When Alex walked into their first college lecture, their breath caught in their throat. The room was massive, packed with hundreds of students chatting and settling into their seats. It didn’t take long for Alex’s initial excitement about starting college to morph into a mix of overwhelm and dread. The lectures moved at breakneck speed, the textbook felt like an impossible maze, and Alex began to feel like they were drowning in the material. Even though they were putting in the hours, nothing seemed to stick. Frustrated and defeated, they considered giving up entirely.
But one day, while scrolling through the course syllabus, Alex noticed their Teaching Assistant (TA), Jamie, had open office hours. Hesitant but desperate for help, Alex decided to go