The Student Room Group

I have no interest in anything academic

My family wants me to go to university and I want to go but only out of fear of the alternative. I am interested in history, politics, and philosophy but I can't see myself being interested in them for 3-4 years. Well, I can't see those interests not being stultified by the frame of necessity in that time span, as that tends to happen. Also, the idea of debt is slightly off-putting and I'm not very good with people so I think that I may become quite lonely, especially if I am far from home. I wish I was as enthusiastic as my peers about academia but I can't conjure any authentic enthusiasm for long. I'm not sure why this is but I am quite sick of it. Is there any way to fix this? Have you ever felt like this?
Original post by Xiphos
My family wants me to go to university and I want to go but only out of fear of the alternative. I am interested in history, politics, and philosophy but I can't see myself being interested in them for 3-4 years. Well, I can't see those interests not being stultified by the frame of necessity in that time span, as that tends to happen. Also, the idea of debt is slightly off-putting and I'm not very good with people so I think that I may become quite lonely, especially if I am far from home. I wish I was as enthusiastic as my peers about academia but I can't conjure any authentic enthusiasm for long. I'm not sure why this is but I am quite sick of it. Is there any way to fix this? Have you ever felt like this?

If you are interested in Politics, History and Philosophy, then best to study HSPS at Cambridge. It is diverse and has many options.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/human-social-and-political-sciences

For debt, you should not worry about it because you wont have to pay the loan until you earn a particular salary.

You need to think about what you want to do in the future. You don't want to end up as a burden on society with no friends and no future.
Original post by Xiphos
My family wants me to go to university and I want to go but only out of fear of the alternative. I am interested in history, politics, and philosophy but I can't see myself being interested in them for 3-4 years. Well, I can't see those interests not being stultified by the frame of necessity in that time span, as that tends to happen. Also, the idea of debt is slightly off-putting and I'm not very good with people so I think that I may become quite lonely, especially if I am far from home. I wish I was as enthusiastic as my peers about academia but I can't conjure any authentic enthusiasm for long. I'm not sure why this is but I am quite sick of it. Is there any way to fix this? Have you ever felt like this?

'stultified' - excellent choice of word.

You say 'for fear of the alternative'. But you don't spell out what that alternative is for you, let alone why you fear it. This is the key, I think.
Reply 3
Original post by Wired_1800
If you are interested in Politics, History and Philosophy, then best to study HSPS at Cambridge. It is diverse and has many options.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/human-social-and-political-sciences

For debt, you should not worry about it because you wont have to pay the loan until you earn a particular salary.

You need to think about what you want to do in the future. You don't want to end up as a burden on society with no friends and no future.

My grades aren't good enough for any decent university and whilst I appreciate your response imploring me to think about my future doesn't really answer either of my two questions. Thank you anyway.
Original post by Xiphos
My grades aren't good enough for any decent university and whilst I appreciate your response imploring me to think about my future doesn't really answer either of my two questions. Thank you anyway.

Below were your two questions:

Is there any way to fix this?

I don't think there is a way to fix it. You need to put yourself out there and look for a course to study. Nobody can guarantee interest over a 3 to 4 year course, but you should have the fundamental desire to study the subject(s) through your interests in history, politics, and philosophy.

Have you ever felt like this?

I have not felt this way because i had an interest in my subjects and pursued them at university.

If your grades are not good for HSPS at Cambridge then you either work harder to meet the requirements or look for unis that have requirements that match your grades.
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 5
take a gap year, get a job. this whole idea that you have to go to university straight out of A levels or whatever you studied (sorry i'm just assuming that's the situation :redface:) is a foreign concept to me; there's no rush if you're undecided. also, stop comparing yourself to your friends; they aren't you and you don't need to be them :nah:
Reply 6
I have felt that way, aye. I went to get a job instead, and it was a shite job that came with crap pay and a load of health risks. Then I went back to concreting, which is nice but hard, unforgiving work unless you have and good crew or expensive gear (I did not). Then I jibbed that and worked in boozers abroad.

By the time I was 23/24 I had worked out what would hold my interest, and I went to university to do it
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 7
i took 3 years out working in a pub as i didn’t know / care about whether i even wanted to go to university; so long as you’re doing something your family (which i assume is the alternative) should come to terms with that sooner or later
🧊🔑
I feel that way, currently.
I'm currently working at a local McDonald's; if you put the hours in, the pay is decent. It's also a pretty fun work environment and the teamwork is great, but it can become slightly stressful during the busier periods. My grades this year were nowhere near the requirements for the university I wanted to attend (Lancaster), so I will be resitting some exams.

University is not the only option, though some TSR posters like to allude that it is.
You could take a gap year or two; there are so many possibilities for you during that period of time, whether it's work, travel, volunteering, etc. Just overall bettering yourself, your skills and your experiences... and being happy.
You don't have to go to university at all. You could discover more regarding what subject/degree you're most interested in over the course of a few years, whilst earning money/working in the community/etc.

I think what matters most is that you actually do something, rather than playing video games day in, day out, for a year.
Personally, I don't think there is any subject that I'm passionate about enough to study for another 3/4 years. Hence the burger-flipping :tongue: I also regularly go out walking/hiking, though as winter sets in, I'll have to find an alternative hobby.

My parents are a little disappointed, I think, but I don't let it affect me.
Reply 10
Original post by Anonymous
Being academic is camp and a bit feminine anyway

Had I not had a medical issue, I'd have tried out for the marines or paras by now so I get what you mean
Original post by Xiphos
My family wants me to go to university and I want to go but only out of fear of the alternative. I am interested in history, politics, and philosophy but I can't see myself being interested in them for 3-4 years. Well, I can't see those interests not being stultified by the frame of necessity in that time span, as that tends to happen. Also, the idea of debt is slightly off-putting and I'm not very good with people so I think that I may become quite lonely, especially if I am far from home. I wish I was as enthusiastic as my peers about academia but I can't conjure any authentic enthusiasm for long. I'm not sure why this is but I am quite sick of it. Is there any way to fix this? Have you ever felt like this?


You're not late to life neither or are you late to decide on what you want to do with your career.

Take time out to figure out what you want to do or regret it in 5-10 years down the line when you're stuck in a dead-end job because you need to pay your bills to survive.

Take a gap year or two, go work, travel, volunteer, explore and put yourself outside of your comfort zone. If you're interested in history, politics, and philosophy, find a way to incorporate them into your life, whether it's joining a club, a society, or whatever, and see what you find out. It doesn't matter what other people are focusing on and it doesn't matter you haven't figured yours out yet. Find ways to explore everything and see what you really enjoy, dislike, hate, or crave. No one can guarantee anything unless you're proactive and you put yourself out there. Once you click on something you enjoy, pursue it and work hard at it.

Just take your time and you'll get there. There's no rush to find the right career or the right job. Do what works for you.
Original post by aneilson
I feel that way, currently.
I'm currently working at a local McDonald's; if you put the hours in, the pay is decent. It's also a pretty fun work environment and the teamwork is great, but it can become slightly stressful during the busier periods. My grades this year were nowhere near the requirements for the university I wanted to attend (Lancaster), so I will be resitting some exams.

University is not the only option, though some TSR posters like to allude that it is.
You could take a gap year or two; there are so many possibilities for you during that period of time, whether it's work, travel, volunteering, etc. Just overall bettering yourself, your skills and your experiences... and being happy.
You don't have to go to university at all. You could discover more regarding what subject/degree you're most interested in over the course of a few years, whilst earning money/working in the community/etc.

I think what matters most is that you actually do something, rather than playing video games day in, day out, for a year.
Personally, I don't think there is any subject that I'm passionate about enough to study for another 3/4 years. Hence the burger-flipping :tongue: I also regularly go out walking/hiking, though as winter sets in, I'll have to find an alternative hobby.

My parents are a little disappointed, I think, but I don't let it affect me.


This is my helpful key advice. Go out for a nice meal with your parents and then discuss your career options at the end of the meal if possible. Reflect seriously on your key skills and qualities, try to use that to your full advantage here when applying. Read some useful books on finding a new meaningful part time or full time career- you can even find some online or at your local library or bookshop in order. Brush up on your interview technique and style, look at various opportunities to practice and improve on that end too. Set up a mock interview situation in which you can hopefully prepare and get a typed up, oral or handwritten feedback report afterwards on your own performance overall.
Find a new hobby too, perhaps learn another language etc. Try Duolingo or see if you can manage to hire a decent paid for private local qualified teacher who can support you on your journey. Discuss personal smart goals and list your own expectations beforehand or during your first ever proper formal lesson. Use the free books from a local library rather than buying any recommended resources at first especially in the early weeks and months of your quest however.
Best wishes. It is generally speaking here worth it in the end. The sense of achievement and proud inside feeling that you experience when you can fully understand a conversation at your local shop in French or whatever language which you opt to study is indescribable really. You cannot begin to describe it. No words can. And there is no way to accurately express what you feel when you can independently translate a entire text in French or Spanish etc.
I felt like this, I went to uni anyways cos i didnt know what else to do, dropped out my first course and started a business degree which was kinda general and easy to ignore lol

I ended up on a grad scheme that requires a 2:1 in any subject. My desire to study anything in particular didn't come to me at any point and I wasn't in a good place so I am a bit glad I just did *something* rather than stand still and wait for the answer to arrive.

I am not particularly excited about this scheme .. It is what it is. I feel like I just went along with it cos I realised I didn't like anything at about 17 and it felt like I had to go to uni. If I could go back to 17 I would do an apprenticeship for school leavers where they pay you to learn how to work and also pay for a qualification or even a degree. That way at least I would be earning, have work to break up the studying and not feel absorbed by a subject or feel like Im paying fees for stuff I dont care about. This is not advice, I haven't even looked into them but from what I know they look ok. You need to research every option properly tho!
Reply 14
in fairness, despite it being the definition of academia, i never really found UG to be all that academic outside of a few 2000 word essays which arent especially taxing (well, if you like the subject and in comparison to PG work).
Ifg you have a solid alternative to uni, like work, go for that if youre not convinced by the experience but if you have nothing else to do unis a good way to figure out what you want to do in life. Its *****y getting all the debt but it also opens a fair few doors into the professional world given many firms simply dont hire people without a degree or experience, the latter you tend to need a degree (ironically) to get so...

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