I'm an idiot or a failure

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My dad really wants me to finish college. He also wanted me to get my license and I did eventually due to his pressuring me to succeed. I have schizophrenia and bipolar and adhd, in a nutshell. I feel like my mind sucks, and I'm always fighting to succeed and prove to him that I can still do it, and overcome my illness. Maybe he's right, but I am beginning to hate college with a passion. I don't know why. Maybe it's my attitude but I don't want to hate college, I want to enjoy it. It's really hard to keep up. I get confused and space out easily. I get sidetracked and I have been in college since 2007 off and on. It's 2012 and I only have 62 credits about, which is half of what I need to even get close to graduating. I want to go to WVU but my brother says I'll hate it there. I'm going to be stuck in the same town I grew up in for another two years, since I go to college in my home town. I don't know what to do.

Wow, sounds rough. What are you in school for? What kind of classes have you taken? 5 years seems like a long time, but having a skill set that other people need is worth whatever it takes, that's how I feel about it anyway.

Stay in school. Even if it's a BS degree, it'll feel good to say you have one. Don't transfer, it'll just be more overwhelming issues atop your disdain for college. Finish college. Seriously, do it.

im right there with you on everything you said. it is rough but don't stop going to colllege, i have an it's worse not going. most jobs will hire you because you have a degree, it doesn't matter what it is.

I agree with the other posters. If you switch schools you'll have all kinds of new stressful things to get used to and it'll be hard to focus on your studies. Just stick with it.

Something that helps me when I feel overwhelmed is to actually zero in on the work itself and find a personal connection with it. I forget about what I'm "supposed" to learn from it and instead read it like it's Harry Potter and I'm just reading it or learning it for me. It makes me feel a lot better about it and usually I also get a better grade that way.

BTW, schizophrenia, bipolar, and ADHD are social terms meant to label a set of traits as automatically negative. Don't forget that you also have brilliance, alternate perception, intense bursts of energy, and all sorts of other things that are actually POSITIVE and will help you stand out in a good way.

If college is not interesting you or inspiring you, it may be best to leave it. There is no shame in deciding to leave college-a lot of intelligent people don't succeed in a conventionally academic environment, and a lot of people live interesting and fulfilling lives with or without a college education. It sounds like your main motivation for being there is to prove to your father that you can do it, rather than out of any personal passion or interest of yours. I would advise you to look at what you are really passionate about, where you really want to be a year from now, and try taking steps to get there now. There could be something else you could be doing instead that is better suited to your interests and goals. Look into volunteer programs, study/work/volunteer abroad programs, jobs in your area or night classes. All of these things can go on your CV and cover letters when it comes to applying for other opportunities in your area of interest.

Staying in a college environment that isn't working for you purely to prove something to your dad is not fair for you. It's more important for you to find out what you really want out of life. A whole lot of people's plans change 3574829 different times when they are young. There's this expectation that we go to college, graduate, find work, live happily ever after, but it doesn't work like that for lots of people, and there is no shame in that.

If you do want to stay, I would advise you to look for help with getting distracted and spacing out. Maybe it would help you to rewrite your notes after your classes. Possibly you could also go and visit your lecturers during their office hours and ask questions then-that way it would be easier to focus. Also try visiting the campus disability services. I also space out, and I find it helps me to write over my notes, look for holes in my knowledge, then visit my tutors.