Many college students are in serious trouble and don't even recognize it. They think that nothing is really wrong, that everyone else is in the same boat, or that college is just supposed to be hard. Other students are just not sure: "Am I doing bad or doing really bad?" they wonder. "Should I take some decisive action or just wait it out, hoping it'll get better?"

In order to help you decide whether you're in serious difficulty or just caught up in the ordinary ebb and flow of higher education, here are 10 signs that you're in real trouble at college. If you, or someone you know or love, exhibits any of these signs, it's time to do some major reassessment and make some big changes:

1. Your average is below C or you're getting D's in some of your courses. Don't kid yourself: C is a bad grade, and D is even worse. Most students in college are getting A's and B's （at many schools the average grade-point average is between B and B+）. So if your quizzes and tests are coming back with C's and D's, be aware that you are learning virtually nothing in the courses you're taking. As you move into upper-level courses, you're likely to find yourself unable to muster even C's and D's and will be ending up with F's.

2. You're constantly asking for （and even getting） extensions and incompletes. Extensions and incompletes are supposed to be the exception, for very special circumstances, not the rule. If you find yourself depending on them as a regular educational crutch-one day the reading took longer than you were expecting, another time you couldn't get enough pages written, a third time you were busy with your four other courses-you're demonstrating that you aren't able to keep up with the pace of college.

3. You can't follow what the professor says in lecture-ever. Most students have times when they can't understand a point the professor makes. Professors are used to this and are generally quite happy to answer questions, either during or after the lecture. But if the whole lecture is incomprehensible to you, then consider yourself to be in way over your head.

4. You're spending every waking moment of the day doing the reading or the homework. Professors are well aware of the time constraints placed on students taking five courses a semester, often working part time, and perhaps participating in extracurricular activities. So the assignments are geared to be done in a manageable period of time: You should be able to do the homework in one to three hours per class. If not, you probably are lacking basic skills expected for the course or using the wrong study strategies.

5. You're living off your credit cards. If you can't even afford your dinners or textbooks without relying on credit, then you are stretched too thin financially. Going to college is a big commitment of both time and money, and trying to get an education at the edge of bankruptcy is likely to put more pressure on you than the average person can manage.

当今许多大学生身陷困境却不自知，他们觉得万事太平，人人处境相差无几，或者大学生活本应困难重重。另外有些学生则不确定，“我究竟是有点烂呢还是烂到家了？”他们会自我反省，“我是应该当机立断、采取行动，还是静观其变，等待转机？” 为了帮助你判断一下自己究竟是身陷困境，还是在高等教育的浪潮中受到了一点正常的冲击，在此提供5个征兆，借以参考。如果你，或者你认识的人、你爱的人中，显现了这些征兆，就要赶快重新认清形势做出改变。

1. 你的评价分已经低于C，或者某些课程你只拿到D。别自欺欺人了：C已经很烂，D则更糟。大部分的大学生都能拿到A或者B（而且很多学校的平均成绩在B和B＋之间），所以如果你的小测或者考试成绩到手的时候只剩下C和D，就应当意识到你在课堂上其实什么都没学到。当你晋升到高阶课程的时候，你很有可能会发现自己连C和D都拿不到了，只有被当掉。

2. 你持续地要求开小灶，并且无法按时完成功课。开小灶和拖延功课应当是例外，属于特殊情况而非常理规则。如果你发现自己过于依赖它们作为学习的拐杖——某日阅读作业比你想象的要花时间，次日你又写不满作文的页数，再次日你又被另外的四门课程缠身——那就证明你无法跟上学校课程的步伐。

3. 你听不懂课堂上教授教的内容。大部分学生都会有上课不明白教授的观点的时候，而且教授也都习以为常并且乐于解答疑问，课上课下都是如此。但如果整堂课从头到尾你都无法理解，你就应当意识到这些超出了你的理解范围。

4. 你每日睁眼的时间都忙于阅读和做作业。通常教授都了解学生们一个学期选五门课、要兼职打工、并且可能还要参加课外活动，时间相当有限。所以功课量都是设定为在一定时间内可以完成的，你应当可以在1到3个小时内就完成功课。如果你做不到，有可能就缺少这门课要求的的基本能力，或者学习方法不当。

5. 你超额使用信用卡。如果你离了信用卡连晚餐和课本都买不起，那么你已经在财务上过度透支了。上大学不管在时间上还是财力上都是巨大的负担，在破产边缘接受教育通常会给你带来超出正常人承受范围的压力