Poor work ethic at uni
Did anyone else find their work ethic completely change from sixth form to uni? I feel like mine was at my peak in my GCSEs when I used to work for like 4 hours a day after school, then it dropped at A levels when I barely did anything out of school hours but still managed to work really hard in the month before exams to get good grades. But now in my first year at UCL I literally do NOTHING other than the bare minimum ie. submitting assignments on time. My first exam is in a week and I haven't even began my revision. Every assignment I leave until the last minute so most of my essays this year have been researched and written in 24 hours. I work two days a week which no one else seems to do for some reason so I feel like that burns me out a bit? But has anyone else had the same happen?
um yh literally the exact same to a t. do you like your degree at all, or has it always just been about academic validation?
Original post by neckbite
um yh literally the exact same to a t. do you like your degree at all, or has it always just been about academic validation?
I'm really passionate about my degree subject (foreign languages) but the course is absolute shite at times. academic validation was always an element though hbu lmaoo
Original post by spicyoo
I'm really passionate about my degree subject (foreign languages) but the course is absolute shite at times. academic validation was always an element though hbu lmaoo
what's wrong with the course?
idk i'm doing a degree i knew it was a mistake to apply to even before i applied. i think i basically just applied for it cos i knew i could get into cambridge for it. i was so bitter and angry in year 13 and it was a stupid decision. now i feel trapped on the wrong path. at least that's what i'm telling myself. i'm also just arrogant and proud and afraid of failing so i just don't even try just to protect my own ego. at a certain point you've just got to get down to business and stop questioning everything and just do the work tho.
Original post by neckbite
what's wrong with the course?
idk i'm doing a degree i knew it was a mistake to apply to even before i applied. i think i basically just applied for it cos i knew i could get into cambridge for it. i was so bitter and angry in year 13 and it was a stupid decision. now i feel trapped on the wrong path. at least that's what i'm telling myself. i'm also just arrogant and proud and afraid of failing so i just don't even try just to protect my own ego. at a certain point you've just got to get down to business and stop questioning everything and just do the work tho.
idk i'm doing a degree i knew it was a mistake to apply to even before i applied. i think i basically just applied for it cos i knew i could get into cambridge for it. i was so bitter and angry in year 13 and it was a stupid decision. now i feel trapped on the wrong path. at least that's what i'm telling myself. i'm also just arrogant and proud and afraid of failing so i just don't even try just to protect my own ego. at a certain point you've just got to get down to business and stop questioning everything and just do the work tho.
i got rejected from oxbridge and i'm so glad hahaha with the way I do nothing right now i know i wouldn't be able to cope at Cambridge
Original post by spicyoo
Did anyone else find their work ethic completely change from sixth form to uni? I feel like mine was at my peak in my GCSEs when I used to work for like 4 hours a day after school, then it dropped at A levels when I barely did anything out of school hours but still managed to work really hard in the month before exams to get good grades. But now in my first year at UCL I literally do NOTHING other than the bare minimum ie. submitting assignments on time. My first exam is in a week and I haven't even began my revision. Every assignment I leave until the last minute so most of my essays this year have been researched and written in 24 hours. I work two days a week which no one else seems to do for some reason so I feel like that burns me out a bit? But has anyone else had the same happen?
Hi there,
That sounds like it is difficult for you. Working whilst at uni can definitely be hard so its important to make sure that you aim for a good work-uni-life balance. If you feel your work is burning you out is there any possibility that you could drop your hours down and see if that makes a difference. With regards to your university work have you considered writing down why you are finding it hard to increase your work ethic? Maybe you are finding certain aspects difficult? If you do feel you need some extra support many universities have excellent support services that could be worth looking into.
I hope this helps,
Eleanor F
Student Ambassador
Original post by spicyoo
Did anyone else find their work ethic completely change from sixth form to uni? I feel like mine was at my peak in my GCSEs when I used to work for like 4 hours a day after school, then it dropped at A levels when I barely did anything out of school hours but still managed to work really hard in the month before exams to get good grades. But now in my first year at UCL I literally do NOTHING other than the bare minimum ie. submitting assignments on time. My first exam is in a week and I haven't even began my revision. Every assignment I leave until the last minute so most of my essays this year have been researched and written in 24 hours. I work two days a week which no one else seems to do for some reason so I feel like that burns me out a bit? But has anyone else had the same happen?
Hi there @spicyoo !
I can definitely relate to this. I think more so than anything it's the shift from having someone telling you what to do and enforcing how important things are to gaining your own independence at university and being left to your own devices. I sometimes feel like I'm not as strict on myself as I should be and that if I had a teacher there doing it for me I'd probably be more motivated. Another thing that always shocks me is how at school I could get myself out of bed at 6AM but now you couldn't get me out of bed until late morning.
If you're struggling with motivation, something that's really helped me discipline myself is getting a diary. I use it like a reminder to myself of all the things I need to do and all the things I've been putting off. So for example if there's things i need to get done tomorrow, I'll write them in the box for tomorrow's date so when I look at it I know I have that to do. If there's a deadline next week I'll write it on next weeks page on the day it's due. The only way I've found to make myself feel more productive is holding myself accountable when I don't do the things I need to get done. It's also helped to have another person doing it with me because then you can keep each other in check. I do have a part-time job and sometimes find I don't have the spare time to upkeep my life, especially when I get really stressed if my space is a mess but I just don't have the time to clean it because of other things going on. It helps me to actually go to the library to do my work because if I have to leave the flat to go to it then I feel accomplished already and like I have to do the work.
Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU
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