I'm looking for specific courses. I want to major in History, specifically one of the following History fields:
Celtic (specifically Gaelic)
Medieval European (British if it must be narrowed down, otherwise general)
European Colonialism
Colonial American
18th Century European
Age of Sail
Stone Age History
I want to minor in Engineering, specifically one or more of the following Engineering fields:
Mechanical
Naval and Maritime
Architectural
Construction
Management
Geological
As alternatives to Engineering, I am also interested in:
Ecology
Geology
Geography
Psychology
Paleontology
Anthropology
Archeology
I need to find a school that can offer both my major and minor (I also need to narrow down the major and minor from all those on this list, to one History and one Other). I'm also open to a double major instead of a major/minor. I'm not really looking for elite schools, just something fairly good. I'm open to studying abroad if possible (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand), or inside the US if that doesn't pan out. I could use some specific school recommendations.
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If you have the grades I strongly recommend doing an engineering major and then the minor in history or a dual degree. There is a lot of unemployment out there for Arts grads and a shortage for engineers.
Unless you plan on doing the degree slog through to a Phd the difference between a minor and a major will just be the number of history courses - something you can fill in on your own. I think you'll also find a lot more engineering programs that support or encourage an Arts minor than the other way round.
Stuff like this - http://engineering.ubc.ca/eng/students/first-year/degree-options#arts
Please please please...get a major that gets you employed. I majored in Russian, but never realized that my health would keep me out of military/CIA/ type work. I've been able to get through life taking ESL jobs in Asia, but I still wish everyday I had majored in Geology.
By the way stone-age history is an oxymoron. It's archeology or anthropology. No history before writing...
The problem with an Engineering major is that Engineering is not as important to me as History. I would much rather double major or minor in Engineering.
My one major issue issue with Engineering is that I have to take some really advanced math. This is not good.
If you have the grades I strongly recommend doing an engineering major and then the minor in history or a dual degree. There is a lot of unemployment out there for Arts grads and a shortage for engineers.
Agreed. History/Education double major here, and there is nearly zilch in the market. If you love history, by all means study it, but it will most likely not net you a job.
From what I've heard, University of Kansas has a decent program for both, though I did not personally go there.
--To you have means? As in you are rich now? Your parents are rich? Or you will soon be rich? That changes things. If you're american, you are looking at borrowing thousands perhaps tens of thousands of dollars for a degree that won't get you a job. This is the worst job market since the great depression.
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The problem with an Engineering major is that Engineering is not as important to me as History. I would much rather double major or minor in Engineering.
My one major issue issue with Engineering is that I have to take some really advanced math. This is not good.
How important is eating?
History and art are fine hobbies, but they seldom put dinner on the table.
Bone up on the math. It is worth the effort.
Science and Engineering rule.
Good luck, my romantic, young, idealistic friend! :)
I made $11,000 last year, and my apartment is provided.
You're talking about some pretty specialized areas of interest at the undergraduate level, and you also have to consider that not all courses in a catalog are offered regularly. You don't want to pick a school counting on being able to take a few specific classes, only to find out that they aren't been given during your time there. Of course lower-level courses are offered more frequently because there is more demand for them, but upper-level courses can go through long periods of unavailability. You have to be flexible and take what is available that meets your requirements.
If you're doing a 4 year degree in the US, usually the first 2 years are mostly general ed requirements. After that you probably have to take more general, lower-level courses in your field. In the end, it's likely you won't get to take loads of 300 or 400 level (advanced) courses that are somewhat more specialized. What I am saying is at most schools you don't get to customize and specialize too much until you get to graduate school.
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You will have to do the math even if you do a minor in engineering.
You are interested in colonialism? If you like to travel, and want to see that stuff up close and personal, work towards being a mining engineer, and learn spanish. Find out what the American version of Coffey Mining is, and find out what they going to be looking for in 5 years (send them an email asking, it can't hurt). Most countries in the world require mining companies to hire independent specialists to check their sites out, and look for culturally modified items and environmental stuff etc...
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There once was a time when following your bliss in college was good advice. It no longer is.
Between the giant scam that the student loan industry has now become, and the conspicuous dearth of jobs in academia, "learning for its own sake" (first demonized by Reagan) is only available to very, very rich people who can pay up front.
I majored in English and Spanish, and while that knowledge has enriched my life in many ways, it has not enriched my retirement account. At least I got scholarships and grants, so I don't owe tens (or hundreds) of thousands for it. Modern graduates aren't usually as lucky as I was.
Hard sciences are where it's at, if you want to make a living with your sheepskin. Business is sorta "meh." The most successful there usually have a leg up getting started. The rest, sadly, is a trap.
I hope that someday this country will again realize the value of liberal arts and support it like we should, but for now, for-profit prisons are a better investment, and education isn't the key to success it once was.
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Speaking as someone who holds an MFA and is a college professor, I'd suggest you research programs that provide variety in education. If you have several interests why not spend 2 years gaining an A.A. degree where you can take a sampling of courses to determine what you like best? 2 year schools will offer you a broader range of courses at a discounted tuition.
Upon completion of an AA, you need to transfer to a University, but you will have a greater understanding of what your interests are.
In all honesty, what you guys think you know in high school is useless compared to your college education. What you like about history now may be the fun, enlightening revelations of learning about cultures, but what happens when you are spending 25 hours a week reading and writing about that topic?
Do your research! If you cannot successfully find a school that fits you, you'll never make money in any field. Think about your goal after college, what do you want to spend the next 30 years doing? Not what do I want to do for 4 years?
And as a side note, years ago, getting a Bachelor's degree guaranteed you a job, now having a Master's is becoming more of a requirement.
Good luck in your research, this is the part of the process you should enjoy. Make choices that will provide a solid foundation for the rest of your life.
How do you think it feels to know Russian and be turned down by the military. ugh. still banging my head on the wall.
I had an interesting idea last night. What about a double major in Archeology and Paleontology, taken at least to Master's in both. Not only would it mix my interests in History, Biology, Geology, and Engineering, both majors are highly related, meaning core classes overlap and the degrees support each other. After that, I could go and work for a museum as a researcher, go on a dig, or get teaching credentials, and my dual degrees in the art of digging up old stuff would help, because if you want to dig something up, I know how.
What elective slots I had would go to classes in Geology (for knowing a bit more about how artifacts and fossils exist), Zoology (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up), and History (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up) that are not core for my majors.
Did you like the logging trades training? IIRC you mentioned doing some a while back.
I was considering that or cooking in my trade school (Trapper Creek Job Corps), but I ended up realizing that for me, Office Administration is best, because I'll learn skills I'll use in college and have something I can realistically feed myself with during college.
You do know that archeology is the worst paid job for level of education in the world? I had a professor who was among the world experts in Navajo potery, who made less than my dad.
I had an interesting idea last night. What about a double major in Archeology and Paleontology, taken at least to Master's in both. Not only would it mix my interests in History, Biology, Geology, and Engineering, both majors are highly related, meaning core classes overlap and the degrees support each other. After that, I could go and work for a museum as a researcher, go on a dig, or get teaching credentials, and my dual degrees in the art of digging up old stuff would help, because if you want to dig something up, I know how.
What elective slots I had would go to classes in Geology (for knowing a bit more about how artifacts and fossils exist), Zoology (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up), and History (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up) that are not core for my majors.
I think you would start with something like the BS in Evolutionary Anthropology I did at Rutgers .
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I will second those who say look at the job market. The only way I managed to leverage a BA in Music (with a minor in English Lit) into a career in finance was by knowing people who helped me get my foot in the door.
I personally think there is still a value in a broad education, so see if there is a way to do both. At larger universities (including most state ones), you can major in something employable and still do a breadth of coursework to help you be a well-rounded and interesting person.
Also keep an eye on cost. Look at the state colleges wherever you have residence - that might help keep your studen loan burden down.
You do know that archeology is the worst paid job for level of education in the world? I had a professor who was among the world experts in Navajo potery, who made less than my dad.
You also get to go out and dig stuff up.
I had an interesting idea last night. What about a double major in Archeology and Paleontology, taken at least to Master's in both. Not only would it mix my interests in History, Biology, Geology, and Engineering, both majors are highly related, meaning core classes overlap and the degrees support each other. After that, I could go and work for a museum as a researcher, go on a dig, or get teaching credentials, and my dual degrees in the art of digging up old stuff would help, because if you want to dig something up, I know how.
What elective slots I had would go to classes in Geology (for knowing a bit more about how artifacts and fossils exist), Zoology (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up), and History (for knowing a bit more about what I'm digging up) that are not core for my majors.
I think you would start with something like the BS in Evolutionary Anthropology I did at Rutgers .
I could have that as one major, and something for Paleontology as my other.
Science and engineering aren't exactly high paying jobs. Theoretical physicists make about $45,000. An electrical engineer makes about $65,000. That's not a lot.
I grew up pretty good in a family that was lucky to make 45,000 in a year.
Did you like the logging trades training? IIRC you mentioned doing some a while back.I was considering that or cooking in my trade school (Trapper Creek Job Corps), but I ended up realizing that for me, Office Administration is best, because I'll learn skills I'll use in college and have something I can realistically feed myself with during college.
To add, Office Administration also supports a Paleo/Archeo degree, because the certifications make me more attractive to a museum.
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When you hear advice about which course you should do to get a career that pays well, be aware that millions of other people are getting the same advice. My advice to you, is to study what you want to, without regard to the end and choose a cheap, effective venue. The skill that matters most to the employer of the future is the ability to learn new skills. You will probably find that something that gets you excited will allow you to go further, regardless of what people say about a dearth of jobs. You want to get a masters in archaeology, with a dash of geology? Go for it! When you are done, you can get work in that field, or, more likely, fall sideways into an unrelated career that opens up for you. But the years you spent doing what you love will be well-spent. My recommendation is to take a hard science, like engineering, because you can only really do hard sciences at a university, but History can be done on your own.
I am currently in my second year of a History and Classics degree at the University of London. It is a correspondence course.
There are specialised fora for this sort of inquiry. I trust you are just asking everywhere, to see what bounces back.
TLDR: Do something you love to do, then find someone to pay you to do it.
Don't make a choice you regret, because you think you are being practical. The job market has a long tail too, if you are able to go anywhere in the world.
Postscript. Go to Asia if you can. The Sun is setting on the American Empire, and the Rising Dragons need you.
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Science and Engineering rule.
How much do you like eating?
Science and engineering aren't exactly high paying jobs. Theoretical physicists make about $45,000. An electrical engineer makes about $65,000. That's not a lot.
Security engineers can land a six figure income pretty easily, but that's an exception to the rule.
An architect makes an average of about $70,000.
Plus, if you're a civil architect, you can draw on the knowledge gained from your other major (archaeology) for inspiration.
Mechanical Engineering is starting at 40-50K and I know multiple people who have graduated in the 70s. Though the 1 year unemployment right now is not that great at ~9%, which is better than most liberal arts but worse than banking or management. Sciences are bad, but still can pull jobs in the 35-40 range starting. If you want to go into the sciences though you will really need an advanced degree, and then your salary will likely not be higher than an engineer with a degree 1 lower. This is not bad when many liberal arts majors are coming out in the 20s without an advanced degree.
Honestly, right now 4 year management degrees are one of the lowest unemployment rates for new grads outside of the medical field. This is because many companies are replacing their middle management, many of whom have masters on top of their original degrees of expertise, with lower cost new recruits trained in only what the corporate machine needs.
I would still recomend the engineering degree though because I see them as having more long term value. I think the management boom will end, don't think the financial sector is stable, and unless you have an actual interest in medicine you really shouldn't go in it.
Unfortunately, as far as specific colleges go, the engineering ones I am familar with have terrible liberal arts departments.
Postscript. Go to Asia if you can. The Sun is setting on the American Empire, and the Rising Dragons need you.
Personally, I think America will end up like Britain. Not the dominant force it once was, but not dirt poor, either.
Kelsey, one one hand be true to yourself and do what you love. Oth the other hand, There ain't so such thing as a free lunch and you have to earn a living somehow. ~grins~ The trick is to find a happy medium. I too would suggest looking at the engineering end, but OTOH no amount of money can make you happy. ~shrugs~ Sorry if I am no help. Good luck with whatever choice you make.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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I have a BA in English and I'm an Army officer. I often wish I had studied engineering, but I'm glad I studied literature. If I got out of the Army, I'd have a better paycheck with an engineering degree, but I feel that I'm a better person for having a broad-based liberal arts degree. Ultimately, you have to specialize in order to accomplish anything. That will close off parts of your potential--permanently, and that's a hard thing to come to terms with--but you only have so many years on earth.
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(I thought you were already out of school.)
Why are you not talking to a college advisor that you know?
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.
First:
What is your weighted GPA?
What are your SAT scores? (Or ACT)
What AP courses have you taken and what were your AP test scores?
This kind of stuff helps us look at a range of schools you can get accepted in -- and then we can go from there.
Next step: what do you want in a school (not an education, a school)?
A big school will have lots of options for classes and majors -- but your first couple years at least you're gonna be 1 of hundreds of students in each of your classes. You are a number and not much of one at that.
A small school will have class sizes that are more condusive to intimate learning but there will be fewer choices of majors, classes, and cool profs.
Do you want to stay close to home or go far away?
Your big public universities get most of their profit from grad students and research -- so they generally care more about them than the undergrads. BUT, when you hit your upper division courses you'll have more options.
Your small, private liberal arts colleges get most of their profit from undergrad tuition -- so expect that if you do well you'll get lots of attention in your upper division courses.
My one strongly given piece of advice....
Go to the strongest academic school that will take you (and fits with what you're looking for).
Here's why: you know how you hear lots and lots of people, often in this very Thread, say things like "Don't major in something you can't get a job in" or "College isn't worth going to"?...
Well, that's an unfortunate real-world result of people not having a clue as to what the purposes of different college degrees do. A pre-professional degree, such as engineering or accounting or nursing, prepares a student (theoretically) for one specific career. If you know exactly what you want to do after college, get that major -- like Mechanical Engineering in your case.
If you don't know what you want, stick with Liberal Arts (your favorite subject in high school -- history in your case). In these majors students are taught analytical skills, observational skills, communication and rhetoric and creative thinking. In theory, at least. The problem here is that at pretty much every school in the US that isn't highly academically rigorous, students can end up just as dumb when they leave as they were when they entered.
Lemme give two schools as examples.
At the University of Alabama -- a big public school well known for its large and very strong history and engineering departments, undergrads will have tons of options on both of those majors, plus plenty of other options in other majors. In upper division courses students will have the opportunity to work with "big name" profs in their field. BUT.... Bama is also a school where it's very easy for a student to decide not to show up for many classes. It's easy to merely slide through and there are many times where, since you're just a number, you can pass without ever reading a chapter in a book. And since it's really easy to drink and party on campus, theres' actually a pretty good chance of being dumber when you leave than when you entered.
At Swarthmore College -- a small private school well known for its very strong history and engineering departments, undergrads will have good choices, but not many at all compared to Bama. But at Swarthmore, if you go half-ass even for a month, not only is your ass failing miserable, you're more likely to not make it back next semester. So if you do graduate, it means that whatever you decide to do after college, you'll have incredible skills with which to do it.
There's exceptions, of course, but generally, if you can get into a super elite school, go.
Kelsey,
Personally I suggest looking at the engineering end. I know many, many people involved in things like the SCA who are similar to you. They would love to have a job doing historical research. But those positions are very few and they pay terrible. History is something you can enjoy at your own liesure as an amature. But only the very lucky get to actually handle artifacts, go on digs, or similar.
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No matter where you are, it's either law or anything related to math or chemistry/biology.
If you're majoring in anything else you either have rich parents or you're making a big mistake.
Speaking as a dude with a law degree and finishing up an LLM. - avoid law school in the united states unless you have acceptance from a top 10 university. Anything other than top 10, they are just taking your money and giving you nothing in return - unless it is a state uni that charges nothing and you expect to work legal aid / criminal defence / family law out of graduation (there is nothing wrong with those fields they just aren't as 'glamourous' as say MD&A or corporate b#%&%$@!).
(I thought you were already out of school.)
Out of high school, yes. I graduated three years ago.
Why are you not talking to a college advisor that you know?
There isn't one available to me. I live on a Job Corps center, and I cannot leave (closed campus).
First:
What is your weighted GPA?
2.65 all four years, 2.85 last three years, 3.4 senior year. To be honest, I was not a very good student. I feel I have improved substantially since then, and I'm a much better student here at Job Corps, but I don't really know how to show a college that.
What are your SAT scores? (Or ACT)
I'm taking the ACT in September.
What AP courses have you taken and what were your AP test scores?
I didn't take any.
This kind of stuff helps us look at a range of schools you can get accepted in -- and then we can go from there.
Next step: what do you want in a school (not an education, a school)?
A big school will have lots of options for classes and majors -- but your first couple years at least you're gonna be 1 of hundreds of students in each of your classes. You are a number and not much of one at that.
A small school will have class sizes that are more condusive to intimate learning but there will be fewer choices of majors, classes, and cool profs.
To be honest, I'm not really sure if I want to go big or small.
Do you want to stay close to home or go far away?
My family lives in Colorado and I live in Montana, but I'm from California. Ideally, I want to go back to California, to New England, or abroad.
Your big public universities get most of their profit from grad students and research -- so they generally care more about them than the undergrads. BUT, when you hit your upper division courses you'll have more options.
Your small, private liberal arts colleges get most of their profit from undergrad tuition -- so expect that if you do well you'll get lots of attention in your upper division courses.
I'm not sure which. The one thing I do know is that I want to go to University, and I don't want to go to community college.
My one strongly given piece of advice....
Go to the strongest academic school that will take you (and fits with what you're looking for).
Here's why: you know how you hear lots and lots of people, often in this very Thread, say things like "Don't major in something you can't get a job in" or "College isn't worth going to"?...
Well, that's an unfortunate real-world result of people not having a clue as to what the purposes of different college degrees do. A pre-professional degree, such as engineering or accounting or nursing, prepares a student (theoretically) for one specific career. If you know exactly what you want to do after college, get that major -- like Mechanical Engineering in your case.
If you don't know what you want, stick with Liberal Arts (your favorite subject in high school -- history in your case). In these majors students are taught analytical skills, observational skills, communication and rhetoric and creative thinking. In theory, at least. The problem here is that at pretty much every school in the US that isn't highly academically rigorous, students can end up just as dumb when they leave as they were when they entered.
Lemme give two schools as examples.
At the University of Alabama -- a big public school well known for its large and very strong history and engineering departments, undergrads will have tons of options on both of those majors, plus plenty of other options in other majors. In upper division courses students will have the opportunity to work with "big name" profs in their field. BUT.... Bama is also a school where it's very easy for a student to decide not to show up for many classes. It's easy to merely slide through and there are many times where, since you're just a number, you can pass without ever reading a chapter in a book. And since it's really easy to drink and party on campus, theres' actually a pretty good chance of being dumber when you leave than when you entered.
At Swarthmore College -- a small private school well known for its very strong history and engineering departments, undergrads will have good choices, but not many at all compared to Bama. But at Swarthmore, if you go half-ass even for a month, not only is your ass failing miserable, you're more likely to not make it back next semester. So if you do graduate, it means that whatever you decide to do after college, you'll have incredible skills with which to do it.
There's exceptions, of course, but generally, if you can get into a super elite school, go.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Kelsey,
Personally I suggest looking at the engineering end. I know many, many people involved in things like the SCA who are similar to you. They would love to have a job doing historical research. But those positions are very few and they pay terrible. History is something you can enjoy at your own liesure as an amature. But only the very lucky get to actually handle artifacts, go on digs, or similar.
I've been thinking about becoming an Engineer instead of a Historian with Engineering knowledge, and I don't like the idea. Engineering as a secondary subject to give me additional historical knowledge in that area is one thing. I like that. I do understand that it may not be useful, however. Actually PRACTICING Engineering is a different story. To be quite frank, I don't want to do it. Too much math.
Speaking as a dude with a law degree and finishing up an LLM. - avoid law school in the united states unless you have acceptance from a top 10 university. Anything other than top 10, they are just taking your money and giving you nothing in return - unless it is a state uni that charges nothing and you expect to work legal aid / criminal defence / family law out of graduation (there is nothing wrong with those fields they just aren't as 'glamourous' as say MD&A or corporate b&#*+++%).No matter where you are, it's either law or anything related to math or chemistry/biology.
If you're majoring in anything else you either have rich parents or you're making a big mistake.
The last few years, I guess roughly since the world blew up in 2008, I've read the same story over and over again: I'm out of law school with a zillion dollars worth of debt and no hope of being able to pay it back; this was a ruinous decision.
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Study what you love and learn to live within your means.
I think I found my school. San Jose State University offers many of the types of classes I am interested in (though I would be unlikely to double major unless it was Behavioral Science/Anthropology), such as Biology, Geology, and Engineering (if I can suck down that damn math), including some good stuff like Ecology, Aerospace, and the like. It's also got Graphic Design and good computer courses, and I think maybe a Graphic Design degree could be cool and useful. It's also got good History minors. It happens to be affordable for me (student aid would pay most of it without massive loans), according to Collegeprowler it's got good ratings in all the things I told them were important to me about the environment on campus, and, while this did not factor into my Collegeprowler research, I've looked at San Jose State a few times since deciding on college do to the fact that, while I live in Montana right now, San Jose, California is my home town, and I lived there for 18 years.
Yea, I think I found my school.
Just make sure it also has a good program to help you get a job in the area you want to life when you leave that school. Alot of schools are great in helping you get jobs and networking in the community they are located in. It is when you decide you don't want to live in that community where there maybe issues. Use the networking the college you decide to go to has milk it for all it is worth.
Well, I do want to live in this community. I grew up there, and I've missed it since I left. I'm willing to pay double for being an out of state student to get back there.
The only hickup is that students from the surrounding counties get favoritism over other Californians, and for someone who hasn't lived there in three years that drops me very low on their priority list. That means that I will have to bust my ass several times harder than the other applicants to look good enough.
In fact, does anyone have any advice on doing that?
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Unfortunately, there's just too much in college application building strategies than can be gone over by a stranger (me) on an internet messageboard (Paizo rules).
There's got to be someone you can go to close by, a Job Corps college advising office or something.
Admittedly, my experience with Job Corps is only theoretical; I've never had an advisee from one and so I don't really know what academic (as opposed to vocational) training you've had.
I'll add two more bits of advice, though -- in addition to suggesting you talk to a college adviser who doesn't wear an Asmodeus Avatar on your favorite gaming website....
1) Find more options than just San Jose State. There's plenty of similar schools and you need more than one application in case San Jose decides to accept another applicant.
2) (And this isn't advice as much as it is as an addendum to what I said earlier) Even though the bottom 99% of schools academically can be breezed through and little effectual, this is on the student -- not the school. In other words, if a student has the drive and motivation to voraciously grab his or her education and demand the professors' attentions despite the host of lazy, unmotivated, incompetent students -- well, that student can, at 99% of the schools, get a good education. (It's just REAL easy to veg-out and do nothing and still pass in that kind of atmosphere).
Unfortunately, there's just too much in college application building strategies than can be gone over by a stranger (me) on an internet messageboard (Paizo rules).
There's got to be someone you can go to close by, a Job Corps college advising office or something.
Nope. We have a Career Transitions specialist in charge of this, but she won't help me. She has a rule about not doing anything for people until they are 75% complete in their trade, and I'm applying when the season opens in October, and won't be at 75% completion until early 2013 (I will be complete before my planned college entry time of Fall 2013). This is because my Job Corps campus only has 250 students, and most don't go to college. Those who do go community. I'm the only prospective university student in a long time, and they just don't have anything set up for that, because they almost never need it.
Admittedly, my experience with Job Corps is only theoretical; I've never had an advisee from one and so I don't really know what academic (as opposed to vocational) training you've had.
Very little. I passed high school, but I never went AP or did extracurriculars.
I'll add two more bits of advice, though -- in addition to suggesting you talk to a college adviser who doesn't wear an Asmodeus Avatar on your favorite gaming website....
1) Find more options than just San Jose State. There's plenty of similar schools and you need more than one application in case San Jose decides to accept another applicant.
Aye, I do have a few back ups in mind.
2) (And this isn't advice as much as it is as an addendum to what I said earlier) Even though the bottom 99% of schools academically can be breezed through and little effectual, this is on the student -- not the school. In other words, if a student has the drive and motivation to voraciously grab his or her education and demand the professors' attentions despite the host of lazy, unmotivated, incompetent students -- well, that student can, at 99% of the schools, get a good education. (It's just REAL easy to veg-out and do nothing and still pass in that kind of atmosphere).
I am the very defenition of the term Teacher's Pet. I've got the drive and motivation to succeed. My problem is my attention span, and I take pills for that now.
Some thoughts on math, since that seems to loom large in your concerns:
I cruised through highschool math classes on auto-pilot, so when I got to university I wasn't prepared for the intensity or challenge. I got a D in Calc 1 - the first D I'd ever had in my life. When I repeated the class, I did my homework as soon as possible and then went to the instructor's office hours with questions, I joined the math club, I started to hang out with math majors, etc. The result? I got a B, and the next semester a B in Calc 2. I was on the verge of an A in Calc 3, going into the final. I worked hard for those B's, and it helped me to become a much better student overall.