that doesn’t do the trick, or you don’t like your adviser, then email the registrar or the financial aid office. Or even the dean of your school. Ask a professor you do like.

There are many ways to get to the same place.

If you are quitting because something big is happening in your life, reach out as well. I know it can be hard, but the school has the resources to help. Life is easier when you are a student, trust me.

No one knows we need help if we don’t say anything.

Consequences

There will be consequences for any choice that we make, whether we stay in school or drop out or something else. There are always consequences. I would hope that regardless of the choice you make, that you think things through.

If quitting means paying back some amount of money (from loans), think about how you will start paying that. Sit down and do the math. And if you don’t know, you can always ask ISU or Google it.

Google has been my best friend since I’ve gone back to school. There is also a subreddit for the Iowa State community. I’ve found that very helpful.

If you are quitting because you think you can’t do it, I highly encourage you to consider lightening your course load (if possible) or replacing some classes you have with some easy courses to help you lighten the amount of course work you do get.

Life is too short to have to suffer through four or five classes that leave you exhausted every week. It may make for busier semesters later on, but what does it matter if it’s busier later on if you can’t even make it past this week?

Out in the “real world,” we figure things out as we go. It is rare for the person that has their life all mapped out and things are going according to plan.

The most crucial thing in achieving success is to get started. The road to success won’t be linear, and there will be many obstacles along the way. How we learn to manage those will be determinants of how successful we are in the end.

Remember that success is different for everyone. Sure, getting a degree pays off financially (certain degrees, though), but financial success over mental health may not be what you want.

The thing that truly matters is not whether you quit school or not. The important thing is that you don’t quit on yourself. That’s what matters.