The Advice Column I

Twenty-Three

Advice Request
This person has not been accepted into a school to become a medical student. They are finding it difficult to study for a test they have to take again in February. On top of this, their parents are not being as supportive as they should be. All of this has caused them to experience depression.

Answered Submission
First of all, take a deep breath and release it! You seem extremely stressed and tired of everything, and I wish you weren't.

The first thing you need to do is find psychological help, especially since you know you are depressed. Depression can intervene in our lives, so start looking for resources to find help. Even ask for help if necessary! In the meantime, watch motivational videos on YouTube. Those might help you (but they don't necessarily help everyone). If there's something you need to take out of our service, it's to NEVER give up because, at one point, you'll get to the point where you want to if you try hard enough! Try to find help as soon as possible because time is ticking, and your exam is coming up.

The second thing you need to do is to create a plan yourself, and don't depend on anyone! This means don't wait for your parents to help you find a school. Instead, you should go out and search for schools yourself. Go to libraries, your old resources from school (such as your old teachers), and use the Internet to search and find whatever you need to find. Teachers can help, but they can't do everything for you just like your parents can't do everything for you. In other words, always do things on your own but reach out for help when needed. Your plan should be a realistic time-line of things that you are going to do to prepare for your exam in February. You don't have to necessarily study everything you need to study; since you don't have time, consider studying the things you know least. Also create a plan for a time-line of things you're going to do after February!

Third of all, if being at home is the problem, then leave the house! If it's warm out, find a good outdoor place to study. If it's too cold, then continue to search for libraries you can go to, and if you really can't find a library, then try finding something like a coffee shop to study at; a lot of students study at stores like Starbucks. Put in some headphones to block out the outside noise (try to find a store that isn't busy), and study away!

If I were you, I'd let my parents know about all of my troubles. If your parents understood how you felt at the moment, they wouldn't be pressuring you into getting a job or wouldn't be procrastinating send you to school. They need to consider what you want; you're their child, and so they need to keep what you want and need at all times. Don't feel like a burden because every child is the responsibility of a parent. Their job is to advise you, support you, and encourage you to do what you want to do rather than to expect you to do as they say. Thus, discuss all of these things with them and let them know that you're experiencing depression. They can help you find psychological help.

All in all, take a deep breath, find psychological help, create a plan to study realistically, search and find a place to study, and talk to your parents.

With love,

The Advice Column Team