Confused At College

LegacyUser

Hello, not sure how to start all this. My head is just a pure mess at this stage. THhs is more a rant than anything else but any advice or your own experiences would be appreciated.

I just started college and am living away from home. Staying with a girl I know from school which is great yet I'm feeling lonely. My class is so big that it's been hard to make friends. I know it's only early in my whole college career but already groups have formed and friends are being made. I'm feeling on the outside I suppose. To start with I wouldn't exactly be the most confident with others. I do try and I do make an effort - I talk to whoever sits beside me and all that but I don't know. I just feel out of place or something. I don't know.

Anyway the whole friendship thing is more of an aside at the minute anyway. My course is just totally overwhelming me. I knew what I was letting myself in for but the amount of work involved is just...! I am prepared to do it, it's just there's so much to read and so much to learn and remember. I know I will adapt and get used to it but at the minute it feels like I'm smothering. It's a horrible feeling. I'm so behind in my reading and I'm at the end of my tether.

I'm quite an academic person. I always did quite well in school and was used to being top of my class so feeling like this is alien to me - sorry I don't mean to be arrogant or bug headed in saying that so sorry if it's some across that way. I got the big 600 in the leaving, something which I did not expect. At the minute I'm studying for an arts degree and I'm always met with the same kind of questioning attitude. People expect me to be studying for a degree in law, medicine, something with high points.

I wouldn't mind this at all if I had no interest in the above degrees but for about three years I had my heart set on becoming a doctor. Then about a year ago I changed my mind for fear of the work and not being able for it and all the chemistry involved and decided to study what I'm doing now. Which is ironic really, considering I got an A1 in both chemistry and biology.

Now I'm here, totally overwhelmed with all of this new work, on the brink of tears and I'm regretting this decision. I'm putting in so much work now for a degree I'm not sure of. Transferring to med is out of the question probably as I foolishly didn't do the HPAT test. Not that I might have got medicine anyway with the test but still at least I had a chance.

I'm confused about the choices I've made and where I'm going in life. I just don't know what to do. I'm going to talk to my tutor soon but I don't know. I'm just in such a lonely and confused place right now. I don't want to have any regrets with my life.

Sorry that's all a bit jumbled up. Just wondering I suppose anyway to get over regrets, look forward, that kind of thing.

Thanks.

Overheal

I always felt that Secondary school was Competitive and Third Level was Co-Operative, when you think about it long enough. I think you can solve two problems at the same time by approaching people you're most comfortable with for help with your whelming stack of work. Organize a night of study with some people: Bribe them with cookies.

suspectpackage

you can still register to do the hpat this year. register for it soon, do it and you'll be starting medicine next year. you're lucky!

I'm sure you didn't mean it in that way, but it isn't true that Arts subjects are easy. They're only easy if you're good at them, like anything else. Leaving Cert points are irrelevant (I wasn't far off 600 myself but I never wanted to do anything science related). My brother did really well at school, especially in the sciences and maths but decided to do an Arts subject. He's really bad at it. He scrapes 2:2s every year and has had to repeat exams every year. It isn't isn't for him. He'd have been suited to engineering or physics. It sounds like this course might not be for you if you're struggling at this early stage. You could always take a year out and reapply?