I want to quit uni but i don't know what i should do
I am currently a STEM student at university in my second year (part-time). I'm studying part-time because I am repeating some second year modules which I did not complete last year due to mental health problems.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
Original post by Anonymous
I am currently a STEM student at university in my second year (part-time). I'm studying part-time because I am repeating some second year modules which I did not complete last year due to mental health problems.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
The problem if you quit and start working is that you don't have a full degree and I wonder how employers would take it if you only have half a degree.
You could try transferring university to a course that's more applied, but you'd probably need to repeat at least one year, maybe two.
If you quit and start working, you better have a good job, because options open up a lot if you have a degree (preferably a 2:1 or even a First)
what year are you in? if your close to final year then I would stick with it unless it is well and truly unbearable. im having a similar issue, I don really enjoy my course, I don't hate it but I don't love It and it doesn't really interest me so im stumped at what to do. Like I said if your close to the end I would stick with it, but if not, do what has to be done x good luck x
Original post by justlearning1469
The problem if you quit and start working is that you don't have a full degree and I wonder how employers would take it if you only have half a degree.
You could try transferring university to a course that's more applied, but you'd probably need to repeat at least one year, maybe two.
If you quit and start working, you better have a good job, because options open up a lot if you have a degree (preferably a 2:1 or even a First)
You could try transferring university to a course that's more applied, but you'd probably need to repeat at least one year, maybe two.
If you quit and start working, you better have a good job, because options open up a lot if you have a degree (preferably a 2:1 or even a First)
I completely understand however I don't think my mental state will allow me to go for those grades, I was getting firsts but after this mental decline I'm really struggling to cope and just about putting enough effort into passing. My uni aren't helpful either and have capped some of my exams despite submitting evidence for mental health and a surgery I had two weeks before exams. I don't want a degree if I'm going to get a crap grade that will do nothing for me - another one of my concerns.
I haven't got any jobs lined up but a lot of tech careers I've seen job postings for don't require a degree and only require experience with some programming languages. I was thinking to maybe consider this as a potential job route.
Original post by Hannahleyla
what year are you in? if your close to final year then I would stick with it unless it is well and truly unbearable. im having a similar issue, I don really enjoy my course, I don't hate it but I don't love It and it doesn't really interest me so im stumped at what to do. Like I said if your close to the end I would stick with it, but if not, do what has to be done x good luck x
i'm essentially at the end of second year now
Original post by Anonymous
i'm essentially at the end of second year now
if its a three year degree, stick with it x you don't have long left now c
Original post by Anonymous
I completely understand however I don't think my mental state will allow me to go for those grades, I was getting firsts but after this mental decline I'm really struggling to cope and just about putting enough effort into passing. My uni aren't helpful either and have capped some of my exams despite submitting evidence for mental health and a surgery I had two weeks before exams. I don't want a degree if I'm going to get a crap grade that will do nothing for me - another one of my concerns.
I haven't got any jobs lined up but a lot of tech careers I've seen job postings for don't require a degree and only require experience with some programming languages. I was thinking to maybe consider this as a potential job route.
I haven't got any jobs lined up but a lot of tech careers I've seen job postings for don't require a degree and only require experience with some programming languages. I was thinking to maybe consider this as a potential job route.
How crap of a grade would you get if you continue on?
2:2 is kinda poor but depending on the job they may give you a chance, especially if you have other skills.
3 is barely a pass, you have a degree but... it's pretty poor
If those tech careers are good enough, in terms of salary, opportunities, you could drop out. Although you might want to stick until end of 2nd year and try to cash off with a lower qualification that way.
Original post by justlearning1469
How crap of a grade would you get if you continue on?
2:2 is kinda poor but depending on the job they may give you a chance, especially if you have other skills.
3 is barely a pass, you have a degree but... it's pretty poor
If those tech careers are good enough, in terms of salary, opportunities, you could drop out. Although you might want to stick until end of 2nd year and try to cash off with a lower qualification that way.
2:2 is kinda poor but depending on the job they may give you a chance, especially if you have other skills.
3 is barely a pass, you have a degree but... it's pretty poor
If those tech careers are good enough, in terms of salary, opportunities, you could drop out. Although you might want to stick until end of 2nd year and try to cash off with a lower qualification that way.
All my exams for this year are capped because my extenuating circumstances (mental health) last year were not accepted despite the fact I gave valid evidence. Just found out today they didn't accept my extenuating circumstances (medically unfit as had just had surgery a few weeks before) for one of my recent exams, despite the fact I had surgery and suffered from post surgery complications, which I am now not allowed to resit. This is just adding to my stress, but my tutor said she will try to appeal it but it did say that they don't accept appeals. But if it continues like this i don't know what the hell kinda grade I'm going to get to be honest. I don't even know if ill be able to get into yr 3 at this rate.
It sounds like you have disappeared into the rabbit hole of resits, attempts, extentuating circumstances claims & appeals and so on.
It's really difficult to advise because we do not (a) know what the particular regulations of your university are and (b) the reasoning behind rejecting your evidence of extentuating circumstances (and the strict regulations usually governing the EC process, what constitutes evidence etc).
But it sounds to me if you could sort this out now and get things straight, you might find the clarity to continue.
However, it may be that you are stuck with the capped results no matter what you do - that's down to the regulations.
You need clear advice from within your university - from the Students' Union, your Programme Administrator, Personal Tutor, and Student Support Officer. All 4 of them.
It's really difficult to advise because we do not (a) know what the particular regulations of your university are and (b) the reasoning behind rejecting your evidence of extentuating circumstances (and the strict regulations usually governing the EC process, what constitutes evidence etc).
But it sounds to me if you could sort this out now and get things straight, you might find the clarity to continue.
However, it may be that you are stuck with the capped results no matter what you do - that's down to the regulations.
You need clear advice from within your university - from the Students' Union, your Programme Administrator, Personal Tutor, and Student Support Officer. All 4 of them.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by Anonymous
I am currently a STEM student at university in my second year (part-time). I'm studying part-time because I am repeating some second year modules which I did not complete last year due to mental health problems.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
I've wanted to quit for the longest time because I simply hate uni. I bared with it for a couple years but now I really can't bring myself to continue. I find the content interesting and don't really find it hard, I just feel that uni isn't for me. I don't enjoy purely studying the facts, i prefer to apply myself which I do enjoy like in lab practicals. I hate uni to the point i genuinely struggle to go in and have barely gone in for the past year. When i do go in I can't focus on any work. I don't know what direction I'm going in either. I don't know what I want to do after, although, I have looked at the opportunity of going into research where I can apply myself or self-study and go into tech but I don't know what I should do right now.
The stress from all of this is taking a toll on my mental health to the point I can't bring myself to leave my house most days unless out of necessity. I need advice. I have spoken to my tutor but she hasn't really been giving me much advice and has told me more about the consequences of quitting regarding SFE funding (so I wouldn't be able to get funding for another degree). I did get some time off at the end of semester 2 last year and then after the summer holidays everyone (tutor, family etc) expected me to go back to uni, so I did, although I had initially wanted to take the year off to work on my mental health and get some experience to figure out what I want to do.
Now I'm back in the same place since I started uni again and I hate it. If this was my last year and only a couple months more perhaps I could have bared with it but its a couple months and then its another whole year and final year at that and I don't know if I can last that long nor if I even want to.
I don't know what the right thing is to do. Do I just continue with my degree, despite the fact that I am mentally struggling so I can have more options for me in the future or do i quit and start working (Ik it is difficult to find jobs with a lack of relevant experience) and find what suits me better?
My family aren't the most supportive either so I can't get much advice from them. Please help.
Hello,
Firstly, I am so sorry that you're feeling this way, it can be a very isolating time. I think everyone can agree that your mental health comes first and foremost. So you have to do what's right for you.
I'd recommend that you talk to your course leader or Uni Wellbeing service to see if they can help. When you pay for University you not only pay for the course but also all of the support that comes along with this. Talking to someone about how you're feeling might offer you some insight into what to do next. The well-being service will put your best interest first and if leaving University is that, then they'll support that choice and make you feel empowered to make the decision. At the end of the day University isn't for everyone.
You could also talk to them about:
- Switching the course to a more practical one.
- Switching University to one closer to home or a more vocational one that will offer a more practical experience rather than theoretical.
- Or if you decide you want to stay they can also help with coping mechanisms to get through University without it affecting your mental health.
Your uni might also have a careers team who could help you look into the possibility of a degree apprenticeship instead or put your mind at ease if you leave to be able to find a job instead.
We hope this helps in some way.
Alex - UoP Rep
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