White Belt Corner

My ego says don't tap. My shoulder says tap. I always tap. Is anyone else just tapping at 50% or am I weak?

White belts who eventually got to blue — when did things start clicking? Like positionally, you knew what to do? For me right now everything is reactive panic.

I'm 5 months in. Coach has me drill with a brown belt 2x/week. I feel like dead weight. Like he's slowing himself down for me. Is this normal? Am I wasting his time?

Two weeks in. Every roll feels like a car wreck. Higher belts toy with me, and I can't even tell what's happening. Is there a survival framework or do I just suffer for 6 months?

I keep seeing $250+ Shoyoroll gis recommended. I'm a white belt, I'm gonna sweat through it, and I don't want to spend rent. What are you actually wearing in the under-$100 bracket?

I have 3 stripes on white. Friend at another gym is 4 stripes. We rolled. He destroyed me. Do stripes actually mean anything between gyms or is it all gym-specific?