Already missing her friends and family back home and stressed about the upcoming school year, CSUN student Samantha Drayton started the semester burned out.
After reconsidering an option to join the U. S. Navy, she took a required math course over the summer, which allotted her approximately two weeks to relax before the big move. When she got here, she immediately began questioning why she had come, disclosing that this was not her first choice for schools.
Originally from Dos Palos, a small desert town in Central California, she attended Merced community college for three years and graduated with an associate degree in social science and behavioral science. Once attending her first classes, Drayton discovered she was not mentally prepared to take on the semester that lay ahead.
“I’ve been studying for almost three solid years now without a break,” Drayton said.
After a long night of communicating with the resident adviser of two different dormitories, she decided to pack up and head back home.
“I just need a break. It’s time to refocus and find out what I want out of life,” she said. “I’m 23 years old and all I’ve known is college. There has to be something else out there.”
Drayton grievously revealed her guilt for dropping classes and leaving when students such as her roommate Melissa Brady were met with closed doors, thus leaving her in an uncontrollable predicament.
Brady, an 18-year-old psychology major, took Math 93 over the summer, while the math department put a hold on her registration for fall. It was not until the week before classes started that she was allowed to register. To her dismay, all classes were closed.
During the first week of the semester, Brady diligently attended every lecture with the hope of retrieving a permanent seat. By the end of the second week, she was forced to face the harsh reality of the situation both on campus and in Sacramento.
On the eve of her departure from the dormitories, she said, “It’s unfair that I have to suffer.” This semester has put a damper on her plans for school and a hindrance on finances.
“My family makes too much for me to qualify for financial aid, so I have to resort to a bank loan,” Brady said.
Since she was unable to get into any of her classes, Brady, among many others, had to return home and try again next semester.
State universities have seen significant increases in tuition for programs and courses that are completely filled. Students are encouraged to write letters to the CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed at Office of the Chancellor, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach, CA 90802-4210 regarding views on the budget crisis. As well as writing the chancellor, students can voice their thoughts and opinions on the CSU blog at http://blogs.calstate.edu/budgetcentral/
Furthermore, if you are feeling overwhelmed and severely stressed with any issue, don’t hesitate to contact the campus counselors, free of charge to students. Counselors are located on the 5th floor of Bayramian Hall, room 520 and can be contacted at (818) 677-7834.
