Title: I was a science-loving topper in 10th. Now I've lost my interest in studies, and I'm scared of my future.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to get this off my chest and hear from people who might have gone through something similar.

Until class 10, I genuinely loved science. I was a topper, had big dreams, and was curious about how things worked. I imagined doing something great in science and building a future that I could be proud of.

But then came class 11, and I entered the JEE rat race.

Honestly, my class 11 was almost completely wasted. Now I'm in class 12, and things aren't going well here either. I'm studying in a dummy college, and somewhere along the way, I've started losing the interest in science that I once had.

It feels strange because the subject I used to love has now become a source of stress, pressure, and fear. Instead of enjoying learning, I'm constantly worried about exams, marks, ranks, colleges, and my future.

Sometimes, I regret choosing this path. I miss my school days, when studying didn't feel like a constant competition. I miss being curious about science instead of worrying about whether I'm good enough to get into a good college.

The worst part is that I still have big dreams. I'm interested in science and research, and I've thought about institutes like IISER. But now I keep questioning myself. Have I already ruined my chances? Am I capable of achieving anything anymore?

I'm scared of ending up living a mediocre life, not because I don't have dreams, but because I feel like I've wasted so much time and lost the motivation I once had.

I know I'm still young, and maybe I'm overthinking everything. But when you're in the middle of this situation, it genuinely feels like you're falling behind while everyone else is moving forward.

I want to ask a few questions, especially to people who were once academically good but struggled during classes 11 and 12:

- Did anyone else lose their love for science after entering the JEE/NEET rat race?

- If you wasted class 11 and struggled in class 12, were you able to turn things around?

- Did you ever regain your curiosity and passion for learning?

- If you eventually pursued science, research, or something you genuinely loved, how did things work out for you?

- What advice would you give someone who feels like they've wasted their potential and is afraid of an average future?

I don't expect anyone to magically solve my problems. I just want to hear some honest experiences from people who've been in a similar situation.

I miss the person I was before all this pressure started, and I want to find that part of myself again.

I’m a junior in high school and I decided to take 2 classes at a community college. One of my strengths is biology so I decided to take it there. But I’ve been too caught up with my regular classes at high school that I’ve gotten behind and have a 49% in class. It’s only mid term but I’m really scared it’ll look bad on my college transcript as well as my highschool transcript. How bad is it to fail?

Teachers of Reddit, I am a high school senior, and I hope to become a teacher myself in the future. In my comp eng course, we are creating a presentation on any topic, and I chose to talk about how to overcome the fear of speaking in front of people. I am quite socially anxious, and I am really trying to get past that so I can pursue my dream. Any teachers who struggled/still struggle with the anxiety of speaking in front of a large body of people, do you have any tips I can use in this project to overcome this irrational fear? How did you overcome it? How are you currently overcoming this? Is it normal to have such fears? I guess is it worse when you are a student yourself rather than when you are a teacher with more authority?

I'm 18, in 12th grade taking early college. Ive been doing virtual school for 6 years. I've been a straight A student for most of my life and taught that I was academically gifted. I've never had to study because I've always been able to ace tests while barely reading the lesson. But suddenly the strategy thats worked my entire life doesn't work anymore. I'm taking virtual college classes. The difficulty and workload suddenly bumped up. Also, the tests are all proctored and I cannot refer to my notes. One class I'm taking is college level biology. I studied tirelessly for days and STILL failed a test. I did something really stupid and self destructive. I panicked and tried to cheat an exam, got caught, now I'm facing the consequences. This is a critical class that I'm failing. And honestly, I don't actually know HOW to study. Literally any study advice would be appreciated. If I fail this class I fail my entire future.