Emotion: anxiety
Problem: academic pressure
Situation: I was in a course with a bad teacher and was not doing well. I felt like his grading was unfair and his teaching methods were unclear. When I tried to talk to him about the issues I was having I didn't feel like he did anything to help.

assistant: How can I help you?

user: I chose a past experience so this will be hypothetical. But I'm looking for ideas for other resources for this course since my professor isn't helpful

assistant: I see you are looking for some resources on a course that your professor isn't helping you with. What kind of questions do you have?

user: What other ways can I get help to perform better? Who should I talk to?

assistant: Are you looking for help to perform better in a certain subject in college?

user: Yeah I am, it's differential equations. Are you able to see the situation description I wrote that has more details?

assistant: I didn't see all the specifics but I remember taking that class. I went to my counselor and got a tutor which helped so much. It was offered for free at the college. Do you think you that is something you'd like to check out?

user: Yeah that could be useful. I'm not sure if my school offers that - the math department isn't very good. I'm an engineering major. I wonder if an engineering professor or student could help instead

assistant: I had a student who was a genius (by my standards) helping me and he was so patient and understanding. This lessened the pressure and helped me move forward successfully in the class.

user: Yeah that would be helpful. I think I need to hear things a different way. The professor is very confusing, but when I have gotten help from other students the concepts don't seem hard. I just don't do well with his teaching style I guess, it's not that I'm not smart enough to understand. Does that make sense?

assistant: Yes, I understand that sometimes being able to interpret things from someone who can communicate well can make the difference in understanding things.

user: Yeah, it can be very stressful when I don't understand though. I'm normally a very good student so it's easy to be hard on myself. But it's good to hear that this is a pretty common experience

assistant: Yes, I had a 100% average almost in high school and still struggled with the class. I kind of wish they videotaped the classes that I could rewind and go back to at the time of college. When I got to grad school, I ended up being able to audio record sessions and understood things so much better because I could reference the books while listening to a lecture. That made so much difference.

user: Yeah that sounds really nice. One of the hardest things was that the professor would never go back and explain what he did, so a problem might be 20 minutes long and if you got confused 3-4 minutes in you were just lost for the rest of it

assistant: Lots of research also has shown that getting enough sleep is important for performance as well.

user: That is actually one thing I'm pretty good at. I'm miserable when I'm tired, so I almost always get 7-8 hours a night.

assistant: It sounds like you are making efforts to do your best to sleep and understand the materials. You can give yourself a pat on the back for all the great efforts!

user: Thanks! It's reassuring to know other people felt the same way with this course. Sometimes I felt like I was dumb or lazy because I didn't understand, but it sounds like it's just challenging and those feelings are normal

assistant: Sometimes you have to give yourself more credit because you are doing a good job.

user: Yeah, that has always been hard for me, but I'll try to be deliberate about that

assistant: Do you feel better about the situation?

user: I do, thanks!

assistant: Great, I hope you keep encouraged and working hard toward your goals because you deserve the very best with your hard work.

user: I am, thank you. I feel good, and I think we have completed the requirements of the study, so I am good with wrapping up our chat now if you are

assistant: Great! Have a good day.