Hey! I'm a first year Life Sci student and I was thinking of dropping term 2 classes so that I can have some time to rethink and regain my focus in life. Its just that some subjects (Chem 1A03) are extremely discouraging. Also, I am just really depressed and having a hard time adjusting to everything!

Is this a good idea? Has anyone ever done something like dropping a term? Also, will I still be considered a McMaster student? ...and if I do choose to drop the semester, how would my second year look? Also, would I get money back on res?

I know that talking to a representative at Mac would be a better option but I honestly am just thinking about all this! Haven't really talked to even my parents about this idea!

I guess it's a good idea if you really think that way.

It's better than figuring that out when you are in your 5th year, you hate what you do and your marks are shit because of that.

Questions about your student status you should direct to academic advisers.

Hey, I had a really tough time first year as well. I nearly failed Chemistry 1A03 and Physics 1B03 in particular. I was very upset and was thinking got dropping out of University and going to College. However, I pulled through. Biology 1A03, Biology 1M03, Chemistry 1AA3, Physics 1BB3, Psych 1X03, Psych 1XX3 all went well for me.

Some things to keep in mind:

The marks you have in first year dictate what programs you can get into (for a lot of programs you need 9+ average). You could always shadow a program you are interested in then switch in if your average isn't high enough.

Even looking at professional schools (like pharmacy) I can't get in right now because of Chemistry 1A03 and Physics 1B03.

If you take term 2 off, do you think you will do better next year? For me, I knew I was doing my best in Chemistry and Physics and even if I took that time off, I wouldn't do any better.

All the best!!

What good would taking the semester off actually do? Do you plan to do anything during that time? How is it you plan to "rethink and regain your focus in life"?
Unless you have other issues that you need to deal with first that are preventing you from doing well in school - which it doesn't sound like from your post - I don't think taking a term off will do much good.

Taking it off will not raise your grades (taking courses and doing well in them is what will raise your GPA), will not allow you to develop better study habits, and will not help you adjust to university.

From your post it sounds like you're "depressed" due to your circumstances - doing poorly in school and having a hard time adjusting. I think that is normal, as opposed to clinical depression, but obviously I am in no position to actually diagnose you based on a few lines that you wrote on the internet, so if you feel like it's something more than just a reaction to your circumstances, you would benefit from seeing a doctor. Most of the ones at campus health are great for mental health issues - they unfortunately get a lot of practice with it.

Aside from that, I think a better option for you is to look at why you're doing badly in those specific subjects, and try to work on that. You might want to consider a reduced course load in second term to allow you more time to focus on individual courses and make it a bit easier to adjust (or, you could even drop a course or two this term if you want). Use the resources available to help you do better.