(source)
In a little over a week I will be packing up my parents car, saying goodbye to my boyfriend, family, dogs etc and heading back to Bangor for my third year. I should be excited, but quite frankly I am not. For the past month I have felt a pang of dread knowing that my long summer holidays are almost up and I am going to have to face reality.
I didn't really enjoy my second year very much and the highlight (and probably the only thing that got me through) was my Field Trip . Third year doesn't have any such trips and the amount of hard work it is going to involve is starting to overwhelme me. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly happy to complete work in the Library, do the extra reading and so forth; the problem lies in the fact that I picked the wrong degree and as a consequence find many of my modules boring and uninspiring. Luckily, I was able to pick my modules this year and I have managed to select those that I at least find somewhat enjoyable. Right now, my mindset is that finishing this degree is a means to an end of getting to where I ultimately want to be: doing my PGCE.
I got a First in both my first year and second year overall and so there is almost the expectation from friends and family that I am going to get a First overall for my degree; I am less convinced and think that it is more likely to be a mid 2.1 due to my lack of interest in the degree and the fact that my modules this year are a lot more exam based and there is less coursework to boost my overall grade.
I am sorry if this post comes across as a moan and or a rant but I really just needed to get it off of my chest and put it out there that not every student enjoys their degree and is passionate about what they are reading. I also wanted to let Freshers know that if you are not enjoying your degree, course or University then you should stick it out until Christmas, but if things havent changed then you should probably seriously consider whether you are doing the degree that is right for you. I had doubts about my course very early on in my first year and I wish now that I had taken the advice I was given and left: £27,000 of tuition debt alone is not something to be taken lightly.
Has anyone else gotten to this stage in their degree and realised that it probably isn't right for them? If you have any advice then please do comment and let me know :)
I hope that this year goes well for you. It must be so hard motivating yourself to do something that you're not enjoying but you do have the end goal of the PGCE so that's good. Best of luck for the year- don't pressurise yourself too much!
ReplyDeleteJennifer xx
http://www.ginevrella.blogspot.co.uk
Thank you Jenny! It definitely helps having that end goal to work towards! Good luck in your studies this year too! xx
DeleteOMG! I know exactly how you feel. I am about to go back to start my third year of my law degree. I don't want to go into law - I want to work with rescued animals. But I didn't discover this until quite a way into my second year, at which point it is too late to turn around. I really hated my second year. I wasn't enjoying the subject, I have no friends on the course (I'm not even joking here) and I just hated every moment I spent on campus. This lead my grades to suffer ¬.¬ This year I'm hoping to pick myself up and try to salvage my grades and get the best I can, and hopefully make some new friends, but I'm not too worried. I'll have my filofax and bake off XD
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that you are not enjoying your degree either Beka (although it is good to know that I am not the only one in this boat!). I hope that you find some new friends soon and best of luck with your studies, if all else fails bake off and a Filofax is always a good combination... do you watch Downton Abbey? xx
DeleteI switched courses half way through my degree, and then once I'd finished, I did a PGCE. After that, I decided I didn't want to be a teacher and changed direction again. Sure, the debt is bad, but you don't have to worry about bailiffs and debt collectors coming to beat down your door for it. Think of it like tax - it will just come out of your pay cheque if you have one, and if you don't have job, you won't have to pay it. Plus, ir really really really is never too late to change direction in your life. Your degree isn't the be-all and end-all of your life, and it is not a waste of time if you end up doing something different. Good luck with your third year! It might be the best year yet - you never know!
ReplyDeleteOwl Girl | A London lifestyle blog
It definitely helps that Student Debt is not the same as real debt so to speak. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy teaching, really hopes that it works out for me! :)
DeleteSorry to hear you aren't looking forward to returning to university and it's crazy to hear how the amount of debts students leave with even in the short number of years that it's been since I left university. I do hope you manage to make the most of your final year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support! I'm hoping to do the best that I can and leave with no regrets! :)
DeleteI really didn't enjoy my second year, and similar to you, the one major highlight was my trip. (Happened to be an expedition that we planned ourselves)
ReplyDeleteI'm a little scared about this year because it is the final one and I really want a first (not sure how likely that is!) but the modules do sound better and I should have more freedom in the work I can present... Hope the year goes well for you! I suppose you never know, it could get better!