I just graduated college and I'm depressed...

Fryguy · #1 05-20-2006, 10:10 PM

This is certainly a tldr, so skip to cliff notes on the bottom. This also may come off as a brag post, and it's not meant to be. I'm looking for advice, both humorous and serious.

---
I just graduated from college today, from a small private college in Western Massachusetts (Western New England College for those of you who know the area). I graduated with a 3.0 gpa, 3.2 major gpa. Major in Computer Science, minor in Mathematics.

And I feel depressed. Partly because my life is changing and I'm nervous, but the more pressing and more immediate situation is that I feel like my grades sucked. I'm certainly smart enough where I should have graduated cum laude or better, and I didn't. In fact, I fell quite short as you can see.

However, my ability to do it was there, and except for [censored] up sophomore year, I had good grades. 2.15 for fall semester of sophomore year blows, and spring semester wasn't much better

Because of this, I feel like I wasted my time at college, and should have gotten more out of the experience. I mostly lazed my way through school, getting good but not great grades, and having little to no social life.

I guess the main thing that got to me is that everyone in class knows me as an extremely smart person. I never really discussed my grades with anyone, so no one knew just how short I was of any type of distinguishing marks. And yet approximately 30 people came up to congratulate me, and every single one of them asked "where is your cum laude rope?" After about the 5th person it became extremely depressing. Our school is very small, so I have a relationship with the other computer science teachers, who don't know my grades as a whole, only what they gave me. And most of them too were surprised that I wasn't cum laude or better.

Anyways the whole thing has left a depressing taste in my mouth, and at this point I wish I could go back and repeat college, specifically sophomore year where I [censored] up.

On the bright side, I've got the best, highest job that I know of of anyone who graduated with a B.S. from the school, and what seems to be the most promising future. While random people came up to me surprised I wasn't cum laude, other cum laude's came up to me, surprised that they had beaten me. There were people who were surprised I didn't have a 3.8+, I left that kind of impression on people.

I feel good about the future, and am not sure if I'm letting this cum laude thing eat away at me too much when it doesn't really mean anything. After all, the only reason one goes to college is to party and have an awesome future. 1/2 ain't bad, is it?
---
Cliff Notes: Graduated college, got good but not great grades. Feel like I wasted my time at college and could/should have done better.

CheckRaise · #2 05-20-2006, 10:20 PM

My freshman year sounds just like your sophmore one. Fall semester I partied too hard, never went to class and got a 1.9. Every semester after that I've been at or above a 3.0 but it has been a bitch to try and raise my GPA. I really regret doing that and I look back at it and wish I could just erase that part from my college record.

I think it is a good thing that you want more out of yourself and that you aren't happy with what you did. It shows passion and that you have a personality that drives you to want to be the best. At least you got a good job, I'm sure when you start working and making big bucks that you will forget about this stuff.

Tron · #3 05-20-2006, 10:23 PM

Sorry... I CAN'T HELP MYSELF

garion888 · #4 05-20-2006, 10:31 PM

I think you're letting this cum laude thing get you down a little too much. You already have a good job etc. Just think about what you'll think in 20 years... will that cum laude really mean anything to you?

Fryguy · #5 05-20-2006, 10:42 PM

so basically I should just go and get drunk all week, enjoy my last week or 2 before starting work, buy a big screen TV and other toys for my new apartment, and just enjoy life?

ckmo · #6 05-20-2006, 11:06 PM

I graduated cum laude w/ 2 engineering degrees and I would have gladly traded it for a job. All I got to show for it is the rope in a closet at my parents house and a stamp on my diplomas also in a box at my parents house. Just be happy you have a job. Enjoy the time you have now. Chances are when real life kicks in, you will wish you were back in college anyway.

Ali shmali · #7 05-20-2006, 11:14 PM

Don't care so much about the cum loud. I would be upset you didn't go out and get in threesomes and party till you were waking up in a pile of your lovers puke. In a year it won't matter that you didn't have a 4.0. Grades are a sham. Do good enough to get a degree, have some charisma for good referalls and to nail some interviews and you'll get a job whether you were 2.5 or 4.0. It sounds like you already have charisma and can display your intelligence well just by being around people. You are fine. I would set up your pad and party hard for the next week. Just don't do anything to get you in jail. that was for your freshman year of college.

CheckRaise · #8 05-20-2006, 11:18 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I graduated cum laude w/ 2 engineering degrees and I would have gladly traded it for a job. All I got to show for it is the rope in a closet at my parents house and a stamp on my diplomas also in a box at my parents house. Just be happy you have a job. Enjoy the time you have now. Chances are when real life kicks in, you will wish you were back in college anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]

How could you not find a job with 2 engineering degrees?

Ali shmali · #9 05-20-2006, 11:22 PM

a good friend of mine has electrical and industrial engineering degrees and did very very good in school. last I heard he did not have a job. COme to think of it CKMO is your name bobby chavez??

Roan · #10 05-20-2006, 11:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
so basically I should just go and get drunk all week, enjoy my last week or 2 before starting work, buy a big screen TV and other toys for my new apartment, and just enjoy life?

[/ QUOTE ]

this is for sure the right answer, if you were pissed off that you didn't learn enough or didn't experience enough while in school thats one thing, but to be upset because you missed some arbitrary mark of achievement is ridiculous and you would be doing yourself a favor to stop thinking like this, it will only lead to disappointment in the future, people who value their worth in terms of artifical merits like cum laude, honor societies, where they went to school, etc. are generally douches