I HATE UNI... help

[mahalia]

I need help. I've been at uni (my first year) for almost 4 months now. I'm studying one of the most difficult courses to get into, my grades are just peachy and i'm in (supposedly) the best residence.

but i hate it and it's driving me insane... the people are fake, the place sucks, and i'm just a number.

i could deal with all that if only... if only i enjoyed the course. but i don't.
i applied for it because i'm passionate about changing the face of public healthcare and i wanted to find the cure to aids... or something.

but now it seems i've lost that focus. all i want to do is be creative, be back in school with english and history classes. i'm hating the course and can't stand the thought of doing it for the next 6 years. i don't think i want to be a doctor - or any health professional! not a psychiatrist, not a pediatrician, not a pathologist, nada.

when i went home these holidays my folks said that, as much as they want me to do this course, they won't keep me there. i can change if i know what i want to do instead.

but i don't know. i'm interested in OT, law, journo... but i don't want ot find myself in the same position two months from now.

what do i do? how do i know for sure that this is not the place for me, or where i should be looking?

 

[*Smurf*]

It is only your first semester. I suggest you take as many pre-requistite courses or core courses. See what you enjoy out of those courses and then maybe at the end of your 2nd year you may be able to have a firm grasp on what curriculum you would want to take.

 

[Shyguyelite]

the people are fake, the place sucks, and i'm just a number.

Welcome to the real world.

i could deal with all that if only... if only i enjoyed the course. but i don't.

Hmm, I can't help you.

From my perspective, just do something that makes you money to prevent homelessness or suicide. You can, from a practical view, always change later in life if you have money.

Eliminating various futures just because you feel sad isn't a long term solution.

 

[selfintercession]

I don't know how it works where you are, but is it possible to try out a general arts program for a year and then declare your major after you get a chance to take a wider variety of courses? If you're interested in things like law and journalist, you could try out a few of those courses towards a BA degree and then declare in your second year... or are you not allowed to do that? Anyway, there's no shame in taking a little time to figure out exactly what you want to do.

I took a year off after HS grad and it was the best thing I could have done because now I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, so I hope you get there too! Good luck

 

[Trashionista]

Is there anyway you could maybe volunteer or work part-time at a newspaper, or tutoring kids in history and English or something? I don't know if you have the time, but maybe working/volunteering in a creative field might be the outlet you need, to make the science-type [I'm assuming] courses a bit more enjoyable?

 

[puddleoffaith]

I was in the same position as you after my first year. I had taken all science-y things and one artsy elective that I absolutely loved. I switched majors and I have never once regretted it. In fact, last spring I realized I only needed a few more courses to get a general degree in my initial major. So now I'm getting a BAH and a BSc in the 4 years. However, even if that hadn't worked out, I would much rather be taking something I love. 4 years is a long time and no one really cares what you did for an undergrad as long as you have the pre-req for grad school/meds/college or whatever you plan on doing post-grad.

You only have one life to live. Learn about the things you love.
And don't worry about the career field just yet. In this recession, you may as well stay in school and do some post-grad work b/c you certainly won't be making tons of money by being out of school.

 

[lostaquarium]

The people are fake
Yep, I identify! I'm a med student too, in my third year. There's a lot of competitiveness and pretense. You don't have to give in though. There are some decent people you can make friends with. Give it a chance and you'll find them.

The place sucks
In what way? Is the quality of education letting you down?

i'm just a number
The uni "authorities" might treat you like a number, because there are too many students. But that doesn't mean you are one - you can matter to individual people, fellow students, and you matter to yourself, and to God.

if only i enjoyed the course. but i don't. i applied for it because i'm passionate about changing the face of public healthcare and i wanted to find the cure to aids... or something.
That's a really worthy goal to have!

but now it seems i've lost that focus. all i want to do is be creative, be back in school with english and history classes.
Sounds like you need a break. I also enjoyed arts at high school, and when I went to uni I missed it a lot. That caused big problems. But could you study english full-time? Could you do it as a career? If the answer's yes, that's great But for myself, I like drawing, but I'd get tired if I had to do it 8 hours a day, every day. I'd want to study medicine for a bit instead!

Maybe you could make a list of books you want to read during the holidays, and look forward to that? Doing medicine doesn't mean you give everything else up. You just move it to a more convenient time

i'm hating the course and can't stand the thought of doing it for the next 6 years. i don't think i want to be a doctor - or any health professional! not a psychiatrist, not a pediatrician, not a pathologist, nada.
Presumably you've wanted to be a doctor for quite a long time, so how did 4 months change all of that?

i'm interested in OT, law, journo... but i don't want ot find myself in the same position two months from now.
Make sure you have realistic expectations. No career is 100% fun. No course is interesting all of the time. I LOVE studying medicine, but there are plenty of boring bits too. When I feel bored, I motivate myself by thinking how awesome it will be to save lives in the future. It's very challenging, but that means the reward is great too

Anyway, I don't mean to say "you should stick with your course" necessarily. My point is: Life is hard, there isn't something you can choose that will make your whole existance a breeze. But there are things worth working for. Figure out what you think is worth working for, and go get it

 

[mahalia]

thanks for the help guys. had a fat chat with my parents and i do have a wider perspective on things now.

to put things in context, since the US and south african systems are quite different:
here, you go into med school straight after school, and there isn't the option of a wider degree and only declaring your major later on. unless your doing BA, but you can't switch from BA to MBChB.

so in SA (and i presume from lostaquarium's post, in the UK too) your undergraduate studies directly affect your potential post grad studies. e.g., someone without MBChB would not be likely to be accepted for pathology, gyneacology, anestheasia etc. excuse my spelling

to lostaquarium: thanks for the inside insight, particularly inspiring. it's not that the education isn't up to standard (in fact, it's the top med-school in SOuth Africa), it's just that the campus is ugly, grey and depressing, in a VERY unsafe area (right next to the hospital, obviously), and the administration doens't make any effort to make our living circumstances a bit more comfortable, despite the outrageous housing fees (i live 1000km away, so i have to make use of the university housing.)

to Quirk: i like the volunteering idea, i was actually looking at a recruitment poster for the big brother big sister SA program yesterday, and am seriously considering it.

it's funny, i actually met this really cool lecturer last friday - he did an MBChB, then postgrad in forensic pathology, and now he's a third year law student... which i think is such a potent combination, especially since lawyers with medical backgrounds, knowledge and experience are super-scarce in SA.

thanks again for the responses and advice, ALL of you

 

[homeofmew]

It takes time to get to know people.
I play the Pokémon TCG card game, and no matter where I go people are nice ^^
you need to find a group of people to associate with ^^

 

[monastic_raindrop]

Dear friend, sometimes one should simply do something for the sake of doing it, just as the farmer needs to dig hard all day into the hard soil to plant seed and harvest all day to get food on the table, these things are done for the sake of doing them. Work will always be work. Universirty is much the same, work hard and you will reap the rewards. Don't think you are trapped, for our time here is not long. Thus, don't worry so much as to whether or not the current situation is fun or not, because it is work. Regardless of the endevour, once it becomes part of the university system, of study, it becomes labour. Learn to love the labour. It is always easy to turn and run away from our fears.

I thus suggest that you remain studying. If you enjoy history, or the arts, you are always free to read and paint and play music in your own leasure, to learn. Sometimes studying that which we love transforms if over time into work and if you fear work, you may fear your passions. If you learn to love work, then you will have no fear of any study! hah! What joy, imagine.

God be with you.

 

[mahalia]

^thank you, raindrop. that made me think!

 

[Amila001]

If you don't like a major, change the major. The more time you spend contemplating, the more time is wasted. Act now.

 

[Lenka]

Have you joined a chaplaincy?

I had some friends at uni who were in a chaplaincy and a religious group and they went on trips and such.... I always envied them (which is a rather ungodly reaction, but ok) because they seemed to be having so much fun and their lives seemed so meaningful.

I also suggest you consult your parents, and anyone you can find, on whether they think you should switch courses, what your chances are of being sucessful, etc.

My personal favorite suggestion is to talk to a clergy menber, completely honestly and in your words, about your vision for your future, about your aspirations and motivations - I have this idea that EVERYTHING we do in life is connected to God somehow, and perhaps you are meant to use your future job to help, and therefore you could use some spiritual guidance in the matter. Allow the child in your to express itself in a safe environment.

Hope

 

[Lenka]

I suggest finding a particularly well-meaning and warm member of clergy (is there a local chaplaincy?) and talking your heart out.

But that's just me. That would really help me; I wish I had done that when I was at uni.

edit: oops repeat post, I thought the first one didn't get posted.