University, confusion, annoyance!! Help!?

Hullo, well i'm new - so if this is in the wrong place, i apoligise, but im useless with forums.

I'm an art student, doing my BTEC Foundation Diploma at college that bridges the gap for me to get to university. I struggle with my english, for instance, trying to write essays, which sounds crazy considering i can write blogs and these types of things - but i suffer really badly. Im not dyslexic, i just have trouble with it. However, i feel i wont be up to par with other students in uni. I've not done any of the essays for the course im on, nor can i seem to write my personal statement for UCAS.

I'm an artist, not a ... 'deep thinker into things' type. I just make good artwork and get on with it! Not to say im completely stupid, i'd like to think im not.

Anyway, i dont know whether or not to go! My mums also just propositioned me to move abroad to New Zealand with her around 2009 and if thats the case i dont see the point in applying to a uni here now. But im really uncertain!

Can i do i year here, then continue abroad? Or waste a year trying to get a job to save up?

Chuffin confused! :confused:

Help? Advice of some sort would be really appreciated.

Reply 1

britishseapower

what is it that you struggle with, in particular, when it comes to writing essays? you don't necessarily need to be a deep thinker to be good at essays, as long as you put the research in and do the relevant reading and follow the marking criteria guidelines, you can't go far wrong.

Reply 2

britishseapower

as for New Zealand, I think you first need to decide if you are actually going. If you are not, then go to uni as long as it is something that you want to do. If you are going, personally I don't see the point in doing 1 year at university here, you might as well start afresh whilst you are over there.

Reply 3

IndelibleBlack

britishseapower

I honestly can't pin it down to one thing. I used to attempt them, but got as far as a few lines and struggled to form a paragraph. Now i just get sheer panic at the thought of them and give up if i cant find the words. I cant explain, its just so frustrating because im not stupid, i just get anxiety with it. :frown:

And i am most definately moving to New Zealand. Fresh start and all that jazz =].

Reply 4

britishseapower

it sounds to me like it's more of a mental block on your part rather than an actual inability to do essays. You just have to try and think of them as just a writing exercise rather than the big emphasis on it being an important assessment e.t.c. Like you say, you enjoy writing in blogs and things, an essay isn't that much different. The way I do essays, I read the question and then I read a few books on the topic that the question is based on, taking notes. At the end, I bring all my notes together and I pick out the important bits and my essay just takes off from there.

Reply 5

IndelibleBlack

Its definately down to a mental block, i'll agree. I struggle to get into a book though. I get bored, i loose focus - just suck at it. I've been told countlessly its down to not being bothered with the work, but my drive to do tasks is pretty good. I like a challenge. Writing and reading big books on things i know i'll forget within a week seems to be my trouble.

Where as i havea younger sibling who can sit and write an entire essay in one night - i've even sat with her trying to see how she does it. All mine start out as bullet points of 'important' facts first, then never see the light of day again.

Reply 6

britishseapower

IndelibleBlack

Its definitely down to a mental block, i'll agree. I struggle to get into a book though. I get bored, i loose focus - just suck at it. I've been told countlessly its down to not being bothered with the work, but my drive to do tasks is pretty good. I like a challenge. Writing and reading big books on things i know i'll forget within a week seems to be my trouble.

Where as i havea younger sibling who can sit and write an entire essay in one night - i've even sat with her trying to see how she does it. All mine start out as bullet points of 'important' facts first, then never see the light of day again.

It doesn't matter that you forget them for essays, you only need to remember things for exams. Thats why I write my notes down when I'm researching for an essay as I'll never remember it all. The more I get into my essay, some of it will stick in my head but once the essay is complete, I just forget all about it, as I do with most other things that I learn once the assessment has passed. Don't worry about forgetting anything.

What exactly are your essays on? can you give me an example? as for the reading, just do a little bit at a time. Maybe read 2 or 3 pages, have a break and so forth

Reply 7

tommorris

Essay writing is a hard thing to get right. I'd suggest you try some different approaches - whether it's making notes as you go, or trying to use an outliner or perhaps drawing out the connections as a diagram. It's a matter of trying to find what you are thinking about and becoming conscious of the mental model you have of it, so you can see the connections better. It's definitely something that gets easier with practice.

One thing to consider with university is whether or not as a foreigner/immigrant in N.Z., you will be able to study as cheaply as you can in Britain. It may be cheaper to study in Britain or it might not. I'd take the cost factor into account when deciding what you do.