1st year student- College taking over and ruining my life

LegacyUser

I apologise in advance for the long winded nature of this course.

Basically, I started college in early September having come straight from Leaving Cert. I’m studying English, Media and Cultural Studies in IADT, a course I thought would suit my ability, interests and also would be a wise course to do with regard to the career I wish to pursue- radio presenting.

The heel of the reel is- I hate it. For a number of reasons.

1). Level of difficulty
2). Unfamiliar environment
3). Location (90 minute trip from home each way, every day)
4). 3 out of 4 subjects bore me, and I had thought I’d love them
5). I feel incredibly insecure and inadequate amongst my classmates
6). Everyone seems to have made good friends, and I’m finding it very difficult- a problem I never had before

I’m disliking college so much that I’m dodging classes frequently and taking sickies regularly. I know I’m an academically bright person, yet I’m finding the whole learning-on-your-own thing very daunting. My self esteem has plummeted, I’ve put on weight due to comfort eating because I feel low about myself and college, and I generally feel like giving up.

I’d really appreciate any advice any third level students or teachers can give.

Thanks

Zola_Queen

Hey I was thinking of doing that course!
I know just what you mean actually. Im a first year student as well and am finding it quite difficult to adjust. First of all this was my third preference so I really wasnt very enthousiastic about the college in the first place. Secondly like you I find it hard to make friends mainly because everyone is from here and went to secondary school with eachother, etc. They're also all very proud of their college which I dont have a problem with but it makes me feel like a complete outsider! I really haven't made a whole lot of new friends and seeing as no-one from my old school has gone here in the past 3/4 years its quite lonely! im really missing secondary school! Now you know you're not the only one!
But IADT is quite a small place isnt it? at least you have the comfort of seeing familiar faces...? have you joined any clubs? is there anyone else that lives near you and commutes everyday?

LegacyUser

Haven't gotten round to joingin any clubs or societies yet, but I intend to join the drama soc and cabaret soc asap.

Only person commuting from out my direction.

And this course was my third preference too

seraphimvc

this may ease your pain abit?:p

i traveled at least 90 minutes to school everyday,thats total of AT LEAST 3 hours on bus everyday.
every second week i have 3 days classes from 10-1 then 3-6,arrive home at 9.30pm normally
total of 3 friends from secondary school but theres none of them doing the same course as me,i basically never seen them for once in awhile


bah,you can find tonnes of people like you in a big school of mine;)
dont worry!it's just 2months from school started,comon!give yourself some time!you are on your own now ya see.
study?do it yourself.
tiring and not enough time?manage good your time!i know people travel a total of 4 hours to school everyday and working all week!
friends?you are supposed to study while in college,but hell yea,if you need friends,go make one!start from the one sit beside ya tomorrow!or join society or go any school event!

trust me,you will find a way eventually:D but seriously tho,if you think that you dont like your major,then you need to think about repeating LC or take a gap...it's your future,man.

good luck!

Fanny Cradock

Give it time. It is obviously a big shock to find yourself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Most people find the first year in college the most difficult not only for reasons academic but also those of a more personal nature.

From an academic perspective, it can be a major challenge to get up to speed on all these new ideas that are fired at you. It is tough going, but eventually you will regain your equilibrium and steady yourself. Things become easer after a time. Latter years may be more intellectually challenging, but by that stage you have built up a security in your own abilities, and won't find yourself so overwhelmed by all that is new.

From a personal perspective, your insecurity is probably borne out of the same imagined feelings of inadequacy that follow you around. Maybe you feel like a small fish in a big pond? But I would think it a safe bet to say that other people are feeling exactly the same as you. Some people have already formed close friendships (though after 2 months one would wonder how close), but this doesn't mean they now reject the idea of forming new ones. Sit down beside someone from your class and strike up a conversation. There are also probably 100's of clubs an societies you can join. The world is your oyster!

Again, all I can say is 'give it time'.

LegacyUser

Hi there,

I'm finished college now (even went back to do a masters!) but I felt I could relate to a lot of what you wrote so I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you.

HatingCollege wrote: »

1). Level of difficulty

You said yourself you're an academically bright person, so it's well within your abilities to do well if you want to. But I think the

HatingCollege wrote: »

2). Unfamiliar environment

Give it time! I used to get anxious about landing in new and unfamiliar situations like this. It's natural and can be unsettling. In my case I found that once I'd been through a few transitions like that I started to see a pattern emerging. The initial unfamiliarity fades more quickly than you might expect and before you know it you feel comfortable with your new surroundings. At this stage I actually crave that initial feeling, I think I get an adrenalin rush from it, knowing that I haven't a clue what I'm after landing myself into, yet knowing that I'll figure it out soon enough. Give yourself some credit, as a species us humans are very good at adapting. :-)

HatingCollege wrote: »

3). Location (90 minute trip from home each way, every day)

Have you considered getting a place near college?
I had an hour or more commute from Naas to Dublin and back every day for fifth and sixth year of secondary school, and after the Leaving I deferred my place in UCD for a year and commuted to work in Dublin for most of that year too. By the end of that I knew I wasn't going to commute when I got to college and many of my friends who had gone straight into college and were commuting 90 mins each way every day got sick of it and moved up during or after first year. If you live near college it's much easier to get involved with other activities, societies and just general socialising which I think is just as important as the academic side of things.

HatingCollege wrote: »

4). 3 out of 4 subjects bore me, and I had thought I’d love them

This is exactly what I felt when I was in first year. I didn't enjoy much of the material during the first two years, it was hard to relate to and not very exciting. Unfortunately not all the material is going to be fascinating, sometimes it's only in hindsight that you see why it was relevant. I'm glad I stuck with it, because once I got to third year and especially in fourth year things started to get a lot more interesting because a couple of things started to happen. Firstly, the material itself got more interesting, and the earlier material started to make sense in the context of the new stuff I was learning. Also, with group projects and subject choices there was more scope to hone in on areas of particular interest to me. This was certainly the case in final year when we were free to pick a final year project that interested us. I did computer science by the way - I know it's rather unrelated from what you're studying but I would be surprised if what I had just described didn't apply in some way to many courses regardless of the discipline.

If you haven't done so already, have a look at the structure and material of the final years of the course and see if it looks like something that really interests you.

HatingCollege wrote: »

5). I feel incredibly insecure and inadequate amongst my classmates
6). Everyone seems to have made good friends, and I’m finding it very difficult- a problem I never had before

HatingCollege wrote: »

I’m disliking college so much that I’m dodging classes frequently and taking sickies regularly. I know I’m an academically bright person, yet I’m finding the whole learning-on-your-own thing very daunting. My self esteem has plummeted, I’ve put on weight due to comfort eating because I feel low about myself and college, and I generally feel like giving up.

I think a lot of your difficulties could be related to the stressful position you are in with regard to the 3 hours of commuting - day in, day out. With that much time taken out of your life every day, I think it's no wonder that you are disliking it - sure you'd be exhausted just trying to keep up with the material never mind building up friendships and having a social life!

Regardless of whether you do decide to move up or not - which of course is completely up to you - I don't know what other factors are involved in such a decision - I agree that getting involved with societies is a great way to get to know people in college. Joining the drama soc and cabaret soc sounds like a lot of great times ahead for you so my advice would be to hang in there, you are at a hugely exciting stage of your life and so many opportunities are waiting around the corner!

good luck!

B

LegacyUser

hey there
i have just graduated from that exact course, so hopefully i'll be able to shed some light on your situation

in response your bullet points

1. i also found first year quite difficult, and considered dropping out too. for leaving cert you are pretty much spoon fed what to write and i bet in school you always got As and Bs in english and expected to get these grades in college. then you got in there and they started throwing around words like semiotics, hegemony, ideology, proppian theory and you were like wtf (!) it is a huge change from college, and first year is particularly hard in any course. i know that the majority of my own class got Ds and Cs in first year assignments and it is a culture shock. but i can assure you as you go on you learn to use the fancy words to your advantage and you start to know what you're talking about.

2&6 unfamiliar environment: again gonna happen leaving school where you knew everyone and starting college a loner. but youre gonna have to keep facing unfamilar environments, unless you want to lead a terribly boring life. but you have to get involved, invite yourself along places (yes embarraassing at first but it'll pay off), join the societies (maybe sports related and you could kill two birds with the one stone), show up in the chapel/bakers on a thurs. bring a wingman/woman from school if necessary. and iadt is quite small so its easier to approach people. classes are small, like really when you compare it to ucd where you've hundreds in your class - it gives some perspective. there are also group projects on the course which help you get to know people

3. 90 min commute - i also had a long commute. longer than this actually. and i would recommend moving closer to college if you can as i felt i missed out on part of the college exp because of this. makes it easier to socialise around college too.

4. 3 out of 4 subjects bore me - hmmm 18th century lit, introduction to this that and the other. first year subjects are a base and arent as interesting as the subsequent years. but have a look at the prospectus for future subjects, ask lecturers what subjects you'll be doing next year and check out the theses in the library (beside the old newspapers), these will give you a feel for what you could be doing. research the course before you make any decisions. you get to study vampires in fourth year if thats any incentive.


5. feeling insecure and inadequate - again i went through this, as i said i considered dropping out. i ended up getting one of the top results. so i think this is more self esteem than anything, the college consellor may be able to help you with this, but generally i think just experience, socialising and working hard will help combat this feeling of inadequancy

if you decided the course is not for you, and to be honest if you are looking for a vocation led course - its not ideal. it is very much theory based. i thought it was a really interesting course but i will say most from my class are doing a masters in something practical in media in order to get a job. if you dont think this path is for you, iadt do radio production - you could look into that. alternatively dcu and dit do some great hands-on media courses which you may prefer.

i hope this helps

Dudess

OP, if you're still feeling unhappy by January, why not reapply to the CAO for an arts course in a college that's more convenient to you? I want to be a radio presenter too and believe me, it doesn't matter what course you do - experience and on-air talent are the only things that count. That course in Dun Laoghaire seems really interesting but it is, essentially, an arts degree. As far as I know, it doesn't entail practical radio skills. Studying media academically won't prepare you for working in the media - there's a misconception that it will.
Communications in DCU or Media Arts in DIT do include practical modules, but they don't guarantee you a job either. But look into them if you have the points.
My advice would be to go to Ballyfermot College though - that is the best place in the Dublin area for gaining practical media skills. And if you want to have a third level degree - do arts and get involved with the college radio station. An arts degree in, for instance, English and Sociology, will feature plenty of media and cultural studies. After that, go to Ballyfermot. You're only out of school, you've plenty of time.
As for myself, I did an arts degree in UCC and a practical media course in CSN (Cork's equivalent of Ballyfermot College) then lots and lots of experience with community radio. I got researcher work in RedFM Cork, then bits and pieces of researcher work in Today FM and NewsTalk. A station did offer me a show but I had to turn it down (sounds like an idiotic decision but it was definitely the right one). Haven't got there yet but I'm determined to stick with it. It's a hard road but perseverance is vital (and good luck, timing and contacts. Oh, and talent!)

Snarler

Location (90 minute trip from home each way, every day)

Thats your problem. People who commute to college have a **** time.

Its all about immersing yourself in the full learning/partying experience.

Lorrs33

I'm in IADT! I'm in 2nd year and I'm still finding it difficult to keep up with other things, especially now I'm working, I rarely have time for anything else. Classes can be boring, I've skipped at least two of my classes so many times this year and it's only November! It takes me three hours to get here and two hours to get home, so I understand where you're coming from. Have you considered the possibility that maybe this isn't the course for you? My friend is doing it, and she's a first year, so maybe you know her, and it does sound very complex.

muppetkiller

When was college about the course and exams ?
I did a degree in Maths and hated every minute of it...but I loved the social life
rent close to college and go wild..that's what college is all about..:D

Overheal

Clubs and societies are epic for meeting people. I do reccomend getting local accomodation though.

Either way first year is supposed to be about the adjustment. So the hard love is: Get with the program or get out try hanging out with your classmates for a start, maybe crash at one of their locals so you can go out once in a while. I know a fair amount of people that did that last year.

jenizzle

The social scene in IADT can be really crap sometimes... it took me well over 2 years to settle into the place. One thing that helped me lots was moving closer to the college. I know accomodation is a joke out there atm, but if you come across a chance to move, I highly recommend it. That way you can stay out for a while after class for a pint or two, instead of saying no cos you have a commute ahead of you.

Also, there is a radio station there (well, was when I was there anyway), why not try get involved in that? Or even try change courses??

Spoony2

Snarler hit the nail on the head!!

I travelled 6 hours a day to go to collage at one point and it was **** people had made thre drinking clicks and i was out of the click which sucked so all i can say is maybe think about getting a place with a bunch of other students...

as for he comfort eating you've regognised that its getting a bit worse maybe every time you feel insecure depressed etc, right it down and then go burn it vent it off that way and also its really very easy to wollow in bad thoughts try thinking abu the good things in life:)

hope this helps

Dudess

OP, where exactly do you live? I still think you should go for arts next year. Would Trinity, UCD or Maynooth be convenient to you?

Thundercracker

HatingCollege wrote: »

1). Level of difficulty

You're in 1st year, you could be doing Medicine, and it will still be easier now then it will be in the years proceeding so you should take a long hard think about what you want to do before going ahead with the course. 75% of dropouts occur before Xmas in the 1st Semester, and this is because most people just choose randomly on the CAO and dont speak to their parents or carreer guidance teacher (or dont have that option). Im sorry to say that if its 1st year youre finding difficult you have a long fall down

HatingCollege wrote: »

2). Unfamiliar environment

Everything in college is unfamiliar, thats actually one of the best things about it, as its a fresh start and a chance to interact in new and exciting ways. a chance to wipe the slate clean, dress how you want, and a chance for a new attitude towards boring ol' education

HatingCollege wrote: »

3). Location (90 minute trip from home each way, every day)

Im sorry, you dont have the right to complain, students in my course come from Kildare daily to attend college in Dublin and several moved up from the West knowing that they had no other choice and had to study there, but missing their friends and family who they cant spend time with in the evening because they live 3 hours away from....by car. Yes the traffic in Dublin is bad but you will get used to this.

HatingCollege wrote: »

4). 3 out of 4 subjects bore me, and I had thought I’d love them

Join a club or society, if its too late for that, then try and go out on a Fri and interact or have a beer with your fellow classmates

HatingCollege wrote: »

5). I feel incredibly insecure and inadequate amongst my classmates

You are not inadequate. You are clued into whats going on, you are aware of whats going on and your on that course because you got the points or awards you needed. you didnt buy your way into college, you earned it and its your reward to be enjoyed

HatingCollege wrote: »

6). Everyone seems to have made good friends, and I’m finding it very difficult- a problem I never had before

This can be a problem, but you will find over time that friendships can be forged in the most unlikely of situations. Maybe get a part time job outside college.

HatingCollege wrote: »

I’m disliking college so much that I’m dodging classes frequently and taking sickies regularly.

I do this sometimes, but just once or twice a month, I take the bus into town and just do whatever. It lets me clear my head and have a free day while everyone else is working. People in college do it all the time and its perfectly natural. Just dont abuse it, force yourself to go in most days and make sure you challenge what you dont understand and question even what you do

HatingCollege wrote: »

I’ve put on weight due to comfort eating

No youre not, its because your eating more sweets now you are in college and its the only thing you can grab between lectures that doesnt require lots of effort. sit down, have a proper hot meal at least once or twice a week in college, and make sure you enjoy the food you eat.

Dudess

This course at Tallaght I.T. might be worth investigating:
http://www.it-tallaght.ie/courses/full-time/businesshumanities/humanities/bachelorofarts-audiovisualmedia/

AngryBadger

I'm not advocating this, but have you considered switching courses? It's early days, and the first month or two are always the most difficult, but things improve over time, it's jsut one of those things.

However, if you really loathe the course that much then maybe it's just not the course for you, and maybe you should look at alternatives.

If you've only just completed the leaving cert then you're onyl barely out of the blocks OP. Changing to another course is not that big a deal, when all is said and done a lot of people wind up changing courses multiple times to find what suits them.

That said I want to re-iterate that I'm not saying you SHOULD change courses. But from what you're describing you really hate this course. All i want to point out is that the course isn't the B-all and end-all. You've plenty of options, and it's very early days.

Try not to allow the course t dominate your sense of self. Going off to college is a big deal for people, and to be fair it is a big step, but it's just the first of many big steps OP. So give yourself a break, what you're experiencing is a huge adjustment to what you're used to.

If you haven't already I'd suggest discussing this with your folks, and if there's a support staff in your college, (there almost always is, usually staffed by other students!) go and talk to them. You#d be surprised at how much help you can get.
Above all though, give yourself a break, sounds like you're being really hard on yourself when you should really be congratulating yourself for getting where you wan, ad looking around at the options you have.

Best of luck OP.