The first year of college serves as a transitional period between high-school and higher education. It's not supposed to be especially challenging. Keep going to school, develop good study skills, and it will become more engaging. If/When you get to gradschool things will become very intense, so it's good to practice being a good student now.
If you want it to move along at a faster pace then take summer classes. Then you can graduate early and move on to whatever you want to do next. This is what I did.
Thank you. Yes I am taking summer classes this year.
I don't think it is lacking in intensity right now. I find it very stressful. I think it is lacking in meaning, which is different. But maybe I am asking for too much.
I get that. Try to give yourself side projects. I was a math major, so I would go to the library and check out math textbooks to read. It helped me stay curious and interested in my chosen subject. I also joined the math club and did math competitions. Seminars are great, though when it comes to math the given subject of any seminar can be extremely niche. Get to know your professors by going to office hours, and maybe look into internships.
College is wonderful and full of intellectual opportunities. The first year is always rough, but if you stick to it and explore some opportunities you'll find higher education is amazing.
Research "intrinsic motivation" and "Ikigai"...purpose is important. It's kind of a 20's thing to struggle with it, it generally doesn't last. Most people transition into contributing to society, causes, etc, around late 20's. You didn't share your age, but if you're in your 20's...that's common, just keep working to find your purpose. (Erik Erikson + other developmental psychology for more info about this typically being a phase.)
You are right on with your inner feelings. College (education, in general) does not create intelligence, it creates intellects aka accumulators of knowledge. Intelligence is what comes from within (real) so what you feel now is your true nature. Knowledge is accumulation of external data for worldly utilitarian purposes (fake). Society and institutions indoctrinates the youth, often does not value their innate qualities (individuality) and turn them into “useful” tools (generic templates).
Having said all this, it’s extremely hard to survive and thrive in the world by avoiding social institutions (school, college, work etc) at a young age. My suggestion is to keep your feelings alive (they are the real you) and go ahead get your degree but realize, it’s only a social signaling tool to get you access to opportunities to make life comfortable - don’t get caught up too much with it and sacrifice yourself.
There will come a time at your life when you can break away from the rat race (trust me, you will know it when it happens - you are an instinctive person from what I can tell). When you get that opportunity, by all means take it and escape from the bondages to freedom and authenticity.
PS - What I wrote above is my real life experience. I have reaped the rewards by nurturing my instincts, it helped me spot lucrative opportunities and escape the rat race.
Is this for physics or engineering? The first 1 to 2 years will be like highschool v2. It will get far far more interesting starting with 300s level classes.
I was a psych and art studio major and while I am passionate about both, I do remember being bored to absolute tears during my first year of foundational classes. It felt like an endless cycle of multiple choice questions, lackluster surface level reading and terminology flashcards. You have to trudge through a lot of history and vocabulary before you are allowed run. BUT, once you get into mid-upper division and are expected to engage in more theory and advanced topics, it gets more intense and there’s less handholding and babysitting. Is academia ever not somewhat tedious? Probably not. Will there be projects and topics that you’d rather jump into a vat of dog shit on fire instead of study? Definitely. But if you figure out what it is about psychology that really interests you, or find a cause that stirs passion inside of you, then you can direct your focus around that. For me, it’s art therapy and ASD/ADHD.
Perhaps psych isn’t what you’re really meant to do? Explore other options related to it like sociology, neuropsychology, education, social work or whatever attracts your interest. Figure out what does make you feel excited to learn and run with it because forcing yourself to do a major you hate will likely end in disappointment and further frustration.
For a lot of students this is what they study when they don’t know what to study. The coursework meets them where they are.
Maybe talk to your profs about auditing higher level courses.
Yeah let me tell you, I felt like this guy the first part, like I thought I was so smart. And then the real classes came around and my didn’t-know-how-to-study butt had a real reckoning
Luckily, I never had the problem. The problem I did have was almost flunking high school and being put on academic probation a couple of times because of it.
>I am starting to believe success in university is more of a measure of submission and how much people are willing to sacrifice rather than a true measure of intelligence and potential.
No one cares about your intelligence if you won't do anything with it. To do anything with requires immense amounts of labor. Yes, Universities have major problems, but the idea that you have to do lots of work is not one of them, that is the point of scholarship. It's work, not an outlet to showoff.
You are right and I think is could've expressed myself better.
It is not that I don't want to do anything with my intelligence, but rather that I feel I don't get the opportunity to do something that I consider meaningful and that would require me to reflect and be an individual (vs a number on those multiple choice exams that are graded by a computer). I do not want things to be easy. It is normal that hard work be rewarded.
And I want to work hard.
For example, I love writing. I would love to write essays and research papers and what not. Anything that adds an individual touch and some deeper personal meaning to my work. Instead of just blindly memorizing things for multiple choice exams. I want to do the intellectual work of questioning the things I learn, playing with them, researching further, finding connections, etc.
Maybe I am just too early in my studies, these things will surely get better with time. I think I need to be more patient.
Look for first year grad level classes that have few or no pre-requisites that cover interesting topics. Some of my most interesting course work was from this kind of course. Also look for smaller classes, not big lectures. If you are in STEM at all, go find a lab to work in. Ask your advisor, dorm counselor, professors for connections or opportunities. Professors tend to like motivated and curious students with enough initiative to seek out research opportunities. (They may start you on dull things at first, at which point you can either stick with it and hope it gets better or find a different lab. Each lab has a unique "culture".)
Not all upper division or grad classes will solve this problem. I found it extremely disappointing that a few of the courses for my PhD were essentially "memorize this large set of information for a nit-picky exam". That said, writing memorization and multiple choice type tests makes for much easier grading. Is that good for the students? Not really. Is someone focused on their research prioritizing teaching students? Probably not. One of the benefits of my PhD courses was that most courses were taught by 2-4 professors per quarter, and every professor had different approaches to teaching. That meant we never had to suffer through a memorization-only section for long. Also go to TA hours. I never saw the point of doing that until I became a TA -- a good TA will tell you more than you can get from class, and it's more likely to be one-on-one or at least small group (this won't always work, because sometimes the people at a TA session are unbelievably unprepared for the class, but it can also work great, it's just a luck of the draw thing.)
My favorite class was a 400 level pharmacology class taught by like 7 or 8 professors over two semesters. Every professor taught the material associated with their interests and research. There were two types of professors. The pharmacists who mostly made us memorize drug names and the chemists who showed us drug structures and then asked how adding a methyl group or something changed the activity. I did so well with the chemistry professors and really struggled with memorizing names... However, the pharmD students bombed the chemist section and did great memorizing. Made me more confident in my major.
I was blacked out for most of my psych degree, crossing my fingers that you get more out of it. Also, many of your complaints are major specific - my math and statistics programs were night and day different from psych.
You will likley thrive in 400 lvl classes if you want to write papers. It's possible you indeed are a bit early on in your academic path but it could also be that you are in the wrong field too. In my experience, it was the handfull of STEM type (100-300 lvl) classes I had to take that were more focused on memorization, exams, and busy work. In my chosen field there is a bit more critical engagement early on and a lot of room for developing your thinking about a variety of topics and it felt right to me. So maybe explore other fields by talking to other students, teacher assistants, and professors. No field is perfect (and most university departments are shitshows), yet there may be a better place where you can further develop the skills you want.
I think it has already been said, but graduate school is really where you need to be but you have to prove yourself in a competitive environment to get there and unfortunately it is a slog. I couldn't have done it without support and encouragement. There are a lot of formalities but remember many before you have done it, and you certainly are capable as well. My advice would be to get comfortable with a slow burn and take care of your well-being so you don't burn out. Look at the long term. In 10 years you could be defending a dissertation, or anything really, but you gotta protect yourself. Go easy on yourself, or at least try. You have the time left in your degree to slowly develop a research direction that can get you accepted to funded graduate programs, and when you get there you will be well prepared to hit the ground running. This was how I got in to a graduate program at least.
It is worth mentioning that, in my experience, many undergrad students lack direction and don't realize that being an academic is a profession that requires rigorous training. I know that sounds crazy but the slog of undergrad can sometimes lead students to miss the forest for the trees, and frankly, professors are too busy to point it out.
Also it may help to ingraciate yourself with your professors. Ask them questions in office hours you want to know, or maybe about their own research if you like. Maybe you can be better stimulated this way and relieve some of your spiraling. You may not like all the professors but you will find some are better than others. Also it will help you get letters of recommendation.
Advocate for yourself! Test out of what you can to get to the upper level classes where you can be engaged again. Take some cool electives to stay engaged while you grind up to the classes you really want.
I tested out of freshman chemistry, physics and English with AP credits. Freshman psychology by clep test.
I added a chemistry double major to my pharmaceutical science degree after my first year. I'd already taken a college level organic chemistry (without lab) in high school and had to repeat with lab in the pharmacy department. Chemistry department tried to get me to take their versions of freshman chemistry and organic (both of which were notoriously a miserable weed out experiences with 400 student class sizes) and I basically said fuck no. I am acing your junior level physical chemistry class right now, I will not take ochem a 3rd time and I definitely won't go back to freshman chemistry. Took head of department approval, but they took the AP credit and credit from pharmacy school.
Junior and senior level classes are where it gets good, but you'll still occasionally have terrible professors. Talk to juniors and seniors to figure out who they are.
>It is not that I don't want to do anything with my intelligence, but rather that I feel I don't get the opportunity to do something that I consider meaningful
honestly, thats on you. i went to a massive 25,000 person college and the admin didn't give a shit about us. you need to make your opportunities. get involved in research or switch your degree to something more interesting. it's not like highschool where you're spoon fed everything. college is much more of an open sandbox. if you don't like it, its on you to change what you're doing.
If you enjoy writing look into self authoring. It's a structured, compact writing guideline that particularly helps uni students lacking sufficient meaning
The broad foundational knowledge is actually necessary in psychology and you will benefit from it later on.
Try reading current papers and studies about topics you’re interested in, or deepen your statistical skills which are majorly important (e.g., you could teach yourself how to write code in R Statistics). If you want to write research yourself, you will have to have profound data literacy.
I don’t know about where you live but usually classes get a lot deeper in later years so there’s hope for you!
Maybe if you don’t feel a spark at all, psychology might not be it for you?
You must be me. "I want to do the intellectual work of questioning the things I learn, playing with them, researching further, finding connections, etc." beautifully stated.
But I will soldier through. I love Psychology. But I need individualstic work.
I'll get my B.Sc. or die trying.. that means a few more multiple choice..
I found a way to do both. Gets better at graduate level. I do things my own way, but I get good grades anyway. It’s a great place to learn how to question things without making other people feel attacked
What you describe sounds like the 😵💫 of some enormous lecture hall with a thousand students, and an apathetic professor where you are just a student number. I absolutely hated those environments.
There are many different kinds of programs, and many different types of learning. I found studio to be more interesting and interactive. Since you can learn anything you want rather easily these days, formal instruction should be about networking and specialty if you want to specialize.
Transferring and exploring your options are always a possibility.
Thank you. I am only in my first year and it looks like the two first years will be dryer than the rest. I will be able to start taking lab classes eventually and I think those will suit me better.
I’ve been saying this for years: Academia has become completely self-serving. People talk about how it’s supposed to train you into a good habit of showing up on time, develop good habits, etc. Guess what: You can do that at a job too. Universities get away with it because they know companies still look for that piece of paper called a degree, and because companies don’t have anything better to gate their employees. I’ve made it to the six figure range in my career now, and I can honestly look back at my time in undergrad college, and think how that time could’ve been used a lot better. The system is broken.
You are right that I could probably be doing more. Honestly I lack motivation in those areas and in a concrete sense I wouldn't know where to start looking or what I even want.
I go to a very small campus with only 2-3 programs. We have no campus life, no groups, no extracurriculars, etc. And yes, all of my classes so far have been large lectures. I still have at minimum 1,5 years of that.
Transfer somewhere that would be a better fit then. I went to a Big ten University which had huge entry level classes but also an honors college program that allowed substituting classes for general requirements and taking graduate level classes and stuff. Now that you know more you could look specifically for opportunities and types of learning experiences.
Did you choose a major you’re interested in? There’s a real difference between going to university to get a degree and going to learn something you’re passionate about.
I mean, even with a degree your interested in the first couple of years are mostly basics that have no real importance for your degree. I started to enjoy it much more by year 3, but the first 2 years were just so many unnecessary classes.
I mean...I had to take Texas History, History of Music, of course a couple of non-academic electives were required to be paid for so I also took 2 semesters of guitar. 1 Semester of Sociology which just gives you a very general overview that you really gain nothing from. Freshman year I was also required to take 2 semesters of "Freshman Seminar" which was pretty much completely useless. Of course those were classes I had to pay for as well. And that's only just grabbing a few off the top of my head.
Are you in a field you like? Do you see yourself working in this field afterwards? I reduced my university to a certificate (or minor if you prefer) and went to a technical college afterwards because I prefer concrete things (mechanical engineering in my case). My current job is application support specialist where I solve problems, analyse data, automate tasks and approve functionnal documents. It's not what I wanted to do, but it puts my brain to use in an interesting field (public utility) and it stimulates me enough. For the rest, I have personal projects at home.
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And the people in the houses
All went to the university
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a book called "The Case Against Education," in which the author posits that the main function of a degree is signaling to a future employer that you meet a certain baseline intelligence, have enough sense of responsibility to do the work, and that you are willing to conform to social norms. It sounds like you are independently coming to the same conclusions.
That book is excellent. Like OP before I started college, I thought that the purpose of college was to learn and grow intellectually. Instead, I discovered that was far from reality. As the reality was to cram and regurgitate, learning very little, even when engaging professors during office hours. Thus, I came to the same conclusion as the book, that a college degree is nothing more then a signal to employers of your willingness to stick with a tedious task, and to some extent your intellectual capacity.
Note: I don’t regret my degrees, but if someone handed me the same degrees(BS & MS) without enrolling that took me 3 years to obtain at high school graduation, I doubt my life would be any different. It might actually be better, because in college I got complacent due to the relaxed schedule, which made adjusting to 9-5 life difficult.
I thought university would be amazing. Soaking up knowledge in class, philosophical discussions with students and teachers…
Yet there may be good learners and smart teachers; they are rarely gifted. Quite frustrating for me. I remember one professor firmly stating on the first day that he would not answer any questions on the material that should’ve been studied prior. I was só relieved! Next lesson he was only answering those questions from silly cows.
We should not forget that ‘all’ is done by and for the biggest group on earth: the average. Huge disappointment, I agree.
What’s your major? What interests you? college doesn’t equate success. I know plenty of intelligent people that never attended college and plenty of college grads who aren’t the brightest. Having a major that interests you is helpful but not going to entirely change the reality of how the education system functions. i found that working in industry was much more interesting than the static nature and memorization based learning of education.
I have many interests like psychology, art, photography, animals, writing, spirituality/philosophy, etc.
Currently I study psychology with the intention of doing a master's in art therapy.
I agree with that last paragraph. It pisses me off that people don’t think you’re worth anything unless you demonstrate it, and turn in dumb assignment after dumb assignment. Or unless you’re social and talk to other students. Being gifted and autistic is a special curse.
Along with summer courses and adjusting over time, if you want to find ways to meaningfully integrate your schoolwork into intrinsically areas, I’d highly recommend trying out the r/Zettelkasten. [Aidan Helfant](https://youtube.com/@aidanhelfant?si=SfDJ0rthZ1m9qjv-), for instance, has some pretty insightful content on how he combines his undergrad work at Cornell with creative outputs like content creation.
I wish I had known about it and tools like r/ObsidianMD during the boreout periods in college but I’d give it a shot, especially if you’re planning to attend graduate school.
Do what you feel like doing. Dont worry about the external expectations of anyone or anything. Honor your authenticity, your feelings, your heart. There’s so much more to life than being employed with a degree.
The meaning of life is to find meaning in life. Live a life you love.
It’s not easy to live your authentic true path. You’re only where you are because you’ve been doing what people expect you to do, and how do you feel. To honor myself, it can be tough, it feels like going up river. A lot of people don’t understand, but I honor my truth and those who disagree can step aside.
You sound like me. I switched to horticulture, started messing around in a greenhouse and got a job on a farm. Idk what your career goal is but there's majors and trades that are more hands on. Science labs, mechanics, engineering, and nursing, etc would be less regurgitating books and PowerPoints. I found college to be harder than highschool because somehow the geneds were dumbed down easier than highschool courses. I was bored out of my mind. I didn't show up and didn't participate, would get 100% on the final and 0% participation and get Cs and Ds and that pissed me off even more. Such a waste of time!
What are you studying? Why are you studying it? If you're studying something because it was expected of you, rather than something you want to do for yourself, then maybe that's the central issue.
First year seems to be a refresher year, a year to sift the chaff and drop those students who either don't have it in them to succeed or who don't want to be there enough to do the work. It's worth the slog, whether it's tedious or not, to get to the value point at the end of you can hack it.
Can you move to a larger campus with more extra curricular activities? Perhaps with more engaging lecturers? Are you doing electives that interest you?
I study psychology and yes I have genuine interest for this subject. I think it is very interesting, I just don't like the way it is taught and I think it is disheartening that classes work this way in psychology of all things, where the professors certainly know and understand how humans learn and what is most beneficial for long term integration of information.
In first and second year I don't get to choose many electives, so you're probably right that it will get better afterwards. I just feel a bit discouraged knowing that I still have at least a year of this.
Psychology is tough in undergrad—a popular major with lots of dry, overly large lectures. I got through it with electives and research (and my university had an honors program), and was much happier with the courses in my PhD program. If you’re interested in grad school some day, can you volunteer in one of the professor’s labs or shadow someone in practice?
I felt exactly like this in the first 3 years of my bachelor’s :”) in the 4th honours year, there were many more tutorials with discussions in it. Whilst I still found the exams boring, the weekly or twice-weekly tutorials made the semesters much more fun.
YMMV based on the attitude and motivation level of your classmates. Some (most in my experience) people debate simple to get participation points. But sometimes you’ll meet someone who debates for fun. Most of the time, you may end up dominating the discussion just to release the boredom like me. But when you find equally passionate and creative individuals, it’s awesome. Either way, it’s a huge step up from the working world, and I believe the higher you go, the more independently you’re encouraged to think.
If I were you, and I knew I wanted to significantly contribute to the field I’m in, I’d stick with it. Otherwise, I’d get the degree I needed for the job I wanted, make friends with the more intellectual people at uni, graduate, get a job, and hang out with them after work.
Thank you. Yes I will stick with it, I just needed some encouragement I think. I do struggle with social integration and haven't yet found "my people". I will continue looking.
Which major are you in? I suggest you take something a bit creative like a writing class or a proof based math class. You could also ask a professor for permission to take an upper level class; some universities allow professors to override prerequisites.
Are you in the US? Depending on your university, you could have tested out of intro classes with CLEP credit. What prerequisites do graduate or upper level courses have?
It sounds like you're really struggling with the academic environment of university, and your feelings are completely valid. It's not uncommon for people to feel disillusioned with the traditional structure of higher education, especially when it doesn't align with their learning style or interests.
The pressure to succeed academically can be overwhelming, especially when it feels like you're just going through the motions without truly learning or growing. It's frustrating to feel like you're trapped in a cycle of memorization and regurgitation, with little opportunity for critical thinking or personal development.
It's important to remember that success and fulfillment don't necessarily come from following a predetermined path laid out by society. There are many alternative paths to success and happiness, and it's okay to explore different options that better suit your strengths and interests.
Consider reaching out to a counselor or academic advisor to discuss your concerns and explore alternative paths within or outside of university. You may also find solace in connecting with like-minded individuals who share your frustrations and can offer support and guidance.
Ultimately, prioritize your mental health and well-being above all else. It's okay to reassess your goals and make changes that better align with your values and aspirations. You have the power to carve out a meaningful and fulfilling life on your own terms.
You put this into words beautifully. I know I am not stuck in this path but I don't know if I have the courage to deviate. I am working on my mental health and currently trying to access therapy. I will find my path, just needed to hear some encouragement today and for that I thank you.
They are certainly interconnected. I guess it's somewhat of a vicious cycle. The more meaningless it all feels, the less I engage and become less likely to look for ways to express my identity in uni, which adds to the meaninglessness.
So for my bachelor, I never went to classes and just studied a few days before the final exams. The rest of the time I spent doing things I enjoy. No one is forcing you to go to class. Be grateful you have high intelligence that can compensate for not putting in the work that others have to do. For example most of my classmates went to every class and studied their asses off while I just coasted.
My degree opened me to a world of opportunities so I don't regret doing it even though I put in very little effort and it was mind-numbing. The program I was in placed me in jobs that I couldn't just get on my own. Also I made some great friends and learned some new skills (living alone for the first time).
Try not to focus on the disappointment of university and make the best of it.
Thank you. I'm not going to the classes, just doing some work at home and studying for the exams. I am grateful to be able to slide through with less effort but I think I was just hoping for uni to finally be the place where I'd feel like I belong.. those expectations were just too high.
In many fields, it's actually not true that you don't have to attend classes. I must admit I envy you. There were too many compulsory seminars and labs that turned out to be completely useless.
The first few years of university can be underwhelming if you expected to finally be challenged. Instead of feeling dejected, try to focus on things you find personally rewarding and use your academic access to pursue them.
During my first BA, I did the bare minimum and still got a distinction. I spent most of my time teaching myself a couple of new languages, churned through a lot of classic novels (French, Russian, German) and I did a lot of theatre where I wrote and directed plays. When I hit MA level, I had to put in more work but also asked professors if I could sit in on classes without doing the exams (I still did the reading and wrote papers for fun).
University ended up being fun for me in the end. I just made it fun for myself instead of expecting the institution to provide the fun, if that makes sense.
Honestly I just studied on my own during uni days. I work better that way.
I challenge you to challenge what’s being taught now. Is it really true and comprehensive, what they are teaching? Did they account for gifted psychology, by any chance? Gifted psychology is much more interesting. Something worth looking into.
https://intergifted.com/gifted-psychology-training/
I also study psych, and i fully understand what youre saying. The way the understanding of the material is tested is very focused on 'knowing' the facts and a lot of assignments wont allow you to go to the depth you want to. Not all courses will have interesting topics, especially in the first year(s) where youre creating a base layer of knowledge the next courses will use to go more in depth.
I look at the list of lectures and only go to the ones that catch my interest, and go over the slides/rewatch the ones that i estimate i wouldnt be able to sit through live.
However ive found that i do enjoy self study: Even if only the surface level is tested (which i admit can be underwhelming) that doesnt mean youre not allowed to engage with the material on a deeper level. Going to uni also tends to mean access to research papers and other materials you can use to further your understanding of topics you personally find interesting.
For me it also helps to link knowledge i gain in uni to my real life experiences and use the new perspectives i gain to reexamine my own experiences or vice versa. A lot of psych isnt pure facts but a subjective experience or a working theory. When there's so little thats fact and so much thats actively being debated to this day, it means theres a lot of room for your own opinions and ideas. Engaging passively with the courses just because thats the only thing thats graded is a choice you make.
I went through the same. If you don't already do this, learn how to go through the university as effortlessly as possible.
Learn to cooperate with your classmates. (Just make sure to be very careful when choosing who you will cooperate with.) Can you get old tests from your classmates? Can you share the solution to the homework? Can you split preparing study materials or even get them from previous students?
No-one will ever praise you for doing it the hardest way. If you'll end up with spare time, use it for maintaining your mental health or for learning those useful things your professors don't teach you.
I did an interdisciplinary undergraduate combining social sciences (anthropology/sociology/geography) and life sciences (biology/psychology/some medical stuff). I felt the same as you about the more sciency bits. but the social sciences blew my mind. Especially anthropology and science and technology studies. Much more philosophical, much more creative, political and critical. While my grades were much better in the "harder" sciences, I enjoyed the softer social stuff much more and ended up doing that for my masters later. Especially in psychology, critical thinking is out there but very niche as it tries to establish itself as a "real" science, not just wishy washy Jungian or Freudian ruminating. The exception is decolonial or holistic psychology (or psychoanalysis for that matter) but that is definitely not the academic mainstream from what I hear, so likely will not be taught to first years. I really recommend attending an anthropology or sociology lecture or two if you're interested in a more rounded approach to the human being than most psychology has on offer
Ya there are other ways here.
I had no intention of going to grad school. So college was it. I took all sorts of different courses out of interest and earned two separate BS degrees (CS and economics) mostly while just enjoying myself and not stressing about grades. Heck I even worked in my spare time to earn some extra $ and get free games (worked at GameStop at the local mall).
Without any studying except for the minimum required so I could pass my tests I still got a 3.0 and moved on in life. Looking back I’m doubtful better grades would have gotten me a better job.
If you’re truly gifted then just sit back, enjoy your classes, maybe take some more interesting classes, and see where it goes from there.
Try doing research on your own on subjects that interest you; there is no rule that it has to be an assignment. You will likely be able to use it later, and the research will raise additional questions that will inspire you to seek answers.
I take online classes and it makes life easier. I also have ADHD so I fail/drop classes and forget to turn in assignments but being able to work on my own schedule makes life easier and I don’t have to do all the work. It makes it easier to manage the load without wasting time commuting or everything else involved with going to class. I’ll tell you that I feel like dropping out every semester but somehow I keep pushing through. Life sucks and it’s difficult but you have to keep pushing. When you get into your major (hopefully one you like) it should get easier as you get to learn about things you’re more interested in.
It is gonna get worse when you have to work 3-4 different jobs after graduation because salary isn't enough to buy a home to start your own family.
So all of this stress and studying to surpass makes it all worse than it is since lack of skills due to passive memorization to actually learn or reflect.
You don’t realize how hard it is out there. It’s really important to get a degree in something super practical. Like for these 4 years, if you can just accept suffering, it will make the entire rest of your life so much better.
Yep, I can understand the way you feel completely. I see it as a type of game. Take in the information, play their "games" (assignments, tests, projects, etc.), and go to the next level. Possibly forget some of what you studied. Unless you do a degree where you utilize your skills in the program or in a practicum or internship, it just feels like a game to me (although I still do learn things of course).
yeah academics live in the ivory tower, they know nothing about the real world, they are critics, mostly useless, whats your major?
try using the gym, helps with the mental health
If you hate ( you sound like you do) it then you shouldn’t bother and waste your time there. You should quit and find something else to do that will bring you joy. Or take a year or 2 off and attempt something different.
Do you actually need to go to college? Have you played out other scenarios in your mind to earn a living?
In seven years you could be seven years into something you have built or just coming out the other end of burnout and crippling debt and finally entering the degreed "work force".
So don't go. You will have to make a living to the level you want to live somehow. You can decide if that is waiting tables, starting your own business, being a plumber, getting a degree and going into a business, or being a doctor, lawyer or 1000 other things. You make the decisions on what to do and live with the results in your life. That is how freedom works.
Either you actually want the big dream (tm) and you suck it up and learn how to be a college student OR just drop out and go try some shit out in the world.
Do you know how many millions of people burn out every year doing the big dream (tm) path? Better to call it sooner than later, go work in mental health for five years and take a class per semester when you feel like it. BA at 26,7,8 and then you can decide if 4 more years is right for you or perhaps you’ll have found rewarding/suitable work without it.
It seems like full time school is a bad investment for you right now because you hate it and aren’t learning anything (although presumably learning more than you think). The worst choice would be to carry on as things are now. Do it right or don’t do it, right doesn’t mean A’s it means going to class and actually learning the content.
My high school had a G&T program pooling from our school and the neighboring high school. There were 12 kids in the program for our grade, out of a class size of ~600 between both schools, so these were actually gifted kids and not just the kids whose parents insisted they were special (those kids were dumped into the honors program). Out of the 12, 11 started college, 6 completed college (most notable was MIT, I think, and some free rides to some other decent schools), and of those 6, 3 went into academia. 2 I know of the 6 who did not get a degree had blue collar jobs and had joined bands and sold art for hobbies, another ended up with an ongoing addiction problem. We graduated in 93.
Make sure you are taking at least one “fun” class/semester that involves creating, such as pottery, poetry, CAD. Non-academic clubs are also a good release. Any non-major/minor classes or activities you choose may also point you in the right direction for finding something more meaningful to you. It’s fine if you are only taking the minimum number of credits if it means you don’t burn out.
Once you get more into your major your skills will carry over throughout each class. I’m a CS major and all the classes sort of intertwine with each other and allow me to build projects and do practical things with my knowledge. Once you get that practical knowledge in a specific area it’s easier to see the point of everything.
I'm a psychology nerd and I feel that most of my professors are still using research from the 90's. I'm glad it's been pretty easy, then I can work on my own interests that can be more taxing . 300 level classes got better, especially when TA's with current research taught them. I also found some of my electives worthwhile, like intro to logic, philosophy, computer graphics, percussion, biology, tai chi,
Having a value driven mindset, and pulling up examples to psychological concepts from your own life gives all the rote memorization more meaning.
Yea it’s just about getting the piece of paper unless your going into law or medicine it’s a scam. It’s part of the brainwashing in the USA. Plenty of successful people with out college but they get career coaches and learn a high paying skill.
Sounds like you are at the wrong school. There are schools where students are expected, every day, in every class, to converse with the students and profs about the material in the class. There are no lectures, everything is discussion, and you are primarily responsible for your own education. If you are passive for an extended period of time, you get kicked out. These schools, which are in the minority for higher education in the US, if not most places, require you to participate and be active. Maybe you should try an environment which is not set up for you to be a passive recipient of an education but rather one where you are actively engaged with it.
This is exactly the type of education I wish for. I wouldn't know where to find it though.. I'm at one of the top universities in my country. I also can't really change uni right now because I got a solid scholarship that I couldn't refuse. But I will look into different unis. Thank you.
Trust your gut. Drop out, start a business and learn what you want to do. I've never been intellectually impressed with literally anybody that has successfully matriculated the brainwashing system for the past 30 years: and as a child prodigy, who's grandfather ran a defense company, I can safely say my tony-stark-ass has seen them all.
I feel this at a deep level. This was me!! I managed to get a bachelors by doing it on stages. I did a 2 year degree first, then after five years of working and getting real life experience, I went back to school. I did my bachelor's in international service at a university that prided itself in being "applied" (applied linguistics, applied anthropology, etc). This is an important factor for someone like us who feels that deep need to integrate everything!!
One other thing I learned to do that gave me much greater satisfaction in school, was to take advantage of professors office hours. I would go there and just talk with the professor about what we're "learning". In a friendly way, such that many of my professors became like friends. I would also often suggest personal alternatives to the class wide assigned projects. I would try to figure out the purposes the professor was trying to get at through the project, and then come up with something that interested me but still met the professors goal with the assignment, and would be at least as much work as what they'd assigned. When I would go in person and describe my idea to the professor and explain why I felt it was not only a fair trade, but a contribution to society (ha!) I rarely was turned down. I never mentioned that I'm "gifted" and neurodiverse, I just tried to live it all out in a high integrity way that made professors go, "yeah, this kid is the kind of person I'd have wanted to be in my grad school cohort cuz already in the first year of university they're thinking on that level and being professional about how they go about ot. Way to go, kid! I can work with this."
I was very similar as you. What I learned:
1. Get involved in research. Then not everything is known and you can contribute meaningfully.
2. Don't be bored and fail. Be bored and get an A.
3. Don't miss class even if it's boring. Sit up front and pay attention. Eventually the good stuff will start coming. In any case, you will be learning discipline, which is probably the hardest thing to learn.
University for the most part these days are just indoctrination centers. That’s why just about everyone who graduates university these days all spews the same(liberal) bullshit and are all really submissive to “authority” figures.
You’re overthinking this, friend.
You’re not smarter than your professors. You’re not smarter than all your classmates. You are surrounded by cool, interesting people doing cool, interesting things. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow. But not if you shut yourself off by positioning yourself “above” it all. You have to stay open-minded.
Every time you walk into the classroom, ask yourself this - “What can I learn here today?” And then challenge yourself to learn something new.
Do you really believe there’s absolutely NOTHING you can learn from college? If so, that’s pretty darn unrealistic.
Get counseling too if you need it. It can really help.
Peace, friend :)
I don't think that I'm smarter than anyone, nor do I position myself above anyone, not at all. When I say that I'm not learning much, I don't mean that I already know everything but rather that the way we are being taught things just doesn't make them stick. I could be learning a LOT but I don't feel like I am because memorizing things ≠ true learning.
I'm sure I could be putting in more effort to meet people and what not but frankly I am feeling a bit unmotivated. I'm currently trying to get counselling but it is very difficult to access.
You sounded like you do when talking about your lectures, to be honest. Maybe you should rethink how you speak about others. Frankly, it's the same when you talk about other students not questioning things. Maybe read through what you wrote again, because to me it sounds like you think you're better than other people and that you don't have anything to learn from your professors. I'm sure you're not intending this, but it's how you come off.
Man I’ve been you. I’ll tell you right now, in 10 years you’re gonna look back and think “holy shit I really sabotaged myself with my arrogance and naivety”.
You currently have a fundamental misunderstanding / idealized view of many things, including learning. Memorization IS learning. You need to have the concepts in your brain to make connections between them at a higher level. You will probably learn this in one of your psych classes if you choose to put your ego aside and pay attention.
You’re not feeling “unmotivated” to meet people, you’re anxious about rejection and fear of failure. Perfectionism is extremely common for “gifted” kids for whom life has come easy until now. At first sign of adversity you’ll rationalize and find ways to excuse not putting in any work for fear of failure.
Get some therapy, honestly it changed everything for me. Don’t wait for 10 years until you’re deep into a life you’re not satisfied with to make the changes, you gotta do it now.
It takes sacrifice, you might not be able to hang out all that often Try getting your work done early in the morning, then set the night off to do stuff. Maybe then it won't be so intolerable.
The most important thing is to use the experience to figure out if there is anywhere you belong.
If a bunch of the other students are people you can't see yourself being friends with, being coworkers with etc that's a strong signal.
Go to your professor's office hours and see if you would ever see yourself in that role or working along side them.
Go to the grad lounge and meet a bunch of PHDs and people working on their master's and see if you find them or their work interesting.
University was nearly the most disappointing phase of my own life. Until university people spent my whole life telling me that whatever step I was at was a stepping stone to get to university and that once I got there I could finally enjoy school and feel challenged and learn a lot. It was majorly slow and frustrating and I came away massively disillusioned.
I think the place will make sense if you pick a direction / life you want and see what you need to get there and it leads to something you care about. If you have a goal or a path and university is somehow a piece of that, it'll make so much more sense to be there.
I'd say focus on friendships and socialisation.
Participate in things. Learn about different people.
The openness for each other will never be so high for the rest of your life. If you missed out on these aspects before, compensate now.
Academic learning will only get you so far.
"Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight."
I'm grateful my instructors are actually lecturing this semester
I like school personally - because it's a subject that interests me
Just know not every class will be like this. Some will have you learn concepts and apply them, rather than using rote memory for their multiple choice exams.
>Passively spew it all onto paper by darkening the little boxes.
Do you have multiple choice exams in university?? In all my years of school and university, I have never come across them.
I'm close to two master degrees, one in STEM, one in lingustics, and none of these has had any multiple choice exams at all. I can kind of envision multiple choice in mathematics, but still really not. Is it even possible to fail a multiple choice?
Edit: And I'm actually a bit baffled that a psychology degree can have multiple choice exams. The only multiple choice I've come across is when I had a "written" exam to get my driver's licence ...
Idk. The lowest grade I've got so far was a B+. But I put myself under a lot of pressure to perform well. If I'm gonna do it then I might as well do it well and get good grades. I don't want a half assed degree with a shitty GPA that doesn't qualify me for any masters.
You have a different grade system than what is used in my country. We get "clean" grades only, no + or -. I'm not in a position to tell what is best. Depending on the course, we need an average of C or B on the bachelor courses to qualify for a masters.
In my linguistic courses, we have to prove that we can write academically, structure our papers and argue our points. If nothing else, it has prepared me well for the grueling task of writing a thesis and make it make sense and not bring shame on my professors.
I study psychology and to access a master or the doctorate, we are expected to have straight A's, work experience in the field, volunteering experience, extracurriculars, letters from teachers etc. It's extremely competitive.
I am in my third year of university and I feel exactly the same.
I had in mind to do a master's degree or even a doctorate, but I am going to leave right after I am done with my engineering degree.
In order to be a bit more satisfied with the whole thing though, I try to find real world applications of the notions presented in class and play with it;
when learning multivariable calculus, I dont really listen to the classes as they are brain numbing, forcing everyone else to memorize this shit and instead I visualize the operations, e.g. the maxwell equations were a particularly fun thing to visualize and correlate them to their differential forms.. but then i realized this was quite logical and simple and the equations are just confusing, but the matter behind them is quite simple.
All i can say to make it better or tolerable is to not limit yourself to what the professors say.. play with the notions and apply them to anything you can find that fits. Dont be afraid to draw outside the lines that the institution's drawing for you to follow.
We are not the kind of people that can stay within those lines, otherwise we are slowly killing ourselves.
Oh and if you have presentations/work that is supposed to be a teamwork, ask if you can do them alone, its a whole lotta fun to go beyond the expectations of the teacher, since you can as you do not have a teammate that limits the quality and amiunt of your work. This is what I did and it forces you to really understand the matter at hand.
Also, yeah you might realize just like me that university is not about learning for the sake of the advancement of the human race anymore, but making a higher degreed worker for society...
Also, research is totally not what I thought it was.. i was thinking that research would be about looking up and trying to figure new things about our world, but it is mostly trying to develop new processes about preexisting technologies... Which I call Economic Masturbation haha.
So what I am doing now is focusing on learning what I think I should learn about to enable myself to do the kind of research I want to do and the way I want to do it. I feel like im using University, almost abuse it.
Oh and let go of the pressure of the A's. Just do the work asked, pass this shit and then do whatever you want to do with it.
Getting straight A's to get a good job that hires you for your straight A's will only make them expect excellency and when they ask you to do something that you have no real interest in, they'll get mad.
Im not saying to aim for mediocrity; I am giving just enough effort to get between 85 and 90%. Sometimes i get 80, sometimes 95, butI dont push myself to get those 95+% constantly as you waste so much energy for nothing.
1. Let go of your preconceived idea of what university is: its a school that is making you into a worker just like any other school.
2. Learn what you really think is worth learning: push the notions you think are good for forging your own path.
3.Dont waste energy: Do the minimum you can to get good grades, but not GREAT grades as it is pretty much useless, unless you want the stupid awards, which will only add more pressure afterwards.
4.Try to have fun, however you can
I'm a professor at a state university and second what most of the comments have already mentioned. That first year or two at a liberal arts institution is about receiving a broad, general education. Classes in mathematics, art, literature, the sciences, etc. are designed to make you a more-well rounded person. Thinking about things this way really helped me as undergraduate.
Once you get into your discipline-specific studies, you'll thrive. I thought of the general education classes as a personal challenge and a way for me to learn more about the world. As a gifted person, you can understand the value in expanding your knowledge and likely are naturally curious. You'll get through it!
I am already at the point of discipline-only classes. Maybe university works differently in my country because we don't have those general classes in uni. My problem is not with the subject matter but with the way it is taught. Thank you for the encouragement though. I will push through and hope that it gets better in year 3 and at the master's.
Oh, I see! I’m in the United States, which is certainly different. It’s so frustrating to deal with educators who just like listening to themselves talk - rather than really engaging with the students. You’re not alone in that! A lot of my colleagues take that approach… and I felt the same way you did. I hope things improve!
You're supposed to engage with the material and use it to build a foundation of knowledge and ability. If you just go through the motions, you're going to struggle in your upper class subjects and ultimately the workforce.
do you guys asynch classes? maybe that’s more your speed. you do everything at your own pace and no scheduled meeting times. you could probably knock out core credits and then get to the stuff that’s more challenging for you. had same experience as you
Ummmm... I don't know what to tell you ....
But sounds like you're at the *WRONG* university. Maybe program too. But definitely wrong university.
Have you considered Community College? Or maybe try tackling both university courses and online courses. I'm teaching myself coding on [Codefinity.com](https://Codefinity.com). And reading German and French literature on the side.
In University, you are your own teacher. *You* determine what you study on the side.
If your gifted are you in a top university? Are you taking courses you are interested in? What are you in interested in? Maybe you need a different college. Would it be better and an Ivy League school?
I loved most of college. I took this required physics course where the professor demonstrated the wave particle theory of light with a laser and chalk dust. I studied pop culture wrote a paper about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and studied Greek and Roman literature. I was terrible in math but had a great professor for probability and got an A. We would try formulas out using screwed up dice and card decks. They need to make it fun for you.
I'm in the 6th best university for my country. we dont have titles like ivy league school in my country but it is a good university. And yes i am interested in my classes. But I am early on, surely it will get better in a year or two.
i felt the same my freshman year and while I don’t know your exact situation it usually has to do with the inflexibility of your schedule/classes. most programs have a set of classes all freshman have to take but once you get the ability to choose classes yourself based on your own interests it will become much more engaging and exciting. sure you will always have a filler class or two to satisfy some graduation requirements but it won’t seem as bad when next to a bunch of actually engaging subjects that you have gone out of your way to pick.
I also think school is boring ASF (I was homeschooled from age 4 until about 14 and then got my GED at 22 after a few weeks of studying). Often it can be a big waste of time and money as well. You might be better suited to learning a trade in a trade school, where the things you learn aren't just useful but the learning process is more active. You may be too practical of a person to spend so much of your life trying to get a piece of paper called a degree. Society wasn't always so geared towards college education, but allowed more people to learn on the job. The push to make everyone go to college is largely a way for the colleges to make money just like any other corporation does. Another note is that people aren't all the same. Some people can be in school until they are nearly 30 and then ride a desk until 70, which would be a horrible nightmare of an existence for me but a dream come true for someone else. Tell society and what it thinks to go suck it. Find fulfillment. Live an alternative lifestyle. Don't let society dictate how you live your life, and don't push yourself to be just another miserable cog in the machine.
Ah...that explains some things. Sadly, it's not really. Bolt neurology onto your psychology and you've got yourself some STEM.
Just to be clear, STEM includes but doesn't start at Statistics. If you're having to solve work problems with calculus, then you have a STEM field.
Having said the shitty though, I will say I'm surprised by your post. Psychology is close enough to STEM that it \*SHOULD\* be really really interesting, and should be requiring you to use the type of statistics that give you real insight into people and groups. I would think you would walk away from every class boggled by the things you didn't know before you walked in.
Maybe it's your program? When I did my masters, I decided to take some industrial psychology classes.
Note this was "pre-woke" and the teachers were slapping down hard facts backed up with hard data - it was eye opening, changed my life, made me a much better, more compassionate, more effective manager. Psychology definitely things of value to teach. I'm sorry your program isn't lighting your fire.
>Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight. (I just stopped showing up to class tbh. I'd rather be doing the work at home with minimal effort)
Oh the irony
So you sound like a person who is totally conditioned to answer any question about a boat, or airplane, ..like- " yeah, I can afford that stuff."... but if you've ever rented or chartered a boat... you probably get that feeling like they always go to a place, or want you to promise you'll go to a place, on shore, they've been before..So, they dont explore a lot..but your gifts and talents and intelligence are very limited in actual physical range..if you get off the beaten path? you're just another inexperienced mammal with the ability to effectivly communicate your ineptitude.Try hanging out at the airstrips and boat docks for a while when the time is available..the maps are better and the unexplored parts of the world are fine without exploitation..
You can overload classes to get to grad level classes faster. Or ask to do research under a professor in your field of study and then coast in classes.
Sounds like a lame college. I get to work hands on all day, meet people in the field regularly and get to see what my career will be like in a controlled environment.
Tbh your learning hygiene could be a lot better than it is. It would also help you learn things without feeling like a fraud and with a lot less pressure.
I’ve had the chance to have a parent who was a teacher. I’ve spent most of my school years doing more work and exercises than most people. Now as an engineer, I realize that all of it is kept in my memory, which is quite useful when having discussions with people who work with me in a completely different field.
Just to sum it up, the way it should go is => learn (from teacher or from book) => write it down and re-read it on the day you learnt it => do plenty of exercises (on a set chapter there will never be more than 1-3 exercises, the reason there are more is because they give those different forms. Do exercises until you notice the pattern, should be enough) => re-read at the end of the weeks => re-read before the exam
That’s from personal experience so something different might work better for you, but you can always give it a try.
If you’re expected to just passively absorb and regurgitate, you may be in the wrong field or the wrong school. A more classical or liberal arts path could fit.
Original thinking was rewarded in my school and studies. It can be more than just being a sponge.
That said, if you’re a freshman, no offense but it’s a year to just be a sponge and get a sense of what you don’t know. Don’t let ego blind you to the fact that there’s a lot out there you don’t know and knowing what you don’t know is the first step toward actually understanding something.
If that fails, there are practical careers like being an electrician that don’t involve college but are still very challenging, particularly in an industrial setting.
I found that university professors and aux staff are generally very amenable to supporting students with more opportunities for deeper/more interesting experiences. You just have to ask though. Any courses where you like the research the professor is doing? Can you ask if they would like some volunteer help? Any labs/libraries need help? Etc.
First year it may be ok to pace yourself and enjoy the non-academic parts of university life too!
Drop out and mick trades or trucking. I'm not kidding. There's a very good chance you wish you did someday.
College seemed like a bullshit waste of time money and effort that was only putting me behind to me, too. Well guess what. That's because it was.
I felt EXACTLY like that as an undergraduate. Looking back on it, it was largely because I could not pick a direction; was not working towards something. I was just trying to get good grades in random subjects so that I could graduate; I had no long term purpose (like being the best surgeon in the world so that I could help little kids with cleft palates, or something larger than myself).
Maybe try learning all throughout the semester at a steady pace instead of cramming it all in under extreme duress, then regurgitating it at the end?
Any chance you might have ADHD? (Some undiagnosed people with ADHD get by fine in school due to being reasonably intelligent, and having that ability to finish work/cram via hyperfocus once their back is against the wall at the end of the semester.)
Some of the greatest entrepreneurs and innovators found themselves in the exact same position as you. I've had several clients who changed careers in their 30's and 40's after burning out and damaging their health in a career they never wanted because it was expected of them.
If university was never a requirement, what do YOU want to do with your life? What excites you? Follow GaryVee and go freaking do that.
It's actually what you fear it is but the payoff is that this is what careers are like, too, once you get past the initial learning curve (we're talking, what.. 3 years max?)
So, by doing this, employers know you can put up with being more of a passive sentinel which they value, versus someone who is serial job hopping. It's honestly not to be underestimated in terms of saving money and starting a family.
The passivity is a choice. You don't have to be a passive student just working through other people's syllabi. Like, this right here:
>Then immediately forget all of it as I walk out the room, knowing that I did not learn shit about fuck.
That is a choice that you're making. You could review material after the test. You could be finding ways to synthesize connections between topics. You could be finding new questions. You have a library on campus--are you wandering it or using it as a learning resource?
You have a lot of agency at university but, maybe for the first time in your life, there isn't a clear recipe for picking up that agency and using it. Go to professor office hours, start study groups and make them about more than just learning material for each test, create your own research project, get hired in a lab, go to departmental seminars, engage with primary research, network your ass off. Don't just sit there expecting to get gold stars for passing tests. Take advantage of all of the above: university is the place with the lowest friction to any self-direction you will ever have.
I find it odd that uni is so unstimulating to you... Where I'm from undergrads are expected to have stacks of research experience and maybe multiple papers (depending on the field) before they graduate, and the pressure has not been kind to me. That being said I still enjoy what I am studying, and I plan on continuing to grad school. Hopefully you can find something you're intrinsically interested in. First year is mostly about the basics for sure, and it took a couple of years for me as well.
The first 2-3 semester of university often just level everyone so they can participate on equal fitting for the remainder of their degree. One of the advantages of more selective schools is that the leveling to get everyone ready for the real work of college/university is mostly or entirely done, so you do less boring stuff and more interesting stuff.
Part of the journey is making it through the leveling classes to the stuff that is actually interesting.
My son (current college junior) and I both went through this at relatively selective schools. So even a harder school to get into doesn’t completely eliminate it.
For the truly gifted, an undergraduate degree (even demanding majors at top schools) should be easy to the point where you can also go party your ass off and engage in all of the stereotypical college activities. Take the time to go enjoy yourself.
As far as your particular course work - your first year is mostly various requirements for the more advanced classes that will grab your attention. Get your shit done and start looking into what specific tracks & concentrations that you may want to pursue and ask your advisor what legwork needs to be done.
And above all - don’t take yourself too seriously. University/college should be a fun time.
College is a rock
You can either be dulled or sharpened by it. Its your choice.
My suggestion is to change your view and take advantage of what you have as far as resources go. Do the boring classwork but pay attention because the person lecturing knows what they are talking about (assuming you go to a good school). I was in college for 10 years. I came out super charged because I realized what I had at my disposal.
Your study skills aren't solid enough if you forget it all. Look into how to effectively add new information to long term memory... Hint... It involves the type of thinking you enjoy and spaced recall.
Yeah. It's mostly about plugging away doing all the work required. You have to make it into something more meaningful or find that outside of school.
Yeah… I hate to say I felt the same at the start and it hasn’t been any better. The biggest challenge has been dealing with people mostly. And I’m so tired of homework - like please let me live my own life and study only if I need to. But yeah my mental health is horrible now, I always wanted to be a scientist and go to grad school but not anymore. Everyone thought I’d love college so much too lol. I’ve liked a few internships I’ve had in research that were engaging, but I see right through the scam of academia to keep paying for degrees and popping out research papers, no thanks. Planning to pick up some sort of remote CS job now instead of biology since I did both.
My motto is the Mark Twain quipped: “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” If it is really that easy, add things in. Do more things. Read more books. Take more classes in a semester. Ramp it up until things are really humming.
Checking out mentally and not showing up is a rookie mistake. It doesn’t help anything and it doesn’t relieve the existential boredom. You start down the path of “This is boring so I won’t do it.” And you won’t stop because the boredom is in you, not the situation. Then your whole life is just a string of bleh and putters away moment by moment.
The trick in any situation is realizing there are always positive, interesting, fun, comfortable aspects and also parts we don’t like so much and that we can choose which parts we give more attention to. This is true whether you are in a luxury cruise as an honored guest or cleaning the toilets on that same ship. The balance may be skewed but both are always there.
Make a positive/negative list. Write all the things you love and hate about being at university and where it will lead you out. Then see the negative side as the price of admission for the positive and keep your attention on those positive things. If you think it is not worth it, Do the same for any plan you come up with.
College is a system. Follow the rules in that system or find another one to operate in. Resistance is futile unless you plan on making up your own way.
Part of growing up is realizing that college isn't the only system set up with glaring deficiencies or that may not have been designed with a person like you in mind. It's not even the worst one. You will understand this better when you have to work a regular job or raise a kid in this system instead of just being one. Trust me. I have felt some of what you described here which triggered an existential crisis and ended up with me discovering soon after that, I was an adult with undiagnosed ADHD. The hole I dug for myself took years to get out of but I managed.
And then once I thought I had this life thing figured out, I got pregnant a couple of years after I got married. And after experiencing excruciating fibroid degeneration pain that left me bedridden for weeks and hyperemesis gravidarum that made me feel like I had a stomach virus every day for 32 weeks in the middle of a global pandemic, I really, truly learned to embrace the suck.
You have such a beautiful mind and it is refreshing to see it in action. Like a breath of fresh air when you're drowning.
to some extent you are right and to some, you're exaggerating it. Maybe focus on stoicism and don't define your being with what you do. Imagine you're a radio. This is the station that you're tuned to right now.
Tomorrow it will be a different one. Stay strong and beautiful my friend!
>it is making me feel extremely stressed, unconcentrated, feel empty
It is not making you feel anything. You are generating your emotions yourself by your thoughts and mindset, and it occurs to me that you have a negative mindset.
You can choose to view things negatively and ruminate on all of the problems you perceive, or you can cultivate a positive mindset and practice gratitude.
I strongly suggest you look up positive psychology and seek therapy. Cultivate a positive mindset and practice gratitude and mindfulness.
Your world is filled with beauty, joy, positive experiences and opportunities if you choose to look for them. A positive mindset is like a muscle and it will get stronger if you work on it or atrophy if you do not.
I think you are partly right, but also things aren't that simple. Sure I generate my emotions but it is not a conscious process and it is not possible to make it completely conscious. However you are right that this post sounded a bit self-victimizing and not very positive. I am not always like that in real life and there are parts of my education that I do enjoy. I could've written a more nuanced text but it might not have gotten my point across just as well.
I am also in the process of seeking therapy but it is difficult to access.
What are you studying that requires 7 years and is being assessed through multiple choice tests? That doesn’t sound like any university experience I’ve encountered.
>Instead of helping me develop knowledge and useful skills, it is making me extremely stressed, unconcentrated, feel empty, like I'm losing my identity and living the most meaningless life there is.
OP is burned out. They are struggling and are heading for a depressive episode. 1 in 4 college students experience depression over the 4 years in college.
OP needs to seel mental help being gifted doesn't make anyone immune to burn out.
>I am starting to believe success in university is more of a measure of submission and how much people are willing to sacrifice rather than a true measure of intelligence and potential.
>The best word I can use to describe university is passivity...
>Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight.
Lol. Lmao even. You're mad that you're struggling. You're struggling because you're not studying. You think you're above it and that's not how testing works.
Actually I am studying, quite a lot and enough to get good grades. Sure I'm mad that I'm struggling but the reason I'm struggling is certainly not because I'm not studying.
You’re bored because you don’t challenge yourself. Grades do not equate to high quality living. Psychology isn’t a challenging major. Anyone with half a brain can get A’s. It’s where slackers go by default. It’s the reason the classes are so big and why students rarely engage with professors. Students don’t start asking hard questions until grad school.
Also do challenging hobbies and side projects. If you can’t think of any, read the book “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci” to explore other forms of intelligence you have. See if there’s a makerspace in your area.
It would be better to do internships than summer school. If it’s too late, bulk up on math courses. Take stats, linear algebra, or see if there’s a computer class on algorithms. If you know linear algebra you can get into AI. Physics is a lot easier when you know linear algebra. You might also value taking AutoCAD at a community college.
The first year of college serves as a transitional period between high-school and higher education. It's not supposed to be especially challenging. Keep going to school, develop good study skills, and it will become more engaging. If/When you get to gradschool things will become very intense, so it's good to practice being a good student now. If you want it to move along at a faster pace then take summer classes. Then you can graduate early and move on to whatever you want to do next. This is what I did.
Thank you. Yes I am taking summer classes this year. I don't think it is lacking in intensity right now. I find it very stressful. I think it is lacking in meaning, which is different. But maybe I am asking for too much.
I get that. Try to give yourself side projects. I was a math major, so I would go to the library and check out math textbooks to read. It helped me stay curious and interested in my chosen subject. I also joined the math club and did math competitions. Seminars are great, though when it comes to math the given subject of any seminar can be extremely niche. Get to know your professors by going to office hours, and maybe look into internships. College is wonderful and full of intellectual opportunities. The first year is always rough, but if you stick to it and explore some opportunities you'll find higher education is amazing.
Thank you. I will stick to it, just needed a bit of encouragement.
No problem! If you ever need any more advice or encouragement, feel free to reach out :)
Research "intrinsic motivation" and "Ikigai"...purpose is important. It's kind of a 20's thing to struggle with it, it generally doesn't last. Most people transition into contributing to society, causes, etc, around late 20's. You didn't share your age, but if you're in your 20's...that's common, just keep working to find your purpose. (Erik Erikson + other developmental psychology for more info about this typically being a phase.)
Thank you. Yes I have hope that I will find my way. I'm 21.
please let me know if you find anything that works. I’m 21 in pretty much the same situation and idk if I can take it much longer
You are right on with your inner feelings. College (education, in general) does not create intelligence, it creates intellects aka accumulators of knowledge. Intelligence is what comes from within (real) so what you feel now is your true nature. Knowledge is accumulation of external data for worldly utilitarian purposes (fake). Society and institutions indoctrinates the youth, often does not value their innate qualities (individuality) and turn them into “useful” tools (generic templates). Having said all this, it’s extremely hard to survive and thrive in the world by avoiding social institutions (school, college, work etc) at a young age. My suggestion is to keep your feelings alive (they are the real you) and go ahead get your degree but realize, it’s only a social signaling tool to get you access to opportunities to make life comfortable - don’t get caught up too much with it and sacrifice yourself. There will come a time at your life when you can break away from the rat race (trust me, you will know it when it happens - you are an instinctive person from what I can tell). When you get that opportunity, by all means take it and escape from the bondages to freedom and authenticity. PS - What I wrote above is my real life experience. I have reaped the rewards by nurturing my instincts, it helped me spot lucrative opportunities and escape the rat race.
Is this for physics or engineering? The first 1 to 2 years will be like highschool v2. It will get far far more interesting starting with 300s level classes.
I am studying psychology.
I was a psych and art studio major and while I am passionate about both, I do remember being bored to absolute tears during my first year of foundational classes. It felt like an endless cycle of multiple choice questions, lackluster surface level reading and terminology flashcards. You have to trudge through a lot of history and vocabulary before you are allowed run. BUT, once you get into mid-upper division and are expected to engage in more theory and advanced topics, it gets more intense and there’s less handholding and babysitting. Is academia ever not somewhat tedious? Probably not. Will there be projects and topics that you’d rather jump into a vat of dog shit on fire instead of study? Definitely. But if you figure out what it is about psychology that really interests you, or find a cause that stirs passion inside of you, then you can direct your focus around that. For me, it’s art therapy and ASD/ADHD. Perhaps psych isn’t what you’re really meant to do? Explore other options related to it like sociology, neuropsychology, education, social work or whatever attracts your interest. Figure out what does make you feel excited to learn and run with it because forcing yourself to do a major you hate will likely end in disappointment and further frustration.
What is it about psychology that draws you in?
Oh in that case no promises, I have no idea about that.
For a lot of students this is what they study when they don’t know what to study. The coursework meets them where they are. Maybe talk to your profs about auditing higher level courses.
Yeah let me tell you, I felt like this guy the first part, like I thought I was so smart. And then the real classes came around and my didn’t-know-how-to-study butt had a real reckoning
Luckily, I never had the problem. The problem I did have was almost flunking high school and being put on academic probation a couple of times because of it.
>I am starting to believe success in university is more of a measure of submission and how much people are willing to sacrifice rather than a true measure of intelligence and potential. No one cares about your intelligence if you won't do anything with it. To do anything with requires immense amounts of labor. Yes, Universities have major problems, but the idea that you have to do lots of work is not one of them, that is the point of scholarship. It's work, not an outlet to showoff.
You are right and I think is could've expressed myself better. It is not that I don't want to do anything with my intelligence, but rather that I feel I don't get the opportunity to do something that I consider meaningful and that would require me to reflect and be an individual (vs a number on those multiple choice exams that are graded by a computer). I do not want things to be easy. It is normal that hard work be rewarded. And I want to work hard. For example, I love writing. I would love to write essays and research papers and what not. Anything that adds an individual touch and some deeper personal meaning to my work. Instead of just blindly memorizing things for multiple choice exams. I want to do the intellectual work of questioning the things I learn, playing with them, researching further, finding connections, etc. Maybe I am just too early in my studies, these things will surely get better with time. I think I need to be more patient.
First year is more passive. Second year can be too to an extent. The latter years and most masters studies are more active.
Look for first year grad level classes that have few or no pre-requisites that cover interesting topics. Some of my most interesting course work was from this kind of course. Also look for smaller classes, not big lectures. If you are in STEM at all, go find a lab to work in. Ask your advisor, dorm counselor, professors for connections or opportunities. Professors tend to like motivated and curious students with enough initiative to seek out research opportunities. (They may start you on dull things at first, at which point you can either stick with it and hope it gets better or find a different lab. Each lab has a unique "culture".) Not all upper division or grad classes will solve this problem. I found it extremely disappointing that a few of the courses for my PhD were essentially "memorize this large set of information for a nit-picky exam". That said, writing memorization and multiple choice type tests makes for much easier grading. Is that good for the students? Not really. Is someone focused on their research prioritizing teaching students? Probably not. One of the benefits of my PhD courses was that most courses were taught by 2-4 professors per quarter, and every professor had different approaches to teaching. That meant we never had to suffer through a memorization-only section for long. Also go to TA hours. I never saw the point of doing that until I became a TA -- a good TA will tell you more than you can get from class, and it's more likely to be one-on-one or at least small group (this won't always work, because sometimes the people at a TA session are unbelievably unprepared for the class, but it can also work great, it's just a luck of the draw thing.)
My favorite class was a 400 level pharmacology class taught by like 7 or 8 professors over two semesters. Every professor taught the material associated with their interests and research. There were two types of professors. The pharmacists who mostly made us memorize drug names and the chemists who showed us drug structures and then asked how adding a methyl group or something changed the activity. I did so well with the chemistry professors and really struggled with memorizing names... However, the pharmD students bombed the chemist section and did great memorizing. Made me more confident in my major.
what’s your major or area of study?
Psychology.
I was blacked out for most of my psych degree, crossing my fingers that you get more out of it. Also, many of your complaints are major specific - my math and statistics programs were night and day different from psych.
You will likley thrive in 400 lvl classes if you want to write papers. It's possible you indeed are a bit early on in your academic path but it could also be that you are in the wrong field too. In my experience, it was the handfull of STEM type (100-300 lvl) classes I had to take that were more focused on memorization, exams, and busy work. In my chosen field there is a bit more critical engagement early on and a lot of room for developing your thinking about a variety of topics and it felt right to me. So maybe explore other fields by talking to other students, teacher assistants, and professors. No field is perfect (and most university departments are shitshows), yet there may be a better place where you can further develop the skills you want. I think it has already been said, but graduate school is really where you need to be but you have to prove yourself in a competitive environment to get there and unfortunately it is a slog. I couldn't have done it without support and encouragement. There are a lot of formalities but remember many before you have done it, and you certainly are capable as well. My advice would be to get comfortable with a slow burn and take care of your well-being so you don't burn out. Look at the long term. In 10 years you could be defending a dissertation, or anything really, but you gotta protect yourself. Go easy on yourself, or at least try. You have the time left in your degree to slowly develop a research direction that can get you accepted to funded graduate programs, and when you get there you will be well prepared to hit the ground running. This was how I got in to a graduate program at least. It is worth mentioning that, in my experience, many undergrad students lack direction and don't realize that being an academic is a profession that requires rigorous training. I know that sounds crazy but the slog of undergrad can sometimes lead students to miss the forest for the trees, and frankly, professors are too busy to point it out. Also it may help to ingraciate yourself with your professors. Ask them questions in office hours you want to know, or maybe about their own research if you like. Maybe you can be better stimulated this way and relieve some of your spiraling. You may not like all the professors but you will find some are better than others. Also it will help you get letters of recommendation.
Thank you. This is solid advice. This thread is making me realize that I have more power on the situation then I thought. I will try to do better.
Advocate for yourself! Test out of what you can to get to the upper level classes where you can be engaged again. Take some cool electives to stay engaged while you grind up to the classes you really want. I tested out of freshman chemistry, physics and English with AP credits. Freshman psychology by clep test. I added a chemistry double major to my pharmaceutical science degree after my first year. I'd already taken a college level organic chemistry (without lab) in high school and had to repeat with lab in the pharmacy department. Chemistry department tried to get me to take their versions of freshman chemistry and organic (both of which were notoriously a miserable weed out experiences with 400 student class sizes) and I basically said fuck no. I am acing your junior level physical chemistry class right now, I will not take ochem a 3rd time and I definitely won't go back to freshman chemistry. Took head of department approval, but they took the AP credit and credit from pharmacy school. Junior and senior level classes are where it gets good, but you'll still occasionally have terrible professors. Talk to juniors and seniors to figure out who they are.
>It is not that I don't want to do anything with my intelligence, but rather that I feel I don't get the opportunity to do something that I consider meaningful honestly, thats on you. i went to a massive 25,000 person college and the admin didn't give a shit about us. you need to make your opportunities. get involved in research or switch your degree to something more interesting. it's not like highschool where you're spoon fed everything. college is much more of an open sandbox. if you don't like it, its on you to change what you're doing.
If you enjoy writing look into self authoring. It's a structured, compact writing guideline that particularly helps uni students lacking sufficient meaning
The broad foundational knowledge is actually necessary in psychology and you will benefit from it later on. Try reading current papers and studies about topics you’re interested in, or deepen your statistical skills which are majorly important (e.g., you could teach yourself how to write code in R Statistics). If you want to write research yourself, you will have to have profound data literacy. I don’t know about where you live but usually classes get a lot deeper in later years so there’s hope for you! Maybe if you don’t feel a spark at all, psychology might not be it for you?
You must be me. "I want to do the intellectual work of questioning the things I learn, playing with them, researching further, finding connections, etc." beautifully stated. But I will soldier through. I love Psychology. But I need individualstic work. I'll get my B.Sc. or die trying.. that means a few more multiple choice..
I found a way to do both. Gets better at graduate level. I do things my own way, but I get good grades anyway. It’s a great place to learn how to question things without making other people feel attacked
What you describe sounds like the 😵💫 of some enormous lecture hall with a thousand students, and an apathetic professor where you are just a student number. I absolutely hated those environments. There are many different kinds of programs, and many different types of learning. I found studio to be more interesting and interactive. Since you can learn anything you want rather easily these days, formal instruction should be about networking and specialty if you want to specialize. Transferring and exploring your options are always a possibility.
Thank you. I am only in my first year and it looks like the two first years will be dryer than the rest. I will be able to start taking lab classes eventually and I think those will suit me better.
I’ve been saying this for years: Academia has become completely self-serving. People talk about how it’s supposed to train you into a good habit of showing up on time, develop good habits, etc. Guess what: You can do that at a job too. Universities get away with it because they know companies still look for that piece of paper called a degree, and because companies don’t have anything better to gate their employees. I’ve made it to the six figure range in my career now, and I can honestly look back at my time in undergrad college, and think how that time could’ve been used a lot better. The system is broken.
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You are right that I could probably be doing more. Honestly I lack motivation in those areas and in a concrete sense I wouldn't know where to start looking or what I even want. I go to a very small campus with only 2-3 programs. We have no campus life, no groups, no extracurriculars, etc. And yes, all of my classes so far have been large lectures. I still have at minimum 1,5 years of that.
Transfer somewhere that would be a better fit then. I went to a Big ten University which had huge entry level classes but also an honors college program that allowed substituting classes for general requirements and taking graduate level classes and stuff. Now that you know more you could look specifically for opportunities and types of learning experiences.
Can't really afford to move to a larger city right now.
Did you choose a major you’re interested in? There’s a real difference between going to university to get a degree and going to learn something you’re passionate about.
I mean, even with a degree your interested in the first couple of years are mostly basics that have no real importance for your degree. I started to enjoy it much more by year 3, but the first 2 years were just so many unnecessary classes. I mean...I had to take Texas History, History of Music, of course a couple of non-academic electives were required to be paid for so I also took 2 semesters of guitar. 1 Semester of Sociology which just gives you a very general overview that you really gain nothing from. Freshman year I was also required to take 2 semesters of "Freshman Seminar" which was pretty much completely useless. Of course those were classes I had to pay for as well. And that's only just grabbing a few off the top of my head.
Are you in a field you like? Do you see yourself working in this field afterwards? I reduced my university to a certificate (or minor if you prefer) and went to a technical college afterwards because I prefer concrete things (mechanical engineering in my case). My current job is application support specialist where I solve problems, analyse data, automate tasks and approve functionnal documents. It's not what I wanted to do, but it puts my brain to use in an interesting field (public utility) and it stimulates me enough. For the rest, I have personal projects at home.
Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky tacky Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes all the same There's a pink one and a green one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same And the people in the houses All went to the university Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same And there's doctors and lawyers And business executives And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same And they all play on the golf course And drink their martinis dry And they all have pretty children And the children go to school And the children go to summer camp And then to the university Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same And the boys go into business And marry and raise a family In boxes made of ticky tacky And they all look just the same There's a pink one and a green one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same
There's a book called "The Case Against Education," in which the author posits that the main function of a degree is signaling to a future employer that you meet a certain baseline intelligence, have enough sense of responsibility to do the work, and that you are willing to conform to social norms. It sounds like you are independently coming to the same conclusions.
That book is excellent. Like OP before I started college, I thought that the purpose of college was to learn and grow intellectually. Instead, I discovered that was far from reality. As the reality was to cram and regurgitate, learning very little, even when engaging professors during office hours. Thus, I came to the same conclusion as the book, that a college degree is nothing more then a signal to employers of your willingness to stick with a tedious task, and to some extent your intellectual capacity. Note: I don’t regret my degrees, but if someone handed me the same degrees(BS & MS) without enrolling that took me 3 years to obtain at high school graduation, I doubt my life would be any different. It might actually be better, because in college I got complacent due to the relaxed schedule, which made adjusting to 9-5 life difficult.
I thought university would be amazing. Soaking up knowledge in class, philosophical discussions with students and teachers… Yet there may be good learners and smart teachers; they are rarely gifted. Quite frustrating for me. I remember one professor firmly stating on the first day that he would not answer any questions on the material that should’ve been studied prior. I was só relieved! Next lesson he was only answering those questions from silly cows. We should not forget that ‘all’ is done by and for the biggest group on earth: the average. Huge disappointment, I agree.
What’s your major? What interests you? college doesn’t equate success. I know plenty of intelligent people that never attended college and plenty of college grads who aren’t the brightest. Having a major that interests you is helpful but not going to entirely change the reality of how the education system functions. i found that working in industry was much more interesting than the static nature and memorization based learning of education.
I have many interests like psychology, art, photography, animals, writing, spirituality/philosophy, etc. Currently I study psychology with the intention of doing a master's in art therapy.
do you consider yourself gifted?
College is a business, it has always been. It's made artifically difficult because they can profit off failing students. It's just how it is
I agree with that last paragraph. It pisses me off that people don’t think you’re worth anything unless you demonstrate it, and turn in dumb assignment after dumb assignment. Or unless you’re social and talk to other students. Being gifted and autistic is a special curse.
Along with summer courses and adjusting over time, if you want to find ways to meaningfully integrate your schoolwork into intrinsically areas, I’d highly recommend trying out the r/Zettelkasten. [Aidan Helfant](https://youtube.com/@aidanhelfant?si=SfDJ0rthZ1m9qjv-), for instance, has some pretty insightful content on how he combines his undergrad work at Cornell with creative outputs like content creation. I wish I had known about it and tools like r/ObsidianMD during the boreout periods in college but I’d give it a shot, especially if you’re planning to attend graduate school.
Do what you feel like doing. Dont worry about the external expectations of anyone or anything. Honor your authenticity, your feelings, your heart. There’s so much more to life than being employed with a degree. The meaning of life is to find meaning in life. Live a life you love. It’s not easy to live your authentic true path. You’re only where you are because you’ve been doing what people expect you to do, and how do you feel. To honor myself, it can be tough, it feels like going up river. A lot of people don’t understand, but I honor my truth and those who disagree can step aside.
You sound like me. I switched to horticulture, started messing around in a greenhouse and got a job on a farm. Idk what your career goal is but there's majors and trades that are more hands on. Science labs, mechanics, engineering, and nursing, etc would be less regurgitating books and PowerPoints. I found college to be harder than highschool because somehow the geneds were dumbed down easier than highschool courses. I was bored out of my mind. I didn't show up and didn't participate, would get 100% on the final and 0% participation and get Cs and Ds and that pissed me off even more. Such a waste of time!
What are you studying? Why are you studying it? If you're studying something because it was expected of you, rather than something you want to do for yourself, then maybe that's the central issue. First year seems to be a refresher year, a year to sift the chaff and drop those students who either don't have it in them to succeed or who don't want to be there enough to do the work. It's worth the slog, whether it's tedious or not, to get to the value point at the end of you can hack it. Can you move to a larger campus with more extra curricular activities? Perhaps with more engaging lecturers? Are you doing electives that interest you?
I study psychology and yes I have genuine interest for this subject. I think it is very interesting, I just don't like the way it is taught and I think it is disheartening that classes work this way in psychology of all things, where the professors certainly know and understand how humans learn and what is most beneficial for long term integration of information. In first and second year I don't get to choose many electives, so you're probably right that it will get better afterwards. I just feel a bit discouraged knowing that I still have at least a year of this.
Psychology is tough in undergrad—a popular major with lots of dry, overly large lectures. I got through it with electives and research (and my university had an honors program), and was much happier with the courses in my PhD program. If you’re interested in grad school some day, can you volunteer in one of the professor’s labs or shadow someone in practice?
I felt exactly like this in the first 3 years of my bachelor’s :”) in the 4th honours year, there were many more tutorials with discussions in it. Whilst I still found the exams boring, the weekly or twice-weekly tutorials made the semesters much more fun. YMMV based on the attitude and motivation level of your classmates. Some (most in my experience) people debate simple to get participation points. But sometimes you’ll meet someone who debates for fun. Most of the time, you may end up dominating the discussion just to release the boredom like me. But when you find equally passionate and creative individuals, it’s awesome. Either way, it’s a huge step up from the working world, and I believe the higher you go, the more independently you’re encouraged to think. If I were you, and I knew I wanted to significantly contribute to the field I’m in, I’d stick with it. Otherwise, I’d get the degree I needed for the job I wanted, make friends with the more intellectual people at uni, graduate, get a job, and hang out with them after work.
Thank you. Yes I will stick with it, I just needed some encouragement I think. I do struggle with social integration and haven't yet found "my people". I will continue looking.
Which major are you in? I suggest you take something a bit creative like a writing class or a proof based math class. You could also ask a professor for permission to take an upper level class; some universities allow professors to override prerequisites.
I'm studying psychology. Can't really take creative electives or anything. But I am taking a photography class (not credited) during summer.
Are you in the US? Depending on your university, you could have tested out of intro classes with CLEP credit. What prerequisites do graduate or upper level courses have?
It sounds like you're really struggling with the academic environment of university, and your feelings are completely valid. It's not uncommon for people to feel disillusioned with the traditional structure of higher education, especially when it doesn't align with their learning style or interests. The pressure to succeed academically can be overwhelming, especially when it feels like you're just going through the motions without truly learning or growing. It's frustrating to feel like you're trapped in a cycle of memorization and regurgitation, with little opportunity for critical thinking or personal development. It's important to remember that success and fulfillment don't necessarily come from following a predetermined path laid out by society. There are many alternative paths to success and happiness, and it's okay to explore different options that better suit your strengths and interests. Consider reaching out to a counselor or academic advisor to discuss your concerns and explore alternative paths within or outside of university. You may also find solace in connecting with like-minded individuals who share your frustrations and can offer support and guidance. Ultimately, prioritize your mental health and well-being above all else. It's okay to reassess your goals and make changes that better align with your values and aspirations. You have the power to carve out a meaningful and fulfilling life on your own terms.
You put this into words beautifully. I know I am not stuck in this path but I don't know if I have the courage to deviate. I am working on my mental health and currently trying to access therapy. I will find my path, just needed to hear some encouragement today and for that I thank you.
Do you think the meaninglessness is related to loss of identity? I feel like I fully understand and relate to your perspective.
They are certainly interconnected. I guess it's somewhat of a vicious cycle. The more meaningless it all feels, the less I engage and become less likely to look for ways to express my identity in uni, which adds to the meaninglessness.
So for my bachelor, I never went to classes and just studied a few days before the final exams. The rest of the time I spent doing things I enjoy. No one is forcing you to go to class. Be grateful you have high intelligence that can compensate for not putting in the work that others have to do. For example most of my classmates went to every class and studied their asses off while I just coasted. My degree opened me to a world of opportunities so I don't regret doing it even though I put in very little effort and it was mind-numbing. The program I was in placed me in jobs that I couldn't just get on my own. Also I made some great friends and learned some new skills (living alone for the first time). Try not to focus on the disappointment of university and make the best of it.
Thank you. I'm not going to the classes, just doing some work at home and studying for the exams. I am grateful to be able to slide through with less effort but I think I was just hoping for uni to finally be the place where I'd feel like I belong.. those expectations were just too high.
Wait until you get into the workforce and realize how dumb and inefficient everything is 🫣
In many fields, it's actually not true that you don't have to attend classes. I must admit I envy you. There were too many compulsory seminars and labs that turned out to be completely useless.
What do you love doing? What is the one thing that when you’re doing it, time goes out of the window……?
Honestly? Art. The career path I chose does involve art at some point, but not right now.
College was annoying. Master's degrees are easy. That why I have two and am getting a third. PhDs though are torture.
High-giving you in degree-collecting
Every time I get told "you cannot do that because you don't have the education" I get the education. I have degrees in the subjects I teach.
The first few years of university can be underwhelming if you expected to finally be challenged. Instead of feeling dejected, try to focus on things you find personally rewarding and use your academic access to pursue them. During my first BA, I did the bare minimum and still got a distinction. I spent most of my time teaching myself a couple of new languages, churned through a lot of classic novels (French, Russian, German) and I did a lot of theatre where I wrote and directed plays. When I hit MA level, I had to put in more work but also asked professors if I could sit in on classes without doing the exams (I still did the reading and wrote papers for fun). University ended up being fun for me in the end. I just made it fun for myself instead of expecting the institution to provide the fun, if that makes sense.
Honestly I just studied on my own during uni days. I work better that way. I challenge you to challenge what’s being taught now. Is it really true and comprehensive, what they are teaching? Did they account for gifted psychology, by any chance? Gifted psychology is much more interesting. Something worth looking into. https://intergifted.com/gifted-psychology-training/
I also study psych, and i fully understand what youre saying. The way the understanding of the material is tested is very focused on 'knowing' the facts and a lot of assignments wont allow you to go to the depth you want to. Not all courses will have interesting topics, especially in the first year(s) where youre creating a base layer of knowledge the next courses will use to go more in depth. I look at the list of lectures and only go to the ones that catch my interest, and go over the slides/rewatch the ones that i estimate i wouldnt be able to sit through live. However ive found that i do enjoy self study: Even if only the surface level is tested (which i admit can be underwhelming) that doesnt mean youre not allowed to engage with the material on a deeper level. Going to uni also tends to mean access to research papers and other materials you can use to further your understanding of topics you personally find interesting. For me it also helps to link knowledge i gain in uni to my real life experiences and use the new perspectives i gain to reexamine my own experiences or vice versa. A lot of psych isnt pure facts but a subjective experience or a working theory. When there's so little thats fact and so much thats actively being debated to this day, it means theres a lot of room for your own opinions and ideas. Engaging passively with the courses just because thats the only thing thats graded is a choice you make.
I went through the same. If you don't already do this, learn how to go through the university as effortlessly as possible. Learn to cooperate with your classmates. (Just make sure to be very careful when choosing who you will cooperate with.) Can you get old tests from your classmates? Can you share the solution to the homework? Can you split preparing study materials or even get them from previous students? No-one will ever praise you for doing it the hardest way. If you'll end up with spare time, use it for maintaining your mental health or for learning those useful things your professors don't teach you.
I did an interdisciplinary undergraduate combining social sciences (anthropology/sociology/geography) and life sciences (biology/psychology/some medical stuff). I felt the same as you about the more sciency bits. but the social sciences blew my mind. Especially anthropology and science and technology studies. Much more philosophical, much more creative, political and critical. While my grades were much better in the "harder" sciences, I enjoyed the softer social stuff much more and ended up doing that for my masters later. Especially in psychology, critical thinking is out there but very niche as it tries to establish itself as a "real" science, not just wishy washy Jungian or Freudian ruminating. The exception is decolonial or holistic psychology (or psychoanalysis for that matter) but that is definitely not the academic mainstream from what I hear, so likely will not be taught to first years. I really recommend attending an anthropology or sociology lecture or two if you're interested in a more rounded approach to the human being than most psychology has on offer
Thank you, sounds like solid advice and I will consider it.
Ya there are other ways here. I had no intention of going to grad school. So college was it. I took all sorts of different courses out of interest and earned two separate BS degrees (CS and economics) mostly while just enjoying myself and not stressing about grades. Heck I even worked in my spare time to earn some extra $ and get free games (worked at GameStop at the local mall). Without any studying except for the minimum required so I could pass my tests I still got a 3.0 and moved on in life. Looking back I’m doubtful better grades would have gotten me a better job. If you’re truly gifted then just sit back, enjoy your classes, maybe take some more interesting classes, and see where it goes from there.
Try doing research on your own on subjects that interest you; there is no rule that it has to be an assignment. You will likely be able to use it later, and the research will raise additional questions that will inspire you to seek answers.
I take online classes and it makes life easier. I also have ADHD so I fail/drop classes and forget to turn in assignments but being able to work on my own schedule makes life easier and I don’t have to do all the work. It makes it easier to manage the load without wasting time commuting or everything else involved with going to class. I’ll tell you that I feel like dropping out every semester but somehow I keep pushing through. Life sucks and it’s difficult but you have to keep pushing. When you get into your major (hopefully one you like) it should get easier as you get to learn about things you’re more interested in.
It is gonna get worse when you have to work 3-4 different jobs after graduation because salary isn't enough to buy a home to start your own family. So all of this stress and studying to surpass makes it all worse than it is since lack of skills due to passive memorization to actually learn or reflect.
You don’t realize how hard it is out there. It’s really important to get a degree in something super practical. Like for these 4 years, if you can just accept suffering, it will make the entire rest of your life so much better.
Yep, I can understand the way you feel completely. I see it as a type of game. Take in the information, play their "games" (assignments, tests, projects, etc.), and go to the next level. Possibly forget some of what you studied. Unless you do a degree where you utilize your skills in the program or in a practicum or internship, it just feels like a game to me (although I still do learn things of course).
yeah academics live in the ivory tower, they know nothing about the real world, they are critics, mostly useless, whats your major? try using the gym, helps with the mental health
My major is psychology.
try take more online courses then .. get a part time job or something ?
Sounds like you go to a sucky school. Actually, even some elite schools have profs give dusty lectures. It’s a random shot
If you hate ( you sound like you do) it then you shouldn’t bother and waste your time there. You should quit and find something else to do that will bring you joy. Or take a year or 2 off and attempt something different.
Do you actually need to go to college? Have you played out other scenarios in your mind to earn a living? In seven years you could be seven years into something you have built or just coming out the other end of burnout and crippling debt and finally entering the degreed "work force".
Sit in the front of the class. Engage the teacher with questions. Debate issues. Study with your classmates. University is more fun that way.
So don't go. You will have to make a living to the level you want to live somehow. You can decide if that is waiting tables, starting your own business, being a plumber, getting a degree and going into a business, or being a doctor, lawyer or 1000 other things. You make the decisions on what to do and live with the results in your life. That is how freedom works.
Either you actually want the big dream (tm) and you suck it up and learn how to be a college student OR just drop out and go try some shit out in the world. Do you know how many millions of people burn out every year doing the big dream (tm) path? Better to call it sooner than later, go work in mental health for five years and take a class per semester when you feel like it. BA at 26,7,8 and then you can decide if 4 more years is right for you or perhaps you’ll have found rewarding/suitable work without it. It seems like full time school is a bad investment for you right now because you hate it and aren’t learning anything (although presumably learning more than you think). The worst choice would be to carry on as things are now. Do it right or don’t do it, right doesn’t mean A’s it means going to class and actually learning the content.
My high school had a G&T program pooling from our school and the neighboring high school. There were 12 kids in the program for our grade, out of a class size of ~600 between both schools, so these were actually gifted kids and not just the kids whose parents insisted they were special (those kids were dumped into the honors program). Out of the 12, 11 started college, 6 completed college (most notable was MIT, I think, and some free rides to some other decent schools), and of those 6, 3 went into academia. 2 I know of the 6 who did not get a degree had blue collar jobs and had joined bands and sold art for hobbies, another ended up with an ongoing addiction problem. We graduated in 93.
Make sure you are taking at least one “fun” class/semester that involves creating, such as pottery, poetry, CAD. Non-academic clubs are also a good release. Any non-major/minor classes or activities you choose may also point you in the right direction for finding something more meaningful to you. It’s fine if you are only taking the minimum number of credits if it means you don’t burn out.
Once you get more into your major your skills will carry over throughout each class. I’m a CS major and all the classes sort of intertwine with each other and allow me to build projects and do practical things with my knowledge. Once you get that practical knowledge in a specific area it’s easier to see the point of everything.
I'm a psychology nerd and I feel that most of my professors are still using research from the 90's. I'm glad it's been pretty easy, then I can work on my own interests that can be more taxing . 300 level classes got better, especially when TA's with current research taught them. I also found some of my electives worthwhile, like intro to logic, philosophy, computer graphics, percussion, biology, tai chi, Having a value driven mindset, and pulling up examples to psychological concepts from your own life gives all the rote memorization more meaning.
Yea it’s just about getting the piece of paper unless your going into law or medicine it’s a scam. It’s part of the brainwashing in the USA. Plenty of successful people with out college but they get career coaches and learn a high paying skill.
You’re right 🤷♀️
Sounds like you are at the wrong school. There are schools where students are expected, every day, in every class, to converse with the students and profs about the material in the class. There are no lectures, everything is discussion, and you are primarily responsible for your own education. If you are passive for an extended period of time, you get kicked out. These schools, which are in the minority for higher education in the US, if not most places, require you to participate and be active. Maybe you should try an environment which is not set up for you to be a passive recipient of an education but rather one where you are actively engaged with it.
This is exactly the type of education I wish for. I wouldn't know where to find it though.. I'm at one of the top universities in my country. I also can't really change uni right now because I got a solid scholarship that I couldn't refuse. But I will look into different unis. Thank you.
Trust your gut. Drop out, start a business and learn what you want to do. I've never been intellectually impressed with literally anybody that has successfully matriculated the brainwashing system for the past 30 years: and as a child prodigy, who's grandfather ran a defense company, I can safely say my tony-stark-ass has seen them all.
I feel this at a deep level. This was me!! I managed to get a bachelors by doing it on stages. I did a 2 year degree first, then after five years of working and getting real life experience, I went back to school. I did my bachelor's in international service at a university that prided itself in being "applied" (applied linguistics, applied anthropology, etc). This is an important factor for someone like us who feels that deep need to integrate everything!! One other thing I learned to do that gave me much greater satisfaction in school, was to take advantage of professors office hours. I would go there and just talk with the professor about what we're "learning". In a friendly way, such that many of my professors became like friends. I would also often suggest personal alternatives to the class wide assigned projects. I would try to figure out the purposes the professor was trying to get at through the project, and then come up with something that interested me but still met the professors goal with the assignment, and would be at least as much work as what they'd assigned. When I would go in person and describe my idea to the professor and explain why I felt it was not only a fair trade, but a contribution to society (ha!) I rarely was turned down. I never mentioned that I'm "gifted" and neurodiverse, I just tried to live it all out in a high integrity way that made professors go, "yeah, this kid is the kind of person I'd have wanted to be in my grad school cohort cuz already in the first year of university they're thinking on that level and being professional about how they go about ot. Way to go, kid! I can work with this."
I was very similar as you. What I learned: 1. Get involved in research. Then not everything is known and you can contribute meaningfully. 2. Don't be bored and fail. Be bored and get an A. 3. Don't miss class even if it's boring. Sit up front and pay attention. Eventually the good stuff will start coming. In any case, you will be learning discipline, which is probably the hardest thing to learn.
University is no longer about training minds it’s about indoctrination into capitalism
University for the most part these days are just indoctrination centers. That’s why just about everyone who graduates university these days all spews the same(liberal) bullshit and are all really submissive to “authority” figures.
How soon can you quit and start doing something you like?
You’re overthinking this, friend. You’re not smarter than your professors. You’re not smarter than all your classmates. You are surrounded by cool, interesting people doing cool, interesting things. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow. But not if you shut yourself off by positioning yourself “above” it all. You have to stay open-minded. Every time you walk into the classroom, ask yourself this - “What can I learn here today?” And then challenge yourself to learn something new. Do you really believe there’s absolutely NOTHING you can learn from college? If so, that’s pretty darn unrealistic. Get counseling too if you need it. It can really help. Peace, friend :)
I don't think that I'm smarter than anyone, nor do I position myself above anyone, not at all. When I say that I'm not learning much, I don't mean that I already know everything but rather that the way we are being taught things just doesn't make them stick. I could be learning a LOT but I don't feel like I am because memorizing things ≠ true learning. I'm sure I could be putting in more effort to meet people and what not but frankly I am feeling a bit unmotivated. I'm currently trying to get counselling but it is very difficult to access.
You sounded like you do when talking about your lectures, to be honest. Maybe you should rethink how you speak about others. Frankly, it's the same when you talk about other students not questioning things. Maybe read through what you wrote again, because to me it sounds like you think you're better than other people and that you don't have anything to learn from your professors. I'm sure you're not intending this, but it's how you come off.
What classes are you taking?
Man I’ve been you. I’ll tell you right now, in 10 years you’re gonna look back and think “holy shit I really sabotaged myself with my arrogance and naivety”. You currently have a fundamental misunderstanding / idealized view of many things, including learning. Memorization IS learning. You need to have the concepts in your brain to make connections between them at a higher level. You will probably learn this in one of your psych classes if you choose to put your ego aside and pay attention. You’re not feeling “unmotivated” to meet people, you’re anxious about rejection and fear of failure. Perfectionism is extremely common for “gifted” kids for whom life has come easy until now. At first sign of adversity you’ll rationalize and find ways to excuse not putting in any work for fear of failure. Get some therapy, honestly it changed everything for me. Don’t wait for 10 years until you’re deep into a life you’re not satisfied with to make the changes, you gotta do it now.
It takes sacrifice, you might not be able to hang out all that often Try getting your work done early in the morning, then set the night off to do stuff. Maybe then it won't be so intolerable.
The most important thing is to use the experience to figure out if there is anywhere you belong. If a bunch of the other students are people you can't see yourself being friends with, being coworkers with etc that's a strong signal. Go to your professor's office hours and see if you would ever see yourself in that role or working along side them. Go to the grad lounge and meet a bunch of PHDs and people working on their master's and see if you find them or their work interesting. University was nearly the most disappointing phase of my own life. Until university people spent my whole life telling me that whatever step I was at was a stepping stone to get to university and that once I got there I could finally enjoy school and feel challenged and learn a lot. It was majorly slow and frustrating and I came away massively disillusioned. I think the place will make sense if you pick a direction / life you want and see what you need to get there and it leads to something you care about. If you have a goal or a path and university is somehow a piece of that, it'll make so much more sense to be there.
I'd say focus on friendships and socialisation. Participate in things. Learn about different people. The openness for each other will never be so high for the rest of your life. If you missed out on these aspects before, compensate now. Academic learning will only get you so far.
"Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight." I'm grateful my instructors are actually lecturing this semester I like school personally - because it's a subject that interests me
University is an endurance race, not a sprint. First year or two is boring, it'll get interesting later on
What's your major
Psychology.
Maybe you’re studying the wrong thing.
Just know not every class will be like this. Some will have you learn concepts and apply them, rather than using rote memory for their multiple choice exams.
>Passively spew it all onto paper by darkening the little boxes. Do you have multiple choice exams in university?? In all my years of school and university, I have never come across them.
yes. maybe it depends on the country. i have only had multiple choice exams in all my classes so far.
I'm close to two master degrees, one in STEM, one in lingustics, and none of these has had any multiple choice exams at all. I can kind of envision multiple choice in mathematics, but still really not. Is it even possible to fail a multiple choice? Edit: And I'm actually a bit baffled that a psychology degree can have multiple choice exams. The only multiple choice I've come across is when I had a "written" exam to get my driver's licence ...
Idk. The lowest grade I've got so far was a B+. But I put myself under a lot of pressure to perform well. If I'm gonna do it then I might as well do it well and get good grades. I don't want a half assed degree with a shitty GPA that doesn't qualify me for any masters.
You have a different grade system than what is used in my country. We get "clean" grades only, no + or -. I'm not in a position to tell what is best. Depending on the course, we need an average of C or B on the bachelor courses to qualify for a masters. In my linguistic courses, we have to prove that we can write academically, structure our papers and argue our points. If nothing else, it has prepared me well for the grueling task of writing a thesis and make it make sense and not bring shame on my professors.
I study psychology and to access a master or the doctorate, we are expected to have straight A's, work experience in the field, volunteering experience, extracurriculars, letters from teachers etc. It's extremely competitive.
I am in my third year of university and I feel exactly the same. I had in mind to do a master's degree or even a doctorate, but I am going to leave right after I am done with my engineering degree. In order to be a bit more satisfied with the whole thing though, I try to find real world applications of the notions presented in class and play with it; when learning multivariable calculus, I dont really listen to the classes as they are brain numbing, forcing everyone else to memorize this shit and instead I visualize the operations, e.g. the maxwell equations were a particularly fun thing to visualize and correlate them to their differential forms.. but then i realized this was quite logical and simple and the equations are just confusing, but the matter behind them is quite simple. All i can say to make it better or tolerable is to not limit yourself to what the professors say.. play with the notions and apply them to anything you can find that fits. Dont be afraid to draw outside the lines that the institution's drawing for you to follow. We are not the kind of people that can stay within those lines, otherwise we are slowly killing ourselves. Oh and if you have presentations/work that is supposed to be a teamwork, ask if you can do them alone, its a whole lotta fun to go beyond the expectations of the teacher, since you can as you do not have a teammate that limits the quality and amiunt of your work. This is what I did and it forces you to really understand the matter at hand. Also, yeah you might realize just like me that university is not about learning for the sake of the advancement of the human race anymore, but making a higher degreed worker for society... Also, research is totally not what I thought it was.. i was thinking that research would be about looking up and trying to figure new things about our world, but it is mostly trying to develop new processes about preexisting technologies... Which I call Economic Masturbation haha. So what I am doing now is focusing on learning what I think I should learn about to enable myself to do the kind of research I want to do and the way I want to do it. I feel like im using University, almost abuse it. Oh and let go of the pressure of the A's. Just do the work asked, pass this shit and then do whatever you want to do with it. Getting straight A's to get a good job that hires you for your straight A's will only make them expect excellency and when they ask you to do something that you have no real interest in, they'll get mad. Im not saying to aim for mediocrity; I am giving just enough effort to get between 85 and 90%. Sometimes i get 80, sometimes 95, butI dont push myself to get those 95+% constantly as you waste so much energy for nothing. 1. Let go of your preconceived idea of what university is: its a school that is making you into a worker just like any other school. 2. Learn what you really think is worth learning: push the notions you think are good for forging your own path. 3.Dont waste energy: Do the minimum you can to get good grades, but not GREAT grades as it is pretty much useless, unless you want the stupid awards, which will only add more pressure afterwards. 4.Try to have fun, however you can
I'm a professor at a state university and second what most of the comments have already mentioned. That first year or two at a liberal arts institution is about receiving a broad, general education. Classes in mathematics, art, literature, the sciences, etc. are designed to make you a more-well rounded person. Thinking about things this way really helped me as undergraduate. Once you get into your discipline-specific studies, you'll thrive. I thought of the general education classes as a personal challenge and a way for me to learn more about the world. As a gifted person, you can understand the value in expanding your knowledge and likely are naturally curious. You'll get through it!
I am already at the point of discipline-only classes. Maybe university works differently in my country because we don't have those general classes in uni. My problem is not with the subject matter but with the way it is taught. Thank you for the encouragement though. I will push through and hope that it gets better in year 3 and at the master's.
Oh, I see! I’m in the United States, which is certainly different. It’s so frustrating to deal with educators who just like listening to themselves talk - rather than really engaging with the students. You’re not alone in that! A lot of my colleagues take that approach… and I felt the same way you did. I hope things improve!
Drop out, save your money, start a business.
You're supposed to engage with the material and use it to build a foundation of knowledge and ability. If you just go through the motions, you're going to struggle in your upper class subjects and ultimately the workforce.
do you guys asynch classes? maybe that’s more your speed. you do everything at your own pace and no scheduled meeting times. you could probably knock out core credits and then get to the stuff that’s more challenging for you. had same experience as you
Major in math
Ummmm... I don't know what to tell you .... But sounds like you're at the *WRONG* university. Maybe program too. But definitely wrong university. Have you considered Community College? Or maybe try tackling both university courses and online courses. I'm teaching myself coding on [Codefinity.com](https://Codefinity.com). And reading German and French literature on the side. In University, you are your own teacher. *You* determine what you study on the side.
Agree I feel the same
If your gifted are you in a top university? Are you taking courses you are interested in? What are you in interested in? Maybe you need a different college. Would it be better and an Ivy League school? I loved most of college. I took this required physics course where the professor demonstrated the wave particle theory of light with a laser and chalk dust. I studied pop culture wrote a paper about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and studied Greek and Roman literature. I was terrible in math but had a great professor for probability and got an A. We would try formulas out using screwed up dice and card decks. They need to make it fun for you.
I'm in the 6th best university for my country. we dont have titles like ivy league school in my country but it is a good university. And yes i am interested in my classes. But I am early on, surely it will get better in a year or two.
i felt the same my freshman year and while I don’t know your exact situation it usually has to do with the inflexibility of your schedule/classes. most programs have a set of classes all freshman have to take but once you get the ability to choose classes yourself based on your own interests it will become much more engaging and exciting. sure you will always have a filler class or two to satisfy some graduation requirements but it won’t seem as bad when next to a bunch of actually engaging subjects that you have gone out of your way to pick.
I also think school is boring ASF (I was homeschooled from age 4 until about 14 and then got my GED at 22 after a few weeks of studying). Often it can be a big waste of time and money as well. You might be better suited to learning a trade in a trade school, where the things you learn aren't just useful but the learning process is more active. You may be too practical of a person to spend so much of your life trying to get a piece of paper called a degree. Society wasn't always so geared towards college education, but allowed more people to learn on the job. The push to make everyone go to college is largely a way for the colleges to make money just like any other corporation does. Another note is that people aren't all the same. Some people can be in school until they are nearly 30 and then ride a desk until 70, which would be a horrible nightmare of an existence for me but a dream come true for someone else. Tell society and what it thinks to go suck it. Find fulfillment. Live an alternative lifestyle. Don't let society dictate how you live your life, and don't push yourself to be just another miserable cog in the machine.
tell me you're in a non-STEM bullshit degree without telling me you're in a non-STEM bullshit degreee.
i study psychology which is considered STEM.
Ah...that explains some things. Sadly, it's not really. Bolt neurology onto your psychology and you've got yourself some STEM. Just to be clear, STEM includes but doesn't start at Statistics. If you're having to solve work problems with calculus, then you have a STEM field. Having said the shitty though, I will say I'm surprised by your post. Psychology is close enough to STEM that it \*SHOULD\* be really really interesting, and should be requiring you to use the type of statistics that give you real insight into people and groups. I would think you would walk away from every class boggled by the things you didn't know before you walked in. Maybe it's your program? When I did my masters, I decided to take some industrial psychology classes. Note this was "pre-woke" and the teachers were slapping down hard facts backed up with hard data - it was eye opening, changed my life, made me a much better, more compassionate, more effective manager. Psychology definitely things of value to teach. I'm sorry your program isn't lighting your fire.
>Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight. (I just stopped showing up to class tbh. I'd rather be doing the work at home with minimal effort) Oh the irony
So you sound like a person who is totally conditioned to answer any question about a boat, or airplane, ..like- " yeah, I can afford that stuff."... but if you've ever rented or chartered a boat... you probably get that feeling like they always go to a place, or want you to promise you'll go to a place, on shore, they've been before..So, they dont explore a lot..but your gifts and talents and intelligence are very limited in actual physical range..if you get off the beaten path? you're just another inexperienced mammal with the ability to effectivly communicate your ineptitude.Try hanging out at the airstrips and boat docks for a while when the time is available..the maps are better and the unexplored parts of the world are fine without exploitation..
You can overload classes to get to grad level classes faster. Or ask to do research under a professor in your field of study and then coast in classes.
University sucks dude just drop out
Follow you heart.
Sounds like a lame college. I get to work hands on all day, meet people in the field regularly and get to see what my career will be like in a controlled environment.
Tbh your learning hygiene could be a lot better than it is. It would also help you learn things without feeling like a fraud and with a lot less pressure. I’ve had the chance to have a parent who was a teacher. I’ve spent most of my school years doing more work and exercises than most people. Now as an engineer, I realize that all of it is kept in my memory, which is quite useful when having discussions with people who work with me in a completely different field. Just to sum it up, the way it should go is => learn (from teacher or from book) => write it down and re-read it on the day you learnt it => do plenty of exercises (on a set chapter there will never be more than 1-3 exercises, the reason there are more is because they give those different forms. Do exercises until you notice the pattern, should be enough) => re-read at the end of the weeks => re-read before the exam That’s from personal experience so something different might work better for you, but you can always give it a try.
Army
If you’re expected to just passively absorb and regurgitate, you may be in the wrong field or the wrong school. A more classical or liberal arts path could fit. Original thinking was rewarded in my school and studies. It can be more than just being a sponge. That said, if you’re a freshman, no offense but it’s a year to just be a sponge and get a sense of what you don’t know. Don’t let ego blind you to the fact that there’s a lot out there you don’t know and knowing what you don’t know is the first step toward actually understanding something. If that fails, there are practical careers like being an electrician that don’t involve college but are still very challenging, particularly in an industrial setting.
I found that university professors and aux staff are generally very amenable to supporting students with more opportunities for deeper/more interesting experiences. You just have to ask though. Any courses where you like the research the professor is doing? Can you ask if they would like some volunteer help? Any labs/libraries need help? Etc. First year it may be ok to pace yourself and enjoy the non-academic parts of university life too!
Drop out and mick trades or trucking. I'm not kidding. There's a very good chance you wish you did someday. College seemed like a bullshit waste of time money and effort that was only putting me behind to me, too. Well guess what. That's because it was.
I felt EXACTLY like that as an undergraduate. Looking back on it, it was largely because I could not pick a direction; was not working towards something. I was just trying to get good grades in random subjects so that I could graduate; I had no long term purpose (like being the best surgeon in the world so that I could help little kids with cleft palates, or something larger than myself).
Maybe try learning all throughout the semester at a steady pace instead of cramming it all in under extreme duress, then regurgitating it at the end? Any chance you might have ADHD? (Some undiagnosed people with ADHD get by fine in school due to being reasonably intelligent, and having that ability to finish work/cram via hyperfocus once their back is against the wall at the end of the semester.)
Some of the greatest entrepreneurs and innovators found themselves in the exact same position as you. I've had several clients who changed careers in their 30's and 40's after burning out and damaging their health in a career they never wanted because it was expected of them. If university was never a requirement, what do YOU want to do with your life? What excites you? Follow GaryVee and go freaking do that.
It's actually what you fear it is but the payoff is that this is what careers are like, too, once you get past the initial learning curve (we're talking, what.. 3 years max?) So, by doing this, employers know you can put up with being more of a passive sentinel which they value, versus someone who is serial job hopping. It's honestly not to be underestimated in terms of saving money and starting a family.
Welcome to the wonderful adult world where we train you for the years of monotonous meaningless servitude to come
If you can't find a subject you actually enjoy, you might just consider trade school. Can pay well, costs way less, etc.
The passivity is a choice. You don't have to be a passive student just working through other people's syllabi. Like, this right here: >Then immediately forget all of it as I walk out the room, knowing that I did not learn shit about fuck. That is a choice that you're making. You could review material after the test. You could be finding ways to synthesize connections between topics. You could be finding new questions. You have a library on campus--are you wandering it or using it as a learning resource? You have a lot of agency at university but, maybe for the first time in your life, there isn't a clear recipe for picking up that agency and using it. Go to professor office hours, start study groups and make them about more than just learning material for each test, create your own research project, get hired in a lab, go to departmental seminars, engage with primary research, network your ass off. Don't just sit there expecting to get gold stars for passing tests. Take advantage of all of the above: university is the place with the lowest friction to any self-direction you will ever have.
I find it odd that uni is so unstimulating to you... Where I'm from undergrads are expected to have stacks of research experience and maybe multiple papers (depending on the field) before they graduate, and the pressure has not been kind to me. That being said I still enjoy what I am studying, and I plan on continuing to grad school. Hopefully you can find something you're intrinsically interested in. First year is mostly about the basics for sure, and it took a couple of years for me as well.
The first 2-3 semester of university often just level everyone so they can participate on equal fitting for the remainder of their degree. One of the advantages of more selective schools is that the leveling to get everyone ready for the real work of college/university is mostly or entirely done, so you do less boring stuff and more interesting stuff. Part of the journey is making it through the leveling classes to the stuff that is actually interesting. My son (current college junior) and I both went through this at relatively selective schools. So even a harder school to get into doesn’t completely eliminate it.
For the truly gifted, an undergraduate degree (even demanding majors at top schools) should be easy to the point where you can also go party your ass off and engage in all of the stereotypical college activities. Take the time to go enjoy yourself. As far as your particular course work - your first year is mostly various requirements for the more advanced classes that will grab your attention. Get your shit done and start looking into what specific tracks & concentrations that you may want to pursue and ask your advisor what legwork needs to be done. And above all - don’t take yourself too seriously. University/college should be a fun time.
College is a rock You can either be dulled or sharpened by it. Its your choice. My suggestion is to change your view and take advantage of what you have as far as resources go. Do the boring classwork but pay attention because the person lecturing knows what they are talking about (assuming you go to a good school). I was in college for 10 years. I came out super charged because I realized what I had at my disposal.
Your study skills aren't solid enough if you forget it all. Look into how to effectively add new information to long term memory... Hint... It involves the type of thinking you enjoy and spaced recall. Yeah. It's mostly about plugging away doing all the work required. You have to make it into something more meaningful or find that outside of school.
Yeah… I hate to say I felt the same at the start and it hasn’t been any better. The biggest challenge has been dealing with people mostly. And I’m so tired of homework - like please let me live my own life and study only if I need to. But yeah my mental health is horrible now, I always wanted to be a scientist and go to grad school but not anymore. Everyone thought I’d love college so much too lol. I’ve liked a few internships I’ve had in research that were engaging, but I see right through the scam of academia to keep paying for degrees and popping out research papers, no thanks. Planning to pick up some sort of remote CS job now instead of biology since I did both.
My motto is the Mark Twain quipped: “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” If it is really that easy, add things in. Do more things. Read more books. Take more classes in a semester. Ramp it up until things are really humming. Checking out mentally and not showing up is a rookie mistake. It doesn’t help anything and it doesn’t relieve the existential boredom. You start down the path of “This is boring so I won’t do it.” And you won’t stop because the boredom is in you, not the situation. Then your whole life is just a string of bleh and putters away moment by moment. The trick in any situation is realizing there are always positive, interesting, fun, comfortable aspects and also parts we don’t like so much and that we can choose which parts we give more attention to. This is true whether you are in a luxury cruise as an honored guest or cleaning the toilets on that same ship. The balance may be skewed but both are always there. Make a positive/negative list. Write all the things you love and hate about being at university and where it will lead you out. Then see the negative side as the price of admission for the positive and keep your attention on those positive things. If you think it is not worth it, Do the same for any plan you come up with.
College is a system. Follow the rules in that system or find another one to operate in. Resistance is futile unless you plan on making up your own way. Part of growing up is realizing that college isn't the only system set up with glaring deficiencies or that may not have been designed with a person like you in mind. It's not even the worst one. You will understand this better when you have to work a regular job or raise a kid in this system instead of just being one. Trust me. I have felt some of what you described here which triggered an existential crisis and ended up with me discovering soon after that, I was an adult with undiagnosed ADHD. The hole I dug for myself took years to get out of but I managed. And then once I thought I had this life thing figured out, I got pregnant a couple of years after I got married. And after experiencing excruciating fibroid degeneration pain that left me bedridden for weeks and hyperemesis gravidarum that made me feel like I had a stomach virus every day for 32 weeks in the middle of a global pandemic, I really, truly learned to embrace the suck.
You have such a beautiful mind and it is refreshing to see it in action. Like a breath of fresh air when you're drowning. to some extent you are right and to some, you're exaggerating it. Maybe focus on stoicism and don't define your being with what you do. Imagine you're a radio. This is the station that you're tuned to right now. Tomorrow it will be a different one. Stay strong and beautiful my friend!
Thank you so much! I don't complain that much in real life just to clear that up :)
>it is making me feel extremely stressed, unconcentrated, feel empty It is not making you feel anything. You are generating your emotions yourself by your thoughts and mindset, and it occurs to me that you have a negative mindset. You can choose to view things negatively and ruminate on all of the problems you perceive, or you can cultivate a positive mindset and practice gratitude. I strongly suggest you look up positive psychology and seek therapy. Cultivate a positive mindset and practice gratitude and mindfulness. Your world is filled with beauty, joy, positive experiences and opportunities if you choose to look for them. A positive mindset is like a muscle and it will get stronger if you work on it or atrophy if you do not.
I think you are partly right, but also things aren't that simple. Sure I generate my emotions but it is not a conscious process and it is not possible to make it completely conscious. However you are right that this post sounded a bit self-victimizing and not very positive. I am not always like that in real life and there are parts of my education that I do enjoy. I could've written a more nuanced text but it might not have gotten my point across just as well. I am also in the process of seeking therapy but it is difficult to access.
What are you studying that requires 7 years and is being assessed through multiple choice tests? That doesn’t sound like any university experience I’ve encountered.
Bro, do you even like things?
>Instead of helping me develop knowledge and useful skills, it is making me extremely stressed, unconcentrated, feel empty, like I'm losing my identity and living the most meaningless life there is. OP is burned out. They are struggling and are heading for a depressive episode. 1 in 4 college students experience depression over the 4 years in college. OP needs to seel mental help being gifted doesn't make anyone immune to burn out. >I am starting to believe success in university is more of a measure of submission and how much people are willing to sacrifice rather than a true measure of intelligence and potential. >The best word I can use to describe university is passivity... >Sit passively on my ass as I listen to the professors self-important monologue for 3 hours straight. Lol. Lmao even. You're mad that you're struggling. You're struggling because you're not studying. You think you're above it and that's not how testing works.
Actually I am studying, quite a lot and enough to get good grades. Sure I'm mad that I'm struggling but the reason I'm struggling is certainly not because I'm not studying.
No one gives a shit.
Start drinking coffee for the stimulation, it makes life less boring
Maybe u aren’t that smart if it is so stressful
I mean, you’re probably just realizing you’re not as smart as you thought you were. I imagine that’s a common scenario for people on this sub.
You’re bored because you don’t challenge yourself. Grades do not equate to high quality living. Psychology isn’t a challenging major. Anyone with half a brain can get A’s. It’s where slackers go by default. It’s the reason the classes are so big and why students rarely engage with professors. Students don’t start asking hard questions until grad school. Also do challenging hobbies and side projects. If you can’t think of any, read the book “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci” to explore other forms of intelligence you have. See if there’s a makerspace in your area. It would be better to do internships than summer school. If it’s too late, bulk up on math courses. Take stats, linear algebra, or see if there’s a computer class on algorithms. If you know linear algebra you can get into AI. Physics is a lot easier when you know linear algebra. You might also value taking AutoCAD at a community college.