I am three weeks into my third year, and I am freaking out. Why does everyone keep talking about dissertations? Why are all my deadlines so soon and so close together? Why does everyone else know what they’re doing, and I don’t?
I want to discuss the difficulties and frustrations of third year. No one warned me how hard this transition is. Third year feels like a big jump, and I wish someone had gently explained this to me before I dove in the deep end. Everything feels so important now that I am entering my honours years, and it feels as if there is no more time to make mistakes. I am expected to know how to do everything all of a sudden. I can no longer say “never mind, it doesn’t matter because none of this counts anyway” which up until this point was always something comforting to fall back on when all else failed.
I want to tell you that you are not alone in feeling this way. Firstly, I feel this way. Secondly, it seems all my friends feel this way too. I want to remind you that the future is exciting, and you now have the opportunity to specialise and do what you actually like, although there are still some of those confusing compulsory modules which no one likes, no matter how much the lecturers try to convince you they are fun. You will be in new, much smaller, classes where you can get to know people on your course who are interested in the same niche as you and you can geek out over it together. Or you can make new friends by complaining about the module. There’s nothing more bonding than a shared adversity.
I was having a particularly bad week recently and felt that I was miles behind everyone else. I felt tearful after my seminars and never wanted to go back, because I felt that everyone else had all these big ideas and insights and I had not even understood half of the readings. When I have a problem, I am not very good at keeping it to myself so I told everyone and anyone who would listen. It turns out that after chatting with friends and course mates I realised that I was not the only one feeling so confused. I have also been reassured by friends in fourth year and my course tutors that the first semester of third year is the most overwhelming and most people do not have a clue what they are doing.
If you can take one thing away from this, I hope it is that whether you are in third year now or will be in the future, you will be okay and there is so much support available. This can be through the university but also by the time you enter your third year you know a few people and can turn to them (I promise). Actually, another thing to take away, stop telling me that my dissertation topic will just ‘come to me’. It’s annoying.
“File:Old College, University of Edinburgh (24923171570).jpg” by LWYang from USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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What I wish people had warned me about the transition to honours
I am three weeks into my third year, and I am freaking out. Why does everyone keep talking about dissertations? Why are all my deadlines so soon and so close together? Why does everyone else know what they’re doing, and I don’t?
I want to discuss the difficulties and frustrations of third year. No one warned me how hard this transition is. Third year feels like a big jump, and I wish someone had gently explained this to me before I dove in the deep end. Everything feels so important now that I am entering my honours years, and it feels as if there is no more time to make mistakes. I am expected to know how to do everything all of a sudden. I can no longer say “never mind, it doesn’t matter because none of this counts anyway” which up until this point was always something comforting to fall back on when all else failed.
I want to tell you that you are not alone in feeling this way. Firstly, I feel this way. Secondly, it seems all my friends feel this way too. I want to remind you that the future is exciting, and you now have the opportunity to specialise and do what you actually like, although there are still some of those confusing compulsory modules which no one likes, no matter how much the lecturers try to convince you they are fun. You will be in new, much smaller, classes where you can get to know people on your course who are interested in the same niche as you and you can geek out over it together. Or you can make new friends by complaining about the module. There’s nothing more bonding than a shared adversity.
I was having a particularly bad week recently and felt that I was miles behind everyone else. I felt tearful after my seminars and never wanted to go back, because I felt that everyone else had all these big ideas and insights and I had not even understood half of the readings. When I have a problem, I am not very good at keeping it to myself so I told everyone and anyone who would listen. It turns out that after chatting with friends and course mates I realised that I was not the only one feeling so confused. I have also been reassured by friends in fourth year and my course tutors that the first semester of third year is the most overwhelming and most people do not have a clue what they are doing.
If you can take one thing away from this, I hope it is that whether you are in third year now or will be in the future, you will be okay and there is so much support available. This can be through the university but also by the time you enter your third year you know a few people and can turn to them (I promise). Actually, another thing to take away, stop telling me that my dissertation topic will just ‘come to me’. It’s annoying.
“File:Old College, University of Edinburgh (24923171570).jpg” by LWYang from USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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