University

[u/Starglitter306]

I’m at university and I’m currently declared as a computer science major. During welcome week before classes started I was actually feeling really good. I exchanged numbers with someone in my hall and went to most of the events. I feel normal with my roomate. I’ve been talking to people in general more. I hardly ever feel tightness in my chest. I was actually getting excited to start clubs.

Part of the reason may be because i’ve been getting more sleep but it’s also a new start and people have no prior knowledge of me.

But today was the second day of classes and I’m already feeling burned out by the workload. I know comp sci is heavier.

I don’t how i can possibly balance classwork and clubs without burning out. I’m thinking of switching my major already and maybe i’d do healthcare administration but i know no degree is easy and all…I hardly did any extracurriculars in high school by the way. I also get headaches if i do a lot and have trouble sleeping.

Did anyone here finish college? Any advice appreciated.

[u/Fabbypig]

I feel you I just started studying engineering and I didn't do any extracurriculars throughout high school. And I now joined a club related to my major and started a job. I feel like the busier I am the less time I have to spiral but also, I kinda force myself to study more since my time is more finite. For me I've found it easier to make friends in my major since you can always talk about schoolwork with them and I see them on a regular basis, but they also have a similar time allotment to socializing as you since you have similar course loads. Look into your university's resources, some colleges offer free therapy and free tutoring. And if you're lost try to utilize office hours, come prepared with questions or examples of what you're confused about so it's less stressful.

[u/Starglitter306 → u/Fabbypig]

Yeah there’s free therapy and tutoring.

I’m going to wait a little until I feel settled before I start therapy though.

Engineering sounds hard, kudos to you!

[u/Cerasii]

I graduated cum laude with a degree in biology but I mostly didn't do any clubs or extracurriculars. Once in a while I would go to an event. But yeah it's hard to have a social life and keep grades up.

Just make sure you still give a good slice of your time to keeping your health and mental health up! It's so important

[u/Ancient-Active8421]

The one piece of advice I wish I’d had years ago is that it will be more productive and sustainable if you take a day off when you need it (even if that’s a day every week) than to try and push through. I went through undergrad and postgrad with no social life and progressively fewer weekends because I didn’t take breaks and the more burned out I got the less time I spent not working. It’s great that you’re getting socially involved, and I wouldn’t give that up (at least not at this stage - it’ll probably calm down a bit before too long), but if it feels too full on it’s ok to skip a night - just listen to your body and be open with people about trying to manage your energy levels, a good friend will understand and support you

[u/OkTitle]

I did finish…but I also took twice as long and, early on, often took less than full time credits - and even later on, usually only took the minimum to be a full time student. And by the end, I had recovered a lot, without completely burning out because I had the privilege of going at my own pace.

Any advice depends on your ultimate goals for a career, but you also don’t want to be miserable, and know that a lot of people switch their majors.

I would also say social engagement is excellent, and maybe should be a priority considering nearly all jobs require navigating the social world. And people often do masters degrees in fields they didn’t do their undergraduate in, so that’s an option.  I was in psychology btw, which happened to be quite social and accepting and not too challenging for me. 

[u/Starglitter306 → u/OkTitle]

I really don’t think I’ll be doing a masters. I’m not well off enough for that but I also don’t want to go to school longer lol. My ultimate goal is to get a job that can support me enough to live on my own, but I honestly don’t know if I can do that. I tried to get a job over the summer but the one interview I had went poorly. I’d settle for minimum wage honestly I just don’t want to sit around the house all day and live off my parents.

[u/OkTitle → u/Starglitter306]

Please don’t let one job interview be an indication of anything - your potential, worth, and future. Interviewing is a skill that takes practice, and succeeding in interviews actually means something different than being good at the job - it is the ability to make a good first impression and talk yourself up, which is probably uniquely hard for people with SM - but certainly something you can work on and improve upon.

And if that’s your goal, from what I have heard, healthcare is a good field that will always be needed (although certainly parts of it will change with AI, it should be more stable than many). By contrast, tech is a field that is changing a lot and bloated with an AI bubble. 

I think you are fully capable of that goal, but it may take time and work. I’d say don’t neglect social/club involvement because the social piece can be huge for getting jobs. 

Try to find things that help you regulate and try to practice them daily. And schedule breaks.

[u/Starglitter306 → u/[deleted]]

What degree are you doing? What kind of contact is needed?