- Date posted
- 1y
Considering dropping out of grad school
I’ve struggled with OCD for most of my life, but was only recently formally diagnosed this year. I had already been previously diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and depression before then. I (very stupidly) decided to apply for a graduate school in my state because there was scholarship funds available. Essentially, I received the scholarship and now have a full ride to complete a graduate certificate program (5 3 credit hour classes with a 6 hour research project requirement) and it’s all online. Since starting, I’ve several panic attacks and I cry most days. I found a stress rash on my arm last night, which hasn’t happened in years. I dread waking up in the morning because I know I have school work to do, on top of my full time (40 hr/week) job. It took me 3 hours to write one discussion post this weekend, because I couldn’t stop rereading it and finding things I wanted to change. I have to make 7 posts total this week, so spending that much time on each post just isn’t feasible on top of all the other work I have to do for the course. I’m only taking one class at a time, meaning I won’t be done until the end of summer 2025 at the earliest. I feel so pathetic and weak that I can’t handle this program, but the more caught up I feel like I get, the more that’s assigned and the farther behind I get. On top of that, I am struggling with the reading requirements. I have trouble digesting anything I read and often get distracted. I found out that most of grad school is reading. I just don’t think I’m cut out for it. I think I need to drop the program, but feel ashamed and that everyone will think I’m lazy. My boss wrote me a letter of recommendation to attach to my scholarship application, so I’d have to tell him I’m dropping out and I will be so humiliated. I also feel like I’ll be losing out on opportunities in the future if I don’t just suck it up and complete the program. I’m just so tired and wish I wouldn’t have even applied for the scholarship and put myself in this position. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.