My name is Savannah Deibert, and I am a freshman here at the university.  I am a Psychology major, minoring in Women & Gender Studies.  My first semester was not all that great. I struggled a lot between my finances, classes, and mental health.  My mental health was the biggest struggle for me; I have depression and anxiety, and they were at its peak last semester.  

The start of this was caused by the amount of change I had been experiencing.  It was a lot for me to deal with.  I had never been on my own before, so I did not know what to do.  I was overwhelmed, stressed, and depressed.  I wanted to avoid any tasks related to completing assignments or attending classes.

The amount of homework I had within the first few weeks of class overwhelmed me entirely, which is what started it all. I remember how I felt. I had one assignment due per week, and to me, that was a lot because it was for an art class. I had no inspiration to think of an idea for the projects, so I fell behind quick. Which happened in all my classes. I started to lose motivation and determination, and I became depressed. I stopped going to classes, because I thought, “what was the point if I can’t even be determined to do the assignments?” In the end, I stopped going to class because at that point I was afraid to even return to class because I had missed so much.  

College is more than just harder classes.  It is transitioning from being a child to being an adult.  Some of us live on campus, which to those people is a big change because they have never been on their own before. I am one of those students. I was so excited to be on campus and be away from home that I did not realize how much it would affect me.  At first, all was well.  Then as time went on, I started to miss home and wished I was in my own bed. Moving on campus is not just about missing home but missing the people you have been around for most of your life, who you would come home to everyday.  Now we don’t see them daily but maybe once every couple of weeks.  

College also comes with sacrifices; some things we used to be able to do we now can’t. We sacrifice our free time to get a degree. Not saying it’s a bad thing, but we don’t realize how much time we must use in our free time now for classes, studying and homework.  I did not realize that coming in until it was too late, and I was behind.  

I decided to withdraw from two of the five classes I was taking. But I was so far behind, I ended up failing the other three. Depression and anxiety had won and taken over my life. Before I knew it, I was academically dismissed.  

When I got the email that I had been academically dismissed, I was devastated.  I knew in the back of my mind, I wanted to return to college with a fresh start.  I did everything I could to get back here; even one of my resolutions for the New Year was to get back into college.  When I was academically dismissed, I also received an email from housing, asking me to come and pack up my belongings.  I knew I could not let that be my only option, so I looked into what I needed to do.  I had to fill out an application, and explain what happened, and what I am willing to do, to improve my grades and my well-being.  It took a couple of days to receive an email, but I got put on academic probation.  My wish was granted ­­– I was able to return.

I got put into the CAPS program, which stands for “Continuing Academic Progress and Success.”  I had to do two assessments for them to see my strengths and weaknesses, in which they can help me to improve. I have been working with my CAPS Advisor for a while now, and I have to say it has helped.

So, that is why I am here now telling my story to let you and others know that you are not alone, and there are people out there who are in the same situation or have overcome it.  A wise professor once told me, “You cannot get through college alone,” and she is exactly right. I could not get through my struggles alone. Now I work with a learning specialist, a therapist and even my professors.  

These people are here to help and want to see us succeed.  Last semester, one of my professors emailed me asking how I was doing and wanted to make sure I was doing okay. He even wanted me to come to class one more time, just so he could see I was alright. I could go to him if I needed someone to talk to, and he always checked in. I will not forget that professor. Go to anyone who makes you feel safe, someone who also cares about you, and talk to them. It will help knowing that someone cares. Always remember that you are not alone.  

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