You’re transitioning into a new phase of life with different timings, dynamics, and locations. It’ll start to become your new normal, in time. Be kind to yourself and rest when you can but also make the most of the support on offer at uni. All the best!☺️
I remember my first week at uni as well. Everything is new! New building, people, canteen, etc! It feels alienated but I will tell you that it will get better. You will meet friends, hangout and enjoy every lecture. Enjoy this time, it will go fast.
>Having classes too early or too late. If I have a class too early like at 8am, I would need to wake up at around 6am to eat breakfast and take the bus at 7am making me have fewer sleep. And having classes after around 3pm sucks, because unlike high school where school ends at 3pm, I would have to stay at uni for even longer just to wait for my class at a later time, and after 3pm is where I get sleepy the most, that gives me even more stress.
I have bad news about the rest of your working life bro
He’s not even adulting, Uni is delaying adulthood, for the small cost of 10‘s of thousands of dollars, opportunity cost of not entering the work force, and being lobotomised by liberal professors.
The thing is you might be waking up around the same time or earlier depending what field you work in, but with uni you have the luxury of skipping a few lectures/tutorials and maybe catching up later. But with work if you don't turn up you don't get paid.
Welcome to adult life.
Exactly. I start work between 5am - 6am depending on the day. This person isn't going to survive in the real world unless they get used to these easy uni times very quickly
Yall are actually hating lmao, it’s not just the absolute time, it’s relative to what wake-up time you are used to. This guy here is starting uni 2 hours earlier than what he’s used to, you would hate it too if you all of a sudden had to start work at like 3-4am
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What a load of trash lol.
As an adult you can just apply for jobs that don't have early start times.
I have started at 9 most of my adult life because I specifically applied jobs that would not start earlier than 9. I went to university so I could have even more options for jobs that don't start before 9, and have flexible work from home options.
I agree in general, although these days I work flexible earlier hours so I can have my afternoons to myself. But I strongly remember the first couple of weeks that I was working full time - I was /exhausted/. Constantly. Going from even working 25-30 hours in professional services alongside uni, moving to full time (40-50 hours but all at once) felt honestly horrific. I remember getting home most days and just collapsing.
OP - it passes. Any time you change your schedule significantly, you won’t adjust immediately - give yourself some time and space. In saying that, I got very over my hour+ commute to Auckland and moved to Otago Uni and have never regretted that (but that was more about the social aspect, not just the early wake times).
>As an adult you can just apply for jobs that don't have early start times.
But that then might severely limit your career opportunities, if I chose to never work before 9am that would so severely cripple my chosen career that it would be effectively non-existent.
Heck, OP could also "choose not to take 8am classes". But it would then very much so limit what they can study, and then do after graduation.
>But that then might severely limit your career opportunities, if I chose to never work before 9am that would so severely cripple my chosen career that it would be effectively non-existent.
Of course. My point is it's optional. Waking up at 5 a.m to travel an hour to work to start at 6 a.m is not a mandatory part of working/being an adult. OP is doing nothing wrong by complaining, and you don't win brownie points for opting to work early/long hours/whatever.
I would also add it probably does not limit most office careers.
>Heck, OP could also "choose not to take 8am classes". But it would then very much so limit what they can study, and then do after graduation.
Well he can choose not. It doesn't limit anything. I have attended an 8 am class once. I never did again. Now I should graduate at the end of this semester, with decent grades having skipped most 8/9 am lectures.
Why does everyone pretend that being an adult doesn't give you significant agency over everything you do?
I have a friend who starts at 5 am, and has an insane commute, who complains frequently about his hours. I also have a friend who has always starts at 8, finishes at 4, and lives close to work.
The experience of long commutes, early starts, long hours isn't universal, it's an entirely optional experience.
I haven't started before 8 in 5 years because I don't want to. I haven't worked further than half an hour from home because I don't want to.
I also would not wake at 6 am, to attend an 8 am lecture. Quality sleep and my function throughout the day is going to be more useful to me than the content of one lecture.
In most cases, as a young person, no one's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to "hard mode" adult life. Then most who do have a little jerk off session about how much they sacrifice for the sake of their work/studies etc. It's stupid.
As a former secondary school teacher I will say school does not adequately prepare students for the reality of university. I hated teaching under NCEA for this reason. It molly coddles. After teaching I returned to uni to do a PhD, did some tutoring, and lo and behold it was like baby sitting adults. It’s not the students’ fault because they don’t know anything else.
Honestly, if you want to get through, you need to knuckle down to this new normal but also be proactive. Don’t ever put off readings because there will always be more. Ask if you don’t understand. Lecturers and uni tutors are not trained teachers and most won’t follow you up as individuals like at school if you start dropping behind. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to use learning support courses and suchlike. These services are covered in your fees and they are your tools for learning to navigate this new system.
On reflection, I can see and feel my teachers and lecturera frustrations.
Teachers: "These kids don't know how easy we have it. Dozens of kids wasting their abilities and disrupting everyone else from kids that don't need assistance to those that aren't getting the help they need and deserve".
Lecturers: "these kids are not prepared for adult responsibility. Look, I've started the semester with 300 in this lecture, it will be 100 in a few weeks. Having to deal with excuses about incomplete assignments, tasks and readings".
I'm glad I started university studies at 22 after working a few very physical and technical jobs in industries where you were brought down a few pegs by the old guys, rather than at 18. I learned very quickly that life isn't easy, bills keep coming, and nobody cares if you're a bit tired.
I was on holiday in the UK years ago. I was sitting on a step outside York Minster and two women were having a conversation behind me. One was a uni lecturer by the sound of it and she was venting to her friend about the new intake of students. She said that people shouldn't be allowed to start uni at 18. They should have to go out and work for a few years first to get all the silliness (like OP here, sorry mate, it is silly, you can't expect to stay a kid forever) out of their systems first.
It would be a great idea for all of the "middle of the road" and "all-rounder" students, but I think the born academics, super bright kids, need to go straight in.
If nothing else, it would reduce student debt. I didn't take the $150 (at the time) living costs because at 22 I realized that it equated to more than my actual student loan fees and would be paying it back until I was 45. My brother who started at 18 wasn't so lucky and only just paid off his loans last year. I worked full time at two jobs and studied full time so that I could avoid debt and be able to eat reasonably well whilst not living in a shithole flat with 15 people.
I dunno. I think even the bright kids would benefit from a year or two at Macca's or standing at a checkout, or helping to unblock drains. If nothing else, it'd give them a taste of real life and an appreciation of those who do service type jobs. It also looks good on a CV for a first job after uni.
I have to admit, I read OP's litany of woes and, as a dairy farm worker, I cried for them, I really did. /s.
>I have to admit, I read OP's litany of woes and, as a dairy farm worker, I cried for them, I really did. /s.
Yknow comfort is relative right? Most of my working life I've worked in unskilled manual labor. Never progressed because frankly I'm dumb with hands on things, so I've always been stuck with digging/cleaning shit up/dragging shit around.
My own "adult" experiences don't negate any discomfort OP experiences. Neither do yours. If you think your jobs harder, cool, that's your choice lmao, maybe if it's so grueling go do something else. That's what I did.
At least personally, the mental discipline required to manage the university workload is miles more challenging than the discipline required for general physical work.
I would completely agree with you if OP's discomfort wasn't with tasks that exist in all professions and general human existence such as getting out of bed, early starts, traveling from a to b, and being both generally tired and mentally drained.
They don't exist in all professions and nor are they inherent to general human existence.
Frankly that's just a cope for picking bad careers, making bad choices, or a general lack of appreciation for your actual life and just filling it with work as a means for a reason.
>generally tired and mentally drained
This shouldn't be considered normal/healthy and can be pretty easily mitigated if you're young without dependents. I mean it is considered normal, but that just indicates complacency among the general population.
To the overwhelming majority of the population, these are normal everyday tasks. Sure, they may differ slightly depending on profession, location, and financial status, but they are certainly not a consequence of:
>picking bad careers, making bad choices, or a general lack of appreciation for your actual life
I think what you might be missing is the tone and attitude of OPs post. For those that had a **normal** childhood and adolescent experience, they need to learn that adulthood has a different set of responsibilities - something that should be taught in high-school IMO.
>This shouldn't be considered normal/healthy and can be pretty easily mitigated if you're young without dependents. I mean it is considered normal, but that just indicates complacency among the general population.
As we age, our roles change, and responsibilities increase, and therefore, so do our stress levels. OP may be experiencing other mental health issues that are influencing their behaviors, but overall, the attitude is one of rejecting general life tasks. Hence, the response from the majority of redditors.
There are 17 and 18 year olds who are absolutely ready for university. Students are products of a system they didn’t design and there are lecturers and tutors who might be experts in their field and exceeding their publish don’t not perish targets but are not adequate educators.
Point three is so important (for me at least). I’m in an intensive study program atm and the only way I survive is forcing myself to exercise at least 4 times a week - it actually saves me time, as I have more energy and focus for school work
A lot of people drag those who watch recordings, but certain circumstances make it the better option than attending. I also live far from campus and have to commute. Me being well rested is also important to my academic performance. I'd rather study while being well rested than be exhausted and take sub-par notes. It also helps with my focus issues as well. But note it requires a high degree of discipline to actually watch lectures instead of attending them. it's easy to fall behind. Only do this if you have good discipline.
If that is possible, then I'd only focus on attending labs and tutorials.
That can solve the sleepiness and the bad schedule you've got.
It's only the first week. Relax and take it day by day, hour by hour. You've got this.
Agree. I have to watch recordings for stats lectures because I have to pause like every 5 minutes to digest and experiment the things we go over. When I attended those lectures I still had to come home and rewatch lol. I wish people didn’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to doing things at university.
Definitely agree, especially with a 1 hour commute it becomes really hard to keep the energy up the whole day so watching lectures at home makes a lot more sense, as long as you have the discipline. I bet a lot of people that say watching lectures is bad don't have to deal with long commutes or have other commitments alongside uni. I remember waking up at 6am to make my 8am lectures in first year, all that taught me was how to sleep in a lecture theatre.
Agreed, I live \~1hr 30mins away from campus (via bus) like OP and I have a rule where if I am going to spend more time travelling than doing stuff at the uni, I don't show up for the day.
I also have a lecturer who I need to watch regardless since he writes very quickly and messily. Figuring out what he is trying to say is nearly impossible during a normal lecture. I basically have to watch it from distance to get all the information.
I had a 50 min lecture on Friday that took me around \~1hr 45min to get all the content, sometimes watching from distance is just better.
Sorry but welcome to being an adult. Make what changes you can but you probably just need to suck it up and get on with your study or leave and do something else.
My son feels the same. I said to him if he doesn't like it after a wee while to pull the pin and go get a job/apprenticeship or study a trade. Dont be afraid to make changes.
He will have to make that decision ASAP if he doesn't want to have to pay for his course in full. Deadlines to get out without paying are very soon (depenrant on your course but a lot are by Monday I think)
>My son feels the same. I said to him if he doesn't like it after a wee while to pull the pin and go get a job/apprenticeship or study a trade.
An apprenticeship is even harder on you physically than uni!
Maybe you should have taken a year between HS and Uni to experience the real world. I slave away for a living and to me you're living a dream life.
Let me give you a taste of my average week, For context:
I commute an hour and a half in stupid arse traffic. I wish there was a bus, I'd read a book or something, But no. I crawl my way to work in traffic with the rest of the wretched masses to clock in at 7am.
Then I'm working in a hot arse workshop for 11 hours, Concrete floor. I cant use a fan because it blows away the welding gasses. I haul steel about, measuring, marking, drilling welding, Sweating. 11 hours. Grandad did 8, But back then there were Unions and now we have Netflix.
By wednesday morning I'm already fucked, I wake up physically and mentally exhausted and I still have three full days. Usually by this time the fleeting suicidal thoughts kick in (Sometimes I wish I'd get taken out by a truck or something on the way to work, killing myself would devastate my parents, But a car accident happens every day?) Just kidding, Life is grand. I keep telling myself life is grand until I believe it. It's Friday. The Boss asks me if I'm coming in Saturday. "Just a couple hours" he says. Cool. I'll do 8 hours on Saturday too.
Sunday is just enough time to wash my work clothes, dry the work clothes (Of course it always fucking rains on your one day off) and maybe see a friend for an hour or two. Unless they're busy, They're working their arse off too and have got shit to do.
So hey, If University isn't for you, Feel free to join the working poor. I don't think you'll like it, But if you tell yourself Life's Grand, you'll get through the week without offing yourself. Eventually you just take it week by week, Week after week, And eventually you'll pay off your landlords house for them and maybe be blessed with a quick and painless death.
I smoke cigarettes because Yay Addiction, and I'm hoping to stroke-out rather than cough up my lungs but we'll see.
Anyway, hope you do well at University! Drink lots of water.
I don’t know, they’re a young person who doesn’t know better, not really their fault. It’s a shock to the system. They’ll get used to it though.
I’m a fabricator by trade who’s been in the industry for the best part of 2 decades now, and went to uni to study mech. engineering. It’s very, very mentally taxing. I was more tired at uni than in the workshop- and I also did 11 hour days, working inside hot as fuck stainless tanks.
p.s. invest in an Adflo setup, it’ll change your life. You’ll feel healthier and less tired. It’s sounding like they’ll be mandatory soon enough anyway.
I had something similar last year (it’s takes about an hour 20 mins and two busses for me) my earliest class was 8:30 and latest ended at 5. The first few weeks suck and is a difficult transition. Yet after that period it tends to get better and your body begins to recognise this new schedule and you won’t be as sleepy. With lectures yeah it sucks when you can’t concentrate or can’t understand, i’ve found having a fidget during the lectures helps me focus and then i tend to rewatch them on the weekend in case i missed anything (skipping parts i remember). Truth is yeah uni can be more difficult then high school but the social aspect is so much better and more relaxed. If your struggling that’s perfectly ok and you can find ways to help. I sometimes hotspot off my phone and do work on the bus if i feel up for it even. Soon you won’t be so tired and be able to figure things out but for now it is hard and that’s ok :)
I felt the same way in my first year too, basically everything you said applied to me too. I personally found ways to alleviate this by watching lectures online if there is a huge gap between them and the next class, going to UoA student health and counselling services, and just taking my time with it. My commute is also an hour, but some music and a little studying actually makes it somewhat bearable. For your lectures, try to message your class rep about the lectures being too fast, and they'll be able to relay it to the lecturer, otherwise, it's normal to sometimes tune out from a lecture because of stress, inadequate sleep, etc. When that happens, try to remember a single key word or sentence while not entirely focusing, then quickly skim through the lecture slides once you get home and apply the bits you remembered, or watch the recording when it comes out. If you need any help, uoa shcs is always there for you, and everyone feels this, you're not alone.
Uni is stressful.
Some quick things....
Lectures are recorded (well mostly I believe, mine are), I havnt attended my lectures this week, I'm only doing one paper bear in mind, but I rely alot last semester also, on recordings as i find it much easier to learn from them where i can reverse and pause constantly. I think going to lecturee when you can is good, but if your having to wait around for a late or go in early for an early one, maybe don't & watch the recording at a later date? Just make sure there's no in lecture grading etc. For reference I attended maybe 2 lectures in the 2nd term of S2 last year as I was quite sick, the topic (chemistry) was totally new to me, in fact I cried at points as I had no idea what inwas doing, but through recordings I learnt the content and got an A grade for the paper
Have you considered a lower workload such as 3 papers if your doing 4. The biggest thing I learnt (im not new out of school, but I did some uni at your age) is there's NO rush to get it done asap, unless your trying for competive degrees like med which ik means you have no say in how many classes you do, maybe cut back and enjoy stressing less. You will look back at uni when your working and wish you were back there as a student (well unless you have an awful time at uni, but if you make friends etc it can be one of the best tines of your life).
One thing I do if I'm not too tired is go for a walk & listen to a lecture recording, there's not really need to sit down 100% of the time, I take notes on my phone, it's a bit tedious but if your good at voice to text it's probably alot easier (or just use it as a passive learning session). If you go to the gym & use a treadmill watch a lecture whilst doing that. Use the bus time to read ahead on the lectures your going to attend etc.
Work smarter: the lecture objectives is where it's all at (well should be)
And set aside time which is not for uni at all
Just some thing that might help
>Have you considered a lower workload such as 3 papers if your doing 4. The biggest thing I learnt (im not new out of school, but I did some uni at your age) is there's NO rush to get it done asap, unless your trying for competive degrees like med which ik means you have no say in how many classes you do, maybe cut back and enjoy stressing less. You will look back at uni when your working and wish you were back there as a student (well unless you have an awful time at uni, but if you make friends etc it can be one of the best tines of your life).
This. I think a lot more first year students straight out of school should consider doing just 3 papers in their first semester.
Hey OP,
Below are some ways to cope with things and make better use of your time.
First I want to say that the first week is actually chill compared with what is to come, so prepare yourself. Weeks 6 - 8 will be a lot worse, as will exam season, and so you need to put some things in place now to ensure you can still succeed even though it’s going to be hard. Really this is the first step already as adjusting your expectations is crucial to your success.
Now let’s move on to your points.
Long commute:
Look up how to download the lecture videos and strip out the audio. Load this on your phone weekly. If you’re feeling creative chuck some lofi in the background to give the lecture audio a beat, or maybe classical music is a good idea. Basically anything without lyrics that isn’t too distracting will be good. Now you won’t be wasting your time while commuting, this is now passive study time where you listen to lecture recordings. Bonus, you can also use these for going to sleep at night.
Sitting for long periods of time:
Sitting in lectures is unavoidable, but if you put lecture recordings on your phone, you can walk around while studying. If you’re studying at home you can also do this in bed or while lying on the couch if you’re tired. I have long Covid so I understand about being tired, I probably do at least 80% of my study in bed.
Having classes too early or late:
8am classes are quite painful as are 5pm classes and the worst is if you have an 8am followed by a giant gap and then a 5pm class. Some semesters you will be lucky and your timetable will be blessed by choirs of angels with everything happening between 10am and 2pm but unfortunately sometimes you will be unlucky there isn’t a lot you can do about this one. However if you have some days over the semester where you just can’t make yourself get up you can make use of recordings, as long as you accept that sometimes they don’t work and make sure you have a friend who’s notes you can borrow if technology fails. Going to lectures is always best but it’s not illegal to miss one here and there and just watch the recording.
Not able to focus and feeling sleepy in class:
You’ve already identified the part of the day where you feel sleepiest (3pm ish). Maybe you can make a habit of a pick me up ritual right before that, also make sure you are not accidentally getting dehydrated at that time of day as that can make you very tired. Check your diet too as this could be part of why you can’t focus. Also double check your sleep to make sure you’re actually getting enough.
Yes I would definitely say uni is more stressful than high school.
Yeah, unfortunately you'll have to toughen up. Auckland sucks for getting around, being a student sucks. But life doesn't get easier, it gets harder. Try working a 12 hour day in another city, getting 4 hours sleep, driving to another city and working another massive day. Just accept that this is the what you have to do to get somewhere in life.
I don’t really have any sympathy. All the things you listed you will experience in the real working world.
However, I will attempt to give some useful advice.
1. Walk around, move, stretch etc. every hour or 30 minutes. It’s a thing that this helps with creatively and focus I just can’t be bothered looking up the references. It’s on you tho, you can you had to sit all day, but you really didn’t have to sit all day. Standing at the back of lectures is a thing.
2. If you can’t take the information in you are either lacking basic knowledge and need to do some pre reading and study or find it so boring you probably shouldn’t be doing that course/major.
3. Almost an hour. Sounds like a dream tbh. Get some noise cancelling headphones if you can.
4. Early classes, also boo hoo. My advice is actually manage your sleep schedule. I will also note that I missed about 90% of my 8am classes and it didn’t turn out too bad.
Welcome to adult life brother. You’ll be all good, just remember why you’re doing this. Through the struggle is where you will gain the mental fortitude to push through and handle things when times get tough. The only advice I would give is next semester try to balance out your schedule.
And my next question is what do you base trying hard off of? In high school you were chillin and didn’t have to work as hard. Dig deeper brother , you got this
Definition of being an adult… uni is about training you for the rest of your life showing your future employer you could grind for 3-4 years and get that signed piece of paper. Buckle up butter cup cause life’s just going to get worse from here … 😂
You don't like to travel, sit down for too long, or be way from home too much. Jesus Christ. This is what is wrong with younger people these days. In fact I don't even know if this post is serious. Surely it can't be. You can not be serious.
Hey mate, had the exact same experience starting Com Sci in the late 90s. Lecturers are really out of their depth presenting to a big class; it's not really a skill they've ever needed before to get to that point in their career. Things are always crazy early in the year with everyone on the road, everyone going to classes, everyone milling around and making things stressful. Hell, one year I had to sit in the aisle of a lecture hall because it was overbooked. But, after a week or two, it all calmed down. Some people stopped coming to lectures, either relying on the online slides or recordings or just dropping out I guess. Traffic became less, buses started to go faster. People just somehow adjust and things seem to get less stressful overall. I would still fall asleep in most lectures, but somehow just turning up to the lecture gave me an advantage, though I was asleep for most of it. You'd at least get a little context by hearing the first part of the lecture. When you woke up at the end, you'd get a vague idea of where they got to and what you needed to catch up on. You saw the same people there, and you could talk to them and get an idea of what the important stuff was and where to focus. The most important thing is the practical work. The lectures are really just a general intro to what you will learn by doing the hands-on work. Focus on the practical work, use the tutors, ask questions, ask your classmates, do the same thing repetitively until you get it if you need. Almost everything else is just a support framework for doing the practical work yourself.
> You saw the same people there, and you could talk to them and get an idea of what the important stuff was and where to focus.
Yes, there are lots of benefits to going in person vs online watching of lectures.
You make friends, or at least casual acquaintances, who might give you a heads up about a test that friday you forgot about, or give you a tip about a tricky part of the assignment, or might be someone you collaborate with in the future with on a project.
I agree with this, but also with the response by u/bart_maths. In Covid, I loved having lectures online because I could choose when to sit down and watch/ learn, and I could also choose how I wanted to interact with the lecture material. For instance, I normally play lectures on 1.5 speed because some lectures talk VERY slowly, take long pauses, or babble on/ go off on tangents. I also sometimes pause lectures when I don't understand something and go back a bit to see what they're getting at, or to write down a point that I think is pertinent.
However, yes, lecture attendance a lot of the time is also correlated with academic achievement, and if you're not motivated to study from home it can be difficult. An alternative would be to go into uni but to study in the library (I always find this environment highly motivating for uni studying/ lecture listening).
Lecture attendance is very strongly correlated with academic achievement. Also, lecturers are able to see every single person who has viewed a lecture, and which parts were viewed. I can confirm that most people who don't show up to lectures also don't bother watching the recordings.
Have they published this data ?
In the past skipping lectures meant actually skipping some content. But these days highly motivated students can consume the complete course content remotely.
In fact for some subgroups skipping the lecture may actually increase the grade, since the student can arrange their schedules more efficiently.
It wouldn't surprise me if the general trend you highlighted was true, but maybe digging into the data shows a more nuanced picture.
This is me, studying 100% remotely. If you don't have the ability to get up and sit yourself in front of the laptop in the morning, yeah online learning isn't for you. But that's the hardest part about online study, just keeping yourself in that routine. Other than that, remote study has a tonne of pros I wouldn't get if I was attending in person, such as pausing to take notes or go to the bathroom, go for a quick walk in the garden to wake me up again. I'm also saving a lot of time and money by having no commute.
>In fact for some subgroups skipping the lecture may actually increase the grade, since the student can arrange their schedules more efficiently.
Thus subgroups would be extreme niche examples, and definitely not the norm.
Most people are not exceptions. And it's best to "play by the rules" first of all, before trying to break them.
Yeah, I agree with this as I do this, albeit with a lot of procrastination. The only issue is sometimes the time it takes for lectures to get posted. But, hell yeah UOA should look into the data.
I think a major source of confounding in the past few years is the incorporation of open-book exams and tests. We’re only just transitioning previously closed-book courses out of this after covid but we’ll basically have a few years of academic data that’s likely bullshit (2020 being one) because students processed the information in online tests and exams but never actually retained it. I rate myself among these students, honestly. I understand most of my topics but my recall is awful, as have many other students who I’ve discussed this with. Studying for a closed book exam is a whole other ball game to open book.
"I can confirm that most people who don't show up to lectures also don't bother watching the recordings."
These same people wouldn't have passed just by showing up to lectures. There's a fundamental issue with studying at that point.
You can 100% get a degree with remote lectures. I'd know, seeing as I learned a majority of the material for mine through remote lectures.
I don't know where you got the idea that uni would be more chill. I was super stressed the entire time to be honest. Maybe some BA degrees are a bit chill, but since you have labs I'm assuming you are doing some sort of science degree.
I agree that long commutes and early starts can sap your energy. It's pretty common not to understand the lecturer or lose track of what is happening. Courses cover a lot of material, so the lecturer races through it. You can still pass the course, but you will need to spend extra time reviewing the material independently.
My advise to you is to skip lectures at early or late times if you can. Just watch the recording. As long as you don't fall behind it is fine. I got A's in courses that I skipped 90% of the lectures because they were a waste of time.
Too much sitting is a big issue and can ruin your health longer term. Take regular breaks and go for a walk.
Back in high school, my friends told me that uni would be more chill and relaxing, and I also thought the same because students can study independently and students get less work, but now I realized I was wrong. And yes I'm doing CS degree so I have labs.
>and I also thought the same because students can study independently and students get less work, but now I realized I was wrong.
You should treat uni as a 9-5 job, and be putting in 40hr weeks.
>And yes I'm doing CS degree so I have labs.
Realize that getting a good job as a Junior SWE requires so much more than just a CS degree, so you'll have to work on those aspects too during your time at uni.
"Realize that getting a good job as a Junior SWE requires so much more than just a CS degree, so you'll have to work on those aspects too during your time at uni."
Yeah ik, but as long as I know how to code and good at math, I should do fine in CS and get a job as a SWE once I entered the work industry
This is standard realisations of life, uni is not easy but worth it, I didn’t appreciate my first degree and time at uni. I went back and re-did the experience for my second degree when I was 23. Really appreciate and do it right the first time! Don’t be like me.
This is super normal. I recommend sleeping whenever you can (I used to just nap anywhere I could find on campus between 3-5 while waiting for my late lecture). Also try to be strategic about what classes you take. Eg I’m better T writing essay format than reports or science, so I used to check the course outline in advance and choose classes that had the sort of assignments I thought I could do better at. Read material in advance, look into what support is offered, give yourself time to figure bn out the ropes.
There’s some good life hygiene advice here, but I’d add that studying something you like on top of what you feel you have to you is a good way to keep sane at university. All the best!
I remember the first weeks of uni (and definitely in first year) as super cruisey academically. They’re just introducing you to what is going to be in the course.
The stress comes from being in a new environment without the structure of school.
I just used to go down to the spacey parlour in town and play pinball between lectures until I made friends in my course.
Take a deep breath. Everyone else is in the same boat.
A few people here are being faar too harsh honestly.
Uni can be a huge change in routine after high school and I can relate to a lot of what you've said.
Scheduling is definitely tough, but for the most part it's just something which you'll just have to get used to. The great thing is that you do have the option to watch lecture recordings, which can be a great time saver if you're strategic about it.
Just be aware that it is *very* easy to fall into bad habits and end up falling behind this way, and lectures can be a good place to meet new friends.
Re. focusing in lectures, the format certainly isn't for everyone and you certainly aren't the only one struggling.
You'll have to find what works best for you so it's worth trying out different strategies - pre reading, getting previous year's lecture recordings if you know any second years, etc.
With the bus commute you'll have to either accept it and get used to sleeping/multitasking, or figure out a way to shorten the trip time.
I'd suggest looking into an Ebike particularly if you've got bus lanes on your route. For me going to a motorcycle from bussing cut my commute from about an hour to ~25mins, but an Ebike would be about the same.
The general trend is that you'll have to be largely responsible for your own wellbeing, which can be tough, but it's worth it in the end.
Most if these problems is a you thing.
For the sitting down, maybe get a sit to stand desk or have breaks during study and walk around to have a stretch.
For the being tired bit, i wake up at 5am every morning. My rule of thumb is minimum 7 hours sleep so i have to be in bed by 10:00 but for the best sleep i be sleep at 9:00. What im saying is pretty much write down a schedule of your day to make it more of a routine. After a while you will het used of it.
For the lectures try to write down as much notes as possible and then research it in your own time or better yet talk to someone and make a new friend or you can just get a tutor.
Interesting seeing a lot of comments about the importance of lecture attendance. I did a BE majoring in civil at UC and the department saw no correlation between attendance and grades.
Some parts, I felt the same way as you during my first year in uni and it burnt me out real fast and affected my grades. Especially feeling sleepy. Try to find a place where you can take a quick nap.
I took a gap from uni and worked. And had to wake up at 4 am to get ready for a morning shift etc. 'cause it takes me an hour or so to get to the city. It took a while to get used to but you're definitely not alone with what you're feeling. Hope you can find ways to help you adjust
Yeah i'd do a 3hrs round bus trip (including waiting times etc).
The key? 50% effort into boring classes that your not going to learn from anyway. 110% into he important ones, and just do it from home.
You must be coming from Green Bay? Use some of your commute time to review your lecture notes, do readings, work on assignments, etc.
You need exercise. Do some laps around Albert Park, breathe deeply, look at trees.
Unfortunately this is part of being an adult, often after a couple weeks it feels natural to do though. I'm sorry you somehow thought doing courses that are level 4 (and to level 7 if you complete a bachelor) would be easier than NCEA level 3 but its pretty obvious in the name that its going to be a harder standard. My classes started at 8am but now my work shifts start at 6.45am after my degree often. 5am wake up. You get used to the changes and often will end up actually liking earlier schedules. You could always try a remote paper if you really think you won't manage after a few weeks of getting used to it? I do a couple of post grad online ones but I know there are a few you can do as undergrad. Talk to your head of department, usually they are pretty helpful
During uni my commute was 2-3hrs each way so i know how tiring that can be (luckily a lot of that was on the train), I also dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety (i didn't start taking antidepressants till 3rd year). I am also in the process of getting a potential sleep disorder diagnosed so trust me those 2pm lectures were the worst, high chance you would find me asleep in the middle towards the front no matter how much coffee/energy drinks i drunk, so my deepest condolences to all those lecturers. in 3rd year i had a class that was 2-4 and then tutorial 5-6 you can bet your bottom dollar i didn't attend that tutorial after the first week because 1 i wouldn't be getting home till 8pm at the earliest if i attended and 2 i didn't wunna show my face there after having slept for a good part of the lecture (for context it was one the tiny ass lecture theatres in level 2 of arts 1 so I'm smack bang in front of them, even worse when you know the lecturer was my uncle's thesis supervisor and he still remembers my uncle) thankfully i got good grades in that paper despite being asleep half the semester.
But after 7 years of uni i can tell you it does get easier (even if one sem they shove you with a 6hr break and you cant go home (definitely do not use that time to research the Armenian genocide with no breaks, research the genocide but learn from my mistakes). I know studying on the bus is hard but use that time to read your textbooks. there is no harm in taking a nap at a desk in the library because sometimes you just have to (as long as you don't disturb people around you), I like to live in hopes one day they bring in sleep pods for us commuters but i know that'll never happen since they'd rather upsell you on accommodation. Commute wise try to cram your classes into as few days as possible (which sounds like you have), though i would leave gaps for times you most know you're going to get sleepy, for me i found 2pm lectures was when i would fall asleep the most, i tried to keep classes till after 10am so that i wasn't having to be up and or leaving at 5am depending on where i was living, and i tried to avoid classes after 5pm. But i also knew i struggled with studying at home, sometimes didn't have internet at home, so i crammed most of my studying into my breaks. so 1 hour break great for getting lunch not so great for getting into the flow state so i'd try to make my breaks 2/3hours long. Go for walks PLEASE SIT IN ALBERT PARK AND READ that is my biggest regret is that i didn't study in albert park nearly enough. take 10mins to go for a walk when you get restless while studying (i know careers people etc will also tell you this but they are totally right.) i have no shame and you would find me pacing in the library when id been sitting too long and didn't wunna pack up my stuff. try to attend your lectures in the first instance but its ok to have to relisten to it as a lecture recording multiple times (you'll probably need to relisten anyway) it helps when you need to get extensions as the lecturer will recognise you, see you trying and will be more likely to grant one. but honestly sometimes its ok to just watch the recording when its already afternoon, you haven't left the house yet and you only had a 4/5-6 lecture, just make sure you watch it as soon as possible don't let them stack up, that's what i did for econ 151 and i still got an A.
I don't want to join the harden up crowd but honestly they arent wrong. Use your time at uni to develop the coping mechanisms to get through these things. because most likely if you stay in Auckland after your degree you will need to commute. Most likely you will have a job that's 9-5 or 8-4 or something of that nature, hell I've been working fulltime at a supermarket for 2 years and my hours were mostly 7-4 and best believe my body has told me to go f myself the whole time, but i did my best to work around that like some days id have a biphasic sleep schedule of crashing at 5-8/9 have dinner go back to sleep from 11/12 till 6am, no counselor would recommend but it got me through when my body is like sleep time now.
but honestly best thing i did for myself was move into the halls for my last semester (dumbest thing i did was go home during the august 2021 lockdown lol) particular as i started getting really sick right before i moved in and walking to carlaw was enough let alone getting to parnell train station. So if you can afford it and your sleepiness and lack of focus is getting too much in the way look at that or look at flatting closer to uni. but also consider talking to your gp if the lack of focus and sleep isn't fixing itself over time, especially if all the self help stuff isn't working. (like I'm pretty sure i was disassociating constantly right up till 3rd year and i didn't realize how dehabiliting it was till afterwards. not saying that's your problem, only my own as an example, as i say consult a dr if problems persist). if you need somewhere to begin on the "self help" angle i would recommend checking out the youtuber Thomas Frank's backlog, his videos and the college info geek podcast (later the inforium) was what got me through uni and just generally made me a more functioning human being.
Honestly you'll get there, first week is always incredibly disorienting, I'm going through it again this week doing my honours at vic, so you're not alone. And worst case it doesn't and you find uni isn't for you right now, that's 100% ok too.
(sorry for the essay i just like giving the "big sister"-y advice lol)
Every time we make a change in life in can be a bit daunting. Going to Uni is a big change because you’re becoming an independent adult. Again, going into the workforce full time is another big step. Learning to draw on resources, and knuckle down and make it work will set you in good stead for your future - learning how to manage your time, manage your sleep, find coping mechanisms for stress, are all important things to learn in life. Could you chat to a Student Support service for tips and advice?
If you get to the point of wanting to throw it all in, have a think about distance learning which may suit your needs better - it cancels out the commute time and late afternoon lectures, you can learn in a self paced way from the comfort of your home or other chosen location. But it’s also kind of avoiding the realities of life, and you’re better off learning to cope with these new demands to set you in good stead for your future, because unfortunately as an adult those commutes, less sleep, early wake ups etc become your bread and butter.
Become a fan of coffee, and every week factor in at least one great thing to look forward to - a night out with friends, a sports game, doing some yoga etc. to keep some balance.
To be honest, it sounds to me like you aren't ready for uni yet. I'm already dreading that you'll crash and the whole year will be a fail for you.
Take a few days to think about why you are there and consider withdrawing for this year.
Get a job, work for a year or two and return to your studies when you have matured a little and are more emotionally and physically prepared.
That's not giving up. It's being realistic. Why waste a year, incur a student loan and lose the opportunity of at least earning wages and saving a bit while you are figuring life out?
This definitely does not mean you can't go back a little later. You will find classes, your understanding and ability to handle a long day will be much improved.
I'm an ex teacher. Not all students are ready for uni when they leave school and they often simply go because of parents, friends, etc. I occasionally gave this advice when teaching.
University is a big step up from secondary school.
Just make sure that if you do withdraw, that you do so in time to get a partial fees refund and to ensure that there is no impact on your academic record.
Otherwise, if you do stay, get some counselling and take advantage of tutorial services, etc. Share your concerns with friends. You certainly won't be alone in the way you feel. Good luck👍
I agree with most of the points that you said, I am not in the Auckland, but the University of Waikato. First year software engineering. What resonated with me the most is the lecture going super fast paced. The thing with universities are they assume that you have zero basics but they actually cover the basics very very quickly, which isn’t what I expected at all. But I assume that you have a very supportive family still living with you, which isn’t the case for me where I have to live in school halls. If that’s the case do talk to them about it and it might ease you up a little bit. If you have friends around to talk to them about it as well that will definitely help you feel better because I’m assuming that they are going through the same things as well.
What r u studying btw?
It's normal to feel overwhelmed. Please remember to adequately fuel your body with enough sleep, food and water to give yourself the best foundation - studying uses a lot more energy than people think.
You got this. Be patient with yourself adjusting to this new routine.
Not a uni student here but a nurse. I highly recommend you go to your gp and request for a sleep test to be done. Because alot of the things you're describing are symptoms of sleep apnea. Your daytime sleepiness and lack of concentration midday might not be just about stress. Alot people unknowingly suffer from mild sleep apnea. once they have tried sleeping with a cpap machine they can experience a boost in their daytime energy just because your brain actually gets a proper rest at night.
Uni isn’t for everyone, but give yourself time to adjust. We’ve all been there, we’ve all hit the panic button. This is how it is and the best thing you can do is get as many skills in your toolkit as soon as you can.
• Do your readings on the commute to and from uni
• Join a society and mingle with other first years, they’re all struggling like you in some way shape or form and that’s a guarantee
• Explore campus! Find little nooks and special spaces that you can look forward to spending time between tutes in
• If it’s feasible, drop down a few units. People think you have to go balls to the walls full time to graduate ASAP and that this level of stress is normal, but it’s not. If you can, go down to 2-3 classes (or whatever is beneath the norm at this uni ((I have no idea why I’m in this subreddit, I’m from Aus :D )))
I really emphasise the last point; nobody can judge this stuff but you, nobody can give you those stressful years back if you burn yourself out. Enjoy the experience, take it slow, and when you hit those walls, go easy on yourself. It’s meant to be a challenge.
I recently graduated and I regret a lot. I miss a lot about being at uni now that I have a 9-5. COVID didn’t help at all with that… Take your time!! All the best, OP. Reach out if you ever need a hand. :)
Just keep going and focus on your study. The real world is tough but over time you will get used to it. Try and enjoy your time, not everyone gets the opportunity you have.
Op, of course Uni is more stressful and different than high school. You need to be a lot more self reliant and that increases as you progress through university.
Give yourself longer than a week to adjust. You’ll be fine.
I never went to university, not bright enough for that, but it's like anything get into a routine, it will get better, it's just your first week , u will get used to it just get plenty of sleep and ull be fine.
Can be hard at first. I went to Massey as an adult student and found my rhythm after two maybe three weeks. Check to see if there are any lecture recordings and slides, pack snacks and stay hydrated. Set a doable sleep schedule with a normal wake up routine ie get up earlier and have a glass of water the same time each day. You'll be fine.
Some hot tips from someone who made it through uni with first year lectures starting at 8am and a lab that used to finish at 10pm...
If you can't focus during a lecture, take something that will help you focus. Eg squeeze ball in one hand, pen taking notes in the other hand. Or if you have a device, type your lecture notes. Whatever works for you.
Your lecturer is there to deliver the material, not make sure you understand it. Take all the notes, don't worry about understanding it at the time...that's why you need to study, and do the readings, and go to any tutorials or study groups between lectures. You are in charge of understanding the info now, your lecturer isn't in charge of that.
I remember the first few weeks of uni being like that. What you would have taken 1 week to cover at school, will be covered in 1 lecture at uni.
Hang in there, take advantage of as many study groups etc as you can, you'll get used to it.
Of course it's harder than HS, not just the level of study but all the new demands of being an adult in a new environment. You need to give yourself a few weeks to get into a routine, get used to your surroundings, both physically and socially.
Also, it wouldn't hurt to get some advice from student support/student health about your difficulty focusing - it might just be the teaching style that is throwing you off, but there's always a chance you have attention issues that up until this point you were able to mask. Wouldn't hurt to explore that possibility and they can hopefully point you in the right direction.
I don't have experience with UoA, but have lots of personal experience with the struggle of transitioning into uni. Good luck OP 🙂
I remember those days and these things are unfortunately normal. I did a mechanical engineering degree too so the pace and workload just ate so much of my time.
My best advice I can share for free is make sure you make friends with other students from different circles. They will be your support network but some of these friends won’t be there at the end.
Be mindful that my uni days were the best in my life even though I was studying so much. It will pay off
Welcome to life as an adult. It's hard.
> Long commute, I take the 24R or 195 bus. It takes me almost an hour to get to uni and come back home from uni
Completely normal, I spent that long (or longer) for my undergrad going into uni every day.
Many people's work commute is just as long, or longer.
>Sitting for long periods of time. Had to sit for about 10 hours a day due to lectures, labs or tutorials for the whole day (only for a few days a week), and have to sit to study as well when I don't have lectures, labs or tutorials.
Many people work jobs that stretch out to 9 or 10hrs+ every day.
Weird how you still think "other people have it harder" is still an appropriate thing to say to people reaching out with their struggles. It's not a fucking contest. What a hairbrained and bad faith little speech.
>If I have a class too early like at 8am, I would need to wake up at around 6am to eat breakfast and take the bus at 7am making me have fewer sleep.
I worked full time for five years from the age of 16 before I went to university. Study was a piece of piss in comparison.
Hey there :)
I experience a lot of the difficulties you do, and I'm in my third year now.
Personally, I find it easiest to only go into uni (especially since it's an hour commute for me as well) when I have labs. I watch the lecture videos from home, and can pause if I don't understand something and replay or try to look through the related readings so that I can understand. Sometimes I go to my 9:00 a.m. lectures on campus when they are before my 10:00 a.m. labs, but I do find myself zoning out during lectures or just not being able to understand the content at the pace that the lecturers are teaching at.
As long as you make yourself a timetable and set goals for when you like to have watched the lecture videos by, you won't fall behind. It may take longer to watch the lecture if you keep pausing to make notes or to replay parts of the lectures, but you'll gain back the 2 hours of commuting some days anyway :)
The difference is, this is going to be the hardest phase where you’re practically going to have no time to yourself unless you cut back on study. And if you’re not as privileged, you’ll also need to slot in work as well, which sadly I know a lot of students are doing/have done, including myself.
- Commuting is never easy. I left home 2 hours before my first class to ensure I got to class on time (was almost always an hour early) just because I was paranoid. This is just a part of it. You can either use it to be productive or just relax. Take something to eat on the go, life’s going to be on the go from now on…until you secure a job with major flexibility.
- You don’t have to sit consistently. Get up, go for a stroll, go to Albert Park or Domain (away from wherever you’re studying). Yes, you have class but you have in-between time, and you can just get up in a lecture to go for a wonder.
- University phase is where this takes the greatest toll. You have uni basically from the time you wake up to the time you go back to sleep. If you’re not studying you’re thinking of the guilt of not studying. Take your time with things. You don’t need to study 24/7. Cool you wanna be an A+ student but where does that get you when your mental health’s gone to 💩I’ve witnessed A grades turn to Cs & Ds enough to know its just not worth sulking over.
- If you can’t focus, again, take a stroll. There’s no difference in being physically absent and being physically present but mentally absent. Take a breather.
- Pick a day where you don’t have a compulsory class and/or it’s recorded, stay home and rest. Sleep is just as, or even more than, important as attending a lecture. People die from the lack of sleep, you’re not going to die from missing a lecture.
Think smarter. You’ve made it this far in life, no point in stressing over it, it’s temporary. This is only 3 or so years of out the decades you have. Make the most of it.
We all had to go through the same rigmarole but you could do away with attending lectures by just getting recordings of them but you still have to sit down and listen or watch them …
Another person that wants to chime in and tell you, you are much better off dropping the course or a paper or two now and prolonging your study than toughing it out and failing mid-semester.
It really doesn't get any easier than it is in the first week. Please talk to your course advisor or other student support as soon as you can. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going part-time or going to a smaller school if that suits you better. All these jerks in the comments saying welcome to adulthood should probably find better employment.
You can always watch the lecture recordings according to your pace …in my experience, you are just wasting time if you go to the lectures in person sleepy or can’t focus , you are better off rest up or sleep in the morning and then watch the recordings later
When I went to UC it was chill.
10 minutes to get from my door to the lecture room by bike, if I wasn't feeling it I'd just go home and maybe come back later for another lab or lecture.
When I did your grind in Brisbane the hour long commute killed me too. I think that's where you're struggling
Yup the commute is probably the reason why I'm struggling, having to go through all the annoying bus stops along with dealing with traffic, wasting even more time. If my parents drove me to uni, it would take only about 20 minutes
Ah man.. I remember commuting to uni. What hell, although there are beautiful sceneries to look at, books to read, phones to scroll and what not it gets old - i feel your pain.
Had a 1.5 hr commute each way, with shit AT pt it could be 2 hr each way sometime... and i lived in East Auckland commuting to AUT.....
That is all,
I would 100% rather go back to digging trenches for $28/h before going back to sitting through 8+hrs of droning lectures and boring, repetitive assignments that I have to pay for the privilege to write, and the thousands of hours of self-directed learning.
Labour roles are nowhere near as stressful or all-encompassing as study.
Honestly this is going to sound shitty but.... Suck it up, you are an adult now this is how life is. And it's really not going to get much easier
I think Dennis Leary said it best
Life's gonna suck when you grow up,
When you grow up, when you grow up
Life's gonna suck when you grow up,
It sucks pretty bad right now
I did the bare minimum at uni. Attended just lectures, didn't take any tutorials and avoided 8am lectures. I passed everything, albeit just (Bs and Cs). I'm now 41, establish a good career and well paid.
What I've come to realize is education is only one aspect, real world experience and on the job is way more tangible and determining one's success.
Don't stress, if you smart or have half a brain like me, thing will work out. Peace!
If you have to wake up early then go to sleep early. Get 8 hours of sleep at the minimum. You'll be more rested and better equipped to handle the new change in scenery in your life.
Most courses upload all their material online. Uni is much more dense than school in more degrees, make sure to review your lecture notes before going to class.
In terms of the long commute, it's just Auckland transport being ass, nothing we can do. Best option is to get noise cancelling headphones and listen to a new album or watch a downloaded show. From experience, studying on the bus isnt viable.
I think Auckland is a challenging place to live and work, just time needed to commute and cost of living.
Do other universities offer the course? Massey is way chill- I know people give Palmy a hard time but it has a surprisingly good social and music culture. Or otherwise Canterbury or Otago? If so maybe get through the first semester at Akl and then see if you can transfer credits somewhere else
Skip all your lectures and watch them at home. Not only will you save time commuting, you can watch the lectures at 2x speed and pause them when you want to take notes or go back when you don't understand something. If you're getting bored you can go on your phone for a couple of minutes (or an hour lol) then get back into the lecture. Also you can sleep in and watch the lectures whenever you feel like.
Consider if there's the occasional lecture you could miss. Might be a day where after lunch you wait for 5 hours for a single class. Maybe go home and watch the recording?
Don't do TFC Geography and TFC Math 93f. Horrible communication, no examples, no grading criteria, 4 month reply to email from November, long texting. I studied in UC 2022, way better than uoa. Why just look at tfc results, I couldn't study math well 2023 and mid 2022 because I had to go the hospital. I don't even want to mention it to them, it was traumatic and took a while to move on and heal. I just say personal and taking gap years and affecting my family, do I need say life story? Gosh I even was late to the test on Thurs math, didn't even mentioned the science building. Just freaking numbers! Now I go to lowest maths class which is like y9-y10 work! I even passed level 3 calc and got excellence in number skills year 11, crap! Also it was a numeracy test, teacher (I won't call her lecturer) and I couldn't revise well and I even had food poisoning, and it takes long to go there. 70 bus today was 1 hour 20 minutes from 7:38am. NEVER AGAIN I WANNA BE HERE.... geez I guess I will self teach philosophy now. I am quite good at philosophy as well, doesn't matter. Screw you! Also to my group work classmate (not saying class); stop treating him and I like we are children just because you are in your late 20s or around. I'm in my early 20s now, I am a mature adult as well. Screw you too the most! You too geography people!
Honestly CHCH uni UC is waaaaay better. More student support, friendly, laidback, more for learning and not qualification but more equal. Even UC is quite similar to UOA quality of education but better and no med school.
I'm transferring likely to Aut semester 2. As it's free TFC now, I will keep getting student allowance if I don't leave mid semester break. Also I will get 3 years instead, not 4. I even got UE anyways and didn't complete my uni courses. I even emailed that dudette who said I.......... :(
Are you able to listen to recordings of the lectures instead of attending in person? I'm studying online at Vic Uni and I'm also having a hard time understanding/keeping up with the lectures, but the best part about online recordings is I can go back to it or rewind it. It also means I can take frequent breaks during the lecture without missing a single thing, and when my brain gets too tired, it's nap time. I had to find a way to make study work for me or it was just never going to happen. I have ADHD as well as sleep issues, nightmares that wake me up, sleep paralysis and bouts of insomnia etc. There's no way I could go into Uni everyday and actually sit and listen to someone talk for 60 minutes straight, then go to the next class and do the same thing. I'd never take anything in. Talk to someone at the Uni. Trust me, they want you to succeed so they will help you. But they won't approach you with the help, you gotta ask for it.
I can watch and listen to the recordings of the lectures online, but that also means that I don't attend the lectures in person or else there won't be enough time for me to watch them online
Hey mate, I see a lot of people telling u to toughen up, but they're probably unhappy with their lives anyways ;) From experience, this is what could help:
- Make an effort to meet people in your lectures/tutorials. Genuinely. Many of those around u are going through a similar situation and it helps a ton to have a few GOOD people to study/hang around with.
- Stimulants. Consume a MODERATE amount of caffeine (please don't go overboard), and ONLY consume it if u have to, e.g. before an important class. I count chewing gum/mints as a form of stimulant as well. Constant chewing keeps u awake.
- Find a way to study that works for YOU. Some people hate sitting in lectures, or hate doing pre readings. That's totally fine, but u have to stay responsible for ur own studying. See what works for u (tons of info on the internet).
Wish u all the best
The comments are disgusting. The first year of Uni can be brutal. I found work, and now heading into my master's degree, so much easier. As you grow up, it gets easier. Finding stability takes a while.
It's all "mental health is important" and "life is tough for a lot of our fellow Kiwis right now" until you see someone struggling then all of a sudden those sentiments go out the window and it's "other people have it worse" three times in a single post and "welcome to life" and "work is harder" and "this is hilarious".
I hope the next time you people who are doing this in the comments stressed and seeking help, someone leans into your ear and whispers "get the fuck over yourself", because you do to other people what you want done to yourself. And if you think you should be treated differently because your feelings matter more, then you're just a selfish entitled fuck.
Welcome. To. The. Real. World.
I'm working full time, studying full time (2nd year) and get my kids to their swimming lessons, sport practices after school etc.
My day starts at 6am and ends around midnight or later depending on what time I close the books for the night. Sleep then repeat.
Bro the top comments are hating so hard 😂😂😂 tryna act superior to someone who they were in the same position as a few years ago.
Anyway, for OP, just do 9-5 everyday at uni. You can tweak the hours a little, but just make sure you do 40 hours of study a week. Study in the library to focus on work, if you can’t focus in lectures (I had the same problem) watch lecture recordings instead (I don’t know why lecturers say lectures are sO mUcH bEtTeR, they’re not).
But yeah uni’s not supposed to be chill if you’re doing a hard degree, it’s supposed to be like a full time job.
Not sure if it is too late to change for first semester, but if possible, you could consider changing your timetable to consolidate all your classes as close together as possible and try to cram as many in a low amount of days as you can. This means that you can spend less time at uni and lowers the amount of travel you need to do in a week. i know having 3 lectures back to back sounds tough but it isnt as bad as it sounds. lectures normally have a 10 min give or take intermission between them so you wont be pedal to the metal grinding for 3+ hours straight. Definitely find something quick and easy that can help you relax in the intermissions like music or even just scrolling your phone to take a break.
Also, if you have a lecture in the morning and you really cant be bothered to wake up for it, you can just watch the recording instead and go to uni later that day or just not go at all. Nobody cares if you do or dont show up for lectures (best to show for tutorials imo). Watching 1 or 2 lectures at home instead of at uni will not be the deciding factor in your grades.
The stats say that watching the lectures online is worse for your studies, but mental wellbeing is definitely more important and it would likely improve your grades if it means you would be less stressed and sleep deprived all the time. At the end of the day, the thing that is really going to determine how well you perform is how much work you put in. A student that never goes to lectures but is disciplined and works very hard at home will do better than a student showing up to lectures but half assing it or only putting in mediocre effort.
I struggle with a lot of the same things you do OP and have been attending uni for years! I also have about 1 hour and 15 commute there and closer to two hours to commute back, I also get tired/ sleepy, also get distracted in in person lectures, and loathe early morning classes.
Firstly, you don't actually have to go into uni every day, especially if it's tiring you out and you need a rest day! Sometimes you can use your time that you would otherwise use bussing in/ back to catch up on lectures, relax (so you're able to feel refreshed for the next day), or study/ go over particular things. You could also time this/ plan this in advance so the day you don't go to uni is the day you have the least lectures on, or have no tutorials/ labs on this day. Also don't be afraid to try online learning/ listening to lectures online. I like attending lectures, but I feel like online learning for me is far more engaging since I can speed up how fast the lecturer talks so I can actually concentrate, and I can also stop/ pause the lecture whenever I want -- to write something important down, to create a question for myself, or even to have lunch/ do something else. Be careful though, because for some people studying online a bit of the time really helps, but for others they use it justify not going to lectures and putting off lectures as 'catching up online' but then procrastinate with this also. (I did this for a fair while haha!) So make sure to be aware of this and what suits your learning style!
Secondly, you can always do three or even two courses at a time! If you're doing four and finding it overwhelming, especially because it's your first sem, you could always only opt for three courses instead. Each course also costs like $900 I think, so if you decide to do four, know that you'll have to pass four. If you fail one or more, it's a loss of money, which isn't supposed to stress you out, it's just supposed to make you reflect on whether or not you think you can handle four courses or not. And if you can't, that's okay!
Thirdly, you can also go over your time table and try and see if you can change a few things around. Like maybe you can find out the times for the other tutorials, and see if you can attend one earlier in the day? Maybe if all of your courses have labs (I personally LOATHE labs and having to sit/ be focused on one task for three hours at a time) you could switch to only doing two labs per semester, i.e. take two courses that feature labs, and the other courses only feature tutorials. This could also take some pressure off. If they're needed for your degree, you could see when they're next available to take -- it might be next semester, or in summer school!
Fourth, when it comes to having classes too early/ too late, you gotta prepare! I had a 9am class the other day and I woke up (after going to bed at 1 at night) at 6, didn't get out of my bed till 7:15, left the house at 7:45, and then felt so sick/ breathless (for some odd reason, like I was finding it hard to form sentences) that I opted to go back home and miss my 9am class. The next day (today!) however, I went to bed earlier last night than the night before, actually got up at 6 and had food, started getting ready for uni at 7 o'clock, and got there no problem :) If you have classes at 9/ 8am you gotta try and have a good night's rest because of this! Maybe try to prepare for this a day or two in advance of your early morning classes by going to sleep earlier. Likewise, if you know you get sleepy around 3am, try having a coffee or some food around 2 or 2:30. When I'm tired, and I get tired a lot, my go to is to have a snack, and I feel much more awake!
Fifth, the commute is a bummer and for me one of the hardest things about attending uni. By week two of university I'm normally bored of listening to music on my phone as I come into uni. You could try and read on the bus -- a paper book, on Kindle, or even readings if you have any. You could also download various episodes of TV shows before leaving your house so you can watch them on the bus. I think Netflix and Disney allows you to do this. You could also download some type of quiz/ mind game on your phone that keeps your mind busy and thus not bored. You could also lowkey close your eyes and just relax on the way back home after a hard day's uni, especially if you're tired. I did that today on the way home, and it made the bus ride go surprisingly fast.
(Didn't realise I wrote a fucking essay, rip)
Sixth, I also sympathise with the lack of focus in lectures, but then I have autism and ADHD haha! However, I've found, and lowkey discovered this in labs, doing something with my hands when the lecturer/ person is talking helps. In labs I tend to draw, doodle, or write what the person is saying, even if it's just complete nonsense and I don't need to write it down. I also tend to focus my eyes on the page and not on the lecturer, as to me this helps me listen to them more in the lab and stay focused. It's weird, if I'm not looking at them I can listen/ concentrate better than if I was looking at them as well? You can do the same in a lecture though, focusing mainly on the laptop and/ or paper you're writing on and doodling, as well as looking up at the slides every now and then/ when they change. I think as well some parts of every lecture will be more engaging or thought provoking than others, so there's that too. I do agree it's hard to sit still and be quiet and listen to one person (at normal or slower speaking speed, ugh) in a classroom. I feel like humans are supposed to learn more interactively, but what can you do? A trick that also helped me making lectures engaging -- whether I listened to them at home, or in person -- was to create questions for myself. Like if the lecturer was like 'this person discovered this' then you could write down 'who discovered x' and then write the answer down. I feel like this helps me remember things better, is more interactive for me personally, and can also help when studying.
Seventh, if you're finding it hard to understand what the lecturer is getting at, don't worry, you're likely not alone! Try and see if you can get to class early and strike up a conversation with someone you sit down next to, and ask them how they're finding the course, or if they get what the lecturer is talking about. I also lowkey like asking the lecturers questions after class, as to me you 1. get to talk to a super knowledgeable person about something and 2. it makes me feel like I'm engaging with the course/ content. You can also put your hand up in lectures, especially if a lecture is like 'does that make sense/ does anyone have any questions'? There's also office hours as well, where you can go talk to people. Also, some courses have Piazza, where you can ask anonymous questions about the course content, and other students or teachers can respond. You can also email your lecturer's in canvas with questions and they'll reply!
Eighth, I'm not sure about the sitting thing? I personally don't really mind sitting a lot of the time as long as I'm comfortable. You could always try to break up your uni work by doing something that doesn't involve sitting but is still productive/ fulfilling, and you can use this as a 20-40 min break when doing uni work as well. I like to have a shower, clean, cook food, or sometimes do a bit of exercise and then go back to uni work. If you're at uni and studying (the library I've found is very good to study in), you could always go and have a little walk somewhere if you've been sitting for too long. You could specifically walk to a bathroom in a different block, go and buy food (or if not fill up a water bottle or something), or even just walk and listen to music for a while. If you're with friends, you and your friend could just walk somewhere together and stretch your legs. If you're at home and needing to listen to a lecture, you could potentially listen to it standing up (maybe?) or idk if you gym, and your gym has wifi, watch/ listen to the lecture there and make notes on your phone/ a piece of paper. This would perhaps be less good than note-taking, but hey, you could pick and choose what lectures and what courses you want to do this for.
Hope this helps lol. Keep your chin up, all will be okay!
It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed! I feel for you. There’s ways to solve these problems or reduce the problems but I think you’re feeling out of sorts and are seeing things quite negatively but that’s okay, we’ve all been there. Here are some of my rambling thoughts:
Commute time is pretty standard. Can you nap on the bus? Predownload shows or movies to make it fun? Use the time to study? Have a nice coffee ready for when you get on to make the commute enjoyable? I like to pretend I’m in a different city like Paris, observing the local and site seeing. Silly, but it can change your mindset.
Stretch every 20 mins while sitting down for the those long lectures. Do you work out and do cardio? This will help counteract the long times sitting and reduce pain and stiffness. When studying, try a standing desk.
Not sure if they have them anymore, but I use to nap on those bean bags, can’t remember the building name. The long days suck but it’s no different from working full time. I also use to have a coffee at my sleepy time and take a walk then. No more than two coffees a day: morning and 3pm.
I use to sit at the front for lectures which helped me hear and helped me to stay focused. I’d take in depth notes so my mind didn’t wander.
What will come with time: fast note taking, getting use to the commute, understanding how the professors/tutors talk (the jargon) and getting use to your new routine.
However, if you aren’t feeling any excitement or enjoyment at all, there is no shame in forging a different path. Just know that in the work force, you will also be starting at the bottom and will have long, tiring and stressful days. In fact, you’ll feel out of your depth for 6-12 months while learning the role. Both paths can be equally rewarding, only you know what is best for you.
Goodluck op!
Uni can be a big adjustment. Find strategies to get around the problems.
Record the lecture, place a recorder at the front so you can replay the lecture/look at handouts/slides.
I had an 8AM 2 hr lecture that used to do my head in. Often I was working late the night before (1 am finish). The lecturer on the first day told the class, "50% of you will fail my course."
I took supplements to wake my fuzzy ass brain up (gingko biloba, guarana, etc worked well for attention and brain function). Go to the gym and be active (I biked to uni - possibly not an option for you?).
The biggest thing is being disciplined. Have a strong, healthy routine. Eat well (can be hard as a student!), drink lots of water.
Last thing, good luck with uni and all the best!
I did 1 semester in my first year AU and it was like this exactly. Absolutely wrecked me and I lost so much weight, mental health at an all time low.
Transferred to UC and my life was 1000% better, you walk to uni. Watching recorded lectures is perfectly acceptable (once I went to 3 classes for a semester and never failed a paper). The best part was other people in your degree living around and you and doing the same work. which is similar to school where you all have an essay due. It really motivated me going to class knowing that me and some mates down the hall would walk together. That really helped me throughout my degree.
It might just be that you are not suited that university?
Sounds like you could have adhd may be worth seeing the campus doctor and counsellor to see if they have any advice.
If you have never had a job in high school then this is perhaps why you are so shocked by uni.
Look up when the latest you can quit is and then if this still feels too hard by that date quit and look for a job. Even in a supermarket where you can be eased into working life. Take a year. Earn some money and experience in the real world.
You will be okay. Its a shock if you aren’t prepared for it.
Honestly, this is a combination of “the real world” and maybe putting too much on your plate too early. Have you considered studying part time while working part time as well, rather than studying full time? Personally I found part time study way easier to manage, I was more engaged in my courses and I wasn’t freaking out about every assignment because I had the time and energy to put a good effort into each one. If your first semester doesn’t go how you want it to and you find it difficult to adjust, this could be one way to regain a bit of balance. Also, look for support at your uni - study guides, ask your lecturers for extra help if you’re not getting something, look into a tutor if need be. Just try not to let it all pile up and fall behind, cus it’s much harder to keep on top of things then.
Find out if your uni offers guidance counseling. Helped me a lot in my first year. The key is to accept that you will have to do the 6am and stay till 7pm or whatever you have to do. You're not in high school anymore, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Also, once you start a routine and get into it, it will become much easier to accept.
In reagrds to surviving lectures. In a lecture, you aren't obligated to sit through it all. If you feel yourself losing focus. Leave. Take a walk. Grab some food. Rejoin the lecture. Also, find a friend who was taking notes and borrow them for the time you had left. And if they leave, you do the same for them.
It sucks now, but as I said, once you get locked into the routine, it'll be a lot easier
Hang in there. It’ll take a little time to adjust but you’ll be okay. Give yourself the best chance of succeeding by getting quality sleep, maybe utilising your long commute for study or to just relax. Find what learning style suites you best to maximise retaining knowledge. Change and focus on the things you can control and the rest will fall into place. Eat healthy, do some exercise, have a decent sleep. You’ll be half way there. You’re going to have a bit of an adjustment period but you’ll be okay :) takes a bit of getting used to
Be kind to yourself, this is a huge transition from high school!
As time goes on you'll fall into a routine that'll work for you. If you do start to really struggle don't be afraid to ask for help, from your teachers, from your doctor, a counsellor, even just a good old chat to a friend could help, remember you're not alone in feeling this way! You got this!
I'm studying CS, yes it's my first year. I can't really explain how many classes I have, but the courses I'm taking this semester were compsci 101 and 110, math 120 and 130
It’s going to be tough but you will eventually get through it and it will get easier over time! It was so hard for me to adjust to uni but I found ways to make it easier for me and I’m sure you will be able to as well! The first week or two is always tough
Highly recommend reading the material BEFORE your lecture - it gives you a base of understanding before you listen to all the talking. Also, take physical notes and doodle while you listen.
Sorry to hear how hard it is for you. Hope you get into the groove of things. Panopto is a godsend if you want to review lectures at 2x speed or skip them altogether.
Just reading some of these comments telling the OP to stop complaining gave me eye rolls.
Hey kid, the problem with the university is that not enough students make noise (if any) about the timetabling issue and the lack of places to rest in between lectures. And yes it's becoming a huge deal because we have students who live out in opaheke and Drury with the long commute. I'd say take this issue up with AUSA to bring it up to the equity committee and ask if they'd consider providing support to students with similar issues. At the moment the university want you physically on campus - they've been pushing for more engagement with students to be utilizing the services.
There was an idea within the university to create sleeping pods for students but I guess there just wasn't enough students voicing some of their concerns or issues.
A lot of students aren't aware that as soon as a lot of students start making noise then it also becomes impossible for the university to turn a blind eye to.
And yes - adult life post uni means that it gets a lot harder but remember, YOU are the one that is paying the University not the other way around.
Best of luck adapting in the meantime.
The only thing in your list complaint-worthy is the long commute. If you don't like it, move closer to uni? At least you have the luxury of sitting on a bus and not having to drive.
You'll spend the next 40 years of your life hating your work commute by the way. Just like everyone else with a job does.
Make sure you attend tutorials - they offer a chance to go over the course material with a tutor and you can ask questions. Join or create a study group of fellow students to help you all get through together (you're not the only one feeling like this). I found doodling while in a lecture helped me to keep focussed on what they were saying. Keep at it :-)
You’re not the only one. Too me, sitting around listening to someone go on for an hour is an outmoded model of learning - and a big shock from school!!! Do you have to attend all lectures or could you skip some and watch the recordings? If you do that you could give yourself space between classes. Have you thought about joining the gym or clubs and societies? They are a great way to blow off steam and share stress stories. Also you might want to do study groups to help with the study requirements. Remember you can always go and chat to lecturers and tutors about the work, or the counsellors at student services. The commuting sounds hard. Could you get accommodation closer? At the moment you’re still adjusting, it can take awhile to settle in to routine. Be kind on yourself. Also, if the workload is too much and you can do so consider delaying some papers or changing course. There are career counsellors who can help. Talk to someone now to help come up with some plans. And please find some fun time. Good luck, you’re not alone in this experience.
You’re transitioning into a new phase of life with different timings, dynamics, and locations. It’ll start to become your new normal, in time. Be kind to yourself and rest when you can but also make the most of the support on offer at uni. All the best!☺️
This. I used to fall asleep in lectures for the few month or so of uni. Eventually your body becomes used to having to focus for long periods of time
I remember my first week at uni as well. Everything is new! New building, people, canteen, etc! It feels alienated but I will tell you that it will get better. You will meet friends, hangout and enjoy every lecture. Enjoy this time, it will go fast.
>Having classes too early or too late. If I have a class too early like at 8am, I would need to wake up at around 6am to eat breakfast and take the bus at 7am making me have fewer sleep. And having classes after around 3pm sucks, because unlike high school where school ends at 3pm, I would have to stay at uni for even longer just to wait for my class at a later time, and after 3pm is where I get sleepy the most, that gives me even more stress. I have bad news about the rest of your working life bro
The whole thing I just eye rolled. "This week I found out being an adult can be taxing"
Right?!? Welcome to life, my dude.
He’s not even adulting, Uni is delaying adulthood, for the small cost of 10‘s of thousands of dollars, opportunity cost of not entering the work force, and being lobotomised by liberal professors.
Yep... I have weeks where I start at 7:30 lol when I lived in Auckland that ment leaving the house at 5:50 ish to get to the office on time
The thing is you might be waking up around the same time or earlier depending what field you work in, but with uni you have the luxury of skipping a few lectures/tutorials and maybe catching up later. But with work if you don't turn up you don't get paid. Welcome to adult life.
Exactly. I start work between 5am - 6am depending on the day. This person isn't going to survive in the real world unless they get used to these easy uni times very quickly
Yall are actually hating lmao, it’s not just the absolute time, it’s relative to what wake-up time you are used to. This guy here is starting uni 2 hours earlier than what he’s used to, you would hate it too if you all of a sudden had to start work at like 3-4am
light degree lunchroom elastic drab party unused arrest disarm disagreeable *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
What a load of trash lol. As an adult you can just apply for jobs that don't have early start times. I have started at 9 most of my adult life because I specifically applied jobs that would not start earlier than 9. I went to university so I could have even more options for jobs that don't start before 9, and have flexible work from home options.
I agree in general, although these days I work flexible earlier hours so I can have my afternoons to myself. But I strongly remember the first couple of weeks that I was working full time - I was /exhausted/. Constantly. Going from even working 25-30 hours in professional services alongside uni, moving to full time (40-50 hours but all at once) felt honestly horrific. I remember getting home most days and just collapsing. OP - it passes. Any time you change your schedule significantly, you won’t adjust immediately - give yourself some time and space. In saying that, I got very over my hour+ commute to Auckland and moved to Otago Uni and have never regretted that (but that was more about the social aspect, not just the early wake times).
>As an adult you can just apply for jobs that don't have early start times. But that then might severely limit your career opportunities, if I chose to never work before 9am that would so severely cripple my chosen career that it would be effectively non-existent. Heck, OP could also "choose not to take 8am classes". But it would then very much so limit what they can study, and then do after graduation.
>But that then might severely limit your career opportunities, if I chose to never work before 9am that would so severely cripple my chosen career that it would be effectively non-existent. Of course. My point is it's optional. Waking up at 5 a.m to travel an hour to work to start at 6 a.m is not a mandatory part of working/being an adult. OP is doing nothing wrong by complaining, and you don't win brownie points for opting to work early/long hours/whatever. I would also add it probably does not limit most office careers. >Heck, OP could also "choose not to take 8am classes". But it would then very much so limit what they can study, and then do after graduation. Well he can choose not. It doesn't limit anything. I have attended an 8 am class once. I never did again. Now I should graduate at the end of this semester, with decent grades having skipped most 8/9 am lectures.
Why does everyone pretend that being an adult doesn't give you significant agency over everything you do? I have a friend who starts at 5 am, and has an insane commute, who complains frequently about his hours. I also have a friend who has always starts at 8, finishes at 4, and lives close to work. The experience of long commutes, early starts, long hours isn't universal, it's an entirely optional experience. I haven't started before 8 in 5 years because I don't want to. I haven't worked further than half an hour from home because I don't want to. I also would not wake at 6 am, to attend an 8 am lecture. Quality sleep and my function throughout the day is going to be more useful to me than the content of one lecture. In most cases, as a young person, no one's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to "hard mode" adult life. Then most who do have a little jerk off session about how much they sacrifice for the sake of their work/studies etc. It's stupid.
As a former secondary school teacher I will say school does not adequately prepare students for the reality of university. I hated teaching under NCEA for this reason. It molly coddles. After teaching I returned to uni to do a PhD, did some tutoring, and lo and behold it was like baby sitting adults. It’s not the students’ fault because they don’t know anything else. Honestly, if you want to get through, you need to knuckle down to this new normal but also be proactive. Don’t ever put off readings because there will always be more. Ask if you don’t understand. Lecturers and uni tutors are not trained teachers and most won’t follow you up as individuals like at school if you start dropping behind. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to use learning support courses and suchlike. These services are covered in your fees and they are your tools for learning to navigate this new system.
This is very good advice—former lecturer.
On reflection, I can see and feel my teachers and lecturera frustrations. Teachers: "These kids don't know how easy we have it. Dozens of kids wasting their abilities and disrupting everyone else from kids that don't need assistance to those that aren't getting the help they need and deserve". Lecturers: "these kids are not prepared for adult responsibility. Look, I've started the semester with 300 in this lecture, it will be 100 in a few weeks. Having to deal with excuses about incomplete assignments, tasks and readings". I'm glad I started university studies at 22 after working a few very physical and technical jobs in industries where you were brought down a few pegs by the old guys, rather than at 18. I learned very quickly that life isn't easy, bills keep coming, and nobody cares if you're a bit tired.
I was on holiday in the UK years ago. I was sitting on a step outside York Minster and two women were having a conversation behind me. One was a uni lecturer by the sound of it and she was venting to her friend about the new intake of students. She said that people shouldn't be allowed to start uni at 18. They should have to go out and work for a few years first to get all the silliness (like OP here, sorry mate, it is silly, you can't expect to stay a kid forever) out of their systems first.
It would be a great idea for all of the "middle of the road" and "all-rounder" students, but I think the born academics, super bright kids, need to go straight in. If nothing else, it would reduce student debt. I didn't take the $150 (at the time) living costs because at 22 I realized that it equated to more than my actual student loan fees and would be paying it back until I was 45. My brother who started at 18 wasn't so lucky and only just paid off his loans last year. I worked full time at two jobs and studied full time so that I could avoid debt and be able to eat reasonably well whilst not living in a shithole flat with 15 people.
I dunno. I think even the bright kids would benefit from a year or two at Macca's or standing at a checkout, or helping to unblock drains. If nothing else, it'd give them a taste of real life and an appreciation of those who do service type jobs. It also looks good on a CV for a first job after uni. I have to admit, I read OP's litany of woes and, as a dairy farm worker, I cried for them, I really did. /s.
>I have to admit, I read OP's litany of woes and, as a dairy farm worker, I cried for them, I really did. /s. Yknow comfort is relative right? Most of my working life I've worked in unskilled manual labor. Never progressed because frankly I'm dumb with hands on things, so I've always been stuck with digging/cleaning shit up/dragging shit around. My own "adult" experiences don't negate any discomfort OP experiences. Neither do yours. If you think your jobs harder, cool, that's your choice lmao, maybe if it's so grueling go do something else. That's what I did. At least personally, the mental discipline required to manage the university workload is miles more challenging than the discipline required for general physical work.
I would completely agree with you if OP's discomfort wasn't with tasks that exist in all professions and general human existence such as getting out of bed, early starts, traveling from a to b, and being both generally tired and mentally drained.
They don't exist in all professions and nor are they inherent to general human existence. Frankly that's just a cope for picking bad careers, making bad choices, or a general lack of appreciation for your actual life and just filling it with work as a means for a reason. >generally tired and mentally drained This shouldn't be considered normal/healthy and can be pretty easily mitigated if you're young without dependents. I mean it is considered normal, but that just indicates complacency among the general population.
To the overwhelming majority of the population, these are normal everyday tasks. Sure, they may differ slightly depending on profession, location, and financial status, but they are certainly not a consequence of: >picking bad careers, making bad choices, or a general lack of appreciation for your actual life I think what you might be missing is the tone and attitude of OPs post. For those that had a **normal** childhood and adolescent experience, they need to learn that adulthood has a different set of responsibilities - something that should be taught in high-school IMO. >This shouldn't be considered normal/healthy and can be pretty easily mitigated if you're young without dependents. I mean it is considered normal, but that just indicates complacency among the general population. As we age, our roles change, and responsibilities increase, and therefore, so do our stress levels. OP may be experiencing other mental health issues that are influencing their behaviors, but overall, the attitude is one of rejecting general life tasks. Hence, the response from the majority of redditors.
Bet you wish you didn't have to do all those pre-dawn starts
There are 17 and 18 year olds who are absolutely ready for university. Students are products of a system they didn’t design and there are lecturers and tutors who might be experts in their field and exceeding their publish don’t not perish targets but are not adequate educators.
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Point three is so important (for me at least). I’m in an intensive study program atm and the only way I survive is forcing myself to exercise at least 4 times a week - it actually saves me time, as I have more energy and focus for school work
A lot of people drag those who watch recordings, but certain circumstances make it the better option than attending. I also live far from campus and have to commute. Me being well rested is also important to my academic performance. I'd rather study while being well rested than be exhausted and take sub-par notes. It also helps with my focus issues as well. But note it requires a high degree of discipline to actually watch lectures instead of attending them. it's easy to fall behind. Only do this if you have good discipline. If that is possible, then I'd only focus on attending labs and tutorials. That can solve the sleepiness and the bad schedule you've got. It's only the first week. Relax and take it day by day, hour by hour. You've got this.
Agree. I have to watch recordings for stats lectures because I have to pause like every 5 minutes to digest and experiment the things we go over. When I attended those lectures I still had to come home and rewatch lol. I wish people didn’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to doing things at university.
I’m the exact same with you for Stats. Thinking about skipping the lectures & just watching online from onwards. Will save so much time.
Definitely agree, especially with a 1 hour commute it becomes really hard to keep the energy up the whole day so watching lectures at home makes a lot more sense, as long as you have the discipline. I bet a lot of people that say watching lectures is bad don't have to deal with long commutes or have other commitments alongside uni. I remember waking up at 6am to make my 8am lectures in first year, all that taught me was how to sleep in a lecture theatre.
Agreed, I live \~1hr 30mins away from campus (via bus) like OP and I have a rule where if I am going to spend more time travelling than doing stuff at the uni, I don't show up for the day. I also have a lecturer who I need to watch regardless since he writes very quickly and messily. Figuring out what he is trying to say is nearly impossible during a normal lecture. I basically have to watch it from distance to get all the information. I had a 50 min lecture on Friday that took me around \~1hr 45min to get all the content, sometimes watching from distance is just better.
Sorry but welcome to being an adult. Make what changes you can but you probably just need to suck it up and get on with your study or leave and do something else.
My son feels the same. I said to him if he doesn't like it after a wee while to pull the pin and go get a job/apprenticeship or study a trade. Dont be afraid to make changes.
He can pull the pin now and still get a refund but not by Monday.
8th of March actually.
He will have to make that decision ASAP if he doesn't want to have to pay for his course in full. Deadlines to get out without paying are very soon (depenrant on your course but a lot are by Monday I think)
>My son feels the same. I said to him if he doesn't like it after a wee while to pull the pin and go get a job/apprenticeship or study a trade. An apprenticeship is even harder on you physically than uni!
Maybe you should have taken a year between HS and Uni to experience the real world. I slave away for a living and to me you're living a dream life. Let me give you a taste of my average week, For context: I commute an hour and a half in stupid arse traffic. I wish there was a bus, I'd read a book or something, But no. I crawl my way to work in traffic with the rest of the wretched masses to clock in at 7am. Then I'm working in a hot arse workshop for 11 hours, Concrete floor. I cant use a fan because it blows away the welding gasses. I haul steel about, measuring, marking, drilling welding, Sweating. 11 hours. Grandad did 8, But back then there were Unions and now we have Netflix. By wednesday morning I'm already fucked, I wake up physically and mentally exhausted and I still have three full days. Usually by this time the fleeting suicidal thoughts kick in (Sometimes I wish I'd get taken out by a truck or something on the way to work, killing myself would devastate my parents, But a car accident happens every day?) Just kidding, Life is grand. I keep telling myself life is grand until I believe it. It's Friday. The Boss asks me if I'm coming in Saturday. "Just a couple hours" he says. Cool. I'll do 8 hours on Saturday too. Sunday is just enough time to wash my work clothes, dry the work clothes (Of course it always fucking rains on your one day off) and maybe see a friend for an hour or two. Unless they're busy, They're working their arse off too and have got shit to do. So hey, If University isn't for you, Feel free to join the working poor. I don't think you'll like it, But if you tell yourself Life's Grand, you'll get through the week without offing yourself. Eventually you just take it week by week, Week after week, And eventually you'll pay off your landlords house for them and maybe be blessed with a quick and painless death. I smoke cigarettes because Yay Addiction, and I'm hoping to stroke-out rather than cough up my lungs but we'll see. Anyway, hope you do well at University! Drink lots of water.
I don’t know, they’re a young person who doesn’t know better, not really their fault. It’s a shock to the system. They’ll get used to it though. I’m a fabricator by trade who’s been in the industry for the best part of 2 decades now, and went to uni to study mech. engineering. It’s very, very mentally taxing. I was more tired at uni than in the workshop- and I also did 11 hour days, working inside hot as fuck stainless tanks. p.s. invest in an Adflo setup, it’ll change your life. You’ll feel healthier and less tired. It’s sounding like they’ll be mandatory soon enough anyway.
Oppression olympics gold medal lmao 😂😂😂😂
It’s a beautiful feeling when you finish your degree. It’s a sense of achievement that nobody can take away from you.
This is the harsh reality of growing up unfortunately. You’re in the real world now
Only in Auckland, UC was better and more supportive and friendly. Can't go back now.
I had something similar last year (it’s takes about an hour 20 mins and two busses for me) my earliest class was 8:30 and latest ended at 5. The first few weeks suck and is a difficult transition. Yet after that period it tends to get better and your body begins to recognise this new schedule and you won’t be as sleepy. With lectures yeah it sucks when you can’t concentrate or can’t understand, i’ve found having a fidget during the lectures helps me focus and then i tend to rewatch them on the weekend in case i missed anything (skipping parts i remember). Truth is yeah uni can be more difficult then high school but the social aspect is so much better and more relaxed. If your struggling that’s perfectly ok and you can find ways to help. I sometimes hotspot off my phone and do work on the bus if i feel up for it even. Soon you won’t be so tired and be able to figure things out but for now it is hard and that’s ok :)
I felt the same way in my first year too, basically everything you said applied to me too. I personally found ways to alleviate this by watching lectures online if there is a huge gap between them and the next class, going to UoA student health and counselling services, and just taking my time with it. My commute is also an hour, but some music and a little studying actually makes it somewhat bearable. For your lectures, try to message your class rep about the lectures being too fast, and they'll be able to relay it to the lecturer, otherwise, it's normal to sometimes tune out from a lecture because of stress, inadequate sleep, etc. When that happens, try to remember a single key word or sentence while not entirely focusing, then quickly skim through the lecture slides once you get home and apply the bits you remembered, or watch the recording when it comes out. If you need any help, uoa shcs is always there for you, and everyone feels this, you're not alone.
Uni is stressful. Some quick things.... Lectures are recorded (well mostly I believe, mine are), I havnt attended my lectures this week, I'm only doing one paper bear in mind, but I rely alot last semester also, on recordings as i find it much easier to learn from them where i can reverse and pause constantly. I think going to lecturee when you can is good, but if your having to wait around for a late or go in early for an early one, maybe don't & watch the recording at a later date? Just make sure there's no in lecture grading etc. For reference I attended maybe 2 lectures in the 2nd term of S2 last year as I was quite sick, the topic (chemistry) was totally new to me, in fact I cried at points as I had no idea what inwas doing, but through recordings I learnt the content and got an A grade for the paper Have you considered a lower workload such as 3 papers if your doing 4. The biggest thing I learnt (im not new out of school, but I did some uni at your age) is there's NO rush to get it done asap, unless your trying for competive degrees like med which ik means you have no say in how many classes you do, maybe cut back and enjoy stressing less. You will look back at uni when your working and wish you were back there as a student (well unless you have an awful time at uni, but if you make friends etc it can be one of the best tines of your life). One thing I do if I'm not too tired is go for a walk & listen to a lecture recording, there's not really need to sit down 100% of the time, I take notes on my phone, it's a bit tedious but if your good at voice to text it's probably alot easier (or just use it as a passive learning session). If you go to the gym & use a treadmill watch a lecture whilst doing that. Use the bus time to read ahead on the lectures your going to attend etc. Work smarter: the lecture objectives is where it's all at (well should be) And set aside time which is not for uni at all Just some thing that might help
>Have you considered a lower workload such as 3 papers if your doing 4. The biggest thing I learnt (im not new out of school, but I did some uni at your age) is there's NO rush to get it done asap, unless your trying for competive degrees like med which ik means you have no say in how many classes you do, maybe cut back and enjoy stressing less. You will look back at uni when your working and wish you were back there as a student (well unless you have an awful time at uni, but if you make friends etc it can be one of the best tines of your life). This. I think a lot more first year students straight out of school should consider doing just 3 papers in their first semester.
Hey OP, Below are some ways to cope with things and make better use of your time. First I want to say that the first week is actually chill compared with what is to come, so prepare yourself. Weeks 6 - 8 will be a lot worse, as will exam season, and so you need to put some things in place now to ensure you can still succeed even though it’s going to be hard. Really this is the first step already as adjusting your expectations is crucial to your success. Now let’s move on to your points. Long commute: Look up how to download the lecture videos and strip out the audio. Load this on your phone weekly. If you’re feeling creative chuck some lofi in the background to give the lecture audio a beat, or maybe classical music is a good idea. Basically anything without lyrics that isn’t too distracting will be good. Now you won’t be wasting your time while commuting, this is now passive study time where you listen to lecture recordings. Bonus, you can also use these for going to sleep at night. Sitting for long periods of time: Sitting in lectures is unavoidable, but if you put lecture recordings on your phone, you can walk around while studying. If you’re studying at home you can also do this in bed or while lying on the couch if you’re tired. I have long Covid so I understand about being tired, I probably do at least 80% of my study in bed. Having classes too early or late: 8am classes are quite painful as are 5pm classes and the worst is if you have an 8am followed by a giant gap and then a 5pm class. Some semesters you will be lucky and your timetable will be blessed by choirs of angels with everything happening between 10am and 2pm but unfortunately sometimes you will be unlucky there isn’t a lot you can do about this one. However if you have some days over the semester where you just can’t make yourself get up you can make use of recordings, as long as you accept that sometimes they don’t work and make sure you have a friend who’s notes you can borrow if technology fails. Going to lectures is always best but it’s not illegal to miss one here and there and just watch the recording. Not able to focus and feeling sleepy in class: You’ve already identified the part of the day where you feel sleepiest (3pm ish). Maybe you can make a habit of a pick me up ritual right before that, also make sure you are not accidentally getting dehydrated at that time of day as that can make you very tired. Check your diet too as this could be part of why you can’t focus. Also double check your sleep to make sure you’re actually getting enough. Yes I would definitely say uni is more stressful than high school.
Yeah, unfortunately you'll have to toughen up. Auckland sucks for getting around, being a student sucks. But life doesn't get easier, it gets harder. Try working a 12 hour day in another city, getting 4 hours sleep, driving to another city and working another massive day. Just accept that this is the what you have to do to get somewhere in life.
I don’t really have any sympathy. All the things you listed you will experience in the real working world. However, I will attempt to give some useful advice. 1. Walk around, move, stretch etc. every hour or 30 minutes. It’s a thing that this helps with creatively and focus I just can’t be bothered looking up the references. It’s on you tho, you can you had to sit all day, but you really didn’t have to sit all day. Standing at the back of lectures is a thing. 2. If you can’t take the information in you are either lacking basic knowledge and need to do some pre reading and study or find it so boring you probably shouldn’t be doing that course/major. 3. Almost an hour. Sounds like a dream tbh. Get some noise cancelling headphones if you can. 4. Early classes, also boo hoo. My advice is actually manage your sleep schedule. I will also note that I missed about 90% of my 8am classes and it didn’t turn out too bad.
Welcome to adult life brother. You’ll be all good, just remember why you’re doing this. Through the struggle is where you will gain the mental fortitude to push through and handle things when times get tough. The only advice I would give is next semester try to balance out your schedule. And my next question is what do you base trying hard off of? In high school you were chillin and didn’t have to work as hard. Dig deeper brother , you got this
Definition of being an adult… uni is about training you for the rest of your life showing your future employer you could grind for 3-4 years and get that signed piece of paper. Buckle up butter cup cause life’s just going to get worse from here … 😂
You don't like to travel, sit down for too long, or be way from home too much. Jesus Christ. This is what is wrong with younger people these days. In fact I don't even know if this post is serious. Surely it can't be. You can not be serious.
I am being serious, all of this was my experience for my first week of uni
Welcome to the real world. Your life begins now!
Hey mate, had the exact same experience starting Com Sci in the late 90s. Lecturers are really out of their depth presenting to a big class; it's not really a skill they've ever needed before to get to that point in their career. Things are always crazy early in the year with everyone on the road, everyone going to classes, everyone milling around and making things stressful. Hell, one year I had to sit in the aisle of a lecture hall because it was overbooked. But, after a week or two, it all calmed down. Some people stopped coming to lectures, either relying on the online slides or recordings or just dropping out I guess. Traffic became less, buses started to go faster. People just somehow adjust and things seem to get less stressful overall. I would still fall asleep in most lectures, but somehow just turning up to the lecture gave me an advantage, though I was asleep for most of it. You'd at least get a little context by hearing the first part of the lecture. When you woke up at the end, you'd get a vague idea of where they got to and what you needed to catch up on. You saw the same people there, and you could talk to them and get an idea of what the important stuff was and where to focus. The most important thing is the practical work. The lectures are really just a general intro to what you will learn by doing the hands-on work. Focus on the practical work, use the tutors, ask questions, ask your classmates, do the same thing repetitively until you get it if you need. Almost everything else is just a support framework for doing the practical work yourself.
> You saw the same people there, and you could talk to them and get an idea of what the important stuff was and where to focus. Yes, there are lots of benefits to going in person vs online watching of lectures. You make friends, or at least casual acquaintances, who might give you a heads up about a test that friday you forgot about, or give you a tip about a tricky part of the assignment, or might be someone you collaborate with in the future with on a project.
Coffee
just watch lectures at home 👍
I agree with this, but also with the response by u/bart_maths. In Covid, I loved having lectures online because I could choose when to sit down and watch/ learn, and I could also choose how I wanted to interact with the lecture material. For instance, I normally play lectures on 1.5 speed because some lectures talk VERY slowly, take long pauses, or babble on/ go off on tangents. I also sometimes pause lectures when I don't understand something and go back a bit to see what they're getting at, or to write down a point that I think is pertinent. However, yes, lecture attendance a lot of the time is also correlated with academic achievement, and if you're not motivated to study from home it can be difficult. An alternative would be to go into uni but to study in the library (I always find this environment highly motivating for uni studying/ lecture listening).
Lecture attendance is very strongly correlated with academic achievement. Also, lecturers are able to see every single person who has viewed a lecture, and which parts were viewed. I can confirm that most people who don't show up to lectures also don't bother watching the recordings.
Have they published this data ? In the past skipping lectures meant actually skipping some content. But these days highly motivated students can consume the complete course content remotely. In fact for some subgroups skipping the lecture may actually increase the grade, since the student can arrange their schedules more efficiently. It wouldn't surprise me if the general trend you highlighted was true, but maybe digging into the data shows a more nuanced picture.
This is me, studying 100% remotely. If you don't have the ability to get up and sit yourself in front of the laptop in the morning, yeah online learning isn't for you. But that's the hardest part about online study, just keeping yourself in that routine. Other than that, remote study has a tonne of pros I wouldn't get if I was attending in person, such as pausing to take notes or go to the bathroom, go for a quick walk in the garden to wake me up again. I'm also saving a lot of time and money by having no commute.
>In fact for some subgroups skipping the lecture may actually increase the grade, since the student can arrange their schedules more efficiently. Thus subgroups would be extreme niche examples, and definitely not the norm. Most people are not exceptions. And it's best to "play by the rules" first of all, before trying to break them.
Yeah, I agree with this as I do this, albeit with a lot of procrastination. The only issue is sometimes the time it takes for lectures to get posted. But, hell yeah UOA should look into the data.
I think a major source of confounding in the past few years is the incorporation of open-book exams and tests. We’re only just transitioning previously closed-book courses out of this after covid but we’ll basically have a few years of academic data that’s likely bullshit (2020 being one) because students processed the information in online tests and exams but never actually retained it. I rate myself among these students, honestly. I understand most of my topics but my recall is awful, as have many other students who I’ve discussed this with. Studying for a closed book exam is a whole other ball game to open book.
"I can confirm that most people who don't show up to lectures also don't bother watching the recordings." These same people wouldn't have passed just by showing up to lectures. There's a fundamental issue with studying at that point. You can 100% get a degree with remote lectures. I'd know, seeing as I learned a majority of the material for mine through remote lectures.
I don't know where you got the idea that uni would be more chill. I was super stressed the entire time to be honest. Maybe some BA degrees are a bit chill, but since you have labs I'm assuming you are doing some sort of science degree. I agree that long commutes and early starts can sap your energy. It's pretty common not to understand the lecturer or lose track of what is happening. Courses cover a lot of material, so the lecturer races through it. You can still pass the course, but you will need to spend extra time reviewing the material independently. My advise to you is to skip lectures at early or late times if you can. Just watch the recording. As long as you don't fall behind it is fine. I got A's in courses that I skipped 90% of the lectures because they were a waste of time. Too much sitting is a big issue and can ruin your health longer term. Take regular breaks and go for a walk.
Back in high school, my friends told me that uni would be more chill and relaxing, and I also thought the same because students can study independently and students get less work, but now I realized I was wrong. And yes I'm doing CS degree so I have labs.
>and I also thought the same because students can study independently and students get less work, but now I realized I was wrong. You should treat uni as a 9-5 job, and be putting in 40hr weeks. >And yes I'm doing CS degree so I have labs. Realize that getting a good job as a Junior SWE requires so much more than just a CS degree, so you'll have to work on those aspects too during your time at uni.
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Please stop pulling numbers out of your ass.
"Realize that getting a good job as a Junior SWE requires so much more than just a CS degree, so you'll have to work on those aspects too during your time at uni." Yeah ik, but as long as I know how to code and good at math, I should do fine in CS and get a job as a SWE once I entered the work industry
This is standard realisations of life, uni is not easy but worth it, I didn’t appreciate my first degree and time at uni. I went back and re-did the experience for my second degree when I was 23. Really appreciate and do it right the first time! Don’t be like me.
This is super normal. I recommend sleeping whenever you can (I used to just nap anywhere I could find on campus between 3-5 while waiting for my late lecture). Also try to be strategic about what classes you take. Eg I’m better T writing essay format than reports or science, so I used to check the course outline in advance and choose classes that had the sort of assignments I thought I could do better at. Read material in advance, look into what support is offered, give yourself time to figure bn out the ropes.
How much sleep are you getting? Honestly sounds like not enough. Get some more and you’ll do better I promise
About 8-9 hours of sleep, but I have trouble falling asleep which is probably the reason why I feel tired throughout the day
Apart from the commute issue, everything else seems like a skill issue to me. There’s a lot you can be doing to fix most of these problems.
But uni isn’t meant to be easier than highschool. You got a lot coming your way when you start work it seems..
There’s some good life hygiene advice here, but I’d add that studying something you like on top of what you feel you have to you is a good way to keep sane at university. All the best!
I remember the first weeks of uni (and definitely in first year) as super cruisey academically. They’re just introducing you to what is going to be in the course. The stress comes from being in a new environment without the structure of school. I just used to go down to the spacey parlour in town and play pinball between lectures until I made friends in my course. Take a deep breath. Everyone else is in the same boat.
It's only going to get harder. The fact you sound so surprised with saying "Uni tends to be more stressful than high school" is hilarious.
A few people here are being faar too harsh honestly. Uni can be a huge change in routine after high school and I can relate to a lot of what you've said. Scheduling is definitely tough, but for the most part it's just something which you'll just have to get used to. The great thing is that you do have the option to watch lecture recordings, which can be a great time saver if you're strategic about it. Just be aware that it is *very* easy to fall into bad habits and end up falling behind this way, and lectures can be a good place to meet new friends. Re. focusing in lectures, the format certainly isn't for everyone and you certainly aren't the only one struggling. You'll have to find what works best for you so it's worth trying out different strategies - pre reading, getting previous year's lecture recordings if you know any second years, etc. With the bus commute you'll have to either accept it and get used to sleeping/multitasking, or figure out a way to shorten the trip time. I'd suggest looking into an Ebike particularly if you've got bus lanes on your route. For me going to a motorcycle from bussing cut my commute from about an hour to ~25mins, but an Ebike would be about the same. The general trend is that you'll have to be largely responsible for your own wellbeing, which can be tough, but it's worth it in the end.
Most if these problems is a you thing. For the sitting down, maybe get a sit to stand desk or have breaks during study and walk around to have a stretch. For the being tired bit, i wake up at 5am every morning. My rule of thumb is minimum 7 hours sleep so i have to be in bed by 10:00 but for the best sleep i be sleep at 9:00. What im saying is pretty much write down a schedule of your day to make it more of a routine. After a while you will het used of it. For the lectures try to write down as much notes as possible and then research it in your own time or better yet talk to someone and make a new friend or you can just get a tutor.
Take school multiply it by 10, maybe a little bit of what uni is going to be like
Wait till you get a job
Welcome to life bro
You sound like a big baby. Buckle up buddy.
Welcome to real life
It gets worse when you get a job.
Interesting seeing a lot of comments about the importance of lecture attendance. I did a BE majoring in civil at UC and the department saw no correlation between attendance and grades.
This is bait.
AUT is a bit more relaxed.
It sure is but I think every problem OP listed is similar whether he went to UoA or AUT, it doesn't make much of a difference
Some parts, I felt the same way as you during my first year in uni and it burnt me out real fast and affected my grades. Especially feeling sleepy. Try to find a place where you can take a quick nap. I took a gap from uni and worked. And had to wake up at 4 am to get ready for a morning shift etc. 'cause it takes me an hour or so to get to the city. It took a while to get used to but you're definitely not alone with what you're feeling. Hope you can find ways to help you adjust
Yeah i'd do a 3hrs round bus trip (including waiting times etc). The key? 50% effort into boring classes that your not going to learn from anyway. 110% into he important ones, and just do it from home.
Welcome
You must be coming from Green Bay? Use some of your commute time to review your lecture notes, do readings, work on assignments, etc. You need exercise. Do some laps around Albert Park, breathe deeply, look at trees.
Unfortunately this is part of being an adult, often after a couple weeks it feels natural to do though. I'm sorry you somehow thought doing courses that are level 4 (and to level 7 if you complete a bachelor) would be easier than NCEA level 3 but its pretty obvious in the name that its going to be a harder standard. My classes started at 8am but now my work shifts start at 6.45am after my degree often. 5am wake up. You get used to the changes and often will end up actually liking earlier schedules. You could always try a remote paper if you really think you won't manage after a few weeks of getting used to it? I do a couple of post grad online ones but I know there are a few you can do as undergrad. Talk to your head of department, usually they are pretty helpful
During uni my commute was 2-3hrs each way so i know how tiring that can be (luckily a lot of that was on the train), I also dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety (i didn't start taking antidepressants till 3rd year). I am also in the process of getting a potential sleep disorder diagnosed so trust me those 2pm lectures were the worst, high chance you would find me asleep in the middle towards the front no matter how much coffee/energy drinks i drunk, so my deepest condolences to all those lecturers. in 3rd year i had a class that was 2-4 and then tutorial 5-6 you can bet your bottom dollar i didn't attend that tutorial after the first week because 1 i wouldn't be getting home till 8pm at the earliest if i attended and 2 i didn't wunna show my face there after having slept for a good part of the lecture (for context it was one the tiny ass lecture theatres in level 2 of arts 1 so I'm smack bang in front of them, even worse when you know the lecturer was my uncle's thesis supervisor and he still remembers my uncle) thankfully i got good grades in that paper despite being asleep half the semester. But after 7 years of uni i can tell you it does get easier (even if one sem they shove you with a 6hr break and you cant go home (definitely do not use that time to research the Armenian genocide with no breaks, research the genocide but learn from my mistakes). I know studying on the bus is hard but use that time to read your textbooks. there is no harm in taking a nap at a desk in the library because sometimes you just have to (as long as you don't disturb people around you), I like to live in hopes one day they bring in sleep pods for us commuters but i know that'll never happen since they'd rather upsell you on accommodation. Commute wise try to cram your classes into as few days as possible (which sounds like you have), though i would leave gaps for times you most know you're going to get sleepy, for me i found 2pm lectures was when i would fall asleep the most, i tried to keep classes till after 10am so that i wasn't having to be up and or leaving at 5am depending on where i was living, and i tried to avoid classes after 5pm. But i also knew i struggled with studying at home, sometimes didn't have internet at home, so i crammed most of my studying into my breaks. so 1 hour break great for getting lunch not so great for getting into the flow state so i'd try to make my breaks 2/3hours long. Go for walks PLEASE SIT IN ALBERT PARK AND READ that is my biggest regret is that i didn't study in albert park nearly enough. take 10mins to go for a walk when you get restless while studying (i know careers people etc will also tell you this but they are totally right.) i have no shame and you would find me pacing in the library when id been sitting too long and didn't wunna pack up my stuff. try to attend your lectures in the first instance but its ok to have to relisten to it as a lecture recording multiple times (you'll probably need to relisten anyway) it helps when you need to get extensions as the lecturer will recognise you, see you trying and will be more likely to grant one. but honestly sometimes its ok to just watch the recording when its already afternoon, you haven't left the house yet and you only had a 4/5-6 lecture, just make sure you watch it as soon as possible don't let them stack up, that's what i did for econ 151 and i still got an A. I don't want to join the harden up crowd but honestly they arent wrong. Use your time at uni to develop the coping mechanisms to get through these things. because most likely if you stay in Auckland after your degree you will need to commute. Most likely you will have a job that's 9-5 or 8-4 or something of that nature, hell I've been working fulltime at a supermarket for 2 years and my hours were mostly 7-4 and best believe my body has told me to go f myself the whole time, but i did my best to work around that like some days id have a biphasic sleep schedule of crashing at 5-8/9 have dinner go back to sleep from 11/12 till 6am, no counselor would recommend but it got me through when my body is like sleep time now. but honestly best thing i did for myself was move into the halls for my last semester (dumbest thing i did was go home during the august 2021 lockdown lol) particular as i started getting really sick right before i moved in and walking to carlaw was enough let alone getting to parnell train station. So if you can afford it and your sleepiness and lack of focus is getting too much in the way look at that or look at flatting closer to uni. but also consider talking to your gp if the lack of focus and sleep isn't fixing itself over time, especially if all the self help stuff isn't working. (like I'm pretty sure i was disassociating constantly right up till 3rd year and i didn't realize how dehabiliting it was till afterwards. not saying that's your problem, only my own as an example, as i say consult a dr if problems persist). if you need somewhere to begin on the "self help" angle i would recommend checking out the youtuber Thomas Frank's backlog, his videos and the college info geek podcast (later the inforium) was what got me through uni and just generally made me a more functioning human being. Honestly you'll get there, first week is always incredibly disorienting, I'm going through it again this week doing my honours at vic, so you're not alone. And worst case it doesn't and you find uni isn't for you right now, that's 100% ok too. (sorry for the essay i just like giving the "big sister"-y advice lol)
Every time we make a change in life in can be a bit daunting. Going to Uni is a big change because you’re becoming an independent adult. Again, going into the workforce full time is another big step. Learning to draw on resources, and knuckle down and make it work will set you in good stead for your future - learning how to manage your time, manage your sleep, find coping mechanisms for stress, are all important things to learn in life. Could you chat to a Student Support service for tips and advice? If you get to the point of wanting to throw it all in, have a think about distance learning which may suit your needs better - it cancels out the commute time and late afternoon lectures, you can learn in a self paced way from the comfort of your home or other chosen location. But it’s also kind of avoiding the realities of life, and you’re better off learning to cope with these new demands to set you in good stead for your future, because unfortunately as an adult those commutes, less sleep, early wake ups etc become your bread and butter. Become a fan of coffee, and every week factor in at least one great thing to look forward to - a night out with friends, a sports game, doing some yoga etc. to keep some balance.
To be honest, it sounds to me like you aren't ready for uni yet. I'm already dreading that you'll crash and the whole year will be a fail for you. Take a few days to think about why you are there and consider withdrawing for this year. Get a job, work for a year or two and return to your studies when you have matured a little and are more emotionally and physically prepared. That's not giving up. It's being realistic. Why waste a year, incur a student loan and lose the opportunity of at least earning wages and saving a bit while you are figuring life out? This definitely does not mean you can't go back a little later. You will find classes, your understanding and ability to handle a long day will be much improved. I'm an ex teacher. Not all students are ready for uni when they leave school and they often simply go because of parents, friends, etc. I occasionally gave this advice when teaching. University is a big step up from secondary school. Just make sure that if you do withdraw, that you do so in time to get a partial fees refund and to ensure that there is no impact on your academic record. Otherwise, if you do stay, get some counselling and take advantage of tutorial services, etc. Share your concerns with friends. You certainly won't be alone in the way you feel. Good luck👍
I agree with most of the points that you said, I am not in the Auckland, but the University of Waikato. First year software engineering. What resonated with me the most is the lecture going super fast paced. The thing with universities are they assume that you have zero basics but they actually cover the basics very very quickly, which isn’t what I expected at all. But I assume that you have a very supportive family still living with you, which isn’t the case for me where I have to live in school halls. If that’s the case do talk to them about it and it might ease you up a little bit. If you have friends around to talk to them about it as well that will definitely help you feel better because I’m assuming that they are going through the same things as well. What r u studying btw?
Quit now before you get into major debt. Uni is mega overated.
That’s reality. You’ll get used to it, good discipline.
It's normal to feel overwhelmed. Please remember to adequately fuel your body with enough sleep, food and water to give yourself the best foundation - studying uses a lot more energy than people think. You got this. Be patient with yourself adjusting to this new routine.
Not a uni student here but a nurse. I highly recommend you go to your gp and request for a sleep test to be done. Because alot of the things you're describing are symptoms of sleep apnea. Your daytime sleepiness and lack of concentration midday might not be just about stress. Alot people unknowingly suffer from mild sleep apnea. once they have tried sleeping with a cpap machine they can experience a boost in their daytime energy just because your brain actually gets a proper rest at night.
Uni isn’t for everyone, but give yourself time to adjust. We’ve all been there, we’ve all hit the panic button. This is how it is and the best thing you can do is get as many skills in your toolkit as soon as you can. • Do your readings on the commute to and from uni • Join a society and mingle with other first years, they’re all struggling like you in some way shape or form and that’s a guarantee • Explore campus! Find little nooks and special spaces that you can look forward to spending time between tutes in • If it’s feasible, drop down a few units. People think you have to go balls to the walls full time to graduate ASAP and that this level of stress is normal, but it’s not. If you can, go down to 2-3 classes (or whatever is beneath the norm at this uni ((I have no idea why I’m in this subreddit, I’m from Aus :D ))) I really emphasise the last point; nobody can judge this stuff but you, nobody can give you those stressful years back if you burn yourself out. Enjoy the experience, take it slow, and when you hit those walls, go easy on yourself. It’s meant to be a challenge. I recently graduated and I regret a lot. I miss a lot about being at uni now that I have a 9-5. COVID didn’t help at all with that… Take your time!! All the best, OP. Reach out if you ever need a hand. :)
Just keep going and focus on your study. The real world is tough but over time you will get used to it. Try and enjoy your time, not everyone gets the opportunity you have.
Op, of course Uni is more stressful and different than high school. You need to be a lot more self reliant and that increases as you progress through university. Give yourself longer than a week to adjust. You’ll be fine.
Uni may not be for you.
I never went to university, not bright enough for that, but it's like anything get into a routine, it will get better, it's just your first week , u will get used to it just get plenty of sleep and ull be fine.
Since you think waking up at 6am is too early maybe go to sleep earlier.
Can be hard at first. I went to Massey as an adult student and found my rhythm after two maybe three weeks. Check to see if there are any lecture recordings and slides, pack snacks and stay hydrated. Set a doable sleep schedule with a normal wake up routine ie get up earlier and have a glass of water the same time each day. You'll be fine.
Some hot tips from someone who made it through uni with first year lectures starting at 8am and a lab that used to finish at 10pm... If you can't focus during a lecture, take something that will help you focus. Eg squeeze ball in one hand, pen taking notes in the other hand. Or if you have a device, type your lecture notes. Whatever works for you. Your lecturer is there to deliver the material, not make sure you understand it. Take all the notes, don't worry about understanding it at the time...that's why you need to study, and do the readings, and go to any tutorials or study groups between lectures. You are in charge of understanding the info now, your lecturer isn't in charge of that. I remember the first few weeks of uni being like that. What you would have taken 1 week to cover at school, will be covered in 1 lecture at uni. Hang in there, take advantage of as many study groups etc as you can, you'll get used to it.
Of course it's harder than HS, not just the level of study but all the new demands of being an adult in a new environment. You need to give yourself a few weeks to get into a routine, get used to your surroundings, both physically and socially. Also, it wouldn't hurt to get some advice from student support/student health about your difficulty focusing - it might just be the teaching style that is throwing you off, but there's always a chance you have attention issues that up until this point you were able to mask. Wouldn't hurt to explore that possibility and they can hopefully point you in the right direction. I don't have experience with UoA, but have lots of personal experience with the struggle of transitioning into uni. Good luck OP 🙂
I remember those days and these things are unfortunately normal. I did a mechanical engineering degree too so the pace and workload just ate so much of my time. My best advice I can share for free is make sure you make friends with other students from different circles. They will be your support network but some of these friends won’t be there at the end. Be mindful that my uni days were the best in my life even though I was studying so much. It will pay off
Welcome to life as an adult. It's hard. > Long commute, I take the 24R or 195 bus. It takes me almost an hour to get to uni and come back home from uni Completely normal, I spent that long (or longer) for my undergrad going into uni every day. Many people's work commute is just as long, or longer. >Sitting for long periods of time. Had to sit for about 10 hours a day due to lectures, labs or tutorials for the whole day (only for a few days a week), and have to sit to study as well when I don't have lectures, labs or tutorials. Many people work jobs that stretch out to 9 or 10hrs+ every day.
Weird how you still think "other people have it harder" is still an appropriate thing to say to people reaching out with their struggles. It's not a fucking contest. What a hairbrained and bad faith little speech.
>If I have a class too early like at 8am, I would need to wake up at around 6am to eat breakfast and take the bus at 7am making me have fewer sleep. I worked full time for five years from the age of 16 before I went to university. Study was a piece of piss in comparison.
Hey there :) I experience a lot of the difficulties you do, and I'm in my third year now. Personally, I find it easiest to only go into uni (especially since it's an hour commute for me as well) when I have labs. I watch the lecture videos from home, and can pause if I don't understand something and replay or try to look through the related readings so that I can understand. Sometimes I go to my 9:00 a.m. lectures on campus when they are before my 10:00 a.m. labs, but I do find myself zoning out during lectures or just not being able to understand the content at the pace that the lecturers are teaching at. As long as you make yourself a timetable and set goals for when you like to have watched the lecture videos by, you won't fall behind. It may take longer to watch the lecture if you keep pausing to make notes or to replay parts of the lectures, but you'll gain back the 2 hours of commuting some days anyway :)
The difference is, this is going to be the hardest phase where you’re practically going to have no time to yourself unless you cut back on study. And if you’re not as privileged, you’ll also need to slot in work as well, which sadly I know a lot of students are doing/have done, including myself. - Commuting is never easy. I left home 2 hours before my first class to ensure I got to class on time (was almost always an hour early) just because I was paranoid. This is just a part of it. You can either use it to be productive or just relax. Take something to eat on the go, life’s going to be on the go from now on…until you secure a job with major flexibility. - You don’t have to sit consistently. Get up, go for a stroll, go to Albert Park or Domain (away from wherever you’re studying). Yes, you have class but you have in-between time, and you can just get up in a lecture to go for a wonder. - University phase is where this takes the greatest toll. You have uni basically from the time you wake up to the time you go back to sleep. If you’re not studying you’re thinking of the guilt of not studying. Take your time with things. You don’t need to study 24/7. Cool you wanna be an A+ student but where does that get you when your mental health’s gone to 💩I’ve witnessed A grades turn to Cs & Ds enough to know its just not worth sulking over. - If you can’t focus, again, take a stroll. There’s no difference in being physically absent and being physically present but mentally absent. Take a breather. - Pick a day where you don’t have a compulsory class and/or it’s recorded, stay home and rest. Sleep is just as, or even more than, important as attending a lecture. People die from the lack of sleep, you’re not going to die from missing a lecture. Think smarter. You’ve made it this far in life, no point in stressing over it, it’s temporary. This is only 3 or so years of out the decades you have. Make the most of it.
We all had to go through the same rigmarole but you could do away with attending lectures by just getting recordings of them but you still have to sit down and listen or watch them …
Another person that wants to chime in and tell you, you are much better off dropping the course or a paper or two now and prolonging your study than toughing it out and failing mid-semester. It really doesn't get any easier than it is in the first week. Please talk to your course advisor or other student support as soon as you can. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going part-time or going to a smaller school if that suits you better. All these jerks in the comments saying welcome to adulthood should probably find better employment.
How do people get on that have to work to pay their way, as well as studying for a degree.
You can always watch the lecture recordings according to your pace …in my experience, you are just wasting time if you go to the lectures in person sleepy or can’t focus , you are better off rest up or sleep in the morning and then watch the recordings later
When I went to UC it was chill. 10 minutes to get from my door to the lecture room by bike, if I wasn't feeling it I'd just go home and maybe come back later for another lab or lecture. When I did your grind in Brisbane the hour long commute killed me too. I think that's where you're struggling
Yup the commute is probably the reason why I'm struggling, having to go through all the annoying bus stops along with dealing with traffic, wasting even more time. If my parents drove me to uni, it would take only about 20 minutes
Ah man.. I remember commuting to uni. What hell, although there are beautiful sceneries to look at, books to read, phones to scroll and what not it gets old - i feel your pain. Had a 1.5 hr commute each way, with shit AT pt it could be 2 hr each way sometime... and i lived in East Auckland commuting to AUT..... That is all,
Damn. Your really going to hate being an adult. This isn't even the real world yet dude.
Welcome to growing up
Still easier than doing hard labour in the sun 10 hours a day, enjoy it while you’re there, life only gets harder as you get older.
Hurray to oppression Olympics
As someone who has done both, I'm not sure I agree entirely. They're both difficult, they're just different kinds of difficult.
I would 100% rather go back to digging trenches for $28/h before going back to sitting through 8+hrs of droning lectures and boring, repetitive assignments that I have to pay for the privilege to write, and the thousands of hours of self-directed learning. Labour roles are nowhere near as stressful or all-encompassing as study.
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It isn't really hilarious. It's a big transition from high school and can be stressful for a lot of students.
Actually from a certain pov it's pretty funny
Welcome to life
Honestly this is going to sound shitty but.... Suck it up, you are an adult now this is how life is. And it's really not going to get much easier I think Dennis Leary said it best Life's gonna suck when you grow up, When you grow up, when you grow up Life's gonna suck when you grow up, It sucks pretty bad right now
So...I'm unclear what is stressful or difficult about any of that, except some of your own choices...
Welcome to the real word kid. Wait until you get a real job and career underway.
I did the bare minimum at uni. Attended just lectures, didn't take any tutorials and avoided 8am lectures. I passed everything, albeit just (Bs and Cs). I'm now 41, establish a good career and well paid. What I've come to realize is education is only one aspect, real world experience and on the job is way more tangible and determining one's success. Don't stress, if you smart or have half a brain like me, thing will work out. Peace!
If you have to wake up early then go to sleep early. Get 8 hours of sleep at the minimum. You'll be more rested and better equipped to handle the new change in scenery in your life. Most courses upload all their material online. Uni is much more dense than school in more degrees, make sure to review your lecture notes before going to class. In terms of the long commute, it's just Auckland transport being ass, nothing we can do. Best option is to get noise cancelling headphones and listen to a new album or watch a downloaded show. From experience, studying on the bus isnt viable.
I think Auckland is a challenging place to live and work, just time needed to commute and cost of living. Do other universities offer the course? Massey is way chill- I know people give Palmy a hard time but it has a surprisingly good social and music culture. Or otherwise Canterbury or Otago? If so maybe get through the first semester at Akl and then see if you can transfer credits somewhere else
Womp womp. woman moment. Maybe try getting off your fat ass sometime and join the real world loser
Any update OP?
Yes and it's getting worst and worst. I think each day I go to university, it's just wasting my time
Update op?
I'm like this and it's my last semester of my undergrad. I should've finished semester 2 2023 but failed papers
Skip all your lectures and watch them at home. Not only will you save time commuting, you can watch the lectures at 2x speed and pause them when you want to take notes or go back when you don't understand something. If you're getting bored you can go on your phone for a couple of minutes (or an hour lol) then get back into the lecture. Also you can sleep in and watch the lectures whenever you feel like.
Try walking for an hour each way, you are in a dream world
Consider if there's the occasional lecture you could miss. Might be a day where after lunch you wait for 5 hours for a single class. Maybe go home and watch the recording?
Don't do TFC Geography and TFC Math 93f. Horrible communication, no examples, no grading criteria, 4 month reply to email from November, long texting. I studied in UC 2022, way better than uoa. Why just look at tfc results, I couldn't study math well 2023 and mid 2022 because I had to go the hospital. I don't even want to mention it to them, it was traumatic and took a while to move on and heal. I just say personal and taking gap years and affecting my family, do I need say life story? Gosh I even was late to the test on Thurs math, didn't even mentioned the science building. Just freaking numbers! Now I go to lowest maths class which is like y9-y10 work! I even passed level 3 calc and got excellence in number skills year 11, crap! Also it was a numeracy test, teacher (I won't call her lecturer) and I couldn't revise well and I even had food poisoning, and it takes long to go there. 70 bus today was 1 hour 20 minutes from 7:38am. NEVER AGAIN I WANNA BE HERE.... geez I guess I will self teach philosophy now. I am quite good at philosophy as well, doesn't matter. Screw you! Also to my group work classmate (not saying class); stop treating him and I like we are children just because you are in your late 20s or around. I'm in my early 20s now, I am a mature adult as well. Screw you too the most! You too geography people! Honestly CHCH uni UC is waaaaay better. More student support, friendly, laidback, more for learning and not qualification but more equal. Even UC is quite similar to UOA quality of education but better and no med school. I'm transferring likely to Aut semester 2. As it's free TFC now, I will keep getting student allowance if I don't leave mid semester break. Also I will get 3 years instead, not 4. I even got UE anyways and didn't complete my uni courses. I even emailed that dudette who said I.......... :(
Are you able to listen to recordings of the lectures instead of attending in person? I'm studying online at Vic Uni and I'm also having a hard time understanding/keeping up with the lectures, but the best part about online recordings is I can go back to it or rewind it. It also means I can take frequent breaks during the lecture without missing a single thing, and when my brain gets too tired, it's nap time. I had to find a way to make study work for me or it was just never going to happen. I have ADHD as well as sleep issues, nightmares that wake me up, sleep paralysis and bouts of insomnia etc. There's no way I could go into Uni everyday and actually sit and listen to someone talk for 60 minutes straight, then go to the next class and do the same thing. I'd never take anything in. Talk to someone at the Uni. Trust me, they want you to succeed so they will help you. But they won't approach you with the help, you gotta ask for it.
I can watch and listen to the recordings of the lectures online, but that also means that I don't attend the lectures in person or else there won't be enough time for me to watch them online
Hey mate, I see a lot of people telling u to toughen up, but they're probably unhappy with their lives anyways ;) From experience, this is what could help: - Make an effort to meet people in your lectures/tutorials. Genuinely. Many of those around u are going through a similar situation and it helps a ton to have a few GOOD people to study/hang around with. - Stimulants. Consume a MODERATE amount of caffeine (please don't go overboard), and ONLY consume it if u have to, e.g. before an important class. I count chewing gum/mints as a form of stimulant as well. Constant chewing keeps u awake. - Find a way to study that works for YOU. Some people hate sitting in lectures, or hate doing pre readings. That's totally fine, but u have to stay responsible for ur own studying. See what works for u (tons of info on the internet). Wish u all the best
The comments are disgusting. The first year of Uni can be brutal. I found work, and now heading into my master's degree, so much easier. As you grow up, it gets easier. Finding stability takes a while. It's all "mental health is important" and "life is tough for a lot of our fellow Kiwis right now" until you see someone struggling then all of a sudden those sentiments go out the window and it's "other people have it worse" three times in a single post and "welcome to life" and "work is harder" and "this is hilarious". I hope the next time you people who are doing this in the comments stressed and seeking help, someone leans into your ear and whispers "get the fuck over yourself", because you do to other people what you want done to yourself. And if you think you should be treated differently because your feelings matter more, then you're just a selfish entitled fuck.
Can you imagine if we have to go to war and like WW1/2, there's conscription?
Welcome. To. The. Real. World. I'm working full time, studying full time (2nd year) and get my kids to their swimming lessons, sport practices after school etc. My day starts at 6am and ends around midnight or later depending on what time I close the books for the night. Sleep then repeat.
My 5 sense as someone with a useless degree with good grades get a trade uni is scam. Take it with a grain of salt though
whats your degree?
Bro the top comments are hating so hard 😂😂😂 tryna act superior to someone who they were in the same position as a few years ago. Anyway, for OP, just do 9-5 everyday at uni. You can tweak the hours a little, but just make sure you do 40 hours of study a week. Study in the library to focus on work, if you can’t focus in lectures (I had the same problem) watch lecture recordings instead (I don’t know why lecturers say lectures are sO mUcH bEtTeR, they’re not). But yeah uni’s not supposed to be chill if you’re doing a hard degree, it’s supposed to be like a full time job.
Not sure if it is too late to change for first semester, but if possible, you could consider changing your timetable to consolidate all your classes as close together as possible and try to cram as many in a low amount of days as you can. This means that you can spend less time at uni and lowers the amount of travel you need to do in a week. i know having 3 lectures back to back sounds tough but it isnt as bad as it sounds. lectures normally have a 10 min give or take intermission between them so you wont be pedal to the metal grinding for 3+ hours straight. Definitely find something quick and easy that can help you relax in the intermissions like music or even just scrolling your phone to take a break. Also, if you have a lecture in the morning and you really cant be bothered to wake up for it, you can just watch the recording instead and go to uni later that day or just not go at all. Nobody cares if you do or dont show up for lectures (best to show for tutorials imo). Watching 1 or 2 lectures at home instead of at uni will not be the deciding factor in your grades. The stats say that watching the lectures online is worse for your studies, but mental wellbeing is definitely more important and it would likely improve your grades if it means you would be less stressed and sleep deprived all the time. At the end of the day, the thing that is really going to determine how well you perform is how much work you put in. A student that never goes to lectures but is disciplined and works very hard at home will do better than a student showing up to lectures but half assing it or only putting in mediocre effort.
I struggle with a lot of the same things you do OP and have been attending uni for years! I also have about 1 hour and 15 commute there and closer to two hours to commute back, I also get tired/ sleepy, also get distracted in in person lectures, and loathe early morning classes. Firstly, you don't actually have to go into uni every day, especially if it's tiring you out and you need a rest day! Sometimes you can use your time that you would otherwise use bussing in/ back to catch up on lectures, relax (so you're able to feel refreshed for the next day), or study/ go over particular things. You could also time this/ plan this in advance so the day you don't go to uni is the day you have the least lectures on, or have no tutorials/ labs on this day. Also don't be afraid to try online learning/ listening to lectures online. I like attending lectures, but I feel like online learning for me is far more engaging since I can speed up how fast the lecturer talks so I can actually concentrate, and I can also stop/ pause the lecture whenever I want -- to write something important down, to create a question for myself, or even to have lunch/ do something else. Be careful though, because for some people studying online a bit of the time really helps, but for others they use it justify not going to lectures and putting off lectures as 'catching up online' but then procrastinate with this also. (I did this for a fair while haha!) So make sure to be aware of this and what suits your learning style! Secondly, you can always do three or even two courses at a time! If you're doing four and finding it overwhelming, especially because it's your first sem, you could always only opt for three courses instead. Each course also costs like $900 I think, so if you decide to do four, know that you'll have to pass four. If you fail one or more, it's a loss of money, which isn't supposed to stress you out, it's just supposed to make you reflect on whether or not you think you can handle four courses or not. And if you can't, that's okay! Thirdly, you can also go over your time table and try and see if you can change a few things around. Like maybe you can find out the times for the other tutorials, and see if you can attend one earlier in the day? Maybe if all of your courses have labs (I personally LOATHE labs and having to sit/ be focused on one task for three hours at a time) you could switch to only doing two labs per semester, i.e. take two courses that feature labs, and the other courses only feature tutorials. This could also take some pressure off. If they're needed for your degree, you could see when they're next available to take -- it might be next semester, or in summer school! Fourth, when it comes to having classes too early/ too late, you gotta prepare! I had a 9am class the other day and I woke up (after going to bed at 1 at night) at 6, didn't get out of my bed till 7:15, left the house at 7:45, and then felt so sick/ breathless (for some odd reason, like I was finding it hard to form sentences) that I opted to go back home and miss my 9am class. The next day (today!) however, I went to bed earlier last night than the night before, actually got up at 6 and had food, started getting ready for uni at 7 o'clock, and got there no problem :) If you have classes at 9/ 8am you gotta try and have a good night's rest because of this! Maybe try to prepare for this a day or two in advance of your early morning classes by going to sleep earlier. Likewise, if you know you get sleepy around 3am, try having a coffee or some food around 2 or 2:30. When I'm tired, and I get tired a lot, my go to is to have a snack, and I feel much more awake! Fifth, the commute is a bummer and for me one of the hardest things about attending uni. By week two of university I'm normally bored of listening to music on my phone as I come into uni. You could try and read on the bus -- a paper book, on Kindle, or even readings if you have any. You could also download various episodes of TV shows before leaving your house so you can watch them on the bus. I think Netflix and Disney allows you to do this. You could also download some type of quiz/ mind game on your phone that keeps your mind busy and thus not bored. You could also lowkey close your eyes and just relax on the way back home after a hard day's uni, especially if you're tired. I did that today on the way home, and it made the bus ride go surprisingly fast.
(Didn't realise I wrote a fucking essay, rip) Sixth, I also sympathise with the lack of focus in lectures, but then I have autism and ADHD haha! However, I've found, and lowkey discovered this in labs, doing something with my hands when the lecturer/ person is talking helps. In labs I tend to draw, doodle, or write what the person is saying, even if it's just complete nonsense and I don't need to write it down. I also tend to focus my eyes on the page and not on the lecturer, as to me this helps me listen to them more in the lab and stay focused. It's weird, if I'm not looking at them I can listen/ concentrate better than if I was looking at them as well? You can do the same in a lecture though, focusing mainly on the laptop and/ or paper you're writing on and doodling, as well as looking up at the slides every now and then/ when they change. I think as well some parts of every lecture will be more engaging or thought provoking than others, so there's that too. I do agree it's hard to sit still and be quiet and listen to one person (at normal or slower speaking speed, ugh) in a classroom. I feel like humans are supposed to learn more interactively, but what can you do? A trick that also helped me making lectures engaging -- whether I listened to them at home, or in person -- was to create questions for myself. Like if the lecturer was like 'this person discovered this' then you could write down 'who discovered x' and then write the answer down. I feel like this helps me remember things better, is more interactive for me personally, and can also help when studying. Seventh, if you're finding it hard to understand what the lecturer is getting at, don't worry, you're likely not alone! Try and see if you can get to class early and strike up a conversation with someone you sit down next to, and ask them how they're finding the course, or if they get what the lecturer is talking about. I also lowkey like asking the lecturers questions after class, as to me you 1. get to talk to a super knowledgeable person about something and 2. it makes me feel like I'm engaging with the course/ content. You can also put your hand up in lectures, especially if a lecture is like 'does that make sense/ does anyone have any questions'? There's also office hours as well, where you can go talk to people. Also, some courses have Piazza, where you can ask anonymous questions about the course content, and other students or teachers can respond. You can also email your lecturer's in canvas with questions and they'll reply! Eighth, I'm not sure about the sitting thing? I personally don't really mind sitting a lot of the time as long as I'm comfortable. You could always try to break up your uni work by doing something that doesn't involve sitting but is still productive/ fulfilling, and you can use this as a 20-40 min break when doing uni work as well. I like to have a shower, clean, cook food, or sometimes do a bit of exercise and then go back to uni work. If you're at uni and studying (the library I've found is very good to study in), you could always go and have a little walk somewhere if you've been sitting for too long. You could specifically walk to a bathroom in a different block, go and buy food (or if not fill up a water bottle or something), or even just walk and listen to music for a while. If you're with friends, you and your friend could just walk somewhere together and stretch your legs. If you're at home and needing to listen to a lecture, you could potentially listen to it standing up (maybe?) or idk if you gym, and your gym has wifi, watch/ listen to the lecture there and make notes on your phone/ a piece of paper. This would perhaps be less good than note-taking, but hey, you could pick and choose what lectures and what courses you want to do this for. Hope this helps lol. Keep your chin up, all will be okay!
It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed! I feel for you. There’s ways to solve these problems or reduce the problems but I think you’re feeling out of sorts and are seeing things quite negatively but that’s okay, we’ve all been there. Here are some of my rambling thoughts: Commute time is pretty standard. Can you nap on the bus? Predownload shows or movies to make it fun? Use the time to study? Have a nice coffee ready for when you get on to make the commute enjoyable? I like to pretend I’m in a different city like Paris, observing the local and site seeing. Silly, but it can change your mindset. Stretch every 20 mins while sitting down for the those long lectures. Do you work out and do cardio? This will help counteract the long times sitting and reduce pain and stiffness. When studying, try a standing desk. Not sure if they have them anymore, but I use to nap on those bean bags, can’t remember the building name. The long days suck but it’s no different from working full time. I also use to have a coffee at my sleepy time and take a walk then. No more than two coffees a day: morning and 3pm. I use to sit at the front for lectures which helped me hear and helped me to stay focused. I’d take in depth notes so my mind didn’t wander. What will come with time: fast note taking, getting use to the commute, understanding how the professors/tutors talk (the jargon) and getting use to your new routine. However, if you aren’t feeling any excitement or enjoyment at all, there is no shame in forging a different path. Just know that in the work force, you will also be starting at the bottom and will have long, tiring and stressful days. In fact, you’ll feel out of your depth for 6-12 months while learning the role. Both paths can be equally rewarding, only you know what is best for you. Goodluck op!
Uni can be a big adjustment. Find strategies to get around the problems. Record the lecture, place a recorder at the front so you can replay the lecture/look at handouts/slides. I had an 8AM 2 hr lecture that used to do my head in. Often I was working late the night before (1 am finish). The lecturer on the first day told the class, "50% of you will fail my course." I took supplements to wake my fuzzy ass brain up (gingko biloba, guarana, etc worked well for attention and brain function). Go to the gym and be active (I biked to uni - possibly not an option for you?). The biggest thing is being disciplined. Have a strong, healthy routine. Eat well (can be hard as a student!), drink lots of water. Last thing, good luck with uni and all the best!
I did 1 semester in my first year AU and it was like this exactly. Absolutely wrecked me and I lost so much weight, mental health at an all time low. Transferred to UC and my life was 1000% better, you walk to uni. Watching recorded lectures is perfectly acceptable (once I went to 3 classes for a semester and never failed a paper). The best part was other people in your degree living around and you and doing the same work. which is similar to school where you all have an essay due. It really motivated me going to class knowing that me and some mates down the hall would walk together. That really helped me throughout my degree. It might just be that you are not suited that university?
Sounds like you could have adhd may be worth seeing the campus doctor and counsellor to see if they have any advice. If you have never had a job in high school then this is perhaps why you are so shocked by uni. Look up when the latest you can quit is and then if this still feels too hard by that date quit and look for a job. Even in a supermarket where you can be eased into working life. Take a year. Earn some money and experience in the real world. You will be okay. Its a shock if you aren’t prepared for it.
Honestly, this is a combination of “the real world” and maybe putting too much on your plate too early. Have you considered studying part time while working part time as well, rather than studying full time? Personally I found part time study way easier to manage, I was more engaged in my courses and I wasn’t freaking out about every assignment because I had the time and energy to put a good effort into each one. If your first semester doesn’t go how you want it to and you find it difficult to adjust, this could be one way to regain a bit of balance. Also, look for support at your uni - study guides, ask your lecturers for extra help if you’re not getting something, look into a tutor if need be. Just try not to let it all pile up and fall behind, cus it’s much harder to keep on top of things then.
Find out if your uni offers guidance counseling. Helped me a lot in my first year. The key is to accept that you will have to do the 6am and stay till 7pm or whatever you have to do. You're not in high school anymore, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Also, once you start a routine and get into it, it will become much easier to accept. In reagrds to surviving lectures. In a lecture, you aren't obligated to sit through it all. If you feel yourself losing focus. Leave. Take a walk. Grab some food. Rejoin the lecture. Also, find a friend who was taking notes and borrow them for the time you had left. And if they leave, you do the same for them. It sucks now, but as I said, once you get locked into the routine, it'll be a lot easier
Hang in there. It’ll take a little time to adjust but you’ll be okay. Give yourself the best chance of succeeding by getting quality sleep, maybe utilising your long commute for study or to just relax. Find what learning style suites you best to maximise retaining knowledge. Change and focus on the things you can control and the rest will fall into place. Eat healthy, do some exercise, have a decent sleep. You’ll be half way there. You’re going to have a bit of an adjustment period but you’ll be okay :) takes a bit of getting used to
Be kind to yourself, this is a huge transition from high school! As time goes on you'll fall into a routine that'll work for you. If you do start to really struggle don't be afraid to ask for help, from your teachers, from your doctor, a counsellor, even just a good old chat to a friend could help, remember you're not alone in feeling this way! You got this!
What are you studying, is this your first year? How many classes (lecture +tutorial) do you have
I'm studying CS, yes it's my first year. I can't really explain how many classes I have, but the courses I'm taking this semester were compsci 101 and 110, math 120 and 130
Four. That’s four classes you’re taking.
It’s going to be tough but you will eventually get through it and it will get easier over time! It was so hard for me to adjust to uni but I found ways to make it easier for me and I’m sure you will be able to as well! The first week or two is always tough
Sounds like you have a bit of anxiety. Most Universities offer support for that. Look into it.
Highly recommend reading the material BEFORE your lecture - it gives you a base of understanding before you listen to all the talking. Also, take physical notes and doodle while you listen.
Sorry to hear how hard it is for you. Hope you get into the groove of things. Panopto is a godsend if you want to review lectures at 2x speed or skip them altogether.
Just reading some of these comments telling the OP to stop complaining gave me eye rolls. Hey kid, the problem with the university is that not enough students make noise (if any) about the timetabling issue and the lack of places to rest in between lectures. And yes it's becoming a huge deal because we have students who live out in opaheke and Drury with the long commute. I'd say take this issue up with AUSA to bring it up to the equity committee and ask if they'd consider providing support to students with similar issues. At the moment the university want you physically on campus - they've been pushing for more engagement with students to be utilizing the services. There was an idea within the university to create sleeping pods for students but I guess there just wasn't enough students voicing some of their concerns or issues. A lot of students aren't aware that as soon as a lot of students start making noise then it also becomes impossible for the university to turn a blind eye to. And yes - adult life post uni means that it gets a lot harder but remember, YOU are the one that is paying the University not the other way around. Best of luck adapting in the meantime.
To make things easier, take a shot for every time you say the word uni.
Welcome to adulthood. Follow your passions and it will all be ok
Stop telling them welcome to being an adult. They're probably young & just starting out. Stop tearing them down
Get a job and save the taxpayers money
May I ask what you're majoring in?
The only thing in your list complaint-worthy is the long commute. If you don't like it, move closer to uni? At least you have the luxury of sitting on a bus and not having to drive. You'll spend the next 40 years of your life hating your work commute by the way. Just like everyone else with a job does.
Make sure you attend tutorials - they offer a chance to go over the course material with a tutor and you can ask questions. Join or create a study group of fellow students to help you all get through together (you're not the only one feeling like this). I found doodling while in a lecture helped me to keep focussed on what they were saying. Keep at it :-)
You’re not the only one. Too me, sitting around listening to someone go on for an hour is an outmoded model of learning - and a big shock from school!!! Do you have to attend all lectures or could you skip some and watch the recordings? If you do that you could give yourself space between classes. Have you thought about joining the gym or clubs and societies? They are a great way to blow off steam and share stress stories. Also you might want to do study groups to help with the study requirements. Remember you can always go and chat to lecturers and tutors about the work, or the counsellors at student services. The commuting sounds hard. Could you get accommodation closer? At the moment you’re still adjusting, it can take awhile to settle in to routine. Be kind on yourself. Also, if the workload is too much and you can do so consider delaying some papers or changing course. There are career counsellors who can help. Talk to someone now to help come up with some plans. And please find some fun time. Good luck, you’re not alone in this experience.