When it comes to struggle... I know all about it.
See, I never really thought of myself as a stellar student throughout college. My first round of grades at UCLA were a series of D's and F's. I not only felt the pressure of an Engineering degree on my shoulders, but also the pressure of being the first in my family to attend a U.S. University. I had so many moments where I felt like I didn't belong. Not just because of what I looked like, but also because I wasn't performing even at the average at times.
I had a lot of thinking to do.
"I could switch majors"
"Okay, and do what?"
"....."
"And do what?"
See that was the thing... there was nothing else I wanted to do. I knew that no matter how hard it was going to be, I had to do it, and I WOULD do it.
I've learned a lot since graduating. I've been able to analyze everything with a clear mind now that it's years behind me.
Here's what I want you to know:
Sometimes it REALLY ISN'T your fault. Everyone around us is flawed, including professors, counselors, and deans. However, it's important to recognize when it was.
There are almost always, things you can do about it. Did you fail a test? Did you not get that internship? Did you make a mistake at work? Did you forget to turn something in? What are you going to do about it?
You will never be able to know it all. There will always be things to learn.
Sometimes you will need to learn and relearn and review the same concepts over and over. It's part of the fun!
There is nothing wrong with needing to start something over! I retook (officially and unofficially) math, engineering, and language classes I had done well in to begin with multiple time because each time you get it better than the time before! And when you have a strong foundation, building on it is so much easier!
Don't be afraid of failure. It's not a failure to learn something new.
-Kat