Need Advice - Dropping a Class

DD told me that many mids indeed came to see last year as “normal.” Zoom classes, less mandatory military activity, less sports activity, less of the stuff that makes USNA N*OT COLLEGE. I believe there are many firsties thinking, “Welcome to the real SA life.”

Some parents lament, “DD/DS never had trouble before.” That was high school. Regular college is typically a step-change harder than high school, not only because the classes are tougher and move faster, but also because students are on their own re time management. As a college instructor, I know that time management is often what trips up students. Now, add all the extras of SAs and you can see why the adjustment is so challenging.
 
Devil Doc said:
Very cool. Awesome contributors to this site as I've said a few times previously.
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Sometimes you just need to escape from academics for a few minutes. And while in a way I’m still just wasting time online, at least it’s a healthier distraction than the complaint-bubble on Jodel, or finance memes on twitter and reddit. Plus, I always enjoy hearing about how USNA used to be in the old days, stories about the Fleet and post-military life, and as an applicant (which feels like forever ago) I found this forum super useful.
 
Kierkegaard said:
Sometimes you just need to escape from academics for a few minutes. And while in a way I’m still just wasting time online, at least it’s a healthier distraction than the complaint-bubble on Jodel, or finance memes on twitter and reddit. Plus, I always enjoy hearing about how USNA used to be in the old days, stories about the Fleet and post-military life, and as an applicant (which feels like forever ago) I found this forum super useful.
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I'm not wasting time either. My students are doing an assignment.

Never work harder than your students. I don't remember who wrote the book but the title says it all.
 
yearofsunshine said:
He's wanting to do a semester abroad, so I think that's why he's doing this?
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Yep, for context I got 1 real credit and 9 validated credits (only 3 of which counted towards my matrix) for one semester. I went from well ahead to slightly behind, and had drop a dual major and overload the following semester 1/C year. Courses in the university catalog that were listed as English language were actually not, so I had to withdraw from them. You have to overload in case that happens, or you lose the knife fight for course registration, or a course suddenly isn't offered.

Don't regret trading a major for semester abroad at all, 100% worth it, and still would highly recommend.
 
The two that I know, that did a semester abroad, have similar experiences with stuff not working out like planned. They also say the same: would still do it knowing what I know.
 
This could be a reality show…
 
Yeah this site was a lifesaver going through the application process. My parents did not know a whole lot about the process and I relied heavily on the expertise on here.

Academics is similar to working out because all it takes to get better is repetition. Having good study habits and effectively using your limited time makes all the difference. What really helped me at my last college and now as a Plebe is to put everything into google calendar and write it down in my planner. Just knowing how my day is going to look helps me execute the plan and know when I have the time to relax or if I need to grind out a homework assignment.

What blows my mind about the Naval Academy is how much help is offered to every midshipmen for success. At my previous college there was an aspect of help, but it felt "forced" and my professors could care less if I passed or failed. Here I was dumbfounded by one of my professors simply asking how my week was going. They genuinely care and want to see us succeed (of course there are a few bad apples but the glass is half full).

The drop course deadline is on November 14th, but I have no idea if it appears on your transcript or not (probably not, just unsure). As some mids stated above definitely talk to an advisor sooner rather than later. 20 credits is a lot and in my opinion it is not worth the tradeoff in getting ahead or even sacrificing your mental health.
 
Hang in there. It gets better at 1/C with small relief. My 1/C now taking 19 credits (6 classes) this fall and taking 15 (5 classes) in his final Spring, graduating 2022. He is finally enjoying all his classes and love learning. It took him 3 years to finally find joy.

Mann, 4 years going by so fast. It was like yesterday when I joined this forum to ask y’all naive questions almost daily annoying some I’m sure. 2/C appears to be the most demanding year at the Academy. So all hang in there. I am going to be done with DS and now starting fresh with my 4/C DD. 4 more years to go. Here we go again!
 
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