I don't know what to do with my life

I started college on monday and I had worked so hard to get onto my desired course and after I finished my first day I got back home and started to cry as it was nothing like I thought it was. Then when I cam home yesterday I felt a bit better but today I woke up and felt scared and nervous about it also like I didn't want to go back at all as I'm not too fond of it. I asked my mum this morning about what would happen if I didn't want to continue at my college and I wanted to go and study somwhere else and she said I could do that if I wanted. But now I feel guilty and I feel like I would be letting my parents, my friends and my teachers down by moving but I am not happy where I am and I don't know what to do. Please help

Hi, Jason. Do you mean the content of the course is not what you expected? You still have plenty of time to make adjustments, taking other classes and seeing what you do like.

As I see it, you have plenty of options:

Don't quit - finish the semester and go to the counseling center on campus:
1. Finish the semester or quarter, and while you do, make weekly appointments with a school counselor on campus that you can go to once a week to decompress with, about the stress and anxiety that you feel.

Make appointments at your school's writing center and tutoring center:
2. Your campus will have a writing center and a tutoring center. You should find either, and also make weekly appointments as needed, to seek help with taking notes in class (there's bad ways and good ways to take notes; some people need to use a recorder to record the audio of their class lecture, which they can either have transcribed and emailed to them or they do that themselves). And seek help with writing papers.

Find classmates to study with:
3. Also, each class will have a cohort, which means you can join 4-6 students and study together for your quizzes, exams, and assignments due for that class. There is power in numbers esp. in college. The bonus is, you may even make new friends this way with your classmates.

Let your academic dean know mid-semester how you're feeling:
4. Make an appointment with your school's academic dean, if you're still struggling mid-semester/quarter with finishing your assignments for your classes. The academic dean's job is to ensure each student's academic journey in college is a success. He/She may grant you academic probation to take a semester off without any financial aid penalty or academic penalty.

You just started so don't throw in the towel yet. Just seek out these resources, and see if that helps you deal with the anxiety you have (which every freshman in college has):

- school counselor once a week visit
- tutor and writing centers
- study groups with your classmates
- academic advisor (I forgot to mention that) can advise you on which classes to register for each semester/quarter, per your chosen major/minor
- visit with your school's academic dean of none of the above helps
- join some student groups on campus for fun, to meet people and take your mind off of being perfect. No one is perfect. Your freshman year is the hardest, because everything is overwhelming at first. But if you put those resources in place, you'll be smooth sailing in no time.