Hate Oxford Law, 2 months left till finals but still haven’t revised, no motivation

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I am a law finalist at Oxford (rusticated last year). I have 2 months left until my finals start but I still haven’t revised and do not have the motivation to at all. I really do hate law and have zero interest in it (Oxford definitely killed my last bit of interest). I also did not enjoy the 4 years I have in Oxford, I cannot wait to leave this place.
I don’t know what to do with this. I am accepting the fact that I might fail my degree, but I honestly have no hope, dead inside and numb.
I feel like I am not grateful for being able to study at Oxford, I might not be disciplined enough and tough enough. But doing something I don’t like is really killing my spirit. I know I can get a 2:1 if I want, I have lots of potential but I don’t want to put it in law.
I am honestly giving up and 2:2 will definitely put my college at a shame (with no one getting a 2:2 previously for years). My tutors will also be disappointed.

8 weeks is enough time for almost a week on each paper you're sitting in the summer.

Also, you was 'chosen' from amongst 2,500 or so applicants for the Law degree when you applied and was presumably also shortlisted for interviews and succeeded in gaining an offer!!! :biggrin:

Don't give up, just focus with 20 minutes of revision, followed by a 5 to 10 minutes break and continue to thrive.

What don't you like about the course? :s-smilie:

Reply 3

It is possible that you are suffering from a form of anxiety and/or depression which might respond to treatment through discussion with a doctor or other appropriate clinician.

Although I enjoyed my time at Oxford and liked my subject, between Christmas and Easter in my final year I experienced real stress for the first time in my life. I felt pinioned by the weight of work I had to do for my exams. I spent almost every weekend of that Hilary Term hunkered down at at home (my parents were very kind to me at that time). I saw my college doctor, and I also took up running. By the beginning of Trinity Term, I had regained focus and energy, and I got to work and did well in my exams.

Suggestions: talk to your friends, your family, your tutors and/or your college's pastoral staff about your feelings. These people will usually want to help you. Socialise. Finalists should not lock themselves in their rooms working non stop. They should take breaks, meet up with friends for a meal, go to a movie etc.

Obviously, be careful not to use alcohol or recreational drugs (if you happen to be partial to either, ignore this if you are teetotal) as props. Do not self-diagnose, and do not self-medicate!

If friends etc who are not clinicians offer diagnoses, politely disregard them. They mean well, but they are not qualified to diagnose you. Even your medical student friends are not yet doctors. If having a drink or getting a little buzzed makes you feel happy, then do so in careful moderation. When the fun stops, stop. I repeat: do not self-medicate!

Try to increase your exercise levels - even going for a walk can help. Use whatever method of exercise works for you, be it running, swimming, gym, rowing, pilates, squash, yoga, whatever. The mind and the body are a dualism (Descartes was wrong). Eat healthily and don't skip meals. Try to enjoy the good things in life - food, conversation, books etc.

Maybe talk to a doctor for a clinical view of whether you are depressed and might benefit from a course of anti-depressants, but bear in mind that these can take several weeks to start working. The most commonly used types are what are called Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. They adjust how much seratonin is active in your body during a day

If Oxford is bugging you, consider spending some time at home, or otherwise away from the city.

Don't worry about loving or hating the law as a subject. Just treat the exams as a technical task to be completed. The minute you walk out of the Examination Schools after your last exam, you can forget everything you ever knew about the subject, throw your gown in a skip, and, if you like, leave Oxford and never go back (or see how you feel in thirty years time). You are not under any obligation to collect your degree in person if you don't want to. I know people who have still not graduated despite passing their Oxford exams decades ago.

Employers in many sectors don't much care about what you studied at university. If you can get a 2.1, great. Even if you get a 2.2, it's not the end of the World. Maybe in future years, when the grey clouds have long since passed away, you will make light of it, and feel able to assert bragging rights for having a Desmond.

Remember: in the future, what is now the present is the past. Nothing lasts forever. The only direction of travel is forwards.

Good luck. I hope that your can find a path to being happier.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 4

Original post by Stiffy Byng

It is possible that you are suffering from a form of anxiety and/or depression which might respond to treatment through discussion with a doctor or other appropriate clinician.
Although I enjoyed my time at Oxford and liked my subject, between Christmas and Easter in my final year I experienced real stress for the first time in my life. I felt pinioned by the weight of work I had to do for my exams. I spent almost every weekend of that Hilary Term hunkered down at at home (my parents were very kind to me at that time). I saw my college doctor, and I also took up running. By the beginning of Trinity Term, I had regained focus and energy, and I got to work and did well in my exams.
Suggestions: talk to your friends, your family, your tutors and/or your college's pastoral staff about your feelings. These people will usually want to help you. Socialise. Finalists should not lock themselves in their rooms working non stop. They should take breaks, meet up with friends for a meal, go to a movie etc.
Obviously, be careful not to use alcohol or recreational drugs (if you happen to be partial to either, ignore this if you are teetotal) as props. Do not self-diagnose, and do not self-medicate!
If friends etc who are not clinicians offer diagnoses, politely disregard them. They mean well, but they are not qualified to diagnose you. Even your medical student friends are not yet doctors. If having a drink or getting a little buzzed makes you feel happy, then do so in careful moderation. When the fun stops, stop. I repeat: do not self-medicate!
Try to increase your exercise levels - even going for a walk can help. Use whatever method of exercise works for you, be it running, swimming, gym, rowing, pilates, squash, yoga, whatever. The mind and the body are a dualism (Descartes was wrong). Eat healthily and don't skip meals. Try to enjoy the good things in life - food, conversation, books etc.
Maybe talk to a doctor for a clinical view of whether you are depressed and might benefit from a course of anti-depressants, but bear in mind that these can take several weeks to start working. The most commonly used types are what are called Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. They adjust how much seratonin is active in your body during a day
If Oxford is bugging you, consider spending some time at home, or otherwise away from the city.
Don't worry about loving or hating the law as a subject. Just treat the exams as a technical task to be completed. The minute you walk out of the Examination Schools after your last exam, you can forget everything you ever knew about the subject, throw your gown in a skip, and, if you like, leave Oxford and never go back (or see how you feel in thirty years time). You are not under any obligation to collect your degree in person if you don't want to. I know people who have still not graduated despite passing their Oxford exams decades ago.
Employers in many sectors don't much care about what you studied at university. If you can get a 2.1, great. Even if you get a 2.2, it's not the end of the World. Maybe in future years, when the grey clouds have long since passed away, you will make light of it, and feel able to assert bragging rights for having a Desmond.
Remember: in the future, what is now the present is the past. Nothing lasts forever. The only direction of travel is forwards.
Good luck. I hope that your can find a path to being happier.

Wow...I am shocked that you had problems during your final year. But you still got a 2.1 I presume? 🙂

I wonder is the workload at Oxford like completing 3 A-Levels every term? 😧

Reply 5

Original post by thegeek888

Wow...I am shocked that you had problems during your final year. But you still got a 2.1 I presume? 🙂
I wonder is the workload at Oxford like completing 3 A-Levels every term? 😧

Why be shocked to hear of some random person on the internet experiencing stress when preparing for university examinations? That is hardly a rare phenomenon and, besides, into each life a little rain must fall.

It's a tad vulgar to mention your degree classification unless doing so is subject-matter relevant. I shall leave you to guess what sort of degree I ended up with.

The workload at Oxford is not like completing three A levels in a term. There is in general little comparison between A level study and undergraduate study. At Oxford, it's not just a step between sixth form and university; it's a leap. It may be possible to obtain a degree at some higher education establishments by doing a sort of "A levels Plus", but that isn't how Oxford works.

In humanities subjects at Oxford, lectures may be of little or no importance. An hour in the library may be more profitable than an hour dozing off or texting while someone points at some slides. Copying and pasting won't get you anywhere at Oxford.

The studious type of undergraduate reads, reads, and reads. Then he or she reads some more. Then he or she writes an essay, aiming for brevity, with added sparkle.

Then the undergraduate, either alone or along with one to three others, engages in a rigorous and challenging discussion of the essay subject with a person who may well have twenty brains and who may well have read everything ever written on the subject, and written at least some of it.

Then the process is repeated, once a week or sometimes three times a fortnight. In between all that, the undergraduate (hopefully) has some (or lots of) fun, and every now and then he or she has a sleep, but sleeping is mainly what the vacations are for. Why sleep when you could be reading, or writing, or doing sports, or putting on a play, or debating, journalising, politicking, punting, or partying? You're only young once.

That is how the system is supposed to work. Of course it doesn't always work out, but quite often it does. A lot depends on the two way relationship between the tutors and the undergraduates. A tutor isn't some lecturer that you watch from thirty rows away, and maybe meet a few times in a term. The tutor is someone you spend a lot of academic time with, and may sometimes socialise with.

If you don't like your subject, or don't get on with your tutors, or find the other students in your college annoying, you can have a tough time. It used to be possible to change subjects, but I gather that this is much harder to do nowadays if not impossible.

This is why Oxford colleges interview candidates. The tutors try to form a view on whether the candidate is a person with whom they can envisage working successfully for the next three or four years.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 6

Did your parents feel proud of you and support you whilst at Oxford during the final year? Because without their support you'd only have had your friends to rely on for moral support? ☹️

Reply 7

Original post by thegeek888

Did your parents feel proud of you and support you whilst at Oxford during the final year? Because without their support you'd only have had your friends to rely on for moral support? ☹️

If that question is addressed to me, I suggest that you read my post earlier in the thread, where you will find the answer. Your question is in any event irrelevant to this thread.

I mentioned my undergraduate experience in an effort to assist the OP with his or her current difficulties. Helping the OP should be the focus of this thread.

OP, please forgive the side chatter. I hope that things get better for you.

Reply 8

Original post by Stiffy Byng

If that question is addressed to me, I suggest that you read my post earlier in the thread, where you will find the answer. Your question is in any event irrelevant to this thread.
I mentioned my undergraduate experience in an effort to assist the OP with his or her current difficulties. Helping the OP should be the focus of this thread.
OP, please forgive the side chatter. I hope that things get better for you.

The tutorials must be a daunting experience at first surely? Especially with producing so many essays during 8 weeks and other universities only requiring one or two essays?! 😧

Reply 9