Vertigo

Vertigo

Member
Feb 2, 2020
26
Because of my extreme anxiety, I never went to classes or anything...
Today was my last chance to try and save the year, I had a group presentation but I did it alone. I forced myself to go and I could only do it while drunk so I drank alot in the bathroom before the start and well, it didn't go as planned and I kept stuttering and shaking...
I'm not a crier at all, I can't remember the last time I cried but afterwards I went to the bathroom and cried like a bitch because of how much my parents payed for this degree and my rent etc... and they had high hopes despite me trying to convince them otherwise.
I still haven't told them yet, I am so done right now I feel like my head is going to explode.
 
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Soul

Soul

gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Apr 12, 2019
4,704
I'm sorry, @Vertigo. Can you talk to the teacher and/or your faculty advisor, at least by email, to explain your debilitating anxiety? A lot of the time teachers have leeway to work out a different approach for students who have real reasons for not fulfillng the regular requirements. It's worth a try, right? (((Hugs)))
 
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Hennessy

Hennessy

Specialist
Jan 14, 2019
360
I know how it feels to drop out from education. Luckily for me, I was on anti depressants at the time so it cushioned some of the pain. It was still a horrible experience though. Please stay strong! I send you a hug and my best wishes. May your life improve, my friend.
 
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Hexen

Hexen

Student
Aug 12, 2019
135
I understand. My anxiety gets bad and I can't present without reading because my brain gets locked when I am in an anxious situation. I have seen a lot of people stutter and shake too while presenting. I don't really stutter but when I am in that situation I am out of breath and my arms are shaking like I am experiencing earthquake on a 999 richter scale. Its also ok if you cry in these situations. I think that its not your fault. It is incredibly difficult to operate under extreme stress and anxiety.I also had something like a presentation on a bigger scale where the person supervising me told me afterwards that I should stick to whatever I am doing because this isn't for me. Also like Soul above said try to talk to the teacher or send him an email.
 
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D

Deleted member 14573

.
Feb 2, 2020
227
Is it possible for you to take a semester off or a gap year? I took a gap year after high school because my mental health was so bad. It has allowed me to function at university.
 
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TheOA

TheOA

Student
Jan 5, 2020
101
I'm not sure if you are in the US or not, but I work in higher education and deal, specifically, with persons with disabilities. Anxiety can be a disability when, as you've described, it interferes with your ability to function on a daily basis. I would like to recommend reaching out to your college's disability resource department (here in the US these departments are federally mandated and required) and see about getting an 'accommodation'. In short, your professor should have allowed you the option of presenting your material and demonstrating competency that was not a presentation (i.e., written report, video blog, etc).
 
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TAW122

TAW122

Emissary of the right to die.
Aug 30, 2018
6,723
I'm sorry to hear about your situation and can understand some of the guilt you feel since your parents' paid for your education and supported you. :aw::hug: As for salvaging the situation, do you know if you can appeal the decision of the college you attend (whether it is to go to the chair, dean, or provost about your situation)? If that is an option, then you might be able to get another chance. Also, if your college has disability services for people who have disabilities that might be something to look into as well.
 
Starcitty

Starcitty

Cloud
Jan 6, 2020
40
I hope you can bounce back from this. Currently and before my grades in the semester were bad but after a while I managed to improve tremendously. I'm trying to talk to my teachers so I don't fail my classes now. I personally don't let my bad grades get to me but yeah it's anxiety inducing and a terrible experience too.
 
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E

Epsilon0

Enlightened
Dec 28, 2019
1,874
Giving a presenation is very, very hard, even without suffering from anxiety. I read somewhere that public speaking is the number one fear people have, it even tops the fear of death.

I am sorry to hear you had such a horrible experience, and that failing this one presenation has such big implications for your studies. All I can say is that I sympathize with you. And also... your college should offer you some kind of support and alternative options seeing that you suffer from a serious medical condition (anxiety) which prevents you from attending classes.

I wish you all the best!
 
S

Sk1n1M1n

Experienced
Jan 29, 2020
282
Surely you can move forward with the situstion and see if you can retake it may not be end you can appeal the situation or is definite you are out, as you were drunk during the presentation they would noticed that and possibly postponed it as they would recognised that you werent in the best frame of mind. Also if they have dumped this on you, I.e your friends couldn't make than expecting you go at alone is shite.especially if the presentation was meant for 4 people
 
xBrialesana

xBrialesana

Become Dust With Me, My Love.
Dec 17, 2019
552
In short, your professor should have allowed you the option of presenting your material and demonstrating competency that was not a presentation (i.e., written report, video blog, etc).

Legally?

Where I'm from in California, we have what's called the "Access" program... which doesn't do shit. It's for all disabilities and vets. All you get is slightly earlier access to registration and the option for a note taker (things of that nature).

I have some classes that I completely bombed due to anxiety (but amazing test scores, ect). My whole science career was actually kind of ruined by a panic attack.. my writing was illegible on the essay portion. It was Neuroscience III and I worked my ass off, i failed the lab since I failed that part and blah.
Another thing is Speech class. I just physically cannot do it. I've down Xanax, Klonopin you name it I just CANT. I made this very clear to the Proffesor that this is an issue and I am diagonised "disabled" to the school. I've retaken it so many times, and explained. Now I have Ws and Fs that I was never able to dispute.

On top of that is just the rest of my illness that took me out but that's irrelevant.

I didn't mean to ramble. It's nice to see a professional on here tho

How are you doing today, @Vertigo ?
 
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J

jgm63

Visionary
Oct 28, 2019
2,467
Sorry to hear.
Hopefully you'll figure something out....
Some good suggestions above to start with.

Also, just in case you need to think about alternative careers, etc, there's this post with some ideas (
https://sanctioned-suicide.net/thre...-i-dont-know-if-i-can-do-it.31035/post-568601
Don't just stick to the ideas in that post. Think laterally...

This post also has some ideas about alternative avenues :
https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/if-only-my-younger-self-could-see-me-now.30702/#post-561653

However, first I would encourage you to see what you can figure out in terms of your current course, based on the suggestions above.
I don't want you to just give up due to hitting an obstacle that might be solveable.....
 
enjoy

enjoy

Creature
Dec 20, 2019
337
hey there. i was academically dismissed from my university last semester due to similar circumstances, so i truly do feel for you. if it's alright, i have a few questions (just so that i can get a better handle on your current situation and try to help):

1. how's your overall gpa? are all of your grades below a 2.0 average or did you only fail this one class?
2. has your university officially dismissed you yet?
3. if you have been dismissed, were you given the option to submit an appeal?
4. how much time do you have left before the quarter/semester/year ends?
5. does your university have a counseling center? (i'll elaborate on this in a minute because i know firsthand that most university counseling centers suck.)

if you're only failing in this one class, email your professor or visit them during office hours. explain your situation. tell the truth about what happened before and during the presentation, tell them you drank to try and rid yourself of the nerves and tell them you have anxiety. be completely up-front and honest. you won't get in more trouble; they'll be glad you told the truth. it'll also prove that you were genuinely terrified of giving that presentation and they'll want to help you.

if you're failing in all of your classes, try and schedule a meeting with the dean (or someone else high up) or your academic advisor (if your school's student services department assigned you one) and talk to them about your fear of failing. believe it or not, most colleges are actually very accommodating toward students who recognize that they can get kicked out and want to prevent that from happening. they appreciate that you're determined to stay a part of their student body and will try to work with you. not going to the dean nor my academic advisor was the biggest mistake i made. i thought i could deal with all my problems on my own; i didn't even let my parents or friends help me. now, looking back, i was my own worst enemy.

please take initiative if you haven't been dismissed yet. there's always time. if you have been dismissed and have the option to submit an appeal, do it and write like your life depends on it. i submitted an appeal and while they would've accepted me on the grounds that i was severely mentally ill, i just wasn't academically competent (my overall gpa way below a 2.0 for the semester). most schools are very lenient when it comes to letting their own kids back in. they don't want to go through the hassle of finding someone new to take your place. they hate having to keep track of a student moving out, giving back their keys, etc. it's a shit-ton of work for them. if your overall gpa is below a 2.0, though, they will begrudgingly go through with it. this is mostly because they can't let back dismissed students who mathematically cannot achieve an accumulated yearly gpa of at least a 2.0 (because if you get less than a 2.0 for the year, you're permanently dismissed).

anyway, here's the point i was trying to make about the counseling center: they know people. if you're struggling with anxiety this terribly, go there. like other mental health facilities, they'll do a consultation, evaluate you and move on from there. generally speaking, if they can't help you, they'll point you in the direction of someone who will. i obviously don't know where you go to college but if you're close to a larger town at the very least, they will tell you where you can find more professional help in said larger-town-at-the-very-least so that you can find and get the help you're seeking.

sorry that this turned into such an essay! i have a little too much knowledge on this subject after dealing with it firsthand. i just want you to know all the options you have before it's too late because you're right: flunking out is the absolute worst. please fight for this and don't make the same mistakes as i did.
 
TheOA

TheOA

Student
Jan 5, 2020
101
Legally?

Where I'm from in California, we have what's called the "Access" program... which doesn't do shit. It's for all disabilities and vets. All you get is slightly earlier access to registration and the option for a note taker (things of that nature).

I have some classes that I completely bombed due to anxiety (but amazing test scores, ect). My whole science career was actually kind of ruined by a panic attack.. my writing was illegible on the essay portion. It was Neuroscience III and I worked my ass off, i failed the lab since I failed that part and blah.
Another thing is Speech class. I just physically cannot do it. I've down Xanax, Klonopin you name it I just CANT. I made this very clear to the Proffesor that this is an issue and I am diagonised "disabled" to the school. I've retaken it so many times, and explained. Now I have Ws and Fs that I was never able to dispute.

On top of that is just the rest of my illness that took me out but that's irrelevant.

I didn't mean to ramble. It's nice to see a professional on here tho

How are you doing today, @Vertigo ?

Hmmm...well, to address your question(and sprry you feel discouraged)...yes, federal mandates under Title IX offer protections that colleges who receive federal funding are obligated to comply with or face injunctions.

The "Access" program seems like it offers some options but may be limited. To offer more specific and factual advice, I would ask you to PM with your school's information. I know exactly where to look to find out what other options may be available to you.

With regard to your classes...so, this is where it gets funny. Teachers are not required to change their syllabi only implement accommodations and modifications. And if an accommodation or modification significantly diminishes course objectives, faculty is not required to make those changes.

However, your college should have disability resource experts who can work with you to figure that out and offer you options beyond just providing note-takers. For example, you could have petitioned your speech instructor to let you record your speech and then present the recording to the class. This is a modification that any professor using Universal Design would be more than willing to allow.

But...I am happy to discuss this further via PM. I always recommend that students step away from college when these sort of issues arise. The lingering effects of a negative college experience lasts for years. And I believe learning should be fun and engaging. Otherwise, what's the point right? :-)
 
Green Destiny

Green Destiny

Life isn't worth the trouble.
Nov 16, 2019
862
I understand how you feel about presenting. I had an embarrassing freak out during one in highschool and ever since I was extremely terrified to do class presentations and avoided them at all costs.
 

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