I don't understand biology and I'm going to have to drop out of college.

[LexingtonKruger]

I feel very confused.

My first two semesters I managed to get all A's.
Most of those classes were literature based.
I was also working three days.
I work in a Michelin level restaurant so on those three days, ten hour shifts, I have no time for school.
I have survived by doing everything on the school days.
This meant every assignment for each class had to be completed in at most a day. I thought it was pretty hard at times.

This biology class. It is split into two full credit classes.
One class is a lecture the other is a lab.
The lecture consists of him showing powerpoint slides and then he tells us what will be on the exam.
I copied down 16 pages of notes for the first midterm. There will probably be another 16 for the second midterm. Then that total will combine to comprise the final.
I have been studying hours each day from 270 flashcards I made.

Today he did a review for the midterm and I realized that despite everything being multiple choice, he's going to present questions in a chemical form.

He's going to write formulas and we are going to have to decipher those formulas.
I understand a nonpolar covalent bond is an equal sharing of electrons. I have no idea what that looks like chemically drawn out.
He showed it on the board and I asked him to repeat it as I didn't understand and by the end I still had no fucking clue what the subatomic particles were saying that indicated they were in a certain type of bond.
He continued to go over things and I just realized I have no idea how to read these things chemically.
I understand everything as written down, but he is making it harder by asking us to understand the chemical equations.

My anxiety is pretty bad lately.
I have been dreading this test as I had in the back of my mind that something like this would happen.
Essentially I have no means of preparing for the test.
I dropped a class so I could focus on biology. So I have two full days off and two class days.
What makes everything harder is I am just getting sick.
Today I woke up and I just spent most of the day sobbing uncontrollably.

If I can't pass this examine I am going to committ suicide.
I had planned on killing myself two years ago by walking to the George Washington bridge.
Then I met someone who suggested I try college.
College has been my only hope of escaping poverty.
I am also mentally ill, so I just hate life generally.

I'm just like stunned as I thought for one second that I had a future.
School and work are so incredibly hard but I was managing somehow.
Now in only a few weeks I have a test that if I can't pass I have to either face the reality of living life as an impoverished mentally ill individual.
It's not like I don't always think about suicide.
I have thought about dying so much for most of my adult life.
It's just that I thought for one second I had a hope.
I am listening to that joy division song 24 hours as I sit on my porch in Brooklyn.
It's like that.

I don't want to be alive as a failure you know.

I just don't understand. The professor told me to study but I don't really have the energy to Wade through all his PowerPoints looking for the specific info and then hoping I am grasping it. I have no reassurance in coming to an understanding.
The professor is an adjunct so he doesn't have office hours.

 

[SystemBug]

Imma tell you straight up. Failure in college is not the end of the road. Sure it means you might take longer than others but it isn't.

I graduated later than my peers, and ngl it does feel weird seeing your "class" graduate ahead of you. Not once, but twice.

But it's such a small part of it all. Talk to ur professors, tell them your situation. Go to your learning counsel or student services and tell them about your situation. They can help with these kinds of things - pushing deadlines etc.

Depression is a monstrous thing. Trust me I know. And there are many times where I feel so overwhelmed that I just want to end it all. But you know it's not the right thing to do. My Messages are open if you want to talk more

 

[Ashhong]

May I ask why you are taking biology? I failed multiple classes in my college years, got kicked out for cheating, returned a couple of years later and graduated. There is plenty of hope for you yet. If biology isn't right for you then you will find something that is.

Also please seek help from family or friends or a professional

 

[xxracerxx]

There are other majors out there than just biology.

 

[Thequietone]

I failed chemistry in college. I just changed my major to English and graduated with two degrees. A major change may help you.

 

[themadswagger]

Maybe you can drop the class and enroll again in a future semester when you feel better or a different professor is available? (if you don't have to take biology, don't take it at all). Otherwise, there's study groups, and there are usually student tutors available, likely for free.

no one needs to feel this much anxiety about a test. If your school has mental health services (it probably does) please go to it as soon as you can

 

[joecanada]

Huh it sounds like chemistry op. Which I was also terrible at. Ended up with biology minor at the end , it's bullshit that you can't specialize in what you want in university it's a huge scam. I studied insects since I was like 5 years old but didn't have the right stuff to get through multiple chemistry and calculus and labs it just bored me to tears.
As another stated though college isn't the end . I ended up with masters in something else later and it worked out better . I realize now all that boring lab stuff would have been a large part of my work which I would have hated .
Can you find another subject ? I also recommend being tested for learning disabilities if you think you struggle with one specific aspect of learning I knew a few people who needed specific learning styles and support.
Even if you end up leaving college there's tons of other stuff out there .

 

[Baliis]

May I ask why you are taking biology? I failed multiple classes in my college years, got kicked out for cheating, returned a couple of years later and graduated. There is plenty of hope for you yet. If biology isn't right for you then you will find something that is.

Also please seek help from family or friends or a professional

Click to shrink...

At the school I went to, freshman bio was a mandatory class and it was the most hated class at the school. A lot of people ended up taking a summer bio class at community college over the summer to be able to transfer the credits and not have to take it. It was exactly like OP describes, just endless power point slides presented to enormous classes with minimal support from the professor.

 

[Z-Beat]

Failing a class isn't the end. I had to retake multiple classes in college, sometimes just because I got a C- instead of a C and that wasn't enough to meet prerequisites. It's definitely makes you take a hit to your pride but you can definitely come back from it.

 

[Vish]

Can't you chegg your way through it?

 

[DeusOcha]

Failing a class isn't the end mate. It took me 6 years to get my Bachelor's in Computer Science and I failed a number of classes reaching that point (Calculus, Economics, Marketing, and two computer science courses).

 

[Ashhong]

At the school I went to, freshman bio was a mandatory class and it was the most hated class at the school. A lot of people ended up taking a summer bio class at community college over the summer to be able to transfer the credits and not have to take it. It was exactly like OP describes, just endless power point slides presented to enormous classes with minimal support from the professor.

Click to shrink...

In college? Why would an econ major or arts major have to take a bio class? That sounds stupid. That's what high school science is for.

 

[Lord Fagan]

The only thing worse than a poor job is an unfinished one.

Talk with an adviser about switching majors, OP.

You're guaranteed to "fail" if you quit.

 

[wenis]

that's alright. I left biology as well after my first year and went to art school instead. sometimes you gotta struggle a bit to find what you really want.

it's not a failure if you learn something from it. I also dropped out of art school (but now have a fairly successful career as an artist, life happens).

 

[Admiral Woofington]

As others have said, consider changing majors. I entered college in chemical engineering for the wrong reasons and eventually hit a milestone I could not pass and was crying myself to sleep and depressed. I was literally a day away from being put on probation and I switched majors to civil engineering where I passed everything with flying colors. Sometimes the way life tells you that you aren't doing what you're meant to be doing is by throwing you a hard ball.

 

[joecanada]

In college? Why would an econ major or arts major have to take a bio class? That sounds stupid. That's what high school science is for.

Click to shrink...

That is astronomically stupid but sounds par for the course . As I shared earlier my dream was to become an entomologist. My path through biology undergrad would have consisted of 2 entomology courses , both electives, in 4 years. I had to get out of the endless labs in chem, physics , plant bio, etc .... it was shit

 

[Vilix]

It took me 5 years just to get my bachelors. Another 4 years to get my MBA (that was suppose to be a two year program). And I had to take my CPA exam twice before finally passing. My point is just keep working at it. If you fail then try again.

 

[turbobrick]

Well, you have several options. Change majors, take the class again, or maybe change jobs to have more free time to study.

Failing a class or two isn't the end of the world. I can't even count all the classes I've dropped/repeated on my fingers its that many. But you know what, I graduated.

May I ask why you are taking biology? I failed multiple classes in my college years, got kicked out for cheating, returned a couple of years later and graduated. There is plenty of hope for you yet. If biology isn't right for you then you will find something that is.

Also please seek help from family or friends or a professional

Click to shrink...

I know at my university, all majors have to take a lab science, however here you have a choice of what that is as far as I know.

 

[McScroggz]

I'm in a hell of a difficult program right now and the most important thing I can tell you is studying harder or longer is not the answer. You HAVE to learn how to study in a way that works for you.

Like the flash cards, 270+ is a lot of flash cards. Maybe too many. Maybe you are writing too many things on one flash card. If you don't understand what a covalent bond looks like draw it on your covalent bond flash cards. In fact draw pictures or draw/write funny or memorable things that help you remember definitions or concepts. Go through flash cards front and back. Mix them up. If you legit know a card 100% put a check Mark by it and take it out of the rotation until you have a review night. Actually SAY everything out loud instead of in your head, because you will cheat otherwise.

Also, if you don't give your brain mental breaks it actually hurts your studying efficiency (imagine working out and never properly resting, you develop micro ruptures and tears in the muscles and tendons that don't heal and develop more severe issues). Same with dieting and exercise. Trust me, I'm literally learning about anastomosis (creation of new blood vessel pathways) and neural plasticity from exercising. With your schedule it might be difficult but do what you can.

I cannot stress enough however it is important for you to find the best way for you to learn and study. So many people think just studying for 2 hours or 4 hours is enough. You need to be effective. You need to give your brain small breaks. You need to try and get sleep and be healthy in whatever ways you can.

If I can help please ask.

 

[TheChuggernaut]

Yeah, it's not a fun speedbump, but it happens. I straight failed out of college at one point and didn't get my degree till I was 26. I would rather of just passed every class, but I still got there in the end. You can do this, friend.

 

[Jay1V]

I took a bunch of biology and chemistry classes in undergrad. If your professor doesn't present the info in a way that clicks with you, look up the topic on YouTube and hear it from someone else's perspective

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Another option OP is to go to rate my prof and get one of the easier teachers. There's always the chance your teacher is hard compared to others.

 

[Fuchsia]

OP, you're going to be ok!! It's fine to fail a class in college. It's not the end of the world. You can come back from this. I've known many people who have failed a class or had to drop classes. It happens. Please don't base your self worth off of this class. It isn't worth it. You are so much more than just this class. You work very hard and you deserve to feel good about your successes and not beat yourself up about any failures. Failures are often the best learning experiences anyways. I believe in you.

 

[BrickArts295]

Man its all about the teachers. Some professors are freaking HARDCORE, especially the student teachers (avoid those at all cost!). Others are ridiculous easy but lazy as hell. And then there are the ones who actually enjoy teaching the subject and those are usually the best and most balance in terms of difficulty.

Just get that D or W and move unto another teacher.

 

[LexingtonKruger]

Wow there have been so many amazing and helpful comments.

It is so reassuring to hear that other people have failed and continued.

I am going to try different study methods as someone mentioned.
The flashcards I made were helping but then I just realized the professor wants to make it college hard so he's changing the way we have to know everything.
I am going to attempt to grasp it through the PowerPoints he gave us.
It is just risky and also exhausting and I won't ever even know if I'm interpreting his notes correctly.

This is also a community college.
My parents thought that due to my anxiety and depression I was likely to end up in a home for the mentally disabled.
I was also from a poor community, so like no one ever helped me take the SATs.
So now I'm stuck with community college.
After over a decade of struggling in dead end jobs I finally managed to find a job that paid well enough where I could work less to study more.

It is so helpful to know that people do fail and still recover. I really have no one to give me a perspective I just know the binary that failing is bad.

I am actually going for a gender and women's study major with the idea of probably working in hr. I just don't want to be a cook.
I also picked my major as I originally thought that it would be too difficult to do the more advanced science classes while working. So I changed my major with the intention of avoiding harder science classes.
I thought this would be easier as it's bio for non science majors.

The professor actually just showed us something we have never seen before for five minutes and then told us to go reference the PowerPoint if we don't understand. This is also something that will probably correspond with a letter grades worth of questions on the exam.
It's like wtf.

They operate in this world where we don't all have to work additionally. They're like, you have three weeks. I actually have only six days off in those three weeks. If I don't know exactly what I need to do I will not have enough time to study it.

Anyway thank you all so much for responding it makes me feel a lot less alone and hopeless.

 

[Baliis]

In college? Why would an econ major or arts major have to take a bio class? That sounds stupid. That's what high school science is for.

Click to shrink...

Yup, well known engineering school, biology was mandatory. No idea what the rationale was and didn't have to take it myself because I had AP credits, but my room mates both hated the hell out of it.

 

[Bakercat]

My story:

Near the end of my time in college I became very ill and injured from doing Professional Wrestling. I had herniated a disk in my back, sciatica, developed mono, had undiagnosed sleep apnea, very low Testosterone, and gained around 100 lbs from not being able to move much from injury. I had to withdraw a semester and take out a loan of $800 to pay back the school. I came back that next semster and was only able to pull off C's and D's. Now, I am a perfectionist who always had A's and B's before. While things sucked for a year straight, and I was on the verge of suicide from all my issues, I stuck it out and did my best to overcome my issues. I got surgery and was treated for months. I eventually got better and my last two semesters after my sickness I got only A's and B's again; graduated with a GPA of 3.4.

What feels like the end now, is not truly the end. I understand how you feel, I grew up in poverty and pursued a degree to lift myself out of it. Things do get better, its just hard to see it through all the bullshit. Believe in yourself and that you can and will get through this. Your campus should have counsling available for students for free, seek these services out to help if you need them.

Prayers OP.

 

[Deleted member 16657]

It is so helpful to know that people do fail and still recover. I really have no one to give me a perspective I just know the binary that failing is bad.

Click to shrink...

I failed intro to bio 3 times. I never told anyone that. Not even my family, they found out the hard way, when I left them a note saying I was fucking off forever.

I'm graduating with my degree in biochemistry at the end of this semester.

If my shame can become a source of strength for you, please take it. Get the help that you need from your college's wellness center. No test has ever or will ever be worth ending it over, especially not an intro to bio course. I couldn't see that back then when I was in your spot, but I didn't have anyone telling me otherwise, and I really hope to god you can hear me.

 

[MrNelson]

Holy shit man, failing a class isn't a reason to go and kill yourself (not that there's ever a good reason in the first place). It took me a few failed/dropped classes, including Bio, and some switching of majors (as well as anxiety as to whether or not I should just drop out and join the military) before I found something I really enjoyed and wanted to have a career in. Don't lose heart, because plenty of people have been in your shoes before.

 

[TheChuggernaut]

Wow there have been so many amazing and helpful comments.

It is so reassuring to hear that other people have failed and continued.

I am going to try different study methods as someone mentioned.
The flashcards I made were helping but then I just realized the professor wants to make it college hard so he's changing the way we have to know everything.
I am going to attempt to grasp it through the PowerPoints he gave us.
It is just risky and also exhausting and I won't ever even know if I'm interpreting his notes correctly.

This is also a community college.
My parents thought that due to my anxiety and depression I was likely to end up in a home for the mentally disabled.
I was also from a poor community, so like no one ever helped me take the SATs.
So now I'm stuck with community college.
After over a decade of struggling in dead end jobs I finally managed to find a job that paid well enough where I could work less to study more.

It is so helpful to know that people do fail and still recover. I really have no one to give me a perspective I just know the binary that failing is bad.

I am actually going for a gender and women's study major with the idea of probably working in hr. I just don't want to be a cook.
I also picked my major as I originally thought that it would be too difficult to do the more advanced science classes while working. So I changed my major with the intention of avoiding harder science classes.
I thought this would be easier as it's bio for non science majors.

The professor actually just showed us something we have never seen before for five minutes and then told us to go reference the PowerPoint if we don't understand. This is also something that will probably correspond with a letter grades worth of questions on the exam.
It's like wtf.

They operate in this world where we don't all have to work additionally. They're like, you have three weeks. I actually have only six days off in those three weeks. If I don't know exactly what I need to do I will not have enough time to study it.

Anyway thank you all so much for responding it makes me feel a lot less alone and hopeless.

Click to shrink...

Don't feel bad about being in community college. It's a viable path to Uni, and it also saves you some money, because good fucking lord University can be expensive.

If it's bio for non science major's here's what I would do in your situation. Do everything you can to pass the class currently. Best case scenario is you pass and don't have to worry about it anymore, but here's what you should do if you do happen to fail. Get a list of science classes the school offers next semester and see what sounds interesting/easy depending on how you want to play this. Then see who's teaching those classes next semester, look them up on Rate My Professor, and make a choice based on that.

I was a non science major and I took earth science and fucking archeology lmao

 

[Zelda]

Look for resources outside the powerpoint to learn the material. Read the textbook, look up youtube videos. Khan academy and youtube are what I owe my engineering degree to.

 

[gully state]

Nothing wrong with community college. Typically transfers end up doing well in undergrad going the community college route. As for your class, if you really feel uncomfortable and are struggling w/ mental issues preventing you from passing, it's ok to take the "W" and then retrying the course again. Not the end of the world buddy. I like the others here have failed courses. It's not the end of the world and don't let it keep you down...And don't let the opinions of others keep you from doing what you want to do.

 

[turbobrick]

Look for resources outside the powerpoint to learn the material. Read the textbook, look up youtube videos. Khan academy and youtube are what I owe my engineering degree to.

Click to shrink...

This. I've passed many assignments by just googling what I need to know. There's a high probability that someone else has also had the same problem.

I'm taking a class right now on algorithms, and without the internet I'd be lost on assignments.

 

[LexingtonKruger]

My story:

Near the end of my time in college I became very ill and injured from doing Professional Wrestling. I had herniated a disk in my back, sciatica, developed mono, had undiagnosed sleep apnea, very low Testosterone, and gained around 100 lbs from not being able to move much from injury. I had to withdraw a semester and take out a loan of $800 to pay back the school. I came back that next semster and was only able to pull off C's and D's. Now, I am a perfectionist who always had A's and B's before. While things sucked for a year straight, and I was on the verge of suicide from all my issues, I stuck it out and did my best to overcome my issues. I got surgery and was treated for months. I eventually got better and my last two semesters after my sickness I got only A's and B's again; graduated with a GPA of 3.4.

What feels like the end now, is not truly the end. I understand how you feel, I grew up in poverty and pursued a degree to lift myself out of it. Things do get better, its just hard to see it through all the bullshit. Believe in yourself and that you can and will get through this. Your campus should have counsling available for students for free, seek these services out to help if you need them.

Prayers OP.

Click to shrink...

That is incredible. I am hoping I can just get a d to pass. I see a campus counselor. They help a little.

I failed intro to bio 3 times. I never told anyone that. Not even my family, they found out the hard way, when I left them a note saying I was fucking off forever.

I'm graduating with my degree in biochemistry at the end of this semester.

If my shame can become a source of strength for you, please take it. Get the help that you need from your college's wellness center. No test has ever or will ever be worth ending it over, especially not an intro to bio course. I couldn't see that back then when I was in your spot, but I didn't have anyone telling me otherwise, and I really hope to god you can hear me.

Click to shrink...

It's really a strange class. I don't understand why it's so hard. I could see myself failing it three times. That gives me so much hope though.
I assumed it would be really just memorizing a lot of information, but then it's not just that, it's also remembering how that information translates into chemical representation.
The teacher has said it is designed to weed people out. I am just sort of shocked that I am now confronting this reality that teachers and the school itself wants people to fail. My other teachers have helped me out every week during office hours and this is the first time I have had a teacher that just expects you to be the teacher and the student basically.

Holy shit man, failing a class isn't a reason to go and kill yourself (not that there's ever a good reason in the first place). It took me a few failed/dropped classes, including Bio, and some switching of majors (as well as anxiety as to whether or not I should just drop out and join the military) before I found something I really enjoyed and wanted to have a career in. Don't lose heart, because plenty of people have been in your shoes before.

Click to shrink...

The other factor here is I am nearing thirty and I am not too plussed about getting old. I am very tired from what it took to get here. I just have a sort of last ditch effort outlook on life as I see that doors are slowly closing. I have only a limited time before age becomes a deciding factor.

Don't feel bad about being in community college. It's a viable path to Uni, and it also saves you some money, because good fucking lord University can be expensive.

If it's bio for non science major's here's what I would do in your situation. Do everything you can to pass the class currently. Best case scenario is you pass and don't have to worry about it anymore, but here's what you should do if you do happen to fail. Get a list of science classes the school offers next semester and see what sounds interesting/easy depending on how you want to play this. Then see who's teaching those classes next semester, look them up on Rate My Professor, and make a choice based on that.

I was a non science major and I took earth science and fucking archeology lmao

Click to shrink...

Yeah I'm going to try and pass and then if it doesn't work the only alternative the school offers is astronomy.
I heard that was kind of hard too.
I am going to make myself literally sick studying.

 

[rusty chrome]

Every rich person I know dropped out of college.

 

[MistaTwo]

If it's really that bad of a fit for you, is it not possible to just talk to your counselor and file for a Withdrawal (W) from the class?

I had to do that for one math class I was taking, because it looked like I was just barely going to get a C unless I absolutely aced the final exam and that was going to drop my GPA down low enough to bust me down a bracket on my scholarship.
The only reason I was able to afford tuition and rent was because of my 100% scholarship, so I just took the W and made up for that credit with another
class over the summer (which ironically enough was a biology elective iirc heh).

 

[Deleted member 16657]

Yeah I'm going to try and pass and then if it doesn't work the only alternative the school offers is astronomy.
I heard that was kind of hard too.
I am going to make myself literally sick studying.

Click to shrink...

Any tutoring services on campus? I know you said you're struggling with the time but maybe studying with a tutor would be more effective than studying yourself.

Anyways I've taken both astronomy and bio... I have no idea how astronomy could be harder than bio. All my astronomy test questions were on Quizlet lol. Its not the end of the world if you can't pass the science pre-req on the first try.

 

[Deleted member 2761]

Okay, first of all, there is no shame in failing. I've failed biology classes before, and I'm currently pursuing my PhD...in biology.

Secondly, it sounds like the instructor is making a big deal about chemistry and that's where he's losing you. And, honestly, I have no clue how one would fill an entire exam just using chemical formulas in a biology course. Perhaps you might be over-worrying? If you're certain you're not, then as others have said, consider dropping the course.

 

[TheChuggernaut]

Any tutoring services on campus? I know you said you're struggling with the time but maybe studying with a tutor would be more effective than studying yourself.

Anyways I've taken both astronomy and bio... I have no idea how astronomy could be harder than bio. All my astronomy test questions were on Quizlet lol. Its not the end of the world if you can't pass the science pre-req on the first try.

Click to shrink...

It depends on the college. The community college I went to had a weirdly serious astronomy professor and it was notoriously known as one of the harder science classes for non-majors. I dropped it after a week and a half. I took a chemistry class that was easier than the nonsense we were supposed to know in astronomy.

 

[LexingtonKruger]

Any tutoring services on campus? I know you said you're struggling with the time but maybe studying with a tutor would be more effective than studying yourself.

Anyways I've taken both astronomy and bio... I have no idea how astronomy could be harder than bio. All my astronomy test questions were on Quizlet lol. Its not the end of the world if you can't pass the science pre-req on the first try.

Click to shrink...

Yeah I met with the tutor once and she didn't really help but I'll try again.

 

[molnizzle]

You gotta chill, bro. I know it's hard. I struggle with it too.

For as much as you're studying, you're not going to fail this test. Maybe you don't get an A, Maybe you don't even get a B. Maybe you barely pass with a healthy curve. It's lab science, one of the harder courses you'll take in undergrad, and you're doing it at community college. Something I learned in my time at community college is many STEM professors are bitter about not getting jobs at 4-year schools. They feel like they have something to prove so they make their classes miserable for the students. That said, you're probably over-freaking out. You can learn the chemical formulas. Look up some YouTube videos or something. They have them for everything now. The knowledge is out there if you know where to look.

One piece of advice though... if your goal in going to school is to escape poverty, perhaps consider a different major. Doesn't need to be technical, just something with more earning potential.

Oh, another piece of advice -- utilize RateMyProfessors. I leaned on that heavily in undergrad. Made sure I never had more than 1 "hard" class per semester. Professors really have a ton of power in how they structure the class. Some classes are night and day depending on the instructor. I remember one of my lab sciences had a bunch of reviews saying "You won't learn anything, but if you memorize the study guide you will get an A." If you're wanting to major in Bio, you don't want a class like that. But if you just need a science credit (or whatever else), save yourself some misery and take the easy professor.

 

[Lakeside]

I cruised through my first year without ever realizing that I had no idea how to study. By the second year I had learned to drink well and was in a relationship crisis that went well with the drinking. I got a D in both physics and one of the calculus classes. It was pretty much the first time I'd ever failed at anything.

I returned the next semester on probation so I would have been booted for less than a 2.0 GPA. If I recall I still didn't know how to study, I was still having relationship problems, and the beer was still cold. I scraped by with the thinnest margin, including retaking the classes that had kicked me around.

I finally figured out how to study. I graduated a year later than some (engineering) and then got a masters as well.

What feels like the end isn't the end. Learn, pivot if necessary. Drop a class and regroup, whatever it takes.

 

[Deleted member 16657]

It depends on the college. The community college I went to had a weirdly serious astronomy professor and it was notoriously known as one of the harder science classes for non-majors. I dropped it after a week and a half. I took a chemistry class that was easier than the nonsense we were supposed to know in astronomy.

Click to shrink...

I guess like others have mentioned, RateMyProfessor is seriously invaluable. Astronomy could get nuts if the professor was really into the physics side of it, but that's abnormal for an intro class.

 

[voOsh]

I failed multiple classes and graduated bro -- you're fine. You should see if there is still time to withdraw from the class (you're not even halfway through the semester it sounds like) but even if not don't worry about it! You're putting too much pressure on yourself and it will hurt your chances to get a good result. Relax and do the best you can -- whatever happens with this one class is not the end of your chance to have the life you want. Also don't get hung up thinking you're the problem when it could be that you just don't gel with this professor. I was completely lost in a Calc II class with a nightmare professor and failed. Took it again with a professor who was amazing and got a B+.

 

[Mobu]

Okay, if by the time of the review you dont know shit, you will fail the midterm. When you get it back ypy have to analize if you could master the material by studying better/managing things in a different way, or if its honestly too fucking hard. If its the later, you should drop the course.

 

[Lakeside]

I failed multiple classes and graduated bro -- you're fine. You should see if there is still time to withdraw from the class (you're not even halfway through the semester it sounds like) but even if not don't worry about it! You're putting too much pressure on yourself and it will hurt your chances to get a good result. Relax and do the best you can -- whatever happens with this one class is not the end of your chance to have the life you want. Also don't get hung up thinking you're the problem when it could be that you just don't gel with this professor. I was completely lost in a Calc II class with a nightmare professor and failed. Took it again with a professor who was amazing and got a B+.

Click to shrink...

I used to carry drop slips in my backpack for weeks to start a semester. Everyone was basically on probation until I felt settled. Apparently now it's all electronic!

To me it seemed like a lot of professors had lost sight of the fact that students are the customers.

 

[Mobu]

Also i was in a similar position as you, fucking Physics 2, got a D but didnt give a fuck, got B-As on everything else

 

[Not Asleep]

During 1 particularly bad semester (I was suicidal), I got a C- in 1 class and took incompletes in 2-3 more, all of which were in my major... a field I went on to get a PhD in. Failing a class is no big deal. Really and truly. I knew a lot of people who struggled in college; every last one of them landed on their feet.

It's still pretty early in the semester, can you drop the class with no penalty? Can you take an incomplete in the class and do it another semester when you might have more mental bandwidth? Or consider just withdrawing. I know it feels frightening to contemplate failure (though, to be clear, neither dropping a class, taking an incomplete or withdrawing are failing) but failing a class does not mean you'll fail at life.

If you are confused about what your options are, is there an advisor you can go to for clarity? If you want to DM me your college name, I'm happy to help you wade through school policies on these things.

Between your mental health and your GPA though, your mental health is much more important. I had to make the same calculation years ago and, without a doubt, taking incompletes in classes and making the decision to not try for any grade above a C was the right choice. It sucked to make that decision, I felt so ashamed. But I'm alive, doing well emotionally, pretty far from impoverished and I actually remember college with extreme fondness. I learned some hard and valuable lessons from accepting that my mental health needed to come before grades.

(And there's no shame in community college, btw.)

FWIW, at my college astronomy was known as the major that sucked non-majors into majoring in it through its "science for non-majors" class. So I know it can be taught exceptionally well.

 

[brawndolicious]

Yeah I'm going to try and pass and then if it doesn't work the only alternative the school offers is astronomy.
I heard that was kind of hard too.
I am going to make myself literally sick studying.

Click to shrink...

This is going to sound so annoying, but it's going to be easy for you to study biology. Or astronomy or whatever subject you try out and end up finding you have a passion for.

It's going to be easy after your first "impossible" class. We've all had it, for me it was organic chemistry. Like your bio class, it was the shift from memorizing facts to understanding the chemical structures that totally threw me. I ended up taking organic chem 3 times in community college. Failed it twice, then aced it. Ended up graduating from uni as a biochem major with a high GPA. It was weird but it just happens when you stop worrying about failure and let your mind loosen up and adapt to learning a subject that your brain isn't used to.

Obviously, your mental health is the most important thing and I always found talking things out with a therapist to be the best way to deal with thoughts of despair. And know that if you don't pass this class this time, you can retake it. It's not a big deal.

Also when in community college, it's a great idea to try a bunch of different subjects to see what excites you.

 

[Z1r2y3]

Sounds like chemistry. That shit was an absolutely nightmare for me. What fucked me up was thinking I could just pick shit up on the way as I attend the course. NOPE.
That shit fucked me way hard. There's some shit that you need to absolutely have memorized and chemistry is one of those courses that you can't get by without memorizing parts of it. Not memorizing ions screwed me because I couldn't understand the difference between polar bonds, covalent bonds, ionic bonds and H bonds. Which then led to getting destroyed on chemical structures, which then fucked me on balancing equations. I sucked it up sat down for a full week learned common charges, common cation/anions, compounds, and table of solubility. Flash cards every morning and somehow managed to get a B. You got this OP, check out the organic chemistry tutor on YouTube he was a big big help. Also ORGANIZATION IS KEY, I color coded my flash cards and organized them in a way that I could remember them by their first letters and ascending/descending charges. If you're confused about anything shoot me a PM I won't be able to get back until Friday but I'm here for you OP.

Learning chemistry is like learning about numbers and math for the first time shits tough but rewarding and crazy interesting.