Anyone else HATE uni?

[-:Undertaker:-]

Yeah, so is there anyone else out there who absolutely hates Uni? I despise it.

- University treats the students as though they're paying us 9k a year to be there, not the other way around.
- The discussions are so dull, boring and most seem too shy to say anything or anything of substance in tutorials.
- The 'university life' aka laying around in bed endlessly is so bloody boring.
- The city I go to is bloody awful, so having nights out there are dire compared with home.
- Students annoy the hell out of me, always have and always will.
- Being away from home in the winter makes me want to slash my wrists.

There's probably more but I don't think there's ever been a period in my life that I have hated more. I absolutely loved school, loved sixth form too in comparison to this but jesus it's so bad. Yet I look on my FB at classmates and people I know, and they all love it!? Am I missing something here? One of my mates from home always says how he can't wait to get back to Uni, yet all he does is sits in the library, in his bed and never attends lectures!? :S:S:S:S:S I don't understand it.

I can see why people enjoy it who may come from smaller villages, towns and go to larger cities.... and those who weren't the top cheese in school and feel they can be more social in uni..... but gee I just hate it, as do my mates in uni. It's third year starting in a week and frankly, I can't wait to put it behind me so much so that i'm not even planning to attend the graduation. Screw that and screw paying £60 to hire a gown to mimic an imported cheesy American tradition :P

So yeah, am I alone or what here?

[RyRy]

The thing I hate about Uni isn't so much the cost, or the travelling, it's putting up with people who don't understand that some people have coursework at certain times, and that if you don't come out with them you are literally shunning them and dislike them.

WHICH IS MY SITUATION RIGHT NOW FUNNILY ENOUGH.

[Matt]

Is it really that bad? D;

I can't wait to go to Uni! I imagine it's different for everyone and varies from country to country. I know over here Uni life looks amazing and there's 4-5 different Universities in my local area alone that I can choose from. I can't wait for the independence factor and how I'll be able to make decisions for myself!!

[Chippiewill]

I think maybe you were born middle-aged.

[Kyle]

cherish the time you have at uni now more than ever because once you finish and realise you've wasted 3+ years of your life on something that probably won't put you in any higher of a position you would have been had you not attended uni and you see all of your highschool friends in steady jobs with reasonable incomes it's just going to get worse. :)

if the nightlife is bad, you make your own fun. your reach extends much further than a few dingy clubs in a dead town centre. you can meet anyone, go anywhere and do anything. university life isn't about sitting watching jeremy kyle, it's about getting your work done and socialising properly. join a club or 5 and expand your interests. there are societies for all sorts with like minded folk as well as some new things you might not have considered before. jump in.

ideally you should be studying something you enjoy so that's a start, right? why then are people shy in tutorials? they should be passionate. especially by the 2nd and 3rd years? that probably says more about your choice of course or university than about university life in general. people should be growing, not retreating into themselves. sometimes what people need is a leader. be that leader. facilitate discussion, ask people questions even if you know the answers and get people talking about what they supposedly love.

- get over the bad nightlife. stop relying on others to entertain you and entertain yourself.
- be passionate about your studies. just because classmates aren't doesn't mean you shouldn't be.

idk perhaps university just isn't for you. personally, i love it. learning, meeting people, trying new things. it certainly beats pasting news articles onto hxf for 12 hours a day. different strokes for different folks, i guess. good luck in your final year :) make the most of your freedom from the real world! :D

[Kardan]

I enjoyed Uni, but I guess I was in a different stuation to you. My degree wasn't really discussion based, it was right/wrong answers - so I never found any discussion boring because there wasn't any.

I only paid 3 grand a year, so don't feel that bad for having to pay 9 :P

I didn't move for Uni, I stayed at home, so didn't have to have the bother of sorting that out, living with others etc.

And I don't go out drinking, so I don't have any the issues of any of that stuff.

[lawrawrrr]

I loved University so much. It's what you make of it - my university is completely isolated from almost everywhere, the nightlife (so I've been told, I don't have much to compare it to!) is completely bobba, the course isn't that great - especially as I started to hate all the people and half the lecturers.

But because I hated all that I got into societies, made my own way and did my own thing a lot of the time - I never missed a lecture unless I HAD to (in hopsital/couldn't get there in time after various appts).

I really hate your standard 'student' as much as you Dan, and I've always been told I'm a middle-aged woman trapped in a teenager's body (well, not teenager any more but yeah), but there are so many other things you can do at every single university - make the most of your experience, it doesn't just get handed to you. And that's what annoys me so much when I constantly see people moaning on Twitter and Facebook about how much they hated Uni - they expected everything to be handed to them on a silver platter, but you have to have the initiative to go out there and find something :)

[Richie]

The thing I hate about Uni isn't so much the cost, or the travelling, it's putting up with people who don't understand that some people have coursework at certain times, and that if you don't come out with them you are literally shunning them and dislike them.

WHICH IS MY SITUATION RIGHT NOW FUNNILY ENOUGH.

that **** happened to me the other night but i didn't go out cos i was too poor innit

[Jurv]

don't say this omg i'm leaving home for uni today!

glad the replies made it sound better though ahhh

[Shar]

I love uni even though I hardly have any time to act like a normal student

[wixard]

i wouldn't say hate but i don't enjoy it, but i think if i had the uk experience or where i was away from home i would enjoy it a LOT more

for me, i live at home and so do most of my friends, we stayed in our city because it's the capital and whats the point in moving anywhere else in ireland. with this, i don't make any new friends because i don't need to, i have my old friends who i know i get on with. don't speak to anyone at uni besides 2/3 people, the uni itself is ****, i'm just excited to finish up my final year and go over to the uk to do my masters. it'll be a lot more beneficial to me living away from home and getting the independence i need, while obviously furthering my education in something i really enjoy learning about

[Inseriousity.]

I enjoyed uni. Yes, I think people get this idea in their head that they'll move on from school where no-one cares that much and when a teacher asks a question, there's a long stretch of silence and you're like the only person in the room who does all the talking but at uni it'll be different, everyone will be intellectual and talk freely and openly where there is no longer any pressure to try to stifle your geekiness as all those people that laughed and mocked it have gone. Which is of course just a load of ******** because people still don't want to come across as stupid or too smart or they're not confident enough to answer and will just save their intelligence to the essays/exams/presentations where it actually counts.

In short you probably had a different expectation of what uni would be like and were disappointed when it was just like school with more freedom and older people. As for the 9k a year thing, it is fairly established in higher education that ALL practitioners are on the understanding that marketisation of education is a good thing, that students shouldn't be expected to be spoon-fed, that uni is all about individual study as much as lecturing. It would be quite radical to be in a conversation with lecturers and defend the marketisation (although tbh I think the thing I liked most about uni was that it was almost as if they wanted you to argue with them, surrounded by yes men where every student just takes what they say for granted, that person who stands up to them gives them this intellectual thrill).

Okay so that isn't "in short" at all lol. oopsie got carried away.

I would agree with Laura's advice, not just for your own sanity but actually because it is better in the long run too. You will leave uni, you will have a grade (a good one hopefully) but walking into a job isn't that easy. You need the experiences to back it up and uni does offer a wide range of experiences that you should grab with both hands while you still have the chance. for instance, I took a student researcher role - most unis have these. they can be called a number of things. SALTs, students as partners, students as researchers - and did this research project and that led to being invited to a symposium and conferences where I presented the research. I also joined a theological debating society and have particular fond memories of tearing this guy to shreds during the 'does god exist' debate and tbh those experiences are still fairly limited with elections and all sorts of other stuff to get involved with. the last job I applied to was as a student engagement assistant precisely because the research project I got involved with was about student engagement. I am going to take an educated guess and assume that Laura's job she has now is not purely cos of her grade (although im sure it helped) but her experience of being involved in things like the student newspaper and blah blah blah (I can't remember the rest, that'd be a bit stalkerish if I did lol).

TLDR: Get involved with the wide range of activities universities have to offer.
ps this advice isn't just for dan. everyone starting uni should get involved as soon as possible.

[AgnesIO]

I start Uni very, very soon and am sort of thinking the same way.

Costing £45,000 to get a degree - and I certainly have no intention of going by the bed all day thing that you described :L

I'm getting through first year by my summer and Christmas plans.

[Yupt]

I've only been at university for just over a week so my opinion probably isn't worth much but so far i've enjoyed more or less every second of it. I've had classes and projects since day one and i've been enjoying the academics so so much, im proud of what i've produced and enjoyed working with everyone else. Sitting around chilling out with my flatmates, who already feel like family, is great and the nightlife here is wonderful for the size of the place. I have no reason to complain about anything.

[kuzkasate]

I am starting uni in October and tbh I have no idea what to expect. I am not a people person at all, I'd say a fair 90% of people get on my nerves and stress me out and I much rather prefer doing things by myself - just been used to having a large, tight friendship group. I'm just not really looking forward to the whole uni experience. How should I prepare for uni what should I expect?

Also another problem for me is I will be commuting to uni and my freshers week starts next Saturday (27th) but I have no-one to go with because I'm not living in accommodation so I don't know anyone from the uni. I can't exactly turn up to freshers week and tag a long with a group of people because a) I probably won't like them and b) its slightly creepy.

Any advice for a miserable guy besides "cheer the bobba up"?

[lawrawrrr]

I am going to take an educated guess and assume that Laura's job she has now is not purely cos of her grade (although im sure it helped) but her experience of being involved in things like the student newspaper and blah blah blah (I can't remember the rest, that'd be a bit stalkerish if I did lol).

Got told if I failed my degree it wouldn't matter, I wouldn't be fired anyway - but obviously if you apply with no degree most places will turn round and say erm.... really? - at least I was studying for one.

BUT YEP YOU'RE RIGHT

seriously go get involved in clubs and things cos it will make your uni experience AND life ahead of you fab

[-:Undertaker:-]

I enjoyed uni. Yes, I think people get this idea in their head that they'll move on from school where no-one cares that much and when a teacher asks a question, there's a long stretch of silence and you're like the only person in the room who does all the talking but at uni it'll be different, everyone will be intellectual and talk freely and openly where there is no longer any pressure to try to stifle your geekiness as all those people that laughed and mocked it have gone. Which is of course just a load of ******** because people still don't want to come across as stupid or too smart or they're not confident enough to answer and will just save their intelligence to the essays/exams/presentations where it actually counts.

But I don't want full on intellectual discussions, I would just like people to answer a question when it's asked rather than have the teacher stand and stare in silence at a class for minutes on end until he picks on someone just for them to give a rambling answer that doesn't mean anything. I've taken to saying controversial things just to get some life into the class/give the teacher an answer so he can move on.


In short you probably had a different expectation of what uni would be like and were disappointed when it was just like school with more freedom and older people. As for the 9k a year thing, it is fairly established in higher education that ALL practitioners are on the understanding that marketisation of education is a good thing, that students shouldn't be expected to be spoon-fed, that uni is all about individual study as much as lecturing. It would be quite radical to be in a conversation with lecturers and defend the marketisation (although tbh I think the thing I liked most about uni was that it was almost as if they wanted you to argue with them, surrounded by yes men where every student just takes what they say for granted, that person who stands up to them gives them this intellectual thrill).

Okay so that isn't "in short" at all lol. oopsie got carried away.

I would agree with Laura's advice, not just for your own sanity but actually because it is better in the long run too. You will leave uni, you will have a grade (a good one hopefully) but walking into a job isn't that easy. You need the experiences to back it up and uni does offer a wide range of experiences that you should grab with both hands while you still have the chance. for instance, I took a student researcher role - most unis have these. they can be called a number of things. SALTs, students as partners, students as researchers - and did this research project and that led to being invited to a symposium and conferences where I presented the research. I also joined a theological debating society and have particular fond memories of tearing this guy to shreds during the 'does god exist' debate and tbh those experiences are still fairly limited with elections and all sorts of other stuff to get involved with. the last job I applied to was as a student engagement assistant precisely because the research project I got involved with was about student engagement. I am going to take an educated guess and assume that Laura's job she has now is not purely cos of her grade (although im sure it helped) but her experience of being involved in things like the student newspaper and blah blah blah (I can't remember the rest, that'd be a bit stalkerish if I did lol).

TLDR: Get involved with the wide range of activities universities have to offer.
ps this advice isn't just for dan. everyone starting uni should get involved as soon as possible.

Good points but I literally loathe it all, I would honestly have more fun and fulfilment digging ditches on my own for the next three yeras than do it all again. From the Student Union, to the University Club, to student societies... the whole thing makes me cringe. I worked out today I only have 200 odd days left there now anyway (including weeks but excluding weekends) so the countdown begins this weekend to get the hell out of there. :P


Got told if I failed my degree it wouldn't matter, I wouldn't be fired anyway - but obviously if you apply with no degree most places will turn round and say erm.... really? - at least I was studying for one.

BUT YEP YOU'RE RIGHT

seriously go get involved in clubs and things cos it will make your uni experience AND life ahead of you fab

The societies often come across as really geeky/socially awkward people, apart from Sports.

It's like I said, I think people who were shy/quiet in school will enjoy all that but considering I hate students, it's not for me. :P

[Inseriousity.]

You just said you hate students.
You're practically the definition of a socially awkward person so get moving!

Doesn't your uni have a debating society or anything, you'd be in your element there.

[Shar]

Dan I see you as a lecturer at a uni.

[Metric1]

YES, I was so close to not going back but I want my graduation ring.

[-:Undertaker:-]

You just said you hate students.
You're practically the definition of a socially awkward person so get moving!

Yeah but not in a socially awkward sense if you get me. Hard to explain. :P


Doesn't your uni have a debating society or anything, you'd be in your element there.

No way, I literally loathe student politics... so I stay a million miles away from it.


Dan I see you as a lecturer at a uni.

I wouldn't want to be a lecturer, although I have always wanted to be a high school teacher tbh. Still my aim.


YES, I was so close to not going back but I want my graduation ring.

A ring? I'd probably have to pay for mine!

[Inseriousity.]

That's all the more reason to get involved lol. I'm not sure why I need to explain how a debate works to the debates leader but if you feel so strongly against something that means you go on the opposite side. It'll be like therapy, letting out all your frustration at students and their politics. :P

[Neversoft]

Rather than hate university, I was pretty much just disinterested. I barely went in in my second and third years. In fact, I moved up North with my girlfriend in my second year (I went to uni in London) and disappeared for weeks on end. When I moved to London in my final year, although I was closer, I went in maybe two or three weeks max. Every group project, I got to do by myself. I don't know whether it was because I kept up with my work and did consistently well, but I was never warned about my attendance.

University was just boring. I could learn more in the time it took to get there than I would in my lectures or workshops, and I hated the reliance on seminars. They were a complete waste of time, and I couldn't stand doing those childish exercises with other students. My lecturers - for the most part - were completely dry, too.

All of my lecturers uploaded the lecture slides to the internet, along with any reading and work we had to do, so it was easy to keep up and just solidified my belief that there really wasn't any point in going in anyway. I graduated a few marks shy of a first, but managed to achieve firsts in my core modules. Also, because I barely went in and lived in a place with dirt cheap rent in my second year, by the time I graduated I had managed to save around £6000 of my student loan. Sure, eventually I have to pay it all back, but finishing up with a nice hefty sum for the time being didn't hurt.

So, yeah... I didn't hate university, but despite going, it just wasn't really a major part of my life. College was the best, in my opinion. The years I spent there and the friends I made, I couldn't really ask for more - probably why I didn't care about uni. I tried to engage in my first year, but lost steam fairly early on. I happily decided not to take part; no societies, I didn't really go out of my way to talk to anyone, I met up with classmates maybe two or three times over three years, and now it's over. In a way, I did my own thing and had university on the side. Do I regret anything? Nope.

If you hate uni, don't worry too much. A lot of people do. There's more to life, and there's more to youth, than university. I'd recommend using your spare time to the best of your ability. I was pretty depressed in my first year; I didn't really see the point in anything... but I got together with my girlfriend in my second year, I used my spare time to read and write, I watched a lot of movies and talked to old friends often. I went out, went to new places, did new things. A lot of people will tell you to get involved, but if you don't like uni, don't. Try and do your own thing as much as possible. Don't let university encompass your life, if that isn't what you want.


A ring? I'd probably have to pay for mine!

Class rings are generally an American thing (often associated with Military Academy's), and I believe they have to pay for them there as well. Very few universities in the UK offer such a service, and they also don't look as cool.

[Okeanos]

screw paying £60 to hire a gown to mimic an imported cheesy American tradition :P

:S:S:S

Academic gowns aren't an American tradition, they have existed in the UK for centuries. Fool. :rolleyes:

[-:Undertaker:-]

:S:S:S

Academic gowns aren't an American tradition, they have existed in the UK for centuries. Fool. :rolleyes:

Comes across as very American to me, with throwing the hats up.

It's not for me anyway.

[Zak]

I hated uni.

The only reason I went was to clear the screening process used by companies. "Essential - You must possess a degree in X" ...... Totally pointless, my job requires nothing I learnt at university. I've learnt more working at my job than at university and university landed me in over 20k debt.

But I cleared the screening process.. which actually got me the job I have now. Plus it makes it easier for me to climb the ladder.

I hate those restricted uni kids though that had never had freedom before uni then it's like constant parties lmao... biggest kids of all ;)

[Matthew]

i loved uni this year, gutted i was only there for a month :(

cant wait for next year!

[-:Undertaker:-]

Only been back a few days and my mood has already collapsed by two thirds. Worst day today in literally months.

[Mr-Trainor]

Yes, mainly because of the annoying timetable this year where all lectures take place in the evenings -_- but at least it's only a year and then I'll be doing a placement, plus I'll be working between terms :).

[AgnesIO]

First bit has been alright. Some decent nights, some lectures are incredibly boring though (others are better!).

People always talk about how different it is to school etc... is it really? Just like a bigger class with shorter lessons.

[-:Undertaker:-]

First bit has been alright. Some decent nights, some lectures are incredibly boring though (others are better!).

People always talk about how different it is to school etc... is it really? Just like a bigger class with shorter lessons.

I had an amazing time at school. Best time of my life, i'd kill to go back.

[AgnesIO]

I had an amazing time at school. Best time of my life, i'd kill to go back.

I despised school (lunch time was good!), loved college, Uni will simply depend on what societies are like!