College and my life in general!

LegacyUser

Ok I saw the other thread about someone who was unsure about college and I read it but I didn't really think it applied to me....

I'm in second year at the minute, doing a course that I worked really really hard to to make sure I got. All during 5th and 6th year, it was the only one I was really properly interested in, so I got 600 points, got in and everyone in the family and extended family said the usual oh we knew you'd get it and we knew you'd get the best LC etc etc. During first year, I didn't work quite as hard as I had in school but I went to most of my lectures, had 7 exams and got 2 firsts and 5 seconds...... this year though I cannot motivate myself to do anything! For example, right now I'm sitting online, despite the fact I have an exam on Monday that covers 6 huge areas, of which I've glanced at 1 and a half..... wasn't even at any of the lectures. I'd say I was at about 30% of my lectures this year, and even missed a lab or two cause I just couldn't be bothered getting out of bed. I was meant to move into town this year to cut out my long commute but I couldn't work over the summer, cos of stuff I had no control over so now I can't afford it, and I'm just so confused, I'm used to knowing what I want and how to get it.

My parents aren't exactly the easiest to talk to about this kind of thing, they're just both of the opinion that you get your degree and that's final, but the way I'm going I'm just going to fail everything.....

I just don't know.... =/

panda100

Hey ijustdontknow!
To me it sounds like your stuck in a bit of a studying rut at the mo-it happens to the best of us!I wonder how much you like the course your studying?I was in a similar situation in 1st year of college,id worked really hard for my leaving,got into do medicine but just couldnt motivate myself to study at all.At first I thought it was just the course i was unhappy with and looked into lots of different courses but then i realised there was nothing in my life except for the studying and so i got involved in lots of sports and societys that intrested me and that really motivated me to do well in my course again.Its very important to have a life outside the studying to.

Dont worry about talking to your parents at the mo,you have to focus on YOU,this is your life after all not theirs.Sort out what you want for yourself first and then you can talk to your parents.It would be good for you to have a good long hard about the course your doing-is it stimulating you enough or are you not suited to it?Lots of people start courses in first year and then realise its not for them.

One thing ive noticed with people who get exceptionally good marks in their leaving is a need for them to get into high scoring courses-you'll always notice that those who score over 560 are either in actuary,med,dentistry etc.However,you shouldnt let your high point score dictate what you do in college.Imagine if einstein did the leaving?he'd be working as a tired intern in vincents at this stage-a total waste of talent!

Sangre

panda100 wrote:

One thing ive noticed with people who get exceptionally good marks in their leaving is a need for them to get into high scoring courses-you'll always notice that those who score over 560 are either in actuary,med,dentistry etc.

I think you'll find thats WHY the courses are over 560.

Kind of the same myself. Did well in LC but didn't do any work for 1st/2nd. Now I just can't study anymore.

LegacyUser

Just read back over my post and forgot to mention a few things......

The reason I worked so hard to get the points for the LC was I wanted this course and no other (it's not medicine btw). I remember the day I got my results and the first thought in my head was "yes I've got my course".... I can't imagine myself doing any other job, and it's a job I can't wait to do, but getting there seems to be the problem.

Was doing 5 modules last semester, I found 3 of them really really interesting, I just can't make myself study them, it's really bugging me. And I know it'd be easy to say just sit down and do it, but I've tried and got nowhere.

My problem is my parents are gonna freak when they see these results, they're used to me getting really high marks since 1st year in school....

I tried saying to my mum last night that I was a bit worried about the exams, and that basically I'd just messed up my timing and had left myself too much to do in too short a time but she just said "ah but you got 90 something in that project last week, you'll be grand" which is so frustrating. It's a totally different thing, but I can't tell them that

dundalk cailin

i found that as well..i wasnt anywhere near the 560+ mark, but i did ok. got a bit of a shock when i failed an exam in first year..thakfully i compensated, didnt have to repeat. so in second yr i worked harder, and went to more classes, and it paid off, i passed all exams, and here i am on my erasmus year. OP you need to deicde if this course is what you really wanna do, there is no point wastin time stayin in a course you dont like. nevertheless you should try and get thru this year anyway whether or not you wanna continue with it, theres no point havin to repeat.

Crucifix

panda100 wrote:

Imagine if einstein did the leaving?he'd be working as a tired intern in vincents at this stage

Sure he was working as a clerk at a patent office when he did alot of his groundbreaking scientific work.

Have you lost interest in your course, or just lost motivation?
Ah, the long commute ain't so bad. It's harder to study in the evenings because you're getting up earlier, getting home later, much more tired, but I find people living in the vicinity of the college are way more likely to not come in than we poor bums who have to travel for hours.

leeroybrown

I think a lot of people get caught out like this. After the leaving cert (varying from very little to the people who cram for 600) and coasting through an easy relaxed first year doing no work, they find them selves in second year which is often a lot more broad and requires more work. I know plenty of people who failed exams due to lack of interest in doing the course despite a strong interest in the degree/career itself. When I was in final year I almost failed 30% of my degree due to abject disinterest but I managed to pass those parts and come out with a very good degree by putting some work in elsewhere. Unfortunately it's just a case of sitting down and working.

I was never one for planning my study or using any specific study techniques but I think you should consider doing this as it may help you focus on getting through the year.

Also, if you need someone to talk to face to face other than your parents most universities will have councillors available who deal with these types of issues all the time.

AngryBadger

I'd venture that you expected college to be a kind of nirvana. If you got 600 points odds are you studied really, really hard, while your mates were not studying, and out having the craic. And now you find college, is very similar to that.

Am I even close here? What you're describing sounds to me like you're asking yourself, "What's the point of this? Where's my joy?". You busted your chops to get this, and then you thought you could relax, and enjoy your time in college studying something you loved. But, now you're in college, and you still have a rake of work to do, and you feel like you can't just throw it there because everyone is expecting you to do well. Pressure. Big time pressure.

The other possibility is that you've fallen into the "college trap", you've been going out way too much, and now you're ****ting yourself because you're about to fail your exams. In which case I extend my hand, and give you a light bitch-slap, then say "get your finger out, come clean, and back to the grind". You can have a blast in college, AND do the work. But having a blast on your parents dime is not cool.

rainbow kirby

I'd venture that you expected college to be a kind of nirvana. If you got 600 points odds are you studied really, really hard, while your mates were not studying, and out having the craic. And now you find college, is very similar to that.

Am I even close here? What you're describing sounds to me like you're asking yourself, "What's the point of this? Where's my joy?". You busted your chops to get this, and then you thought you could relax, and enjoy your time in college studying something you loved. But, now you're in college, and you still have a rake of work to do, and you feel like you can't just throw it there because everyone is expecting you to do well. Pressure. Big time pressure.

You basically just described how I felt in my first few years in college. I got 570 points in my LC, UCD entrance scholar, yada yada yada. And I suppose I *did* expect college to be some kind of academic nirvana. My first year in college I basically spent it in the library. I did everything the way I'd done it in school. And results-wise, it worked. All firsts, all over 80%. Then when I got into 2nd year (for the first time) somewhere along the way my brain just said "F*ck this, I want to live!". I was working a lot, going out quite a bit, getting very involved with the TKD club in UCD, all of that. Ignoring college work quite a bit, and not paying that much attention in the ones I did go to.

Of course I failed all my exams in the summer, and had to repeat in August. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was to go into the sitting room on a warm June evening and tell my parents that I'd failed the entire set of summer exams. At that stage, I'd completely gone off my course (mathematical science, UCD) and knew I wanted to change, but I'm stubborn. So I scraped into 3rd year in the repeats. 3rd year in a course I hated... I was so miserable for the entire year, and I pretty much dropped out the day before the start of the summer exams (though I almost didn't go back after Christmas). Walking away from that course last May was the best thing I ever did for myself. 4th year would have killed me. I'm doing computer science now, and I'm just so much happier about college now. I feel much more content about all things college-related now - and I'm not dreading the start of the 2nd semester like I was this time last year! It *is* expensive, and I'm paying for it myself. Means I'm still working a lot, and having to live frugally, but it'll all work out in the end.

you'll always notice that those who score over 560 are either in actuary,med,dentistry etc.

Not me

leeroybrown

panda100 wrote:

you'll always notice that those who score over 560 are either in actuary,med,dentistry etc

I know two people who got 600 and neither picked a high pointed course. I think they just considered it a challenge to do well.

AngryBadger

rainbow kirby wrote:

Means I'm still working a lot, and having to live frugally, but it'll all work out in the end.

Fair dews man. Had a somewat similar experience with my postgraduate studies. Reasons were different, the group i was reesearching with just weren't at the races, was stressed up to my eyebales for 18 months, seriously at my wits end, we're talking nervous breakdown country, I was so unhappy so I decided to pack it in, and they asked me to submit for a masters. So doing that now, and again, like yourself, living on pittence, but as soon as I'm done, (in the next month or so), the world is at my fet.....and I have big feet

DS

One thing ive noticed with people who get exceptionally good marks in their leaving is a need for them to get into high scoring courses

I got 570 in the LC and my course was something like 325 on the CAO. Anyway, same craic with me, did absolutely nothin in first year, didn't go to a single lecture or lab after christmas, did about 2 days work before the exams and got mostly seconds thanks to having done most of the material for LC.

The problem is I didn't move away for college and had all my friends from school around, so I didn't make the effort to make any friends in my course, and barely know any of them because of never going in. Having no social life in the course only cements my lack of enthusiasm for it. So now half way through second year I'm just as bad, waiting on results which I expect to range from 35-45%. It's definitely the course I want to do, and if I had to choose again I probably wouldn't change it. The frustrating thing is I know for a fact that if I did some work I'd definitely really enjoy it and would definitely do very well. My chronic laziness just gets in the way. I'm useless at just getting up off my arse and doing something, which I know is all I need to do really.