Anyone else feel far to dumb to be at LSE?

At school, I was always known as one of the 'smart kids' but since starting LSE, I just feel like the class dunce. I just can't get through all of the reading and I barely say a word in classes. Does anyone else feel like this? I wouldn't seriously contemplate dropping out but I feel so depressed and it seems like everyone I know has done all of the reading, knows all the facts and case inside out and are generally completely on top of things. At this rate, I genuinely don't know how I'm going to pass my exams and I've never felt this incapable before. Please reassure me that I'm not the only one

Reply 1

M.A.H

17

you're not the only one im sure, you're used to being top so this a kind of shock to you. Don't worry about it just work hard and study harder. You need to up your game ALOT since u were used to being top you were able to laze around a bit

Reply 2

tourist

9

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

At school, I was always known as one of the 'smart kids' but since starting LSE, I just feel like the class dunce. I just can't get through all of the reading and I barely say a word in classes. Does anyone else feel like this? I wouldn't seriously contemplate dropping out but I feel so depressed and it seems like everyone I know has done all of the reading, knows all the facts and case inside out and are generally completely on top of things. At this rate, I genuinely don't know how I'm going to pass my exams and I've never felt this incapable before. Please reassure me that I'm not the only one

Don't worry, it will pass. It is weeks and weeks until exams, the pins will drop.

The work isn't everything, and it's much too early to be worrying about the fact that you can't do it, everyone I know has done really badly in their class assessments so far. My group got like 2/30 on our first couple of homeworks.

Reply 3

thats_my_poison

OP

1

but everyone in my class is so intelligent, i can't even understand half of the words that come out of their mouth and im one of the only people for whom english is their first language! i know i shouldnt stress out but im so tired and still have so much reading i want to do, hence why im in on a friday night

Reply 4

tourist

9

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

but everyone in my class is so intelligent, i can't even understand half of the words that come out of their mouth and im one of the only people for whom english is their first language! i know i shouldnt stress out but im so tired and still have so much reading i want to do, hence why im in on a friday night

Try and be selective in your reading? Find some other people on your course and split your reading and share your notes/ideas?

They're probably not as smart as you think they are, just regurgitating information.

Reply 5

thats_my_poison

OP

1

right now, im only reading the relevant chapters in my textbook and doing the required reading on webct but that takes up all my time. other people in the class manage to get through law reports, westlaw, other textbooks, law journals, etc, and i just dont know how they can do it. i feel really dumb and inferior and just want to cry

Reply 6

ExRx123

17

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

right now, im only reading the relevant chapters in my textbook and doing the required reading on webct but that takes up all my time. other people in the class manage to get through law reports, westlaw, other textbooks, law journals, etc, and i just dont know how they can do it. i feel really dumb and inferior and just want to cry

I bet you a lot of them do pretty much nothing other than study...as much as you want to do well at Uni, don't forget, it's about enjoying yourself too.

Reply 7

thats_my_poison

OP

1

well i guess iv been going out quite a lot but im not the kind of person who can sit in their room studying for 10hrs a day. pls tell me you don't need to do this to get a 2:1. plz tell me its really easy to get a 2:1 lol

Reply 8

thats_my_poison

OP

1

can anyone else plz reassure me that it gets easier and that im not the only one who feels wholly out of their depth

Reply 9

Lizsco3

1

It's going to be ok. Did you just start this year? If you did, of course it's going to be difficult, at least at first. New beginnings are always going to be. Even if you've been at LSE for a while (sorry, I don't know your situation), the workload IS just going to be getting bigger, and it can feel like it's too much. Why don't you talk to some of the other people in your class and ask how they're staying on top of things? Or maybe even your supervisor?

You shouldn't feel alone because there are always people who feel like you do now. The key is to talk to people who are also on your course. Well done for getting into LSE! If you got in then you have what it takes (they wouldn't have let you in if they thought otherwise!). You just need to work out how to stay on top of things (write a list/plan maybe?) and talk to people. And try to balance your time...you should try to get out once in a while too. Then it will definitely get easier. Good luck!

Reply 10

thats_my_poison

OP

1

i have spoken to tons of people on my course and they are all completely on top of the work; it's just me who can't seem to get through all the reading.

i have just started at lse and tbh, iv been going out far too much and wasting too much time but i thought everyone was doing that as well? i guess i just need to buckle down and do some work

Reply 11

hongkongstudent

Take a deep breath. Relax. It's your first year. :smile:

Congrats on making it here~!

Anyways, you're not the only one struggling I can assure you that much. I mentored quite a few first year students and its not uncommon to see people coming to me tellming me how they feel out of their league here.

I myself struggled in the first year. The trick I learnt in my second year is to speak a lot in class. When you speak, you just grow to be more confident of yourself in the subject (and you learn much better if you participate). If you're several weeks in and finding it harder and harder to speak up because you didn't participate for the first few classes, then I recommend you going to see the class teacher during their office hour. Just find some problem that you don't quite understand and go see them. The important thing here is that you just want to get some experience talking to your teacher, once you've done that you'll find it much easier to speak in class. (and sit near the front of class if you have a quiet voice!)

Work at it and it'll give you confidence, help you understand your material better and just make you feel really good.

Edit: Also, there's no real need to compare yourself to others. Just take it at your own pace. Some people just brag to look good anyways.

Anyways, that's the advice I give my mentees. :biggrin:

Reply 12

thats_my_poison

OP

1

thanks for the reassurance. can i just clarify - the reason i never speak in class isnt because i lack confidence; it's because i genuinely have no idea what the answer is. if the teacher directed the question at me, all id be able to do is shrug my shoulders. im trying to get loads of wk done this wkend tho so hopefully it wont be the class next wk in classes

Reply 13

naddles

1

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

well i guess iv been going out quite a lot but im not the kind of person who can sit in their room studying for 10hrs a day. pls tell me you don't need to do this to get a 2:1. plz tell me its really easy to get a 2:1 lol

this is probably not the best advice but i managed a 2.1 without doing any real work until mid april which in turn became all nighters during may, not the best way to go about doing things but i got a 2.1! :p:

as people have said its your first year, there isnt a massive amount of pressure and about the readings i would definitely recommend splitting it up with other people, i did that last year during revsion and this year

Reply 14

thats_my_poison

OP

1

when you say you didnt do any 'real work', what do you mean? do you mean u were going out most nights or what? also, how many people get 2:1s in law for 1st yr - im not feeling very optimistic

Reply 15

naddles

1

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

when you say you didnt do any 'real work', what do you mean? do you mean u were going out most nights or what? also, how many people get 2:1s in law for 1st yr - im not feeling very optimistic

readings for a start, the most i would read is the abstract and conclusion. yeah i just enjoyed my first year a lot (which has spilled into the second year :p:

). you're doing law?i took criminal law last year, you don't need to read whole cases, its just a waste of time. nearly everyone in law last year got a 2.1, there were just the odd 2.2s

Reply 16

ahmed.pilot

There's an old saying that goes a little like this (and I'm wildly paraphrasing!): When you compare yourself to others, you can either feel inferior or superior. Both of which can be detrimental to one's performance.

Remember, be humble, dedicated, work hard and everything will fall into place.

Reply 17

2026

15

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

how many people get 2:1s in law for 1st yr - im not feeling very optimistic

I believe around 50-60% of 1st year students got a 2.1 this year.

Reply 18

hongkongstudent

diamonds_glitter_trauma_tears

when you say you didnt do any 'real work', what do you mean? do you mean u were going out most nights or what? also, how many people get 2:1s in law for 1st yr - im not feeling very optimistic

I'm not in the law department, but don't first year law students tend to just pass their law modules and be done with it? At least that's what most of my law friends did in the first year. (BTW, more than 80% of people just get 'pass' in their first year law modules BTW, only around 5% manage to get a 2:1 in individual modules)

Graduating with a 2:1 overall in Law shouldn't be that hard if you just keep doing some work throughout the year and then revising hard near the end. We're talking around 15% First, 75% 2:1 for law. So you'll be fine.

Reply 19

thats_my_poison

OP

1

naddles

readings for a start, the most i would read is the abstract and conclusion. yeah i just enjoyed my first year a lot (which has spilled into the second year :p:

). you're doing law?i took criminal law last year, you don't need to read whole cases, its just a waste of time. nearly everyone in law last year got a 2.1, there were just the odd 2.2s

but its not like im doing crazy amounts of reading. i have never read a whole case - i just read the quick summary in the textbook. at least its reassuring to know that most people get 2:1s in first yr

Anyone else feel far to dumb to be at LSE?

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