Moving Out During College

Post Reply New Topic

So I'm still in college at 21, I kinda got a late start and have only been attending classes for 2 years, but that was because I had to get a job. Well I've spent all my money on my last tuition payment, and my family is being assigned to Kadena AFB in Okinawa, Japan. I don't have any funds, even though I do have a job now, but it's only been a couple weeks since I started working again.

Basically, my family is supportive of me as far as working and going to school, but I can't keep living with them. Also, I have to always be a full-time student to keep my health insurance until I'm 23, but what happens after that? I can't stand taking 4-5 classes just to keep health insurance that I never need. It makes it really hard for me to focus with all my homework and tests to study for, not to mention that since I have no funds anymore, I have to work after school at the same time.

My parents don't understand that this is really hard for me. They think it's all part of normal life, and that may be. But I don't have a normal life, per se. I have been officially diagnosed with AS, so I'm always distracted with something or another. It's also a combination of wanting to do really well at one thing, so I end up dropping everything else in order to focus.

I'm also scared that I'll be forced to move out (if I'm still living with the parentals) when I'm 23. I mean, respectable captains don't let their daughters live with them until their mid-20's, right? It makes me really apprehensive, and I feel really unprepared.

I don't know if I can find work over there on base. And also, I'm really tired of being a full-time student. I would enjoy class so much more if I only had to take 2 or 3 courses instead of at least 4. It would help me relax and I could do so much better. I wouldn't care if it took me longer to graduate. The fact that I could take those courses and focused everything into them would make me happy. But I can't. I'm forced to be overwhelmed with all this work. I've tried talking to the school counselor, she's no help. She doesn't even think I have AS. But it's not like I want to... prove it or anything.

I like school, really. I love learning so much, especially about the Arts and all the details that go into them. I'm just so tired. Is there any way I can make this transition easier? I feel awful now because for 10 years I've always wanted to go to Japan, and now that I have the chance, it just fills me with dread. All because of my parents and the military's stupid rules. There has got to be an easier way. Do you know of any? And I'd like to refrain from actually joining the Air Force myself. Leave that suggestion to my dad, please.

I'm sorry if this sounds like it belongs in a journal, but I figured I might get more feedback if I put it here. Thanks.

Well, if it helps at all... when I was your age I was a single mother of a two year old daughter. I moved into a dorm with my daughter (graduate housing permitted children) and attended classes full time. I took 4 courses every term and had to work a part-time job, too. It was AWFUL and stressful and a pure nightmare.... really. My grades suffered a lot, but I managed to finish. I also managed to go to graduate school...... I wish I had a better comment for you, but I guess you can always tell yourself that "it could be worse".... right?

Just try to stay possitive! As someone once told me....."this, too, will pass".

you are going to need a lot of support, young one! so where are you going to live?

^ To Learning2Survive:
I'm going to be living on Kadena AFB in Japan, as far as I know. But I feel like I can't even enjoy it. I'm going to want to explore and learn about the culture and just be in the culture! But my parents are gonna have me pulled away from all that just so I can go to school and 'concentrate'.

To whipstitches: I've always had either very bad grades, or very high grades. Yesterday, I got a perfect 100 on a speech I gave in class, and yet on the other hand my GPA is barely a 2.0 probably. It's just this simple: I either work OR go to school. Not both. UNLESS I do school part-time. Which I can't. It just hurts thinking about it.

I know I'll get through this somehow. I survived this much, right? It's just very frustrating, especially not having anyone to discuss it with. Thank you for the replies though

umm, plenty of lonely guys on this forum, and even more unregistered folks viewing, who have noone to talk to. hey boys, send this nice girl a pm

Mooniestar I totally hear you on the grades! I had the same problem with my undergraduate grades. I would get an A in a class that was personally interesting to me and then I would get an F in one that I hated...... I also had problems like that with large classes vs. small classes. Once I gained the disipline to "study" for classes that I hated I began to realize that classes that were in halls with a few hundred students were REALLY hard for me. For example, I took chemisty in a hall with about 300 students and got an F because I couldn't handle going into the hall for class! I took the same course again at a smaller school in a class with about 30 people and got a B.

Don't be so hard on yourself!! You can train yourself to be disciplined and you will eventually learn your limits along with your strengths. I managed to get into graduate school because I searched for a university that only cared about my GPA in my major field of study.... which was a "special interest" area for me. If someone had looked at my overall GPA.... I wouldn't have gotten very far.

Chin up!! You can do it!! It will work out.... just keep telling yourself that.