Gee ... I'm a college dropout, and a statistical casualty of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Mind you, being a freshman was (credit-wise) the best two years of my life. My professors loved me, but I absolutely hated my fellow students. To the bone. I once made the mistake of dogging one of my professors on what just happened to be the topic of his dissertation. (Whoops.) When I apologized after class, and spelled out my case (modern presumption toward history) he just chuckled and said, "Yeah, but do you expect anyone else to understand that?" The most common question I ever heard from my professors and grad assistants was, "So, why are you failing my class?" Two pieces of advice: • Don't date. At the University of Oregon, of which I am proudly a dropout (2 1/2 years), and perhaps it's the people I knew, but a few things could be said about dating and school: When you're a freshman, it's like dealing with high school all over again. I made the mistake of latching on to one in order to avoid the mess of it all. Don't get me wrong, she was a sweet and ... well ... um ... yeah. But strangely, the people I knew who managed to pull off dating and school had bullshit majors (there were already too many MBA's and lawyers) and, by the seemingly obsessive nature of their outlooks (again, it may be the people I knew ...) they had bullshit relationships. I prayed that people like this didn't reproduce. Their children would be privileged trash. Just something I noticed. Be careful. I can't guarantee the same experience for anyone. • I, quite obviously, did drugs incorrectly. My biggest mistake was admitting it when I officially filed to drop out. Shooting myself was severely an option at the time, but if you don't like the school you wind up at, don't stay there. Find somewhere else immediately if you can. If you can't, beware of using drugs in combination with Pink Floyd. Make sure you find a copy of Saucerful of Secrets, the book by Schaffner and be careful not to build your own Wall. My favorite college story might be my freshman year--original freshman year ... not the dragged out period before I had enough credits to consider myself a sophomore. Said a lovely grad assistant with sparkling eyes, "Well, what did you get on the midterm?" Says I, "Ummm ..." Says she, with radiant smile, "Bad?" Says I, "Well, I went on a jag that weekend. I was hung over on Wednesday." (Note, that was the day of the test.) "Hung over?" "I ... didn't take the midterm." Watching that smile come crashing down was ... well, in retrospect it was a moment of human beauty. But it caught my breath at the time, chilled my heart just a tad. She frowned and thought about it for a moment. "Well," she sighed. "We can't have that, can we? Okay, write me six pages on ______ by Monday's discussion and we're square." I wont tell you what that paper was. It was ridiculously simple. Strangely, I think that was the point. I can't figure out why she made it so easy for me to get a better grade for the midterm than I would have gotten taking a multiple-choice test when I didn't even bother to show up for the freaking test in the first place. Thus, my advice: You will not experience such a moment of human beauty. Not ever. Period. End of story. Don't argue with me on this, I wasn't supposed to get it, either. But I did. I cannot tell you why, and I have often thought about it. You will not get this experience, so be careful with drugs & alcohol at college. Seriously. I wasn't. And just look at me now ... I can't stop annoying you all. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Oh, for heaven's sake. What? I can't even be stupid enough to post a thread instead of a post and then have to delete it? Come on, pleeeeeze? Someone kill this 'cuz I'm not allowed to?
hmmm,...a tip: well: using drugs in combination with Francis Ford Coppola's "Appocalypse now" wil do the same trick for ya,... (experiancePlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) Thx :bugeye:
tiassa, this is a terrible turn of events. what do your parents say about this? which one of your parent is japanese? You can't possibly have an asian parent and not get a college degree. he/she won't allow it. this same thing happened to my best friend in high school. eventually he transfered and move back with his parents and actually got good grades ever since and finished college. maybe you should do the same thing. he confessed about using alcohol and drugs to his parents. they were really pissed at first but eventually he is glad that he did it.
Hmm, but aren't you just too cool for college anyway..? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Can't you catch up on it later then?
Hi all, First time to post here on sciforums. As a college dropout myself (UMass) for the same reasons, I feel your pain. I would reccomend going back to school as soon as possible. After years of lousy dead-end jobs, I will be finishing my degree in August '02. (This time it's on my dime, not mom and dad's) Going back was the best thing I've ever done. Never should have dropped out the first time. Good luck!
Tiassa, I'd highly reccomend going back to school. Seriously, it's makes a huge difference. People will tell you not to make the same mistakes. Not to take drugs and what not. And still, people ignore it 'till it's too late. Hey we all make mistakes, including me, so at least think a good deal about the decision your making before gettin' stuck in a ditch. Good Luck
Welcome Platypus! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Tiassa, May I just say that your a beautiful writer. You need to hurry up and write a book, so I can buy it! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Do what you gotta do. I took several semesters off before my graduation, not sorry about it either. I'd also say, if you don't know why you are in college after the first two years, don't go back until you do. Otherwise you'll just keep switching your major, or get stuck in one you really don't like. -Xenu
Like, really ... wow. At this time this is the only thing this office can comment on. We believe this was the problem. So how's that with the this? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I dunno how you can miss exams. It doesn't make any sense. For liberal art courses you can do very well just by showing up to exams. At least that is what I did. I don't even bother showing up for classes.
Tiassa, I have a few questions: 1) how long have you had this problem of self-depricating yourself on the internet; 2) why do you call yourself Tiassa? Is it a DRUG connected thing; 3) do you believe that drugs and alchohol contributed to your eventual failure as a human being; 4) have you ever had a "bad trip" suchas: a) have you ever been admitted into a hospital for drug overdoses, alchohol poisioning, or b) have you ever been admitted into a drug/alchohol rehabilitation clinic? 5) do you belive that government and religious services could have done more to have helped you in your lifelong battle with becoming an accepted, worthwhile citizen and an asset to the community of hummanity, at large? Finally, Tiassa, I have one final question: <b>Did you ever get that HARLEY Chopper, say fuc* this stupid shi* & go CruzZZZZZZin;<b> Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! H Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! S Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! <img src="http://www.sciforums.com/t8208/s/attachment.php?s=&postid=122050">
HS/Geraldo HS ... To be honest, the last I heard your name and saw those initials and a Harley, you were dead. Or something. Maybe it's one of those drug things. 'Tis lovely to hear from you again, or, at least, the correlation of your initials and a brand of motorcycle. To answer directly: (1) It's a life habit. It's not just the internet. One of the things I've come to recognize in human associations is that people are constantly looking for something to fight with, a target to fire at. I've found that you only confuse them if you make them shoot after something they don't recognize. Besides, it's also the result of my pseudo-WASP, post-Christian, Lutheran-mongrel, white-bred, bourgeoisie upbringing. I try very hard not to compensate for my inadequacies by claiming myself to be what I'm not; that, of course, isn't something I accomplish as regularly as possible, but such is life. I've got some years left to figure it out, and if I get it right for one day before I die, then Janis was right. (2) Tiassa is derived from the House of the Tiassa, of the novels of Steven Brust. A tiassa is also apparently a cat-like beast of prey with wings. I have yet to see a good representation of the animal. However, the name specifically refers to the foremost Tiassa (House) character in Brust's novels, one Khaavren of Castlerock, who receives mention at various places in the Taltos cycle of novels (there will be 17 if he writes them all), and has a short series of romances (presently 2) which follow his exploits in a not to Dumas. Professional soldier or otherwise, Khaavren is still quite the mind and among the worthiest of characters. One of my best friends in all of space and time refers to me according to another House in the novels, which actually reflects a different truth about life, but I'm a cat person so I like this one. (3) Drugs and alcohol are a symptom of human failure. One of the most amazing and positive changes in my life came when I finally pinned my mother down on the drug issue; she wanted to blame a certain portion of my troubles on pot smoking. And it is a fair concern. But I looked at her and said, "Did this start when I was 13 or when I was 18?" For reference--13 was when people started noticing my behavior. I smoked pot for the first time the day before my 18th birthday. At that point, my mother was already hounding my psyche. When she realized this, she changed her approach and we've gotten along much better and more honestly ever since she dropped the cause/effect blame game with marijuana. (4) Actually, no. The worst damage I ever did to myself is with alcohol. Consistently. It is, in fact, largely the reason I don't drive. Mind you, if they'd bothered to hold an actual court proceeding, I would have won, but I'm no more inclined to pursue that without a lawyer who is currently beyond my financial means, and, furthermore, I wouldn't have gotten into the mess in the first place if I hadn't been drinking at all. At this point, I'm splitting legalistic hairs, so it's pretty much acknowledged that alcohol has been my problem. (4a) Never been admitted to a hospital for a drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, or substance-related injury. (4b) Never been admitted to rehab. (5) Religion could have performed the service of f--king off. The damage I took as a young Lutheran still screws with me. I mean, I actually wanted to go to a Catholic high school (I was preparing to fail out of public school. I mean, quite literally, preparing; it was a shutting-down process we were avoiding. Government could have served me better only in the way humanity can serve itself better--that is, with better honesty. I was seven years old when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. Guess where my presuppositions of morality originally developed? (Final): Of course not. I keep thinking I should have, but I've never been one for motorcycles. I want to get that first novel out so I can hit the road in a Porsche (used, even ... I'm not that picky) with an iBook, digicam, and a few other tools of art, and write the second. Of course, my dad just picked up a '68 Mustang and I had, literally, forgotten how cool those feel on the road. And if everyone else notices, yes, I'm avoiding the central substance of the educational quandary. I have no answer for it, and while my life is developing such that I don't, personally, foresee my return to the halls of University anytime in the immediate future, the Tiassa has a few tricks up his sleeve still, and might end up pulling off that mighty miracle after all. Having hit 29, I'm concentrating on getting through the next year or so without collapsing into Jerusalem syndrome. I don't expect to go megalomaniac, but some of the people around me have, of late, asked me to be all-seeing and all-knowing. Sometimes I think it's something quite simple: having declared my childhood something that should be avoided by all in the future, I sometimes wonder if my present state of mind isn't just a developmental phase in a second, more philosophical childhood. Seriously, I like being smarter than most of the grown-ups, but I will never grow up. It's absolutely unacceptable unless I figure out how to do it right. Otherwise, what's the point of rushing toward the grave? Or something like that. thanx much, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
