The Student Room Group

My Story (A philosophical inquiry to the concept of freedom of choice)

Wednesday Evening,

4 Assignments left roughly 10,000 words finding the will to do them, the resolve.

Admittedly i could get them done quite easily I am decent enough at it's course and have devised strategies in completing each other. I'm a skilled typer with a speed of 100 WPM although not the fastest fast enough to work efficiently and to a small time window. Yet i sit here and ponder was it all worth it? Although i'm not quitting (If i even could). Suffice to say yes, i can quit if i really wanted to yet my parents will come down on me like the wrath of god as they feel they would 'not have gotten there's money's worth'. Although, this line of reasoning is flawed i can somewhat understand where they are coming from as I'm coming up to the end of my 2nd year as a philosophy student. Still i sit here and wonder... Trapped in this system of education not knowing reality, all i get from the disenfranchised and the cynics around me is the constant "Stay in education, you'll hate getting a 'real' job", "Life is just hard work and trust me it doesn't get any easier" and other incredibly uplifting statements. I write this sarcastically although i recognise the truth in these statements i still feel they are somewhat myopic. THEY can cope with this even if they argue that it's harder because the majority of these people i speak to who say these things are in their late 30s early 50s and have been working in their careers for 20+ years. It is common for things to get easier but, for me 3 years isn't enough for me to be used to this environment. I can argue it's a flaw in myself that i am slow to adapt or that it's a flaw on the part of the university i attend as they weren't accommodating enough and made me feel like a child.

This is my story, heed it well... Those who are thinking of going to university take this as a warning, Life CAN be decent depending on the kind of person you are, if you have great financial support and you find making friends easy i dare say you'll love it. As i have gotten this introduction out of the way lets get started....

April 2014, My last year of college i can't wait to taste the summer again the long hours of video games, hanging out with my friends online, livestreaming and playing Dark Souls (Similar to thoughts i'm having now as i am writing this). I go to my careers advisor and i tell them my interests that i find deciphering the nature of the universe to be interesting and i enjoy the philosophical arts. It lead me to this course and it seemed interesting so i took it (Incidentally, was the only course close enough that did what i wanted as my mum told me prior that she wanted me nearby... So i got no choice to go to any other unis other than the ones in my local area).

I was on the fence about going to university but as a 19 year old with no clue where he wants to take his life i didn't feel i had any other options so i listened to the pressuring advice of my peers, my family and the general zeitgeist. So, September rolled along and already issues arose. I was barely given any advice on how to claim for a student loan or how to get a house so the first few weeks i had to commute i was eventually able to score an en-suite halls of residence and i lived with 7 other people who mainly just left me alone which was nice honestly, as i prefer my own company. I met my first girlfriend (Didn't work out personality clash) and i was ok, not happy per say but ok and i tried to stay optimistic. I joined the local nerdy groups as i tend to be into that culture and i joined a few tabletop RPG sessions and it was fun for a while. However, things just started to decouple. Friends started to drop off like flies and i was quickly abandoned and alone i wasn't too concerned with this though as my girlfriend at the time kept me busy and i was doing assignments so no biggie. The SLC had been giving me some issues and i already hit my first bout of debt but luckily my mum bailed me out and i was still able to live in the halls of residence (Although, the fact student loans don't cover EVEN the basic cost of rent i'll never truly understand but whatever...)

The real S*** show happened during my second year, At the start it seemed like it was going to be a good year, i just met my current girlfriend who wasn't affiliated with the university in any way (She goes to work nearby where i live at uni). It was a story of love on first sight second time i saw her we fell in love, and since we've been on plenty of dates and trips out, she threw me an amazing 21st birthday which i'll never forget and i still wear the hoodie she bought me to this day and i love it. If it wasn't for her i wouldn't even of had to strength to make it to this point her love and support has gotten me through and my only wish is that after this s***show we'll stay together and we can make a life together. But, during this time the SLC decided to f*** me every which way by constantly being belligerent always telling me 'I haven't submitted enough evidence' and basically drip feeding me instructions on what i should do. WHY CAN'T YOU HAVE JUST TOLD ME EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW THE FIRST TIME! >_<... Rage aside, it put me in a lot of debt, my mother lost her job due to mental illness and thus couldn't support me as much as she did last year, i did odd jobs earnt a little bit of wage and got lucky with a gig teaching a business woman from London how to use computers and that was fun and i earnt a bit of pocket money but that was it... Pocket money nothing i could really live on (Thank christ aldi and poundland exist). So there were days i literally couldn't afford to clean my clothes or eat and i did starve... It got so bad my lecturers felt bad for me and actually donated food to me which was incredibly nice of them but it did make me feel pretty worthless. I spent all this time in education and i wanted to finally be self sufficient but nope. During this time the uni constantly demanded money from me (thank god i was living in halls again and not shared house as i'm pretty sure a landlord/lady would of kicked my @ss out by now.) I fell behind on work hence why i'm doing 4 essays now and really the only thing i woke up everyday to do was to see my girlfriend. My girlfriend is going be the only reason i ever look back on this place and most of the good times i spent with her were away from here in other places we'd take day trips to so... yeah. Also, to be clear the SLC didn't just mess me around so did the university when i applied for their hardship fund they told me to get bank statements for 3 months and due to the fact i was busy i wasn't able to get them to them until next month which they turned around and said 'Yeah we gunna need this month as well oh and the statements to your savings account...' Again i felt that they could of told me this ahead of time and that's really the problem. I never knew what the hell i was supposed to be doing because when i did something 5 more issues would arise that i wasn't even briefed on. College and School never prepare you for this which is insane because i honestly think they should and at this point i have no clue where the hell the people i met in my first year are they just disappeared off the face of the Earth.

I suffered, i felt starvation and debt, I felt what it's like to have no money or job, I felt what it's like to be an adult is this REAL enough for you? I'm hoping i'm not the only one whose had this kind of experience the experience where you fall through every safety net and no one cares nor wants to help you. That's the main issue with this even though i find my course mildly interesting it's not good enough to what i have to endure. Yeah, argument can be made that there are those who are less lucky than i but unfortunately experience is relative and so is pain some people can deal with certain kinds of situations better than others and even though i have dealt with this it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Education is important but, i feel that this system leaves a lot to be desired. It seems to serve only those who fit within the zeitgeist. I didn't even mention how the flatmates i live with this year are terrible they never clean up, they always leave the kitchen in a mess and they constantly leave their stuff lying around and they have stolen from me enough times it forced my parents to get me a mini-fridge that they could barely afford just so my food wouldn't get stolen. The uni didn't do anything about it other than tell them off which is basically like going up to a schizophrenic psychopath and saying "Could you please calm down sir?". I can't wait for the summer and for all this to be over i really can't...

This survival of the fittest competitive nature that schools and places of education are becoming more about business quotas and filling seats and not actually caring about the people who fill those seats. I love to learn, i love to expand my mind but honestly, if you just want to enjoy intellectual pursuits university isn't the place go find a private tutor or a class that you can do in your own time which is only filled with those who want to be there. Or alternatively, private research i've enjoyed more the topics i research in my own time than i have any class i've ever been to within the education sector.

My advise to you is, be sure of who you are before you come here and come prepared super prepared. Research a lot particularly the SLC and make sure you deal with those guys as soon as freakin possible. They will want to waste your time as much as they can particularly if you don't come from a particularly well off background.

Tick, tick, tick that clock marching ever forward towards eternity as i begin to type up the first essay i got to write this evening.

I do this for my lover, i do this to secure a future for us that's what i'll tell myself till the day i die...
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Alpharius Omegon
Wednesday Evening,

4 Assignments left roughly 10,000 words finding the will to do them, the resolve.

Admittedly i could get them done quite easily I am decent enough at it's course and have devised strategies in completing each other. I'm a skilled typer with a speed of 100 WPM although not the fastest fast enough to work efficiently and to a small time window. Yet i sit here and ponder was it all worth it? Although i'm not quitting (If i even could). Suffice to say yes, i can quit if i really wanted to yet my parents will come down on me like the wrath of god as they feel they would 'not have gotten there's money's worth'. Although, this line of reasoning is flawed i can somewhat understand where they are coming from as I'm coming up to the end of my 2nd year as a philosophy student. Still i sit here and wonder... Trapped in this system of education not knowing reality, all i get from the disenfranchised and the cynics around me is the constant "Stay in education, you'll hate getting a 'real' job", "Life is just hard work and trust me it doesn't get any easier" and other incredibly uplifting statements. I write this sarcastically although i recognise the truth in these statements i still feel they are somewhat myopic. THEY can cope with this even if they argue that it's harder because the majority of these people i speak to who say these things are in their late 30s early 50s and have been working in their careers for 20+ years. It is common for things to get easier but, for me 3 years isn't enough for me to be used to this environment. I can argue it's a flaw in myself that i am slow to adapt or that it's a flaw on the part of the university i attend as they weren't accommodating enough and made me feel like a child.

This is my story, heed it well... Those who are thinking of going to university take this as a warning, Life CAN be decent depending on the kind of person you are, if you have great financial support and you find making friends easy i dare say you'll love it. As i have gotten this introduction out of the way lets get started....

April 2014, My last year of college i can't wait to taste the summer again the long hours of video games, hanging out with my friends online, livestreaming and playing Dark Souls (Similar to thoughts i'm having now as i am writing this). I go to my careers advisor and i tell them my interests that i find deciphering the nature of the universe to be interesting and i enjoy the philosophical arts. It lead me to this course and it seemed interesting so i took it (Incidentally, was the only course close enough that did what i wanted as my mum told me prior that she wanted me nearby... So i got no choice to go to any other unis other than the ones in my local area).

I was on the fence about going to university but as a 19 year old with no clue where he wants to take his life i didn't feel i had any other options so i listened to the pressuring advice of my peers, my family and the general zeitgeist. So, September rolled along and already issues arose. I was barely given any advice on how to claim for a student loan or how to get a house so the first few weeks i had to commute i was eventually able to score an en-suite halls of residence and i lived with 7 other people who mainly just left me alone which was nice honestly, as i prefer my own company. I met my first girlfriend (Didn't work out personality clash) and i was ok, not happy per say but ok and i tried to stay optimistic. I joined the local nerdy groups as i tend to be into that culture and i joined a few tabletop RPG sessions and it was fun for a while. However, things just started to decouple. Friends started to drop off like flies and i was quickly abandoned and alone i wasn't too concerned with this though as my girlfriend at the time kept me busy and i was doing assignments so no biggie. The SLC had been giving me some issues and i already hit my first bout of debt but luckily my mum bailed me out and i was still able to live in the halls of residence (Although, the fact student loans don't cover EVEN the basic cost of rent i'll never truly understand but whatever...)

The real S*** show happened during my second year, At the start it seemed like it was going to be a good year, i just met my current girlfriend who wasn't affiliated with the university in any way (She goes to work nearby where i live at uni). It was a story of love on first sight second time i saw her we fell in love, and since we've been on plenty of dates and trips out, she threw me an amazing 21st birthday which i'll never forget and i still wear the hoodie she bought me to this day and i love it. If it wasn't for her i wouldn't even of had to strength to make it to this point her love and support has gotten me through and my only wish is that after this s***show we'll stay together and we can make a life together. But, during this time the SLC decided to f*** me every which way by constantly being belligerent always telling me 'I haven't submitted enough evidence' and basically drip feeding me instructions on what i should do. WHY CAN'T YOU HAVE JUST TOLD ME EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW THE FIRST TIME! >_<... Rage aside, it put me in a lot of debt, my mother lost her job due to mental illness and thus couldn't support me as much as she did last year, i did odd jobs earnt a little bit of wage and got lucky with a gig teaching a business woman from London how to use computers and that was fun and i earnt a bit of pocket money but that was it... Pocket money nothing i could really live on (Thank christ aldi and poundland exist). So there were days i literally couldn't afford to clean my clothes or eat and i did starve... It got so bad my lecturers felt bad for me and actually donated food to me which was incredibly nice of them but it did make me feel pretty worthless. I spent all this time in education and i wanted to finally be self sufficient but nope. During this time the uni constantly demanded money from me (thank god i was living in halls again and not shared house as i'm pretty sure a landlord/lady would of kicked my @ss out by now.) I fell behind on work hence why i'm doing 4 essays now and really the only thing i woke up everyday to do was to see my girlfriend. My girlfriend is going be the only reason i ever look back on this place and most of the good times i spent with her were away from here in other places we'd take day trips to so... yeah. Also, to be clear the SLC didn't just mess me around so did the university when i applied for their hardship fund they told me to get bank statements for 3 months and due to the fact i was busy i wasn't able to get them to them until next month which they turned around and said 'Yeah we gunna need this month as well oh and the statements to your savings account...' Again i felt that they could of told me this ahead of time and that's really the problem. I never knew what the hell i was supposed to be doing because when i did something 5 more issues would arise that i wasn't even briefed on. College and School never prepare you for this which is insane because i honestly think they should and at this point i have no clue where the hell the people i met in my first year are they just disappeared off the face of the Earth.

I suffered, i felt starvation and debt, I felt what it's like to have no money or job, I felt what it's like to be an adult is this REAL enough for you? I'm hoping i'm not the only one whose had this kind of experience the experience where you fall through every safety net and no one cares nor wants to help you. That's the main issue with this even though i find my course mildly interesting it's not good enough to what i have to endure. Yeah, argument can be made that there are those who are less lucky than i but unfortunately experience is relative and so is pain some people can deal with certain kinds of situations better than others and even though i have dealt with this it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Education is important but, i feel that this system leaves a lot to be desired. It seems to serve only those who fit within the zeitgeist. I didn't even mention how the flatmates i live with this year are terrible they never clean up, they always leave the kitchen in a mess and they constantly leave their stuff lying around and they have stolen from me enough times it forced my parents to get me a mini-fridge that they could barely afford just so my food wouldn't get stolen. The uni didn't do anything about it other than tell them off which is basically like going up to a schizophrenic psychopath and saying "Could you please calm down sir?". I can't wait for the summer and for all this to be over i really can't...

This survival of the fittest competitive nature that schools and places of education are becoming more about business quotas and filling seats and not actually caring about the people who fill those seats. I love to learn, i love to expand my mind but honestly, if you just want to enjoy intellectual pursuits university isn't the place go find a private tutor or a class that you can do in your own time which is only filled with those who want to be there. Or alternatively, private research i've enjoyed more the topics i research in my own time than i have any class i've ever been to within the education sector.

My advise to you is, be sure of who you are before you come here and come prepared super prepared. Research a lot particularly the SLC and make sure you deal with those guys as soon as freakin possible. They will want to waste your time as much as they can particularly if you don't come from a particularly well off background.

Tick, tick, tick that clock marching ever forward towards eternity as i begin to type up the first essay i got to write this evening.

I do this for my lover, i do this to secure a future for us that's what i'll tell myself till the day i die...


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