well im screwed.

[wickedrockerchick]

the main reason i hated high school so much and failed a majority of all my classes is because of presentations, small groups and being called on in class... now i was hoping i wouldnt have really any of it in college. yeah, i can dream right, ALL of my classes involve that. so im pretty sure im gonna fail.
i was going to talk to my instructors or the counselors here, but im to afraid to. they will probably just make me do it anyway.. but i wont. im great at avoiding stuff.
its easy not to be noticed here, i stay quiet the whole day. 2 of my instructors havent even noticed that i didnt sign up for the presentations.. I wonder when they will. i think they wont really care that i have social anxiety, i mean its not in their job description to care.
Im tired of having my anxiety run my life and have made some changes. but now that im in school again, its getting to be really high levels again that i cant say anything to anyone, i just give an akward giggle. and say yea or no.
So to sum it all up... Im screwed.

[rctriplefresh5]

Originally Posted by wickedrockerchick

the main reason i hated high school so much and failed a majority of all my classes is because of presentations, small groups and being called on in class... now i was hoping i wouldnt have really any of it in college. yeah, i can dream right, ALL of my classes involve that. so im pretty sure im gonna fail.
i was going to talk to my instructors or the counselors here, but im to afraid to. they will probably just make me do it anyway.. but i wont. im great at avoiding stuff.
its easy not to be noticed here, i stay quiet the whole day. 2 of my instructors havent even noticed that i didnt sign up for the presentations.. I wonder when they will. i think they wont really care that i have social anxiety, i mean its not in their job description to care.
Im tired of having my anxiety run my life and have made some changes. but now that im in school again, its getting to be really high levels again that i cant say anything to anyone, i just give an akward giggle. and say yea or no.
So to sum it all up... Im screwed.

college is not like highschool. yo uactually are expected to be responsible. so i feel bad for you but ill say noones gonna take it easy on you because of your anzietys./

[Freeze]

I know this may sound mean and all but in all honesty, Buck up!!!

Your not forced to go to college, I hope you know that. I honestly hope your going to a Community College because that way you'd be wasting less of your own money, or money from others who are paying for your tuition. At the rate your going, you'll end up failing all your classes. College is nothing like High school. Your teachers, your guidance counselor/Adviser, no one will contact you if you are failing. Some teachers might feel obligated to help their students, but not all. But I'm not saying that your completely alone in this aspect. But it really is not like where they really took time out of their day, after school to try and help you. Most professors just end their classes and call it a day.

What I'd suggest is just go to your teachers and tell them your situation, they'll understand. However, they'll probably make you present, and go into group work just like everyone else. But it does help to let your teacher know where your coming from.

But I would really suggest that you hang in there for the time being, get used to your classes, the people around you. I've always been scared of presenting, always wondering if I do something stupid or if my presentation is just horrible, what people would think of me. But what has always helped me is this: Have you ever seen someone else present something? Once they have finished, have you ever given their presentation or how they did a second thought throughout your day?

I really hope this helps.

[Sheri]

You shouldn't force yourself to do anything you're uncomfortable with. I was the same way with presentations. Oh, I tried and forced myself to do them, and I either skipped out on them or did very poorly and ended up majorly embarrassed. My grades definitely suffered. Then I spoke with my advisor about my anxiety, and after I got a letter from my therapist confirming my diagnosis, I was able to do any presentations privately to my professors.

Even after I transferred to another university, if any professors required presentations, I let them know of my anxiety and ALL were very understanding and gave me alternate assignments. I had a class that required a lot of participation, and again, I told the professor and she was very understanding.

There is no reason to make yourself miserable when chances are your professors will accommodate you. It's definitely scary to take that step and tell them, but I was very surprised and comforted by their help and support.

Apparently the first two posters in this thread are unaware of that.

[zookeeper]

Group work and presentations suck.

Send your instructors an email if you're uncomfortable talking to them and explain how much presentations freak you out. They will probably still make you do them, but they'll also probably be very supportive and try to help you out.

[millenniumman75]

Still, everybody has anxiety and there need to be an effort made. Having SA should not be an excuse for not doing things. It is something to overcome. It is naturally going to be rough, but the more you avoid doing it, the worse it will get.

[SilvestertheCat]

You're probably in the wrong major taking the wrong classes if you're having to do presentations. Consider computer science or electrical engineering - no social interaction whatsoever. Ok, that might be a little extreme... but seriously, you should be able to plan to take classes where you're least likely to have to participate and do group things.

If all else fails, write the professor an email. In fact, write several emails because the professor will probably lose the first one in his/her mess of an inbox.

[Just Lurking]

It's up to you to initiate things with your professor or school counselor. Some may pull you aside and ask what's up, but that's about it. Post-secondary teachers don't chase their students.

If you want to get out of presentations and the like, you'll probably need a doctor's note and a trip to the school's counselling office.

[imt]

Wow, I'm in this exact same situation, minus the high school part and failing. I just hate all of this presentation business.

[millenniumman75]

I don't know....avoiding it seems to be not the best idea. It's like riding a bike. We have to take small falls before we can ride.

If you think about it, you won't wet your pants or burp, or poot. The audience can't really laugh, and I don't think they are allowed to bring tomatoes or other messy vegetables into the seminar room.

These are the kinds of things you have to think of when attempting this - yes, the above thought is funny, but we take it too seriously!

[saillias]

I'm in a similar situation, my thread is near the bottom of the first page.

I've come to realize that with all this forced participation, by the end of this semester I'll be much more comfortable participating in class. That will solve one problem. I'm going to try and see a counselor tomorrow as well.

[wickedrockerchick]

Thanks for the advice.

[Witan]

I think it's worth it to mention your SA to your professors. Maybe you can get some accommodations. Professors tend to be understanding, especially if you have smaller classes.

Also, Iowa represent!

[sandwich master]

Originally Posted by wickedrockerchick

the main reason i hated high school so much and failed a majority of all my classes is because of presentations, small groups and being called on in class... now i was hoping i wouldnt have really any of it in college. yeah, i can dream right, ALL of my classes involve that. so im pretty sure im gonna fail.
i was going to talk to my instructors or the counselors here, but im to afraid to. they will probably just make me do it anyway.. but i wont. im great at avoiding stuff.
its easy not to be noticed here, i stay quiet the whole day. 2 of my instructors havent even noticed that i didnt sign up for the presentations.. I wonder when they will. i think they wont really care that i have social anxiety, i mean its not in their job description to care.
Im tired of having my anxiety run my life and have made some changes. but now that im in school again, its getting to be really high levels again that i cant say anything to anyone, i just give an akward giggle. and say yea or no.
So to sum it all up... Im screwed.

I'm sure you might've wanted a lot of supportive replies, and even though there haven't been many in this thread, I'll try to be as supportive as possible.

Let me start off by asking you, why you decided to take up this major and did you not look into this program enough?

Now that you're already in the program, you've paid your tuition fees and so I advice you to squeeze out every drop of knowledge. Nobody is going to 'make you' do anything in College/University. You are on your own, which is why you have to take an initiative. Even if you ask one of the professors for help, they will be glad to be of assistance. Go talk to the Dean, assistant dean, they are all there to HELP YOU as indirectly, you are paying for their wages! Don't feel pressured. I know very well what it's like when you're under pressure. Sometimes your break down in front of the Dean of the College and start to weep like a 6 year old. It has happened to me when I was 20, and I am a guy, so I was in a much more embarrassing place than you are currently. If you don't help yourself, nobody else is going to bother. That is the sad reality of life. I hope you realize this soon.

Also, don't say you are going to fail before you have barely started your course. Negativity NEVER helps. If you keep repeating that, you are only going to convince yourself that you are going to fail, and eventually you WILL FAIL and I'm sure that's not what you want.

Now since I am nice, I'll write a few step that you should take to dig yourself out of this hole:

1. Talk to your teachers, professors, dean, principal whoever the heck you want. Just choose one person and let him know about your condition. If this person does not satisfy your expectations in the kind of reaction you would like, then find someone else! There are no shortages of teachers/profs in a college.

2. Take their advice seriously! Don't think that they don't know what they're talking about and then chuck the advice out of the window. These people DO KNOW what they're talking about and every bit is as essential as the next bit of grub.

3. Relax. You need to relax and let all the negativity out of your mind. Try to convert the "I-can't-do's" to the "I-WILL-DO's". Will is a strong word, that implants itself in your memory. The more you say it, the better you will feel EVEN IF you don't believe in it. Try to imagine scenarios where you are successful. For example, promise yourself a kind of celebration that you will do when you pass an exam. It doesn't have to be flashy, but just enough to bring a smile to your face.

4. Love. Keep your loved ones close to you. Your parents, boyfriend, siblings, relatives, everyone, because each one of them has a different kind of positive impact on your sense of mind. Don't be afraid to let emotions flow from time to time. You will be amazed at how much built-up stress it can relieve.

5. Keep the faith. No I am not talking about a religion. I am talking about your faith in YOURSELF. The more you convince yourself that you can do something, the better the chances are of you actually being able to do that task successfully. Keep in mind though that its not easy to go from 0 - 10 in a day. You need to build this faith in yourself. SMALL VICTORIES - two very very important words. Give yourself credit when you win in something, even if the significance of that activity is negligible. You will see how wonderful it will make you feel when you start believing in yourself again.

Anyway, I do hope you take at least 50% out of my post and follow it. And always try to have positive thoughts in your mind. It can go a long way in helping you become self-sufficient.